[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Mr. Hockey Edition, Vol. 2):

RW Carson Pilgrim was a finalist for the 2024 Mr. Hockey award, given out to the best player from the Minnesota High School league, with past winners like Casey Mittelstadt, Nick Leddy, Nick Bjugstad, and Ryan McDonagh. Unfortunately for Pilgrim, this year's award went to Hagen Burrows of Minnetonka High, but he still was named to the First Team All State, and was given the rank of "C" by Central Scouting on their preliminary list- meaning they have pledged him to be a 4th or 5th-round pick in the draft. The 5'11",167lb Pilgrim was the Captain of Warroad High this season, and was tied for 13th in league scoring with 70 points in 31 games, with 32 goals- which was tied for 17th. He was selected in the second-round, 18th overall, in the 2023 USHL Phase 2 Draft by the Tri-City Storm, and he got 4 games with that club this season, scoring no points. On the human side of his story, Pilgrim's Stepfather died in the summer of 2023, before the start of the season, and he just happened to be an assistant coach at Warroad High.

High School players are hard to project, but at that level Pilgrim is both a natural goal-scorer and creative playmaker. CP is a strong forechecker, very disruptive with his tenacity and an active stick. He has smooth hands for finishing around the net, but dazzles with his lethal array of shots- he's highly deceptive, using feints, look-offs, dekes, and fakes to manipulate defenders into giving up space, and fool goalies. His shot has good velocity and accuracy, and his release is lightning quick- I think both will hold up in higher leagues. He shows no fear in attacking the crease for loose pucks and second-chance opportunities, or in finding pockets of space in the zone to fire. As a playmaker, he's dangerous with high awareness and IQ, and he possesses distribution skills that allow him to connect to teammates with difficult passes through tight spaces. He is able to push pace, and creates a lot of his offense off the rush. With confidence in his abilities, he will play keep-away to wait for the right play to unfold, rather than forcing an ill-advised pass or throwing the puck away- he's strong on the puck, with poise while in possession. Mobility-wise, he has above-average speed, but he's far from being a burner, though he possesses strong edges and agilty for extra elusiveness. He can change direction on a dime to shake off checkers, and spin off of hits.

In transition, CP is quite useful with his passing skills and his ability to dish in full flight when traversing the neutral zone, but he can also carry through clean exits and entries with full control- at least at the High School level. He's a fine 200-ft player, and works hard to disrupt plays, but his engagement in his own zone has it's ebbs and flows- he can sometimes be caught standing still, or puck-watching. When he's on, he hounds puck-carriers with an active stick, and is fearless in blocking shots. There's a perception that he doesn't use enough deception in his offensive game, and that he doesn't play well in contact- his puck-protection is deficient, because he avoids contact and would rather take the long way around traffic, than try and go through it. He needs to cut to the middle more, and go to the low slot to get more high-quality chances, with less time on the perimeter. Pilgrim is quite raw, and is more potential than finished product right now, but he's committed to one of the best programs at the University of North Dakota for 2025-26, and will play next year in the USHL with Tri-City- so he has an extra long runway to develop. If he rounds out his skill and his skating, there's a chance he could make a good middle-six winger in the NHL, but he's more likely a future bottom-6 contributor. Look for him in the 5th or 6th round.