Prospects, and the future of the NHL

I'm not a huge fan of a big copy & paste, but sometimes it's the easiest way to get information out there.

From https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2019/05/full-list-of-2019-expiring-draft-rights.html today:

Full List Of 2019 Expiring Draft Rights

MAY 24, 2019 AT 11:11 AM CDT | BY GAVIN LEE

When drafting a player out of North America or more European countries, a team acquires their exclusive negotiating rights for a set amount of time. Each year on June 1, a long list of players see those rights expire and they become unrestricted free agents. While this doesn’t always result in a flurry of signings in the last week of May, there are usually a few players who ink their deals at the last minute to stay in the organization that drafted them. With just over a week left on the clock, CapFriendly has provided a full list of players who will see those rights expire in the coming days:
Anaheim Ducks
Kyle Olson (122nd overall, 2017)

Arizona Coyotes
Noel Hoefenmayer (108th overall, 2017)

Boston Bruins
Cedric Pare (173rd overall, 2017)
Daniel Bukac (204th overall, 2017)

Calgary Flames
Zach Fischer (140th overall, 2017)
D’Artagnan Joly (171st overall, 2017)

Carolina Hurricanes
Brendan De Jong (166th overall, 2017)

Chicago Blackhawks
Radovan Bondra (151st overall, 2015)
John Dahlstrom (211th overall, 2015)

Colorado Avalanche
Gustav Olhaver (191st overall, 2015)

Columbus Blue Jackets
Veeti Vaini (141st overall, 2015)

Dallas Stars
Liam Hawel (101st overall, 2017)
Brett Davis (163rd overall, 2017)
Markus Ruusu (163rd overall, 2015)

Detroit Red Wings
Lane Zablocki (79th overall, 2017)
Zachary Gallant (83rd overall, 2017)
Cole Fraser (131st overall, 2017)
Reilly Webb (164th overall, 2017)
Brady Gilmour (193rd overall, 2017)

Minnesota Wild
Ales Stezka (111th overall, 2015)
Jacob Golden (147th overall, 2017)

Montreal Canadiens
Scott Walford (68th overall, 2017)
Jarret Tyszka (149th overall, 2017)

Nashville Predators
Karel Vejmelka (145th overall, 2015)
Pavel Koltygin (176th overall, 2017)
Jacob Paquette (216th overall, 2017)

New Jersey Devils
Jocktain Chainey (191st overall, 2017)

New York Islanders
Arnaud Durandeau (165th overall, 2017)
Petter Hansson (202nd overall, 2015)

New York Rangers
Daniel Bernhardt (119th overall, 2015)
Dominik Lakatos (157th overall, 2017)

Ottawa Senators
Filip Ahl (109th overall, 2015)
Jordan Hollett (183rd overall, 2017)

Pittsburgh Penguins
Zachary Lauzon (51st overall, 2017)*

St. Louis Blues
David Noel (130th overall, 2017)
Trenton Bourque (175th overall, 2017)

Toronto Maple Leafs
Fedor Gordeev (141st overall, 2017)
Ryan McGregor (172nd overall, 2017)

Vancouver Canucks
Kristoffer Gunnarsson (135th overall, 2017)
Matthew Brassard (188th overall, 2017)

Vegas Golden Knights
Maxim Zhukov (96th overall, 2017)

*Lauzon is obviously the highest pick in the group, but the chances of him earning a contract seem slim at this point. The 20-year old defenseman missed the entire 2018-19 season and most of 2017-18 with concussion issues.

I remember Filip Ahl (OTT 2015) from his draft class. I would love the Sabres to consider him. There are a few other names worth thinking about, but most of these guys have reached the stage where they need to decide what they're going to do with their lives.

 

Three cheers for Leafs prospect Nick Robertson. He just became the first Peterborough Pete in 27 years to score 50 goals.
50 goals in 43 games, (also a Michigan native).

 

That newfie could fly, maybe one day he'll be on MackInnons line.

 

Lafreniere, expected No. 1 pick in 2020 NHL Draft, to skip QMJHL season
Forward will prepare for first pro training camp by skating near home

Alexis Lafreniere, expected to be the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, will not report to training camp with Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League or play for a team in Europe this fall.

The 18-year-old forward will train for the start of the 2020-21 NHL season near his home in Saint-Eustache, Quebec.

The New York Rangers have the No. 1 pick in the draft after winning the Second Phase of the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday. A start date for next NHL season has not been announced.

"Alexis loved his time in Rimouski," Emilie Castonguay, Lafreniere's agent, said Wednesday. "He spent three seasons there and will forever be tied to a team that helped develop him into a top player. ... We just felt it was better for him given the current state of the pandemic and of hockey around the world to continue his preparation at home where he has a great support system on and off the ice to get ready for his first NHL camp."

Castonguay said a number of teams from Europe showed interest in signing Lafreniere but she said no formal discussions were held.

Lafreniere is No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American prospects.

"He's a really smart player and his hockey IQ is at the highest level possible," Jean-Francois Damphousse of NHL Central Scouting said. "He's not a finesse guy who only relies on his overall skills ... he competes, he hits, he finishes checks, and is really entertaining to watch. You can feel it when he's on the ice.

"I wasn't there when (Pittsburgh Penguins captain) Sidney Crosby played (for Rimouski from 2003-05), but you got that feeling that something special was going to happen every time he was on the ice. Alexis brings that same level of excitement."

Lafreniere led the QMJHL with 112 points (35 goals, 77 assists) in 52 games this season and was named the league's most valuable player for a second consecutive season. He also won Canadian Hockey League player of the year for a second straight season. Lafreniere and Crosby (2004, 2005) are the only players to win the award twice.

Lafreniere also was the most valuable player of the IIHF 2020 World Junior Championship after he scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in five games to help Canada win the championship.

In three QMJHL seasons, Lafreniere scored 297 points (114 goals, 183 assists) in 173 games. Among players with three seasons or fewer in the league since 2000-01, Lafreniere is fourth in points, after Claude Giroux (321), Olivier Proulx (314) and Vitali Abramov (301).

NHL.com
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Might as well not risk anything in Juniors. When your alreadt that good... take it up to the next level and he can without the time spent in Juniors.

 

Two prospects have both signed with Kunlun, KHL. Parker Foo (Chicago), and Spencer Foo (Calgary). Yup, they’re bro’s. in China.

This - literally - makes Kunlun a Foo Foo team.

 

Corey Pronman just came up with his rankings for the 2021 draft.

3 of the top 5 are currently freshman at the University of Mighigan. What a wagon. If they play.
D- Owen Power- huge D with the game to match the name. Of the scouts Pronman interviewed, Power was a close second place finisher.
F- Kent Johnson- skilled kid with dangleitis galore. Tore up the BCHL last year and expected to do the same in NCAA.
F- Matthew Beniers- local Mass kid that was supposed to go to Harvard and switched in the end with Harvard taking a knee on the season. Compete level and 2 way game is off the charts. Shouldve been smart and went to BC so I automatically question his thinking.

#1 is Finnish F Aatu Raty, #4 is Canadian F Dylan Guenther

 

I dont trust lefties, looking at you Askarov. i think Sorokin wins the job for the Islanders this season. Knight is the guy in my mind until I see otherwise.

 

Obviously I follow the Sabres and these are goalie prospects (read, unrecognized names outside their org.). I think it’ll be interesting to see how their careers develop, but most goalies do not establish themselves until age +/- 25.

Personal bias aside, I believe UPL, a.k.a., 6K, belongs in the 4-6 tier.

Dustin Wolf is smaller than what’s in vogue today. But I thought the Flames got a steal in the 4th round. He played at Everett of the WHL. His predecessor in net, and former teammate, is Hart. Now making Hex look smart for the hockey team from Philadelphia. Ev is a G factory!

 

Dan............I need Luukkonen to play this year for the Sabres........I have had him in my Keeper league for TWO years in the Bin.

I think he has major potentially to be a great goalie.

But I think Buffalo is going to keep him in the minors again.......they drafted him 3 years ago.

 

Sorry, Larry. I think he needs at least another year in development. He’s still very young for NHL duty; even if goalies are groomed quicker than in the past (a dubious strategy IMO) he should be ready for spot duty at 24. But, I would still prefer waiting until he’s 25.

He does have major potential. But, he is not a sure thing yet. Rushing him could ruin him.

 

Dan..........it is a Keeper league so I can keep him in Prospect..........BUT I have had him there for 2 years and want Buffalo to give him some NHL work.

But Thank You Sir.......your always good with Advice and very Knowledgeable.

 

Cole Caufield deservedly gets the attention as a first round draft pick and scoring ace. He has signed his ELC with MTL after the Univ. of Wisconsin was drummed out of the NCAA Tourney.

His Badger teammate, Linus Weissbach, is worth paying attention to as well. He finished his Senior year and scored at a blistering 1.32 PPG pace. He was a 7th round pick by the Sabres a few years ago; he’s from Sweden. At 5’ 7” we know why he fell to the bottom of his draft. Still, the game has taught us that these pipsqueaks can be legit. NHL’ers.

It'll be interesting to see if Weissbach waits until his draft eligibility expires (Aug. 15 in a normal year) and is free to sign with any team. Or, will he sign with Buffalo for a paycheck and a chance to crack a lineup with, uhmmm, a lineup with needs.