CANTLON: NHL DRAFT REVIEW 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The New York Rangers got the player some say they were hoping for, Kaapo Kakko, who cames from TPS Turku (Finland-FEL) with the second overall selection bringing his 6’2, 200-pound stature, speed, and scoring to Broadway at just age 18.

A remote possibility exists that Kakko could start the season in Hartford as a part of his adjustment to playing on the smaller North American ice surfaces. Kakko had a strong year in the Finnish Elite League with 22 goals, tops for rookies, and 38 points in 45 games. He was also named FEL Rookie of the Year. He was also superb at the World Junior Championships tallying five points in seven games for the Finns who won the gold medal.

Kakko capped off his year with another gold medal with the Finnish National Team at the World Championships where he was playing against many players who were ten years or more, older than he scoring six goals in 10 games including one of the gold medal clinching-game.

Connecticut prep school hockey was well represented at the NHL Draft in Vancouver. Two former Avon Old Farm products were drafted in the first round.

The first was forward, Trevor Zegras, who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks ninth overall. He played for the US National Development team in the USHL this past season. The second Winged Beaver that was taken went 13th overall. He’s a goaltender from Darien Connecticut, the 6’2 goalie, Spencer Knight, was taken by the Florida Panthers, whose new head coach is former Hartford Whaler, Joel Quenneville, who was all smiles.

As kids, Knight played with Zegras with the Mid-Fairfield program, the USNDTP (USHL) and at Avon Old Farms.

The two will be playing against one another in the fall as part of one of college hockey’s strongest rivalries. Knight will be matriculating at Boston College (HE) while Zegras will be part of the Boston University Terriers (HE).

The other first-round CT connection is Samuel Poulin. He’s the son of former Whaler, Patrick Poulin, and was taken 21st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL).

Poulin wasn’t the only son of an NHL’er taken in the first.

The first overall pick in the draft was Jack Hughes. His father Jim Hughes played for the Springfield Indians. He was Director of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs for six years. Hughes’ older brother, Quinn, was drafted last year in the first round, seventh overall, by Vancouver and signed in March out of Michigan (Big 10).

The 4th overall pick went to the Colorado Avalanche who took Bowen Byram from Vancouver (WHL). His father Shawn Byram played for the Springfield Indians and got in four of his five NHL games with the Islanders.

The first player with CT DNA was Shane Pinto by Ottawa with the first pick in the second round 32nd overall. Pinto played with the Selects Academy at South Kent (USPHL) for three years and split last season with Lincoln and Tri-City (USHL) and is expected to be at the University North Dakota (NCHC) in the fall.

Another of the eight total players taken from the USNDTP was Alex Turcotte. He is bound for the University of Wisconsin (Big 10) in the fall was taken fifth overall by the Los Angeles Kings. He joins his father Alfie, a first-round pick of Montreal (17th overall) in the 1983 Draft. His father played just 112 NHL games had a strong 395 game AHL career with Baltimore, Moncton, Sherbrooke, and Nova Scotia.

The hockey connections don’t end there, as his uncle and cousins are located in the LA area. His uncle Jeff was one of the first head coaches of youth hockey in LA, first with the Los Angeles Selects and the first LA Jr. Kings teams.

His cousins play hockey collegiately, Tanner plays junior hockey with the Ontario Avalanche (WSHL) and Tara Turcotte plays college hockey at New England College (Henniker, NH) (NEHC-W).

The last connection is his grandfather Real played college hockey at Michigan State in the early 1960s and coached his father Alfie when he played with the Nanaimo Islanders (WHL) where he was the owner and GM and traded his son to Portland (WHL) mid-season.

The 27th overall was defenseman Nolan Foote from Kelowna Rockets (WHL) who was selected by Tampa Bay following his father Adam’s footsteps who had a 1,154 game NHL career and his brother selected by Tampa Bay two years ago in the first round 14th overall.

The elder Foote played with the Quebec Nordiques who selected him in the second round in 1989 moved with the team to Colorado won a Stanley Cup and also played three years with Columbus before he being traded back to Colorado to finish his career. He was his son’s head coach in Kelowna and now he and his older brother Cal became just the fourth brother combination in NHL history to be drafted by the same team.

Dave and Mark Hunter (Montreal), Duane and Brent Sutter (N.Y. Islanders) and the host city this year Vancouver selected twins, Daniel and Henrik Sedin who helped open the draft with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and it was announced their jerseys will be retired next season by the Canucks.

Ryan Suzuki was taken 29th overall by Carolina who played with the Barrie Colts (OHL). His brother Nick was taken in the first round 13th overall in 2017 by the Las Vegas Golden Knights and his rights were traded to Montreal in the Max Pacioretty deal and will play in Laval in the fall.

The last player with NHL family connections was the last pick of the first round 31st overall as Ryan Johnson was taken by the Buffalo Sabres, who’s bound for the University of Minnesota (Big 10) in the fall. He played California parochial school hockey and with the Anaheim Jr. Ducks program. Father Craig is presently a development coach with Los Angeles and played 557 NHL games and played at the University of Minnesota as well.

RANGERS DRAFT DAY 2

The Rangers set about filling in the hockey cabinets with some better products of players that will start out in Hartford in the next few years and try to build an NHL team that compete for the Stanley Cup.

In the second round 49th overall, the team went for some backline size with 6’4, 210lb. Matt Robertson from the Edmonton Ice (WHL). He played in 52 games with seven goals and 25 assists. With their second pick in the second round, they took center Karl Henniker from Frolunda HC J-20 squad (Super Elite). He had solid numbers with 13 goals and 36 assists (49 points) in 45 games and was a plus-35. He’s a left-handed shooting 18-year-old.

In the third round (68th overall), the Rangers showed they were looking beyond goals and assists in drafting a player. They took defenseman Zachary Jones from the Tri-City Storm (USHL). Jones played for the Selects Academy at South Kent Prep (USPHL) program prior to that. Jones was captain in 2017-18, the team was the USPHL champions in two of his three years there in 2015-16, and 2017-18.

At Tri-City, he was named the USHL Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie team and played on the US Gold medal WJAC U-19 team. The Rangers are looking for players who have done some winning and collecting some hardware and been a team leader.

He will be at UMASS-Amherst (HE) in the fall.

In the fourth round, (112th overall) the Rangers selected Hunter Skinner, who split last season between the Muskegon Lumberjacks and Lincoln Stars (USHL) where the righty shooting defenseman had five goals and 22 points in 52 games. The only blemish on his record was a plus-one in 24 games in Muskegon through 24 games and was a minus-13 in 28 games in Lincoln following the trade. The 6’3, 175-pound rearguard has some growing to do and the Michigan native is a commit to Western Michigan (NCHC) in 2020-21.

In the 5th round, (130th overall) they went back to Finland for a forward in Leevi Aaltonen, who played for the KalPa J-20 team (Super Elite) with 12 goals and 36 points in 29 games for the 5’9, 170lb forward. He had a strong WJC tournament contributing five points in five games and played for the Gold Medal winning Finnish team and on KalPa in 2017-18 where he won the Finnish Super Elite junior championship.

He is slated to play for the KalPa Finnish Elite League team in the fall.

In the sixth round, (161st overall) the Rangers picked a 6’6’, 210lb. center from Mora IK (Sweden), Adam Edstrom.

He had a split-season playing for the J-20 team. He played 20 games and had 11 goals and 16 points. He played with the big boys, age-wise, on the Swedish Elite squad of Mora IK for 15 games with just one assist. He also was loaned to Malungs IF a Division I team for two games scoring twice. He is slated to play for Rogler BK team J-20 and SHL next season.

The Rangers final pick came in the seventh round (205th overall) was Eric Ciccolini from the Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) who led his Junior-A squad in scoring 27 goals, 35 assists (62 points) which was 19 points ahead of his next teammate and had 58 PIM.

The right-handed shooting right-wing is a University of Michigan (Big 10) commit for 2020-21.

The Rangers announced their Chelsea Piers Stamford Development camp squad that brings primarily the last two draft classes for an early peak for coaches, fans and media.

Only five of the 37 players invited are from the Wolf Pack all from the end of the season lineup in Ryan Dmowski, Jake Elmer, Adam Huska, Nick Jones, Patrick Newell, and Lewis Zerter-Gossage.

Seven players were given free agent invites and two of them are Ty Amonte, son of former Ranger, Tony Amonte, and Alex Whelan from Quinnipiac University (ECACHL).

UCONN DRAFTEES

The other big winner at the NHL Draft was the UCONN Huskies Hockey East squad which saw three its incoming freshmen selected in the draft.

The first to be selected was in the second round 42nd overall by the Minnesota Wild was center Alexander Firstov from Yaroslavl, Russia played for the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) where he tallied 26 goals and 58 points in 62 games and was named to the USHL All-Rookie team.

Then in the fourth round, (100^th overall) the Edmonton Oilers picked Czech native, Matej Blumel, and Firtotv’s Waterloo teammate who had 30 goals and 30 assists in 58 games. Blumel was Waterloo’s second-leading point getter and Firstov finished third.

The last UCONN player taken was defenseman Carter Berger. He went six picks later by the Florida Panthers from the Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) where he had an outstanding season.

In 54 games he led all BCHL rearguards in goals with 27 and points 63 and made the league’s first All-Star team.

Combined with a solid returning class of freshmen and sophomores with a year of college play under their sweaters there is a reason for optimism in Storrs that this year’s edition of the hockey Huskies might make the postseason, win a playoff round and might crack the Top Four in Hockey East this year.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Classy move at the draft as Winnipeg GM, Kevin Cheveldayoff, allowing retiring Chief Amateur Scout former New Haven Nighthawk head coach, Marcel Comeau to make the announcement of the Jets first round selection.

There were some family affairs and CT connections as well to celebrate as well.

The first was the selection of 6’1, 185lbs right-handed shooting Matt Steinburg, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk, Trevor Steinburg, was the first pick of the third round and 63rd overall by the Colorado Avalanche. He played last season for St. Andrews College (CISAA/CAHS) had 33 goals 42 assists and 75 points and was their team captain. He played three games for Sioux City (USHL) picking up and assist and 15 PIM pushing over the century mark at 113 for the year.

He will be attending Cornell University (ECACHL) in the fall in starting his college career.

A happy Dad texted from Vancouver that he was there and had the chance to go to the team table and don the Colorado jersey, good for him!

Dad Trevor was a first round 15th overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1984.

Then Tyce Thompson (Orange/Salisbury Prep) was taken in the 4th round 96th overall by the New Jersey Devils. The Providence College (HE) right winger is the son of ex-Pack defenseman and current Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson. His older brother of course is former UCONN Husky Tage Thompson who was selected in the 1st round 26th overall in 2016 by the St. Louis Blues and now plays for the Buffalo Sabres.

Father Brent was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round 39th overall in 1989 and played 121 NHL games and 635 in the AHL.

In the 4th round (141st overall) Mason Primeau, the nephew of former Whaler, Keith Primeau, was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights and split last season with Guelph and North Bay (OHL).

In the 5th round (125th overall), the Ottawa Senators selected Mark Kastelic from the Calgary Hitmen (WHL) where was the team captain and he is the son of former Whaler, Ed Kastelic. Father was selected in the 6th round 110th overall by Washington in 1983.

In the 5th round, (129th overall) defenseman Cooper Moore (Cos Cob/Brunswick Prep) was selected by the Detroit Red Wings. This season with Brunswick Prep he had 13 goals, 18 assists, and 31 points in 28 games. Next year he will play for the Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) and in 2020-21 will be enrolled at University North Dakota (NCHC).

The last family tree selection was Harrison Blaisdell by the Winnipeg Jets in the 5th round (134th overall) from the Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) and is set to head to the University of North Dakota (NCHC) in 2020-21. He had 33 goals to lead his team much like his father Mike who is an ex-New Haven Nighthawk who was a first round (11th overall) pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 1980.

Several trades yesterday had ex-Pack ties to them.

J.T. Miller was moved by the Tampa Bay Lightning for cap reasons to the Vancouver Canucks goalie, Marek Mazanec, another ex-Pack. Mazanec has already signed a contract with HK Hradec Kralove (Czech Republic-CEL), but a deal could be coming and he could playing for Syracuse next year.

The Canucks dealt ex-Pack and former Ranger, Tom Pyatt, to San Jose along with a sixth-round pick for the Sharks seventh-round pick and AHL All-Star, Francis Perron, who with Utica will be playing for his fourth different AHL team in the last four years.

The Chicago Blackhawks traded former Yale Bulldog, John Hayden, to New Jersey for John Quenneville. Hayden gets to reunite with former Yale teammate, Ken Agostino.

Nolan Stevens, the son of former Whaler, John Stevens, signs a one year two-way deal ($700K-NHL/$70K-AHL) with the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. Adam Musil, the nephew of former Whaler and Ranger, Robert (Bobby) Holik, was released from his contract as is a UFA.

In other hockey moves, Adam Plant Milwaukee/Laval departs the AHL for Vasteras IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan) making it 44 AHL players off to Europe or Asia next season.

Ex-Pack, Mike Pelech, re-signs with Greenville (ECHL) for his eleventh pro season.

Ex-Pack, Corey Locke, goes from EHC Linz (Austria-EBEL) HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic-CEL).

Ex-Sound Tiger, Kurtis Mclean, moves from HC Devta (Slovakia-SLEL) to SC Csikszereda (Romania-EBEL) and another former Sound Tiger RW Robin Figren leaves HV 71 (Sweden-SHL) to EHC Kloten (Switzerland-LNA).

Closer to home, Thomas Richter, the son of Ranger great, Mike Richter, and a one-time Yale (ECACHL) assistant coach, will head out west to Prince George (BCHL) from Salisbury Prep before the Greenwich resident plays collegiately in two years Union College (ECACHL).

Cantlon’s Corner wrote earlier that former Providence College (HE) forward Jay O’Brien, will play for Penticton (BCHL) next season. He announced he is transferring to Boston University (HE) and can play in 2020-21 and maintains his NCAA eligibility by playing in the BCHL.