2021 NHL Draft

[Sandman]

RHD Oscar Plandowski 6'0"190lbs (Charlottetown, QMJHL): Selected 18th overall by Chicoutimi, he was traded to Charlottetown-this year, put up 5g/12a/17pts in 39 games. His plus 22 is 8th best in the Q, and he was 27th overall in D scoring. His even-strength goals for percentage is fifth highest in the league amongst draft eligibles (71.43%, 9% short of teammate Trudeau). Plandowski's Father is Director of Amateur Scouting for the Arizona Coyotes, and his Mother is a power-skating coach who has worked with many NHLers and prospects.

No surprise, Plandowski has a superb skating stride, with top level 4-directional speed that he uses to push pace. He's one of the best skaters in this draft, and has explosive first-step and acceleration that he demonstrates making surprise pinches to the net. Skates head-up to survey his options, and is an accurate passer in stride. Great edgework to execute tight turns. His stick is always on the ice, looking for one-timers, and he's an expert in drawing attackers in to make space for his teammates.

Most of Plandowski's appeal is his play in transition, and in the D zone. He's normally on the second unit with Trudeau, but he's used on the first PP with Lukas Cormier as he's so good at gaining the zone-he can skate it across himself, but usually makes tape-to-tape entry feeds. Very strong defensively and in the neutral zone-he has great hockey sense, and is suffocating against the rush, keeping attackers in low-danger or stuck along the boards. His gap control is a handful. He will battle in the greasy areas and in front of the net. The vast majority of his exits and entries are succesful.

Plandowski wasn't always a D-man-he was a forward for many years, and it sometimes shows in his play. He can often pinch too far, or at inopportune times, leaving teammates to pick up the slack. Too puck-hungry, and impatient. Lacks confidence in his first-pass. He's a shooter, but perhaps he shouldn't be-his longer range shots are often blocked or inaccurate, and he will need work in this area. For all he does for the team on offence, it doesn't show in his numbers, and there's reasons for that. One writer compared him to Brett Pesce-a guy who pays attention to defense first, and is solid in transition, and that's not a bad thing. Looks to be going in the 3rd/4th round just behind Trudeau.

[Sandman]

LHD Shai Buium 6'3"214lbs (Sioux City,USHL): 4g/22a/26pts in 50 games, to go with 27 PIMs and plus 16- 5th on the team in scoring, and second for defensemen behind NJ draft pick Ethan Edwards, and 12th in the league for D. He was 1st on the team in scoring in the playoffs, though with 3pts in 4 games. This kid is raw, but could become an all-situations minute muncher.

Buium has good natural instincts and reactions, he's solid in all 3 zones and has smart positioning everywhere. Big and powerful, with a long reach, he will use his size to push opponents off the puck, or pin them to the wall. He already skates well, is agile and quick. Owns a hard, accurate wrister from the point. Defensively, he has great gaps, gets into shooting/passing lanes, and knows when to activate high to disrupt plays. Plays with pace, and shines defending the rush.

One of the pillars of his game is his transition skills. Buium is a creative facilitator out of his own end, either by pass or by foot. Excellent outlet passer by hard, accurate stretch pass, bank pass, or subtle touch pass.

Buium is raw, and his body is not complete yet, but he has loads of untapped potential. While he's a good skater, he needs to build his first few strides, and lateral mobility, as well as his turn radius-he can still get burned the odd time by a speedier forward. He also needs to work on his decisions away from the puck. This is a kid who might be viewed as the steal of the draft in a few years. Potential 3rd rounder, but might be a riser...

[Sandman]

LW Liam Gilmartin 6'2"192lbs (USNTDP): 13g/22a/35pts, 64 PIMs in 50 games. Gilmartin has the size and strength to play a modern, "in your face", gritty power-forward game. "Blue-collar, hard hat, lunch pail" are words you read about him. In all games that scouts view him, they come away saying he's the hardest worker on the ice. Played for USA in the U-18 tournament.

Gilmartin has a silky set of hands he can use in his capable passing, or employ in 1 on 1 situations. His size, speed, and strength helps him make his way through the neutral zone, and terrorize defenders. Scary forechecker. Overall, he sees the game quite well, and has good vision in the O-zone. Very strong net-front presence.

Defensively, Gilmartin is a force to be reckoned with-he's reliable, and thrives in a shutdown role. Loves to punish attackers, and dominates the boards. Good PKer, and is trusted in every defensive situation. His skills and IQ in the D zone, along with his never-quit attitude, are transferable to the NHL.

He's not the greatest skater in the world, but it doesn't hurt him either. He has a good, long stride and can generate speed and power rather quickly. Once at full speed, he's nearly impossible to stop. His overall skating and mechanics need work, but he has a good base, and the work ethic to overcome it. His offensive output is adequate, but there's plenty of room to improve it. Needs to build a better transition game, and improve his high-speed puck control, and pass receptions. He will probably go in the third round.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Sandman

First-round talent, no doubt about it. If we traded down, we could take this kid, or pray that he lasts until our second rounder-which I doubt he will.

With the speed, shot and a funky name like Samoskevich he won't last till the 2nd round for sure.

[Sandman]

C Francesco Arcuri, 6'2"192lbs (Kingston, OHL): I keep coming across this name in a lot of "Players to Watch" lists from last year, and he seems intriguing. There's not much out there to say what kind of player he is. He played 2019-20 in Kingston, where he became the first 16 year old to go 4 for 4 in shootouts. In the summer, he put on 20 pounds and 2 inches of height. This year he played in the AlpsHL in Switzerland, putting up 9g/6a/15pts in 18 games-top scorer on his team, playing in a men's league. For context, Pinelli played in that same league, putting up 5g/6a/11pts in 13 games-very similar production to a potential first-rounder.

The little I know is that he's strong, tenacious, and exhibits attention to detail. They say he'll go in the third round.

[Sandman]

RHD Jack Bar 6'2"194lbs (Chicago, USHL): Yet another member of the Steel (5g/10a/15pts in 34 games), this one is a Canadian born defenseman, originally drafted by the Petes 54th overall in 2018. Before going to the USHL, he played for St.Andrews College in Ontario-a private boarding school, and would be playing for Harvard this year if there weren't immigration issues. He will play there next year. Bar is as academically inclined as he is athletic. This is a guy we would love on the Flames-he's projected to be a two-way, puck moving D-man in the NHL with size and a mean streak.

Bar is known for for his aggressive, offensive style, and his poise in both ends of the rink. He has a good shot, and times his pinches well so as to not interfere with his defensive responsibilities. He's a smooth skater, with a powerful stride to join the rush, and can skate the puck through all 3 zones. He's also known for his puck movement.

Bar's physicality might be his best attribute. Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analyst said,"He's mean. He's mean, aggressive, angry-he just loves to hit everything. He'll hit anyone, anywhere. The thing about Bar is he has puck skills. He can skate. He has size. He has really good hands. He's always aggressive. The big thing with him is how tough and physical he is." Bar has a B rating from Central Scouting, meaning they think he will be a second or third round pick.

[Sandman]

C/LW Cameron MacDonald 6'1"190lbs (Saint John, QMJHL): Here's a kid who was talked about earlier this year, and last year, as being a potential first-rounder. In 2019-20, he played in the USHL for Sioux Falls where he put up 6g/14a/20pts in 44 games-seems vanilla, but very good production from a kid his age, and 4th on the team in scoring. This year, he's played largely as the 3rd line C for a stacked Saint John squad, with 10g/7a/17pts/30PIM in 30 games. He added 4g/1a/5pts/15PIM in 6 playoff games. Despite his position in the lineup, Coach Greg Gilbert trusts him enough to play him in every situation-but no doubt, his numbers would be much higher on a different team.

Cam is known as a dynamic two-way presence, with advanced poise-strong work-ethic and accountability in all 3 zones. He combines his high compete with attention to detail, and a willingness to play the game the right way. He's tough along the boards, very physical, and plays with edge. His offensive game features an accurate, heavy shot with a super quick release. His skating to me looks smooth, good mechanics, but could use a little work on his acceleration. Still though, he's fast enough to walk through or around defenders, making it look easy.

MacDonald is still growing in to his body, but will be a force when he's a finished product. He won't make it past the third round.

[Sandman]

C/RW Xavier Bourgault, 6'0"183lbs (Shawinigan, QMJHL): I haven't written about him until now, because he seems to be creeping in to the early 2nd round in some mocks. 20g/20a/40pts in 29 games this year (87 points if it was a full season), leading Q draft-eligibles with 1.38p/gp and 20 goals. The haters will point to the fact that he's one of the oldest players in this draft, with an October birthday, so let's look at his stats from last year:33g/38a/71pts in 63 games-tied for highest among U-18 players in the Q, and good enough for 1st/2nd round consideration. Last year, it was just him, Ponomayorov, and Mavrik Bourque-the team wasn't particularly talented, and finished in 12th place with a .476%. This year they have a new coach (Ron Choules), new talent, and a new system-finishing in 5th.

X is a dynamic offensive player, relentless in his puck pursuit. He owns a quick release and a hard, accurate shot reminicent of Connor McMichael, and is a threat to score from anywhere. He displays good work ethic, and will go to the battle areas along the boards, and the net-front, and fights through checks. His strongest qualities are his vision, IQ, and playmaking, and he's one of the best in the draft in those areas. He's able to find the tightest passing lanes, and is a step ahead of every play. Has 3 zone hockey sense. Bourgault has an array of slick stickhandling moves he can use to get around, or through attackers. He's known to be a terrific transitional player, that initiates many a breakout with his passing.

Bourgault has some gaps in his skating and defensive game. He has a wide skate placement that hurts his mechanics, and slows him down-he is said to be fast and agile, and this wonky stride is hard to notice when he's in full flight, but it hurts the power of his acceleration. He needs work on his edges too, as he loses speed in turns. He makes an effort in all 3 zones, but his positioning in the D zone is shaky, and his reach is hurt by his wide stance.He seems to stay a bit high, and let his wingers do most of the work there. He says he's aware of his shortcomings, and is already in the gym working hard on his strength, speed, and explosiveness.

Some have compared to Brendan Gallagher-whose speed was widely criticized in his draft year. He reminds me of Connor Zary. Central Scouting ranks him as an A prospect, so they expect him to go in the 1st/2nd round. He's projected to be a top-6 winger in the NHL.

[Sandman]

C/RW Ryan Winterton, 6'2"190lbs (Hamilton, OHL): Didn't play a whole lot of hockey this year, but won U-18 Gold, playing on Canada's fourth line and PK, with 4pts in 7 games. I wrote a little about this kid during the tourney, as his speed and defensive acumen stood out to me. In 2019-20, he put up 23 pts in 53 games for Hamilton. Winterton is one of the youngest players in this draft, with a September birthday.

Winterton plays a reliable two-way game. He's versatile, playing all F positions-and in games, he reads and adapts to whatever situation is in front of him. He possesses high-end skill, and high-end IQ in all 3 zones. He has a never-quit attitude, will battle in the trenches, and in front of the net, and plays with pace. He has a goal-scorers mentality, and a knack for bending the twine. Highly dangerous off the rush, he can fire an accurate wrister, or a tape-to-tape pass, or he can drop a shoulder and bull his way to the net. His fantastic puckhandling is talked about a lot.

Winterton is aggressive on the backcheck, and deploys a smart defensive game. He's a hound for the puck, and is often called a "puck thief". His skating has quick pace, and fluid mobility to get up and down the sheet with ease. Excellent puckhandler, and puck protector. There's not many holes in Winter's game, but questions about how his offense will translate as there's only been a small sample size this year. Tons of untapped potential though. CS updated his ranking to a "B", meaning he'll be picked in the 2nd/3rd round. MacKenzie ranked him 78th. Very low risk.

[Sandman]

C/RW Wyatt Johnston, 6'1"176lbs (Windsor, OHL): I like Wyatt for many of the reasons I like Winterton-both are great skaters and 200ft players. Like Winterton, he had 4pts through 7 games in the U-18s, playing a mostly defensive role, but both were a pleasure to watch. Johnston was a first-round pick of Windsor, and in 2019-20 he put up 30 pts in 53 games on a veteran Spitfires squad, where he didn't see a whole lot of ice. His production wasn't too far off of 2020 Draft picks Will Cuylle (42 pts in 62 games), or JL Foudy (43 pts in 59 games). His plus 14 was tied for 3rd on the team.

Johnston is known for his details-oriented, intelligent 200ft game, that shows imagination and creativity. He's a pass-first C, but he has a nice wrister that he could use more often. He sees the ice well, and can dish at full speed. He plays with pace, and I would say from watching him at the U-18s that he's one of the best skaters in this draft. Very agile, can accelerate in a broom closet. His four directional speed helps him pick off passes, and thwart plays in the neutral zone. His defensive awareness is well-developed. Many of the things I could say about Winterton, I could say about Johnston-except the former is more of a goal-scorer, and the latter is more of a play-maker.

Not a lot of holes to discuss here, except the unknowns about his offensive game, but the sky's the limit. Look for Johnston to go in the 2nd/3rd round.

[Sandman]

C/LW Dylan Duke, 5'10"181lbs (USDP): Duke scored 4pts in 5 games for USA in the U-18s, and for the USDP, he had 29g/20a/49pts in 50 games-just 1 goal short of Pastujov, and 4th in the program. Duke is not the biggest guy, but has heart, desire, work-ethic, and will do whatever it takes to win. He does much of the dirty work, and plays a hard-nosed 2-way game-plays in the trenches, is tough along the boards, and throws hits to knock opponents off the puck. He relishes the dirty areas, will take punishment in front of the net, and is relentless in hounding opponents in all 3 zones. His game will translate well to the NHL.

Duke has skill and intelligence, and supports the puck in both ends of the rink. Great on the backcheck, and a workhorse over all 200 feet. One writer said that Duke's defensive game is the most NHL-ready for forwards in this draft. His shot is another one of his best tools-his release is quick and powerful, and accurate. Duke exhibits good skating with an extra burst, and is very strong on his skates. He's agile in changing from forecheck to backcheck, and his edges are good enough to escape defenders-however, he needs to add more pace to his game, and more explosiveness in his stride.

Another player who is compared to Brendan Gallagher. He'll be a solid middle-six player at worst, who scores goals, and is a pain in the neck to play against. He's good for the 2nd/3rd round.

[Sandman]

C/W Fyodor Svechkov, 6'0"179lbs (Lada Togliatti, RUS): One my absolute favorites, I did a little write-up about him for the U-18's, where he had 10pts in 7 games (4th on team, 10th overall). He was one of the players that impressed me the most. For Togliatti's MHL team, he put up 15pts (4 goals) in 15 games with 35 PIMs-important to note that all of his points were primary, 12 at even strength, and he was the only player at a ppg level. For the VHL team, he recorded 15 pts in 38 games (8th in team scoring)-second most points ever by a U-18 player in their first year of draft eligibility. Both teams in Togliatti lacked talent, making his numbers more impressive. He plays in every situation, and logged the most ice-time per game for his MHL team.

Svechkov rivals Beniers for being the best two-way forward in the draft. His offensive capabilities are often overlooked, as his defensive game stands out so well. Svech has one of the most refined defensive games, is methodical in his approach, and a terror to play against-frustrating for anyone with the puck. He will hunt down the puck in any zone. Good in faceoffs too. In addition, he may be one of the best transitional players in the draft-he is the guy with the buscuit on many zone entries, and he does it with control. He has a Controlled Zone Entry of 72.7%, and a Controlled Zone Exit of 55.2%. Svechkov excels in battles along the boards, and plays in tight areas at a high level. He's a puck hound who will stick to an opponent like glue. His defensive metrics are amazing.

Svechkov is an above-average skater with a wide extension, and only needs a few steps to get to full speed. He can drive a line with his hands, playmaking, and deft stickhandling-he can go around, or though opponents. He's stable and balanced, and near impossible to knock off the puck. He has elite vision, and is a premier play-maker-he knows where the puck is going, as he thinks the game on a different level. He's great at drawing opponents in to create space to burn them. He's also a master manipulator-he makes subtle little fakes with his head, stick, and feet to make defenders bite, and to disquise his true intent.

Some say the main drawback to his game is his offense, but I disagree-he got traded this off-season, so I guess we'll see. Others say his offense is about to pop, as he's been playing with mediocre talent in Russia, and he had good numbers playing on the U-18 team. In Russia, he completed 78.6% of his pass attempts, and since he's more of a natural playmaker, this suggests higher numbers with better finishers. 40.5% of those passes were directed at high-danger areas.

So he must refine his offense, and he needs better edges, and perhaps top speed-though his skating is not a real detriment. His shots from distance need work as well-he struggles with power and accuracy on those. Svech can develop into a multi-dimensional top-line player, like Couturier, or Bergeron-some team will pick him up and end up with the steal of the draft. I would be shocked if he made it out of the first half of the first round, but since he has in some Mocks, I felt I should talk about him. Truly one of my faves in this draft, he plays the game the right way.

[sureLoss]

Central scouting's final rankings are out:

https://media.nhl.com/public/news/14983





NA skaters:
https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/pu...20Rankings.pdf

International skaters:
https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/pu...20Rankings.pdf

NA goalies:
https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/pu...20Rankings.pdf

International goalies:
https://media.nhl.com/site/vasset/pu...20Rankings.pdf

[GioforPM]

I wish central scouting would just combine their NA and Euro lists.

[Tbull8]

I would be absolutely stoked if Clarke fell to us. Based on those lists he's around 10-12

[transplant99]

Apparently Michigan is stacked with great young talent...yowzers.

Lots of RW's in the top 10 lists too...pretty unusual is it not?

[dammage79]

MacTavish is up there at #2 NA? That bigly.

[CliffFletcher]

Huge jump by McTavish. And it looks like the world juniors bump for Benier has faded.

[CalgaryFan1988]

If you class the top 6 RW in that top 20, anyone know how they rank? Hope we nab one of them (or a right handed center).

I'll take a shot....

Guenther
Chibrikov
Rosen
Coronato
Lysell
Tuomaala

[NewFan]

NCAA players scare me.