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Future Watch 2017
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
PROSPECT WHISPERER
RICH PEVERLEY ALWAYS knew he wanted to be a hockey lifer. When he was a teenager, he closely followed player stats and transactions, and he envisioned working in NHL management when his playing career was over. It was, however, a move he never thought he’d have to make in his early 30s. Peverley, 34, is just three years removed from the night his heart stopped on the bench after completing a shift six minutes into a game at the American Airlines Center on March 10, 2014. He still looks like he could play in the NHL. His former teammate Tyler Seguin said the former center would, “still be one of the best faceoff guys in the NHL.” And Peverley has had a clean bill of health since the incident. But he made the…
THE LONG BRIDGE TO BROOKLYN
C+ 23 RANK THE NEW YORK Islanders made the most of the recent down years during what seemed like a never-ending rebuild, as they stockpiled draft picks and developed young talent. Now that the organization has the unfamiliar weight of expectations on its shoulders – fresh off its first playoff series win since 1993 – the development system appears poised to pay off in the form of several soon-to-be NHL roster players. Still, the club is intensely patient with its prospects, an ethos that can frustrate players and fans alike, but putting players in the best position to grow is the key message from the scouting and development staff. MATHEW BARZAL 1 C, 19, 6-0, 187 Seattle (WHL) 34–8–55–63–16 2015 draft, 16th overall Barzal pushed hard for a spot in camp and played two games…
CAROLINA STORM SURGE
B 15 RANK FROM A DEVELOPMENT perspective, the Carolina Hurricanes are in uncharted territory. For the first time in franchise history, they’re loaded with talented young defensemen. Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin are already in the NHL, and Justin Faulk is only 24. Two of their top prospects, Jake Bean and Haydn Fleury, are defensemen. Another, Roland McKeown, nearly made the team out of camp. Throw in Julien Gauthier and Nicolas Roy, and the Canes also have some size in the system at forward – another rare occurrence. The existential question is in goal, where there’s a void behind Alex Nedeljkovic, whose NHL future is uncertain. 1 JULIEN GAUTHIER RW, 19, 6-4, 225 Saint John (QMJHL) 37–13–31–44–34 2016 draft, 21st overall The Canes had their choice of hulking forwards when they drafted Gauthier,…
STARTING PROCESS
USING HOMEGROWN TALENT to morph into a contender isn’t a unique strategy in the NHL, and it certainly isn’t new to the Arizona Coyotes. While the likes of Edmonton, Buffalo and Toronto have been loading up on prized prospects via the draft in recent years in an attempt to rejoin the league’s competitive ranks, the Coyotes have been in the midst of their own rebuild – a decision made two years ago when management chose to pare the core of key veterans at the trade deadline to receive young players and picks. What is different for the Coyotes is how much of a priority the development arm of the organization has become during this process. Last offseason, an infrastructure upgrade coincided with a front-office shakeup. Then 26, John Chayka became the youngest…