2021 NHL Draft

[Sandman]

LHD Jimi Suomi, 5'10"154lbs (Jokerit U20): 15gp/1g/10a/11pts,18PIM, which is the second-highest p/gp among draft-eligible D in the U20 league. He also looked good in the U-18s with 4pts in 7 games-tied for 8th on the team, third for D. Suomi means "Finland". The first thing I noticed about him was his skating-he's a fantastic 4-directional skater, quick and agile, with elite edges. He can cut into a different direction instantly. He loves to have the puck on his stick-he has amazing puck control, and stickhandling. The puck looks stuck to him. He's fantastic on both sides of transition-he is proactive in stopping rushes in the neutral zone with his stick and skating. He has good gap control, and rush defense. Going the other way, he makes great breakout passes, or can skate it over the blueline himself. Suomi's passing game is his forte, but he has a good selection of shots to choose from, and amazingly for a player his size, his slap-shot is a bomb. Nice vision and hockey sense. He's a true PP Quarterback. Suomi needs some work in the defensive zone, as he can be pressured into mistakes. His size makes him easy to push off the puck, and he can have trouble in 50/50 battles. He may be a bit of a long-term project, but he has upside. I think he'll be a later pick, between rounds 5-7.

LHD Tomi Leppanen, 6'0"190lbs (Lukko U20): 40gp/6g/12a/18pts,39PIM, second leading scoring draft-eligible D in the U20 league. Played a defensive role in the U-18s, with no points and 16 PIM in 6 games. Solid, two-way defenseman who plays with a bit of snarl, as evidenced by his PIM. There's not a whole lot out there about this kid, but I liked him at the U-18s-skated well, good in transition, but played fairly conservatively. Good PKer. Looks to be going in the later rounds.

LHD Viljami Juusola, 5'10"165lbs (Karpat U20): Failed to crack the top-4 in Karpat (16gp/1g/5a/6pts), so he departed for Sweden's HockeyEttan, the third-highest men's league, where he aquitted himself pretty well (6pts in 12 games). Tons of offensive skill, and a bomb from the point. 6pts in 7 games at the U-18s- 2nd for D on the team, and 5th highest for D in the tourney. Great mobility in all directions, but I think there's a tad bit of room to improve his acceleration and top speed. Effective in transition, he can execute crisp exits and entries with his feet or hands, as he's an excellent passer. Never seems to quit on plays. Competent in his own zone, he can separate the puck from his man with his stick, or his body. Good puck control, can go around attackers in a variety of ways. Always heads-up, surveying his options, and makes smart plays in all zones. Lots of potential as a modern-day defenseman. I see him going in the 4th/5th round.

[Sandman]

C Brett Harrison,6'2"185lbs (Oshawa, OHL): In 2019-20, he recorded 21g/16a/37pts in 58 games with the Generals-only 2 other rookies scored 20 goals or more, McTavish and Wright. This year, with the OHL shutdown, he played for a weak team, Koovee, in Finland's U20 league, putting up 4g/5a/9pts in 7gp- his 1.29 p/gp tied him for 3rd among players under 18, with Ville Koivunen. At the U-18s, he had 2 goals in 7 games- he looked a bit vanilla to me at the time, but his defensive play drew my attention a bit.

Harrison is a pretty good two-way C, who scores goals from the net-front. Although he has a good shot with a pro release, and can beat goalies from outside of high-danger, he gets the vast majority of his goals from in-tight. He is able to convert on an incredible 70% of his shots from home plate. He uses his size to battle for space and positioning in front of the net, and gets the tips and rebounds. His ability to find those open spaces aroung the net is outstanding. He has excellent offensive instincts and vision, and can pass the puck well. Harrison isn't the most physical, but his game centers around his ability to use his size and physicality to win pucks in the dirty areas, and the slot. He has no problem initiating contact, and doling out hits when needed-he's active and hard on loose pucks. Harrison is aggressive on the forecheck, applying pressure on defenders, who he stops from breaking out. He works well off the cycle, protects the puck, and moves to the net-front. Strong on the puck, and he has good enough stickhandling to get through checks and tight areas.

Defensively, Harrison is a hard worker- he covers his man, ties up sticks, and blocks shots. Works well at using the aforementioned size and physicality to keep attackers to the outside, and win board battles. He protects the slot, and helps out down low. He is excellent at getting into passing, and shooting lanes, and uses an active stick. Harrison is able to play in all situations, including the PK.

Harrison is good skater, but far from elite. He has an ok top speed, but looks heavy-footed. In order to be able to perform at the next level, he has to improve his quickness and acceleration. He also loses speed in turns, and struggles with his lateral movement. It has been said, though that his mobility has been steadily improving over the past few years, so that might be good news- his mechanics look ok. His transition game suffers from his lack of mobility, and is almost non-existent-he defers to his teammates to carry the puck through the neutral zone, he's usually almost stationary waiting for them to pass by, so he can follow. His play away from the puck also needs work. It has been said that he might be a middle-6 winger in the NHL, as his game isn't that suited to center, and he may depend on having play-driving linemates. Most mocks have him going in the first, but I don't think he's taken until the second round.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Harrison always went 90 OA on NHL21, so clearly that should be our second round selection

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Adam Fox: 3rd round pick, spent 3 years at Harvard, never went UFA

Adam Fox may as well have gone UFA. He forced a trade, and was more than prepred to wait the 4 years if necessary.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

Strange. In all of the rankings I am seeing McTavish is moving up not down.

Rankings or Mocks?

I don't include mocks because too often you see writers trying to get cute with team's needs when in actuality most teams take the best player.

Would rather use just rankings of skill and how they would order them than a team by team grab analysis.

McTavish has taken the big hits from Dobber hockey (29th), Neutral Zone (21), SMAHT Scouting (32) and Ryan Pike at 20. Sillinger for example has every pick between 10th and 17th.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Adam Fox may as well have gone UFA. He forced a trade, and was more than prepred to wait the 4 years if necessary.

Agreed.

The only reason he signed after 3 years is because he got traded to the Rangers. I have no doubt he'd have gone another year if Carolina held onto his rights or traded them to anyone but the Rangers

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

In order of preference from Bingo's list:

1. McTavish
2. Lysell
3. Sillinger
4. Raty
5. Lucius
6. Lambos

This really looks ripe for another move down trade.

Feels a lot like last year where I was reasonably happy without about five names when the Flames spot came up.

[1qqaaz]

The only difference with Fox, in comparison to Vesey and Kerfoot, is that Fox was smart enough to unequivocally communicate his intentions ahead of time. Because of it, he was able to sign before having to go UFA.

Since 2005 there have been a lot NCAA players picked in the top 12.
I don't believe a single one has gone UFA. Correct me if I am wrong (I just doubled checked and it looks like all of them signed).
Jack Johnson (2005) didn't want to sign with Carolina, but he, like Fox, communicated this ahead of time.

Anyways, that's just my opinion based on the track record of high-pick NCAA players. I don't want to derail the thread any further.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Bingo

This really looks ripe for another move down trade.

Feels a lot like last year where I was reasonably happy without about five names when the Flames spot came up.

This worries me though, I don't see all 5 as equal. We have some decent prospects, we need a dynamite prospect. Trading down might rob us of that.

I know it's all a shell game between the GMs but this is a year where everyone will no doubt be playing the cards super close to the chest and trying to get "their guy". That could spell disaster if we are trying to outsmart everyone and end up losing our own targets in vain hope that additional picks will yield better results (more chances, right?) Look at the 2013 draft as a reason to fear it. Or Trading down for Janko lol.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

This worries me though, I don't see all 5 as equal. We have some decent prospects, we need a dynamite prospect. Trading down might rob us of that.

I know it's all a shell game between the GMs but this is a year where everyone will no doubt be playing the cards super close to the chest and trying to get "their guy". That could spell disaster if we are trying to outsmart everyone and end up losing our own targets in vain hope of additional picks.

I'd assume they wouldn't move out of their band.

If they get to 12 and they have four guys left they like, and someone is offering a third to move back three spots you do it.

If the list is only 2 you don't.

Right now they have 12 picks in the first three rounds in the next three years ... that's a great start. Wouldn't mind seeing that rise though.

[herashak]

Most interested in

Possible Fallers:
- Wallstedt
- Mctavish
- Johnson
- Lysell


Likely Available:
- Lambos (ekblad offensive #’s d-1, good shot at becoming a top pairing guy, but injury scare)
- Lucius (RHS didn’t play many games)
- Sillinger (Great d-2 whl #’s)
- Coronato (Small LW, but might be a Caufield)

Pretty good options I think, might luck out on a player who drops due to not playing much the last year or two.

[Sandman]

C/RW Josh Pillar,6'0"174lbs (Kamloops,WHL): 22gp/11g/18a/29pts,22 PIM. Drafted by the Blazers 14th overall in 2017, he was passed over in last year's draft, after scoring 14g/30a/44pts in 63 games playing mostly 3rd/4th line minutes behind Zary, Zane Franklin, and Ryan Hughes. He played the hard minutes against the opposition's top lines, and was said to have great defensive abilities, but needed to hone his offense-which he showed a lot more of this year. He's good friends with Zary, and even lives with him during the season. His game revolves around his skating, and gritty two-way game.

Pillar's skating is good, and he hustles hard, keeping his feet pumping, but it's not top-notch-he's improved it in spades since last year, but he needs work on his acceleration, explosiveness, and top-speed. He utilizes high-end deception in his stride to manipulate defenders, like little fakes, and changes in speed and direction, then accelerates past them. He plays a gritty two-way game with high compete, and a little power-forward in there, as he's physical and will drop the gloves.

Many say that defence is Pillar's calling card. He checks well, and forces errors. Supports his D down low, and uses airtight positioning, physicality, and a quick stick to disrupt plays. Gets into passing and shooting lanes. Provides his team with a calming presence, and can slow the play down in his zone. Has the ability to shut down rushes on his own. JP has a strong IQ, and is a good passer and playmaker, as well as shooter. He is good at finding open space for scoring opportunities in high-danger to pass or shoot. He has soft hands around the net, and great hand-eye co-ordination. He plays hard on the forecheck, and wins 50/50 battles. He plays a solid board-game, and is a key player on special teams, especially the PK.

As stated above, while JP has good skating ability, there's a lot of room for improvement-particularly his acceleration and top speed. There are those who feel he doesn't move the needle much as an NHL prospect, but Blazers fans would disagree with them. He may not even be picked again this year, but if he isn't, I hope the Flames invite him to camp-I always see him in Blazers highlights, and I like him.

[Sandman]

C/RW Oliver Moberg,6'3"203lbs (AIK J20): 10gp/2g/5a/7pts. In the U-18s, he scored 4pts in 7 games. Moberg is a pretty good two-way player. He understands the C position-takes away the middle in the D zone, while directing the troops, and helps out his wingers along the boards, and the D down low. He closes passing lanes with his body, and his stick, and keeps opponents to the outside and out of high-danger. Protects the crease, and covers all the angles. He's strong on the puck, and uses his size to win most 50/50 battles. Moberg is a good puckhandler, and owns a solid wrister. He reads the game well, and is exceptionally skilled along the boards-makes a lot of nice passes from there. Moberg can play both sides of special teams, as he did frequently in the U-18s. His forte seems to be parking in front of the net, screening the goalie, making tips and jumping on rebounds, while battling for position. He's strong and powerful, and doesn't get pushed around.

Moberg is an ok skater, good in a straight line, but needs work on his first-step, acceleration, and top speed. From watching him, I think he would cover a lot more space if he kept his feet pumping, as he coasts a lot. He's competitive, works hard, and uses his size to win contested pucks, but he could be a lot more physical as he doesn't throw a lot of hits. He has been compared to Tomas Holmstrom. I think he'll go in the 5th/6th round.

[Sandman]

RHD Ryan Ufko,5'10"181lbs (Chicago,USHL): 53gp/10g/29a/39pts, 3rd highest-scoring D in the USHL. Added 7pts in 8 playoff games, 5th highest scorer on the high-powered Steel. Ufko is a 200-ft, puck-moving, minute-munching defender, who can QB a powerplay. Ufko is very smart, and plays at a high pace. He likes to jump into the rush, or pinch towards the net or to the corners, where he can set-up, or capitalize on opportunities. His passes are accurate, and come with mustard-and he can pass at high speed. He's always a few steps ahead, thanks to his top-notch IQ and vision, and he's a frequent contributor of offensive opportunity. Talented play-maker who is not afraid to take chances. His wrist/slap shots are above average, and he can pick off the tightest windows-he can also shoot from anywhere.

Ufko has excellent mobility, and his edges are near elite-he can change direction very quickly, which makes him effective in transition. He's elusive enough to weave through the neutral zone, and make clean entries, or entry passes. He has great vision for breakout passes as well. He can turn defense into offense by switching direction and starting the rush. Defensively, he takes away angles with speed, and has fantastic gap control. Blocks passing and shooting lanes with his body and his very smart stick, and is very good at shutting down entry zones to thwart the rush. Very good PKer. He can break down cycles down low, and can push bigger opponents to the boards, and away from high-danger. He's strong on the puck, and will throw the odd bodycheck if needed.

While Ufko is considered a good skater, there's still room for improvement-specifically, he needs to get more explosive. Also, he needs a lower center of gravity in his stride, as he skates too upright. He needs to get stronger, as he can be overpowered, and he's not very physical-particularly in front of his net. He has very little presence in that area, and doesn't make it hard enough for opponents to set up there. There's also room to improve some of his decision-making, mostly in the d-zone. Much of this is probably due to the fact that he is so used to the offensive zone, but he can be pressured into making mistakes, and he is far less patient in his own zone. The great news for any team that drafts him is that he's headed to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he will be coached by Greg Carvel-whose program has produced some good offensive D in the past few years, most notably Cale Makar. If there's a coach who can give Ufko the necessary instruction to turn him into an NHLer, it's him. Ufko has been compared to Tyson barrie, but to me, he looks like Ryan Ellis at times. Ufko got a "B" rating from Central Scouting, meaning they expect him to be taken in the 2nd/3rd round.

[Sandman]

C Samuel Helenius,6'6"201lbs (JYP, Liiga): 54gp/7g/7a/14pts,61 PIM, 5th in scoring for a player under 19 in the Liiga, ahead of guys like Raty and Liukas. Contributed to the WJC team with 4pts and 18PIM in 7 games. I wanted to do a better write-up, because I really like this kid. Samuel is the son of Sami Helenius, an enforcer who had a cup of coffee with the Flames. This year, he played in the men's pro league, which is very hard to do for a draft-eligible-Tuomaala played 5 games, with zero points. Sam has the makings of a solid two-way player, and is known to be a good skater for his size. "Plays a hard game and likes to throw his body around...brings a two-way presence that is inevitably felt by the opposition".

Sami's skating has continually improved over the last few years, his north-south skating is very good for a guy his size. He employs a long, powerful stride, and has long legs, so there's many players who can't keep up with him when he's going full steam. He can stop and start quickly, and has decent edgework to make tight turns, although he couldn't match smaller players in this regard. He rarely gets beaten to a puck, even as a pro. There's still plenty of room to get better in all aspects, particularly his lateral agility, and explosiveness. Helenius reads the play well in the O zone, always has his head on a swivel. He owns plenty of tools, but his best talent in this area is his ability to find and exploit open space, and he has good awareness of where to be. He keeps good control of the puck, with great puck-protection, and can unleash one of his other gifts-his hard, accurate wrist-shot.

Helenius plays tough and mean-he finishes his checks, and is very physical along the boards. He uses his size and strength to gain positioning in front of the net, and be a menace to opposing goalies, and the defensemen who are tasked to stop him. Won't hesitate to rough up opponents down low, and is an intimidating force on the forecheck. He wins 50/50 battles all over the ice, and dishes out hits like a freight train. Sami has a advanced defensive game, and reads the play in his zone very well, which is really his calling card. He's physical and aggressive in the d-zone, with great positioning. He's fantastic at keeping opponents to the outside, and has a good stick with an ultra-long reach to eliminate passing lanes. Always on the right side of the puck in all 3 zones, he breaks up plays often. Controls the middle, but breaks to support the D down low. There's no quit in his game. In Finland, he has the reputation of being a trusted penalty-killer, which is one of his specialties, and he also tracks well in defensive transition.

Samuel has plenty of warts. Despite how well he aquitted himself in the men's league this year, there's a perception that he will never be more than a bottom-6 defensive center, who kills penalties, and is relied on defensively- and I'm fine with that. Who wouldn't want a guy with his size, meanness, and skating in their bottom-6? I think he has the potential to be more than that, but he needs a few years of development-and we'll see. Sam struggles to utilize his teammates in the offensive zone, and may not have the ability to facilitate offensively. He can have issues at times with his decision-making, and he's not a high-end passer or stickhandler. In addition, he can have issues with puck reception, and puck control under pressure. CS still rates him as a "B", meaning he'll go in the 2nd/3rd round. One site compared him to Brian Boyle, but with better skating.

[Sandman]

LHD Artyom Grushnikov,6'2"174lbs (Krasnaya Armiya Moskva,MHL): Hasn't played any hockey this season, as he was supposed to be joining the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. In 2019-20, he put up 5pts in 29 games as a 16/17 year old in the MHL, a men's pro league in Russia. The fact that he was trusted in that league at that age, should tell you something about this kid. At this point, Grushnikov is known as a top-notch, very reliable defensive defenseman, who can also lead the rush out of the zone.

Grush has good size and 4-way skating ability. His edgework and agility are near-elite, he can change direction instantly. He has the straight-ahead speed to keep up with the smaller, speedier forwards. His stellar backwards skating allows him to push opponents towards the boards, and out of high-danger. Grushnikov's bread and butter is his defensive game, he's never out of position. He guards the crease, ties players up, and outmuscles attackers down low. Great at taking away the middle of the zone, breaks down passing lanes, and pushes opponents to the outside. He's exceptional when it comes to shot-blocking, be it with his body, or deflecting it with his stick. Best of all, he consistently makes smart decisions under pressure-he'll break down plays, retrieve the puck, and get the play going the other way, either by skating it out himself, or through one of his other specialties- his stretch pass, which he does as good, or better than anyone in this draft. He's also able to choke out rushes in transition. He's very physical-he doesn't hesitate to lay the body, or rough up an attacker.

Grushnikov is an excellent distributor of the puck, not only by the aforementioned stretch-pass-he can thread the needle in any zone. His passes are often hard and crisp, and he's the master of the slap-pass. On the PP, he walks the line and scans for open lanes, and he gets good velocity on his slapshot. He can jump into the rush, and lead the attack. He's excellent in transition, and can enter or exit zones with his feet, or his tape-to-tape pass. If a team can harness and develop his offense further, you will have a top-pairing defenseman- and he has the skills. His speed, shot and passing are all there. He could use work on his shooting, as he gets blocked, deflected, or misses the net-he needs to learn the same patience he wields in the defensive zone, and select the right time to shoot. His skating could use work in acceleration, and top speed- the mechanics are already there, and his edges and agility are fantastic. This is a very safe pick, as he's sure to develop into a second pairing D, at worst. He would be the ideal player to play with a more offensive-minded partner. Lots to like about this kid. Look for him to go in the 2nd/3rd round.

[Sandman]

C/LW Matthew Knies,6'3"205lbs (Tri-City,USHL): 44gp/17g/25a/42pts,24PIM. Scouts were very disappointed in his production this year, especially considering that he had 45pts in 44 games last year, 4th highest point total of all under-18 players-ahead of Coronato and Pastujov. He was supposed to be among the best players coming out of the USHL this year, and a potential first-round pick, but something is missing this year. He is not driving the play this year like he did last year- for a good portion of the year, he was relying on teammates to do the work, and get him the puck. Could have something to do with some of the talent he had playing with him last year leaving over the summer, but scouts aren't sure. He was starting to get it together near the end of the year-he had 20pts in his first 30 games, then had 11 goals/20pts over his last 11 games. Scored 4pts in 3 playoff games, to lead the team.

Knies is a very strong skater, with good balance and a long, powerful stride. His first 3 steps are quick, and generate great speed. He can separate from opponents in open ice, and his skating makes him very hard to defend and contain. His edges and pivots are like those of smaller players. He sees and reads the attack zone well, and has outstanding creativity and vision. Heads-up and very intelligent, he can execute smart passes at high speeds, and can handle passes through traffic in-flight. Consistently gets the puck to high-danger. Drives the net, and when his feet are moving, he's hard to stop. Knies is also a great puckhandler with high-pace-protects the puck well, and makes high-end moves in tight spaces. Though he is a pass-first playmaker, he has a hard, accurate shot, with a quick release. Knies will go to high-traffic places and fight for the puck-he's good in corners and along the boards, and uses his size and strength to win battles. He is also good on draws, and effective in transition.

Scouts were hard on his defensive game this season, but he was really putting together a good 200ft game in the last portion of the year, with an aggressive defensive game. He was showing his ability to force turnovers, and apply pressure to attackers. He can force opponents away from high-danger, and was playing them to the boards, and winning pucks. Knies often tries to do too much, resulting in mistakes and turnovers. He's also a risk-taker, which more often than not has a positive result, but sometimes he takes unnecessary risks that result in mistakes that he can't recover from. Another problem for him is his consistency-he wasn't the same player in the beginning of the year, as he was in the middle of the year, and late in the season. Knies is considered fairly safe, as he has the speed and size to potentially play in an NHL bottom-6, but he has the potential to play higher, with his skill and vision. He'll be picked in the 2nd/3rd round, but I like this kid very much, despite his struggles early on this year.

[SuperMatt18]

Lots of USHL names this year that could be around in those spots where the Flames pick, and Flames have trusted Jim Cummings scouting of the USHL (Gaudreau, Fox)

Round 1:
Sillinger
Lucius
Coronato

Round 2:
Pastujov
Martino

Round 3:
Doan

[ForeverFlameFan]

If Pastujov fell to our 2nd pick I would be over the moon. I think he gets picked in the late 1st round.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Lots of USHL names this year that could be around in those spots where the Flames pick, and Flames have trusted Jim Cummings scouting of the USHL (Gaudreau, Fox)

Round 1:
Sillinger
Lucius
Coronato

Round 2:
Pastujov
Martino

Round 3:
Doan

I would like to see the Flames grab Stillman and Doan with those 2nd/3rd picks if it makes sense. Genetics count, and I feel like the fathers approached being pros with the right attitude...