It’s THN's XL-sized Draft Preview 2018 edition! We run down our top 100 prospects with scouting reports on each, plus NHL Team Reports with the short- and long-term prospect needs for all 31 clubs. Plus, features on Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov and many more. Also, a special section dedicated to the Humboldt Broncos and how the community is recovering.

Draft Preview 2018

The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. THN is published 18 times a year, including 14 regular issues and four special issues – such as Future Watch, Draft Preview, Yearbook, the #1 selling hockey annual in North America.

The Hockey News vol.71 no.15 - Draft Preview - May 28, 2018

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Broncos_Team-opener" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/broncos_team-opener/259218-1-eng-US/broncos_team-opener.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Humboldt Broncos)</span></figcaption></div><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Broncos_Team-opener

Humboldt

HUMBOLDT BRONCOS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="Dahlin_Opener" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/dahlin_opener/259243-1-eng-US/dahlin_opener.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOMMY HOLL)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S NOT A GOOD TIME</b> for Rasmus Dahlin. Not at 3:00 p.m. on a weekday in April in his native Sweden. A background scene bustles with voices on his end of the phone line. He apologizes. The interview will have to wait.</p><p>Fair enough. His plate is more than full. He&rsquo;s weeks away from becoming the first Swede picked No. 1 overall in the NHL draft since Mats Sundin in 1989. Dahlin is the most-hyped defense prospect since&hellip;Aaron Ekblad? No, Ekblad wasn&rsquo;t even a lock to go first overall in 2014. We ranked him second in the pages of THN. Victor Hedman? He went second overall in 2009. Bryan Berard in 1995? That doesn&rsquo;t do justice to the Dahlin fever pitch. Heck, try Denis Potvin in 1973 to get the closest equivalent to the excitement Dahlin has generated as a blueliner locked into the first overall slot.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-0167/254396-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="749" height="671"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HEAD OF THE CLASS</b></p><p>Just 18 years old, Dahlin is already being compared to NHL defenseman legends such as Nicklas Lidstrom and Denis Potvin.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TOMMY HOLL)</span></figcaption></div><p>So, fine, he can&rsquo;t spare a few minutes on the phone right now. He&rsquo;s probably busy signing autographs or kissing babies or finalizing endorsement deals. That has to be it. &ldquo;Sorry,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Can we do this six hours from now? I&rsquo;m in class.&rdquo;</p><p>Ah yes, <i>class</i>. And that doesn&rsquo;t mean writing a thesis on Marxism. No, the kid probably has a science project to finish or a quiz in history, his favorite subject. It&rsquo;s easy to forget Dahlin turned 18 in mid-April. He&rsquo;s not just young in the sense Auston Matthews is &ldquo;still only a kid&rdquo; after his team loses in the first round of the playoffs a second straight year. Dahlin is a true peach-fuzzer, the kind with homework and curfews and paper-bag lunches to worry about. At the same time, he debuted at the World Junior Championship &ndash; and scored his first goal &ndash; representing the Tre Kronor by 16. He spawned tongue-wagging YouTube reels dangling around &ndash; no, skating <i>through</i> &ndash; established U.S. prospects Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Poehling by 17. Erik Karlsson declared Dahlin &ldquo;much better than I was at that age.&rdquo; Ask scouts and coaches for comparisons and you get an answer far more hyperbolic than Karlsson or Hedman, too. You get the God of Swedish defensemen, Nicklas Lidstrom.</p><p>Those are staggering expectations to live up to, enough to scare almost any player. Dahlin isn&rsquo;t one of them, though. Not that he downplays the hype with a canned comment about ignoring it. It&rsquo;s the opposite. For Dahlin, the frenzy is the juice. It spurs him toward the gym or onto the ice quicker. &ldquo;It feels exciting when so many good players talk about me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing. I&rsquo;m feeling like I want to be better and better and better because I&rsquo;m on a good path, and why stop? You know what I mean? I can&rsquo;t explain it in English but, like, when I hear that, I get a boost inside me and just go out and train and work hard.&rdquo;</p><p>He eventually fishes out the English word he&rsquo;s looking for: motivation. He&rsquo;s not wired like most teenagers, and that makes sense given his upbringing. The Dahlins hail from Lidkoping, not to be confused with Linkoping, Sweden&rsquo;s fifth-largest city and home to a 42-year-old Swedish League franchise. No, the cottagey little town of Lidkoping is home to about 25,000 people, onesixth the population of Linkoping. Growing up in Lidkoping, Dahlin was part of such a pure hockey family that he never pondered another career. His father, Martin, played defense in Sweden&rsquo;s second and third divisions for a decade and still dabbles in coaching. Rasmus&rsquo; older brother, Felix, played Tier III pro as a right winger. He&rsquo;s just 20 now but has already retired from competitive hockey because of arthritis. Almost all of Rasmus&rsquo; immediate family members suffer from it, including his mother and sister. But not to worry &ndash; multiple scouts suggested it&rsquo;s not a problem in Rasmus, as he has shown no signs of it and it wouldn&rsquo;t affect him until later in his career if it arrives. Teams do their medical homework, another scout said, and the fact Dahlin&rsquo;s draft ranking hasn&rsquo;t wavered at all suggests his body is just fine.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-0227/254389-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="831" height="554"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TWO-WAY TALENT</b></p><p>His mobility and puck skills get the headlines, but Dahlin&rsquo;s ability in the defensive zone is equally impressive.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Dahlin has a devoted, understanding and, most of all, competitive support system. The games involving his extended family are fiery, he said, and sharpened his skills from his childhood through his early teens. One reason why he can dangle his way through opponents like a forward does: he was one. Dahlin&rsquo;s childhood idol wasn&rsquo;t, as one might expect, Lidstrom. It was Peter Forsberg. &ldquo;I love how he competes every single time he gets out on the ice,&rdquo; Dahlin said. &ldquo;I love how he played.&rdquo;</p><p>And Dahlin will be pleased to hear Tomas Monten, his world junior coach, describe him this way: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a little like a Peter Forsberg character. He gets really mean. He has a high temper. That gives him a competitive edge at practices and especially in games. He doesn&rsquo;t lose his head, but he competes. He&rsquo;s going to have more dirty tricks than people think. He&rsquo;s not going to take anything for granted and he&rsquo;s going to battle for everything.&rdquo;</p><p>So the Forsberg worship forged a combination of dazzling puck skills and ornery intensity. At 13, it clicked for Dahlin that he could use those tools to bring a unique breed of offense from the blueline. He fell in love with the idea and moved to defense. It meant he could stay on the ice longer and control the game from end to end the way forwards couldn&rsquo;t. Dahlin&rsquo;s influence on games started to resemble Karlsson&rsquo;s, and Dahlin ascended from the Swedish junior circuit to the nation&rsquo;s top pro league quickly. He debuted with Frolunda at 16 last season, even securing a significant role in the playoffs, and the 2017 WJC earned him international praise and spotlight.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">HE&rsquo;S A LITTLE LIKE A PETER FORSBERG CHARACTER. <br>HE GETS REALLY MEAN. HE HAS A HIGH TEMPER<br>&ndash; Tomas Monten, Dahlin&rsquo;s world juniors coach</blockquote><p>By the 2017-18 season, it was impossible for him to shut out the buzz, the constant parade of scouts and journalists from across the Atlantic, at his Frolunda games. &lsquo;Fallin&rsquo; for Dahlin&rsquo; had officially begun among the basement-dwelling NHL teams, with him projected a year out as the top 2018 draft pick ahead of Andrei Svechnikov, Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk. (Side note: &lsquo;Fallin&rsquo; for Dahlin&rsquo; doesn&rsquo;t work as a rhyme, people. As he clarifies, his last name is pronounced Dah-LEEN.)</p><p>You&rsquo;ve likely heard all the effusive sound bites by now. TSN&rsquo;s Ray Ferraro said Dahlin &ldquo;defends like Lidstrom and skates like Karlsson.&rdquo; But what, exactly, gives Dahlin a skyscraperhigh ceiling?</p><p>The league-wide scouting reports suggest Dahlin combines the mobility and puck skills of today&rsquo;s elite offensive defensemen with the hardnosed physicality of the top minute-munchers. His fleet-footed rushes bring fans to their feet, but he&rsquo;s also 6-foot-2 with a 181-pound frame that will swell into the 200s when he finishes growing and adds muscle. He&rsquo;s built for all situations. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see him as an Erik Karlsson type defender, but I see him more like a Victor Hedman,&rdquo; Monten said. &ldquo;More like a &lsquo;D&rsquo; that can play on your power play, that can score points, he can move the puck for you, but he can also defend, he can play a physical game, he can play a shutdown role.&rdquo;</p><p>Dahlin believes his hockey sense is his strongest trait, as does the coach who sees him more than anyone year-round: Frolunda&rsquo;s Roger Ronnberg. &ldquo;The greatest ability on the ice is the way he reads the game,&rdquo; Ronnberg said. &ldquo;He looks like he&rsquo;s playing in slo-mo. He always has time to make reads and smart plays, and he is getting better in every area. He is one of the best kids I have ever had in terms of being coachable. He is a fast learner.&rdquo;</p><p>Dahlin also contradicts the stereotype of Europe-based defensemen needing time to adjust to the North American-sized ice surface, which forces them to make much quicker decisions as forecheckers harass them in the corners. The last 18-year-old rearguard to jump from playing in a Euro league directly to the NHL in his draft year was Aki Berg 23 years ago, unless you count Oliver Kylington getting one game in 2015-16. Luca Sbisa, Rostislav Klesla, Nikita Zadorov and Mikhail Sergachev fast-tracked to the NHL at 18 but played their draft years in major junior. Hedman went right to the NHL but was 19. As Ronnberg explained, Dahlin is set to buck the trend of learning curves for Euroleague imports because he does his best work in tight spaces. He excels in the more claustrophobic drills at practice and in any games Frolunda plays on smaller ice surfaces because he makes smart decisions so much faster than the average player.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-0168/254382-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="906" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>WORLD AT HIS FEET</b></p><p>Dahlin was named the top defenseman at the 2018 world juniors, cementing his place atop the 2018 NHL draft board.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDREA CARDIN/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>No prospect is perfect, though, and that includes Dahlin. He must thicken his core if he wants to muscle bruisers like Tom Wilson off pucks. Dahlin lists his shot as the skill that needs the most development. And Monten sees room for improvement in Dahlin&rsquo;s foot speed when transitioning rapidly from backward to forward, a trick particularly important come playoff time when the pace of an opposing team&rsquo;s attack is especially fast and ferocious. But the consensus from scouts is that criticisms like those qualify as nitpicking. Dahlin is more mature, physically and mentally, than any defense prospect to arrive in the NHL since Ekblad at the very least. Dahlin projects as someone who can play up to 25 minutes a night as a rookie while logging significant minutes on both special teams units. He&rsquo;ll make the lucky team that picks him immediately better. He has more developing to do, but he&rsquo;s no project.</p><p>Dahlin will improve his new team&rsquo;s playoffs odds, loudly on the scoresheet but silently in the dressing room. He shows more charisma on the ice than off it, similar to what we&rsquo;ve seen from recent first overall picks Matthews and Connor McDavid. Ronnberg said Dahlin &ldquo;hasn&rsquo;t found his personality yet&rdquo; given he&rsquo;s just a teenager and generally lets the Frolunda veterans, like captain Joel Lundqvist, do the talking. Dahlin hasn&rsquo;t been the rah-rah guy on Team Sweden, either. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be the quiet guy,&rdquo; Monten said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s humble, he&rsquo;s quiet, but he prepares. He&rsquo;s one of the first guys to come in in the morning and one of the last guys to leave. He&rsquo;s going to grab the pucks for practices. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if he gets picked No. 1 or not, he&rsquo;s going to fit in. He&rsquo;s going to try and earn respect from his teammates by showing work ethic, playing hard for his team, blocking shots, making good plays for his team.&rdquo;</p><p>So what, then, is a fair expectation for Dahlin in 2018-19? The Calder Trophy? The greatest rookie year by a defenseman this millennium? It&rsquo;s tough to marry hype with realistic expectations. Given the over-whelming praise for Dahlin&rsquo;s game, 40 points doesn&rsquo;t sound like asking too much, does it? And yet, amazingly, only two rookie defensemen in NHL history have topped 40 points after starting a season 18 years old: Hall of Famers Phil Housley (66) and Bobby Orr (41). Ekblad&rsquo;s epic freshman campaign in 2013-14 yielded 39 points. Only five teenaged defensemen have won the Calder Trophy &ndash; Orr, Ekblad, Ray Bourque, Berard and Tyler Myers, and only Orr and Ekblad did it in their age-18 seasons. So expecting or demanding the Calder out of Dahlin is asking him to be, well, legendary in Year 1. Then again, every bit of analysis from those scouting and coaching him thus far says he will be just that.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I LOVE HOW HE COMPETES EVERY SINGLE TIME <br>HE GETS OUT ON THE ICE. I LOVE HOW HE PLAYED<br>&ndash; Rasmus Dahlin on Peter Forsberg</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/dahlin6/259140-1-eng-US/dahlin6.jpg" title="Dahlin6" width="1080" height="1779"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOMMY HOLL)</span></figcaption></div><p>As one scout suggests, Dahlin&rsquo;s landing spot will play a significant role in his debut output. If he&rsquo;s paired with a defensively responsible partner, he can freewheel with those trademark mad dashes. But because of Dahlin&rsquo;s two-way acumen, he may be asked to do more in his own end, lowering his offensive ceiling in Year 1, and that&rsquo;s probably a fair expectation given his all-butconfirmed destination: the Buffalo Sabres, who have the top pick for the first time since nabbing Pierre Turgeon in 1987.</p><p>Yes, Dahlin should get a chance to make an instant impact offensively. The Sabres have one of the all-time best puck-moving blueliners for a head coach in Housley, after all. They struggled to get goals from the back end this season, and GM Jason Botterill indicated after winning the draft lottery that Dahlin was a great fit given Buffalo wants its defensemen jumping up in the play more. In Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, Casey Mittelstadt, Kyle Okposo, Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen, the Sabres have a decent core of offensively dangerous players with which they can mix Dahlin to form an exciting No. 1 power play unit. And Ristolainen&rsquo;s deployment suggests Dahlin will lead all rookies in ice time next season. Ristolainen has been given a ton of responsibility &ndash; too much, even &ndash; to start his NHL career. He averages more than 24 minutes a game for his career, which is just five seasons old, and he ranks in the top five in the NHL over the past three seasons in ice time with an average of 26:04. It thus stands to reason Dahlin won&rsquo;t be coddled as a rookie.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0151/254368-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="748" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOMMY HOLL)</span></figcaption></div><p>At the same time, the Sabres need him for more than just his dynamic scoring ability. Over the past five seasons they&rsquo;ve finished 25th, 29th, 16th, 21st and 29th in goals against. Only one team has surrendered more shots on goal than Buffalo over that period. So if Dahlin is half Karlsson and half Hedman, the Sabres probably need the Hedman side &ndash; the lockdown defender &ndash; more than anything in Year 1.</p><p>Whatever Buffalo asks of Dahlin, none of the conjecture seems to faze him. He instead uses it as kindling. He says he can&rsquo;t wait for the opportunity to go up against the best players in the world.</p><p>Are his nerves really that steely? If McDavid zooms into his zone, will Dahlin really think, time to take him out, and not, Oh, s--t? &ldquo;I would think both things,&rdquo; said Dahlin with a hearty laugh. &ldquo;&lsquo;Oh s--t, he&rsquo;s coming,&rsquo; and then I would think, &lsquo;I have to get him.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/dahlin7/266074-1-eng-US/dahlin7.jpg" title="Dahlin7" width="1080" height="748"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BUFFALO SOLDIER</b></p><p>The Sabres won the draft lottery and, presumably, will select Dahlin <br>and insert him into the heart of their lineup next season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TOMMY HOLL)</span></figcaption></div><p>That&rsquo;s Dahlin. Relative to his position and the social media-dominated era he plays in, he faces unprecedented expectations, and he welcomes them with a giggle. Sure things don&rsquo;t exist in sports, as Nail Yakupov, Patrik Stefan and Alexandre Daigle can attest, but Dahlin is as close as it gets. He has the demo reel, the glowing reviews, the numbers, the body and, perhaps most of all, the mentality to succeed. He can&rsquo;t wait for his skate blades to touch NHL ice. Neither can we.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Dahlin7

Feature

SABRES SAVIOR

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="MTL_Weber" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/mtl_weber/266919-1-eng-US/mtl_weber.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SHEA WEBER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>EALLY, THERE IS</b> nowhere to go but up, because it&rsquo;s almost impossible to get much lower. The Canadiens were the third-worst team in the NHL this season and their Laval Rocket affiliate was the worst team in the AHL. And to complete the rare trifecta, the Habs finished with the fourth-worst ranking in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch. Clearly, getting a top-notch prospect in the draft, something Montreal aims to accomplish in 2018, isn&rsquo;t the panacea for all that ails this franchise. They have four second-round picks and need to make the most of them.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Stop us if you&rsquo;ve heard this before, but a No. 1 center who can drive offense and make players around him better. The Canadiens hoped they were getting that when they traded their top prospect for Jonathan Drouin, but Drouin is too turnover-prone to be that man at the moment. The Habs must throw buckets of money at John Tavares if he becomes a UFA, but it&rsquo;s doubtful he&rsquo;d accept it.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Montreal could&rsquo;ve had a defense corps anchored by P.K. Subban and Mikhail Sergachev for the next decade. Instead, they have an untradeable Shea Weber and four guys who are 30 or older next season. Victor Mete showed promise as a rookie, but the Habs need top-end defensemen with skill and youth.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> This is the one area in which Montreal is in good shape. They have almost $18 million in cap space with only mid-level RFAs and a backup goalie to sign. The Canadiens have their best forward on a ridiculously team-friendly contract and most other core players are tied up long-term.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Had defenseman Noah Juulsen not broken his foot in a preseason game, he might have made the NHL. He showed enough in a late-season call-up to be on the blueline. Nikita Scherbak appears to have used his time well in the minors.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> In the four drafts from 2008 through 2011, the Habs picked 25 players, only two of whom became regular NHLers &ndash; Brendan Gallagher and Nathan Beaulieu. None of the five players they selected in 2008 have played a single NHL game.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h2><b>MARC BERGEVIN</b></h2><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2012 <b>| Drafts:</b> 6</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Charles Hudon, 122nd, 2012; Victor Mete, 100th, 2016; Mikhail Sergachev, 9th, 2016</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Zach Fucale, 36th, 2013; Michael McCarron, 25th, 2013; Sebastian Collberg, 33rd, 2012</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Jeff Petry from Edm. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick, 4th rd pick. March, 2015</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Shea Weber from Nsh. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> P.K. Subban. July, 2016</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Paul Byron, 1 yr @ $1.17M; Brendan Gallagher, 3 yrs @ $3.75M; Max Pacioretty, 1 yr @ $4.5M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Shea Weber, 8 yrs @ $7.86M; Andrew Shaw, 4 yrs @ $3.9M; Karl Alzner, 4 yrs @ $4.63M</p><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

MTL_Weber

LOTS OF ROOM FOR GROWTH

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="McCormick1" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/mccormick1/266102-1-eng-US/mccormick1.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MIKE SULLIVAN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N TERMS OF HIS</b> future in hockey, Cape Breton Screaming Eagle Adam McCormick was facing a crucial season. It was his draft year, where scouts dissected his game, got to know him as a person and will ultimately decide if they want him to be a part of their NHL franchise&rsquo;s next generation.</p><p>Right now, the young blueliner is seen as a mid- to late-round pick with a game akin to Arizona Coyotes veteran Alex Goligoski: he&rsquo;s not big, but he&rsquo;s got great feet and a good stick. &ldquo;I like to take care of my own end first,&rdquo; McCormick said. &ldquo;I like to join the rush and make a good first pass.&rdquo;</p><p>But this has also been an incredibly important year for McCormick off the ice. His mother, Audrey, an early childhood educator, has been battling bronchiectasis since 2008. It&rsquo;s a brutal affliction that affects the tiny hairs in the lungs that sweep away dirt and mucus, while also stretching the airways and creating pockets that attract more germs. It creates a vicious cycle of infection, and there is no cure.</p><p>By 2014, things were getting dire for Audrey. She was on oxygen and couldn&rsquo;t walk up a flight of stairs without help. &ldquo;Her body was breaking down,&rdquo; said husband Andrew Mc-Cormick. &ldquo;She lost a lot of weight.&rdquo;</p><p>Eventually it was decided that Audrey would need a double-lung transplant, and the family began the arduous preparations. Soon after, Adam was selected by Cape Breton in the third round of the 2016 QMJHL draft. He made the team out of training camp but faced a difficult decision. His hometown of Woodstock, N.B., was a seven-hour drive from Cape Breton. He called GM Marc-Andre Dumont and told him he wasn&rsquo;t sure if he could do it. The backup option was to stay at home and play for the Jr. A Woodstock Slammers.</p><p>But Cape Breton made their pitch to the McCormicks and promised to be as helpful as they could during such a turbulent time. &ldquo;I credit Marc-Andre and the team,&rdquo; Andrew said. &ldquo;They jumped right on this.&rdquo;</p><p>Adam decided to make the commitment to Cape Breton and the franchise would end up filming a public-service announcement for organ donations, featuring Adam speaking in English and Dumont in French.</p><p>Adam had a decent rookie season in Cape Breton, registering 21 points in 51 games and the team made it to the second round of the playoffs. He won the team&rsquo;s humanitarian-of-the-year award, all the while keeping tabs on his family back in New Brunswick, checking in on his mom&rsquo;s status. &ldquo;I was always thinking about her and talking to her,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>It was a lot for a teenager to deal with, but as his father noted, Adam was up to the challenge. &ldquo;He stepped up,&rdquo; Andrew said. &ldquo;He takes care of <i>us</i>, more or less.&rdquo;</p><p>This season, the Screaming Eagles took a hit in the standings but still made the playoffs, where they fell to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in five games in the opening round. McCormick&rsquo;s buddy Drake Batherson, the Ottawa Senators&rsquo; draft pick and Canadian world junior star, was traded before the deadline to powerhouse Blainville-Boisbriand. McCormick nearly doubled his offensive totals from his rookie season and was an integral part of Cape Breton&rsquo;s power play. On top of all that, scouts have been impressed with the way he handled the obvious stress surrounding his mom. &ldquo;If anything, it has elevated his play,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s given me another level of respect for him.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I WAS ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT HER AND TALKING TO HER<br>&ndash; Adam McCormick on his mother, Audrey</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0156/254611-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="435" height="567"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STRONGER STILL</b></p><p>Scouts say McCormick actually raised his level of play despite the stress of dealing with his mother&rsquo;s illness.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF ANDREW MCCORMICK)</span></figcaption></div><p>This year has also been huge for the McCormicks. To put Audrey in the best possible situation for a transplant, she and Andrew (who works in sales in the manufacturing industry) moved to Toronto. They rented out their house in Woodstock in order to pay for the trip, and Adam&rsquo;s 20-year-old sister, Molly, moved in with her aunt.</p><p>On Dec. 1, the couple moved to Canada&rsquo;s largest metropolis with hope in their hearts. Audrey was listed for a transplant at Toronto General Hospital on Dec. 5 and the family began to wait. For a transplant to work, a donor would need to match both Audrey&rsquo;s blood type and lung size. A timeline was tough to nail down, but Audrey was game. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s the epitome of grit,&rdquo; Andrew said. &ldquo;Strong as can be, never asks for anything.&rdquo;</p><p>On Dec. 14, Adam was on the road in Prince Edward Island with the Screaming Eagles. He was unloading the bus in preparation for a game the following day against the Charlottetown Islanders when his cell phone rang. He&rsquo;s usually more of a texting kinda kid, but the call from his dad needed to be heard out loud: <i>&ldquo;Mom&rsquo;s got new lungs!&rdquo;</i></p><p>A donor had been found. What could have taken months or even years happened in less than two weeks. &ldquo;It was definitely a great Christmas present,&rdquo; Adam said. &ldquo;It was very unexpected. We&rsquo;re blessed and very thankful.&rdquo;</p><p>And the timing couldn&rsquo;t have been better. Adam and Molly were scheduled to come to Toronto during the Christmas break anyway, so the family was reunited as Audrey recovered from the operation. While Audrey recuperated through physiotherapy in Toronto, Adam continued his season in Cape Breton. Being able to compartmentalize his life has been a huge positive for the youngster. &ldquo;For Adam to play and compete the way he has is unbelievable,&rdquo; said his agent, Chad Levitt. &ldquo;To be able to stay focused on not only hockey but school, too. There&rsquo;s so much pressure on players who are draft-eligible.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-0238/254604-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="435" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>After enduring failing health for years, <br>Audrey received a double-lung transplant <br>in December.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF ANDREW MCCORMICK)</span></figcaption></div><p>No matter what happens at the NHL draft in Dallas this summer, this season has been a win for Adam and the entire McCormick clan. Audrey has a new lease on life and for Andrew, the whole process has hammered home the importance of organ donation. &ldquo;The more educated people are, the better,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There are people dying from coast to coast.&rdquo;</p><p>Normalcy is returning to the family back in New Brunswick and with any luck, the next big disruption for Adam McCormick will involve an NHL rookie camp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

McCormick1

PRESSURE TESTED

<div class="byline">Brian Costello, Senior Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="BC-column-iPad" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/bc-column-ipad/265757-1-eng-US/bc-column-ipad.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Jaclyn Locke)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>UR CELEBRATION OF DRAFT</b> Preview documents the coming-out parties for the most dynamic 17- and 18-year-old hockey players in the world. They&rsquo;re the young men who have the world at their skilled fingertips. Thirty-one NHL teams and thousands of fans will soon gather in Dallas to get a glimpse of how their futures might unfold. Millions more will watch at home June 22-23.</p><p>This is the start of something truly special for the prospects. And it&rsquo;s about more than hockey. They&rsquo;ll be sitting in the stands on draft day, flanked by their families and close friends. Their loved ones will be right there to machinate their potential futures. To what cities will they move? Will they meet their future spouses there and raise families? Become fixtures in their communities? Open up doors for business opportunities in their post-playing days?</p><p>It&rsquo;ll be a day of immense possibilities. And for the hundreds of other young players on the cusp of adulthood who don&rsquo;t get drafted, this day will also serve as a crossroads of options and possibilities. The future has no bounds.</p><p>So it&rsquo;s with heavy hearts the staff at The Hockey News presents this Draft Preview issue at a time when the hockey world is still reeling from the horrible April accident that claimed the lives of 16 passengers aboard the Humboldt Broncos Jr. A bus. Like the rest of the hockey community, we&rsquo;re devastated. From publisher Graeme Roustan to editor in chief Jason Kay to senior writer Ken Campbell, who spent a week in Humboldt reporting on the accident, to the rest of the THN team, we share in the profound sorrow of this tremendous loss of potential and opportunity, both on and off the ice.</p><p>It was 32 years ago, the Swift Current Broncos bus crashed in a winter storm and the lives of four players were lost. I was the lone media member on that bus, and I recall the outpouring of support and comfort offered by people in the weeks to follow. Today, public reaction worldwide to the Humboldt tragedy is exponentially more. From my perspective, this is appreciated now and will be in the months to come. Some dark, lonely moments are bound to linger for those touched by this incident.</p><p>The Swift Current Broncos regrouped and carried on, as I&rsquo;m sure this Humboldt Broncos franchise will do. Less than six months after the Swift Current accident, a collection of Broncos prospects gathered at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and celebrated the 1987 NHL draft selections of Joe Sakic, Peter Soberlak, Ryan McGill, Bob Wilkie and Ian Herbers. Sheldon Kennedy and Tim Tisdale were picked the next year, then Danny Lambert and Tracy Egeland the year after. That Swift Current team, with several bus accident survivors on it, went on to capture glory two years later with the 1989 Memorial Cup. For those players and that community, the embers of hope and opportunity burned through the pain of unimaginable loss.</p><p>Think of that when you look at the faces in the pages to follow. Included in Draft Preview is an 11-page section on the Humboldt Broncos, crafted by Ken Campbell, who like the rest of us was emotionally affected by this nightmare road trip. You&rsquo;ll read about the 16 individuals who perished and the 13 others who survived. Whether any of these people had a future in hockey doesn&rsquo;t matter. The 16 people lost all had bright futures that were tragically cut short. Each member of the THN team hopes, in some small way, that this issue and our tribute to the Humboldt Broncos helps the organization, the community and you, our readers, with the healing process.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/briancostello_sig_ipad/265743-1-eng-US/briancostello_sig_ipad.jpg" title="BrianCostello_Sig_iPad" width="320" height="100"></div><p align="center"><a datastyle href="https://twitter.com/bcostellothn"><b>@BCOSTELLOTHN</b></a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BC-column-iPad

Column

AN ODE TO THE BRONCOS

<div class="byline">W. GRAEME ROUSTAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="Roustan-column-iPad" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/roustan-column-ipad/265764-1-eng-US/roustan-column-ipad.jpg"></div><p>Dear readers,</p><p>Every day since I acquired The Hockey News, I&rsquo;ve thought about how we can give you more.</p><p>We started with a commitment to increase our page counts in each issue, broadening our coverage to include a more comprehensive picture of the hockey world.</p><p>Now you can read that bulked-up content in a new format. To borrow a page from Elon Musk&rsquo;s playbook when he makes announcements about Tesla improvements, we&rsquo;re introducing our latest investment in technology: a new smartphone and tablet device app.</p><p>Derived from the print magazine, the new THN app delivers an enhanced digital reading experience. Articles are easy to read on any smartphone or tablet, so if you&rsquo;re traveling, or your dog has eaten your latest issue, or you simply prefer the convenience of digital, your THN will always be with you. In addition, we&rsquo;ve digitized years of recent past issues and made them searchable by keywords. The app also includes bonus content, including videos, photo galleries and digital-only features.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/yoursay_ipad/259091-1-eng-US/yoursay_ipad.jpg" title="YourSay_iPad" width="910" height="1024"></div><p>And we aren&rsquo;t done yet. I will continue to invest in ways that will allow the team at The Hockey News to feed your hunger for unique and relevant content with a package of hockey coverage you simply can&rsquo;t get anywhere else. Keep watching this space for updates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/graemeroustan_sig_ipad/265750-1-eng-US/graemeroustan_sig_ipad.jpg" title="GraemeRoustan_Sig_iPad" width="320" height="100"></div><p align="center">Executive Chairman & Publisher, <br>Roustan Media Ltd.</p><p align="center"><a datastyle href="http://www.roustan.com"><b>roustan.com</b></a><br><a datastyle href="https://twitter.com/graemeroustan"><b>@GraemeRoustan</b></a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Roustan-column-iPad

YOUR SAY

A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

<div class="image-hero"><img title="YourSay_Barzal-iPad" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/yoursay_barzal-ipad/265771-1-eng-US/yoursay_barzal-ipad.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATHEW BARZAL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>yperbole aside, it could be Griffin Reinhart for Mathew Barzal and ultimately Anthony Beauvillier. I&rsquo;ve watched the draft every year since 1992, and have never seen as much of a heist. Though, Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha in 2000 is close.&nbsp;<b>&ndash; @JKZimmermann</b></p><p>It has to be the Sedins in 1999. To be able to snag Nos. 2 and 3 while also convincing the Thrashers to take Patrik Stefan has to be the best draft deal. It&rsquo;s incredibly intricate when you look into the details.&nbsp;<b>&ndash; Kris Singh</b></p><p>June 20, 1992. The Quebec Nordiques acquire: Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, $15 million in cash, 1993 first-round pick, 1994 first-round pick and future considerations. The Philadelphia Flyers acquire: Eric Lindros.&nbsp;<b>&ndash; Rory Yelrow</b></p><p>In 2001, Ottawa traded Alexei Yashin in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and the No. 2 pick in that draft (Jason Spezza). The Yashin extension in New York crippled the Islanders while Spezza and Chara flourished in Ottawa.&nbsp;<b>&ndash; @Alexthegoalie</b></p><p>1987. The Quebec Nordiques traded Dale Hunter and Clint Malarchuk for three assets including the 15th overall selection, which ended up being the legendary Joe Sakic.&nbsp;<b>&ndash; Ross Brodsky</b></p><p>St. Louis traded David Rundblad to Ottawa for the No. 16 pick (Vladimir Tarasenko) in 2010. A complete home run for the Blues. Ottawa recovered somewhat by later dealing Rundblad for Kyle Turris, but this was among Bryan Murray&rsquo;s biggest mistakes as Ottawa GM.&nbsp;<b>&ndash; @Alexthegoalie</b></p><p>Have your say by emailing us at&nbsp;<a datastyle href="mailto:LETTERS@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM">LETTERS@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p><i>Please include your full name and hometown</i></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/yoursay-poll2/259098-1-eng-US/yoursay-poll.jpg" title="YourSay-Poll" width="1080" height="1193"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SVECHNIKOV: GRAIG ABEL/GETTY IMAGES; TKACHUK: M. ANTHONY NESMITH/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES; ZADINA: MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS/GETTY IMAGES; BOQVIST: DAVE REGINEK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

YourSay_Barzal-iPad

SOAPBOX

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0172/254031-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Connor McDavid was a no-brainer as the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL draft, but usually it&rsquo;s not so clear.</p><p></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>"I&rsquo;m a big body language guy. You can tell a tremendous amount about an individual just by how they carry themselves. There&rsquo;s one player who went in the first round that I interviewed and sat in on. He was a really, really good player coming out of Europe, but I have never seen a more nervous kid. I don&rsquo;t want to say unprofessional, because he was simply just a young kid that was unsure of himself, but he was very aware he lacked confidence. He was sitting with a couple guys in management and a few other scouts. There were five of us, simply having a conversation, and he was staring at his shoes. He wouldn&rsquo;t look you in the eye. He was sweating profusely, twiddling his thumbs, unsure of his answers, didn&rsquo;t elaborate on anything. It wasn&rsquo;t a matter of language barrier. His English was great. He was just very, very uncomfortable in that situation."</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have a real strong familiarity with this individual on the ice prior to that interview. Then, when I saw him come up in the American League, it was evident that his play was very similar to how he handled himself in terms of confidence or lack thereof.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>***</b></p><p><b>AS THE SCOUT WENT</b> on to explain, it wasn&rsquo;t any one element that made him cross &lsquo;Player X&rsquo; off the team&rsquo;s draft board. It was the sum of the parts. The interview was a nightmare, and the on-ice viewings weren&rsquo;t much better. The pieces fit together to sketch a player this scout and his NHL franchise wanted no part of. And those are the types of decisions a scouting staff must make every season while evaluating a given draft class. Painting the most accurate picture possible requires many painstaking stages. What are they, exactly?</p><p>THN canvassed executives and scouts from around the NHL to learn which elements go into assessing a prospect in his draft year &ndash; and which are most important.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h1><b>IDENTIFYING TARGETS</b></h1><p>High-profile draft busts, the Nail Yakupovs and Patrik Stefans of the world, are the exceptions, not the norms today. Teams are better educated. They have more access to information than ever, often years before a kid is draft-eligible. By the time scouts are closely scrutinizing the world under-18s in April, many players have carried over from the under-17s the year prior and are thus already well known. As one scout points out, big-time major junior prospects in many cases were first overall picks and/or exceptional-status picks entering their leagues. Plus, word of mouth and YouTube footage spread even earlier &ndash; by the time they&rsquo;re 13 years old in some cases. So it&rsquo;s just a formality for a director of amateur scouting to send the message, &ldquo;Watch Aaron Ekblad,&rdquo; down to the regional and area scouts.</p><p>Do the boots-on-the-ground area scouts always get orders from above to observe specific players &ndash; or do the area scouts identify and recommend specific players? The information flows both ways. It depends on the player, one scout explains. Projected first-rounders attract plenty of top-down interest and instruction, often with teams wanting multiple sets of eyes viewing them. It&rsquo;s the regional and area scouts&rsquo; jobs to identify the hidden gems, the high-upside mid- and late-round picks and send information and recommendations back up the ladder. Hence the common expression, &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to come watch this kid.&rdquo;</p><p>While it&rsquo;s never a bad idea to keep tabs on players before their draft years, it&rsquo;s dangerous to draw conclusions during that period. Puberty can reset a prospect&rsquo;s scouting report. &ldquo;You get dominant guys that look like players but a year later they&rsquo;re not, which is weird, but that&rsquo;s the reason we don&rsquo;t put a lot of time into the under-17s, because their bodies change so much,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;If you took a guy like Cody Glass, who went sixth overall in the (2017) draft, and you looked at him as an underager, you would be like, &lsquo;Meh, he&rsquo;s OK, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s getting it.&rsquo; But a year later he&rsquo;s one of the top guys in the draft. So to go invest a s---load of time too early is just a waste of a club&rsquo;s money. &ldquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_ekblad/265778-1-eng-US/buzz_ekblad.jpg" title="BUZZ_Ekblad" width="1080" height="920"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MR. OBVIOUS</b></p><p>Everyone was watching Aaron Ekblad in his draft year &ndash; the bigger <br>challenge for scouts is to find the hidden gems.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h1><b>ON THE ICE</b></h1><p>The consensus among every bird dog and executive interviewed for this story: each scouting tactic matters, but nothing beats watching a kid on the ice. The basics are easy enough to evaluate. Connor Mc-David&rsquo;s speed dropped scouts&rsquo; jaws, as did Ryan Pulock&rsquo;s slapshot. Getting a proper read on a prospect goes beyond identifying the obvious, though. Even we laypeople can pick out the fastest player on the ice or look up a league&rsquo;s scoring leader-board. It&rsquo;s the deeper information that helps scouts break ties between two players seemingly separated by a hair.</p><p>Most scouts steer clear of coachable skills such as faceoffs as they don&rsquo;t reflect raw talent. A player&rsquo;s hockey sense means a lot, suggests one Western Conference executive. He wants to see which players the puck seems to follow. Deployment is big. Does a coach trust this prospect on the power play and penalty kill? Is he on the ice protecting a lead in the final minute? Another scout says he pays particular attention to instincts, because a kid who didn&rsquo;t fill the net in peewee isn&rsquo;t going to become a different type of player in major junior. Little things like warmups matter. Is a kid focused? Or, as one scout says, is the kid able to read a newspaper five minutes before puck drop and still light it up? The talent hawks want to see correlation between routine, preparation and in-game performance.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_hischier/265785-1-eng-US/buzz_hischier.jpg" title="BUZZ_Hischier" width="1080" height="748"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KING OF THE WORLDS</b></p><p>Nico Hischier rose to the top of the 2017 NHL draft <br>on the strength of a boffo performance at the WJC.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s extremely important to look for specific traits depending on a given prospect&rsquo;s position and projected role, says another scout. He wants to rate a playmaking center&rsquo;s vision &ndash; but also how well he supports his defensemen when the other team is attacking. He wants to see how a physical shutdown blueliner handles a blitz in his own end. &ldquo;I want to see you out of your comfort zone,&rdquo; the scout said. &ldquo;And that type of scouting you can&rsquo;t really gauge over one 60-minute game. That takes two, three, four views to really understand how they handle, I wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily say weaknesses, but situations where they&rsquo;re not typically utilized.&rdquo;</p><p>Seeing a player more than once is crucial. You never know what variables influence a prospect on any given night, one scout says. Did he break up with his significant other? Is he homesick? Is he living in a stressful billet setup? &ldquo;The biggest thing when you&rsquo;re sitting at those games and watching is that your area scout has done the research to know this kid inside and out and has a background on him,&rdquo; the scout said. &ldquo;For example, you go to a game and the kid doesn&rsquo;t play (as advertised). So the kid plays in 80 games, and if he plays 10 bad games, you might go to four of those. Your area scout goes, &lsquo;No, no, you have to come back and see him again. You have to see him at his finest.&rsquo; If your area scouts aren&rsquo;t (educated on) who that kid is, that&rsquo;s how you make mistakes, good or bad.&rdquo;</p><p>How kids perform during the regular season and post-season provide the biggest sample size and naturally carry the greatest weight, but there are other evaluation benchmarks within a draft calendar. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup, formerly the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, gives scouts a glimpse at under-18 prospects in the summer. The Under-18 World Championship serves as a final look in the months before the draft. And, of course, there&rsquo;s the World Junior Championship (U-20) at mid-season, consisting mostly of already drafted prospects but some high-quality draft-eligible ones, too. The WJC is the most-watched junior tournament around the world and seems to represent where prospects make their biggest moves on the consensus draft board. Nico Hischier overtook Nolan Patrick in 2017 on the strength of a scintillating WJC performance. But multiple scouts suggest the WJC earns too much clout because of its media hype and feel it&rsquo;s an overrated evaluation tool. The key is to observe a prospect at multiple checkpoints throughout a season, not just a single major one.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">INTERVIEWING A GUY IN A SUIT FOR 15 MINUTES&hellip;<br>IS NOT MY IDEA OF FINDING OUT ABOUT HIM<br>&ndash; NHL executive</blockquote><h1><b>BACKGROUND CHECKS</b></h1><p>Parents. Siblings. Friends. Teachers. Principals. Billets. All are windows into a player&rsquo;s personality, and all are taken into consideration when scouts build a character profile. As one Eastern Conference executive puts it, he doesn&rsquo;t need his players to come up as Rhodes Scholars but wants to know they&rsquo;re good people. Are they disciplined on the ice but troublemakers off it? Do they struggle in school? Do they have constructive outlets for their time away from hockey &ndash; such as music or playing other sports?</p><p>Players from overseas warrant additional layers of evaluation. One scout said his team has employed a psychologist in the past to determine if certain Russian prospects are flight risks. Will they struggle to adapt to the culture, not just on the ice but also living in a North American society? Will they become homesick as a result?</p><p>Digging up accurate, useful background information isn&rsquo;t easy. The sources for it are typically close to the prospect and, naturally, want to help with the sell job, so almost every report will be glowing. &ldquo;The kid could have a heroin needle sticking out of his arm, and you&rsquo;d think with Twitter and all this stuff you&rsquo;d find out more, but you&rsquo;re going to find out less,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;You know why? Because an agency represents that guy, and the coach doesn&rsquo;t trust you because he doesn&rsquo;t know you as a scout, so he&rsquo;s not going to give you the information you need. You&rsquo;ve got to have a relationship where he trusts you. And when you get on the bus after the draft and it&rsquo;s over and you&rsquo;re driving back, it all pours out. That kid&rsquo;s a heroin addict. His mother&rsquo;s a prostitute. You name it, it f---ing comes out on the bus. It pours out like a river. But before that, you can&rsquo;t find out jack s---.&rdquo;</p><p>If scouts successfully unearth negative information before draft day, it&rsquo;s not always a bad thing. It could cause a gifted player to fall in the draft, and if you place that player in a positive situation, he might develop into a success story and tradable asset. That&rsquo;s how a third-rounder gets dealt for a first-rounder years later, one scout said.</p><h1><b>INTERVIEWS</b></h1><p>&ldquo;The interview&rdquo; gets billed as a big final step in the evaluation process &ndash; but it&rsquo;s usually multiple interviews conducted periodically throughout the year, most prominently at the scouting combine and right before draft day. The questions cover anything from hockey to other hobbies to a player&rsquo;s family life and relationships. The scouts and executives polled for this story almost universally view the interview process as a complementary piece of information to connect with other data &ndash; just as one scout linked Player X&rsquo;s trainwreck interview with his timid on-ice performance. None of the experts believe the interviews are make-or-break moments. &ldquo;Interviewing a guy for 15 minutes with a suit on who&rsquo;s telling you everything you want to hear is not my idea of trying to find out what kind of guy he is,&rdquo; said an Eastern Conference executive.</p><p>Players trying too hard to impress is one smoke screen to dodge. Another, says the Eastern Conference executive: translators for European prospects. He believes they sometimes &ldquo;clean up&rdquo; any mistakes or unflattering comments when filtering through the language to English to protect their clients. Another scout suggests that some kids, coached by their agents, &ldquo;run out the clock&rdquo; without saying much to avoid making mistakes.</p><p>That doesn&rsquo;t mean you can&rsquo;t glean anything from an interview, of course. &ldquo;Whether it&rsquo;s an NHL player, prospect or a draft-eligible prospect, if I look at the guy like, &lsquo;You know what? This guy doesn&rsquo;t really care if we win or lose,&rsquo; I immediately try to get that guy off our list or trade him,&rdquo; said the Eastern Conference executive.</p><p>On the flip side, players who convey that winning mentality can make a lasting impact in the interview room. Gabriel Landeskog, for instance, left teams truly inspired in 2011 before being picked second overall. One scout who sat in on a Landeskog interview said he walked out &ldquo;wanting to go to f---ing war with this guy.&rdquo;</p><h1><b>THE COMBINE</b></h1><p>Chins up, Sam Bennett and Casey Mittelstadt. When asked how they prioritize every element of scouting, most of the experts named the combine as the least useful part of prospect evaluation. The NFL combine gets a ton of media play, but NFL draft prospects are full-grown men, 21 or 22 years old. Scouts have a much better idea of who those kids are physically. It&rsquo;s trickier to assess a 17- or 18-year-old hockey player&rsquo;s physical tools. &ldquo;You might have someone that&rsquo;s 6-foot-3, 220 pounds who can bench press and everything else, but is there more growth there in his game?&rdquo; said a Western Conference executive. &ldquo;Or a guy 5-foot-11, 160, who gets a growth spurt in four years and turns out to be 6-foot-3 and 220, does he become a better player? So you&rsquo;ve got to be careful with the combine. A lot of times the smaller guys that are underdeveloped, they&rsquo;re the better players, because they&rsquo;ve had to rely on things like hockey sense and everything else in order to survive.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_matthews/265792-1-eng-US/buzz_matthews.jpg" title="BUZZ_Matthews" width="1080" height="868"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>AUSTON POWERS</b></p><p>Did it matter what Auston Matthews could bench press <br>at the 2016 NHL combine? No, not at all.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEN FULLER/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><p>Genes aside, youngsters aren&rsquo;t always on level ground when NHL scouting combine day arrives in late May anyway. A prospect whose team got eliminated early in the playoffs has several extra weeks to get in shape and prepare specifically for the combine workouts, explained one scout, whereas a prospect who goes all the way to the Memorial Cup might be physically worn down and &ldquo;skinny fat&rdquo; from a long, exhausting season. How can we possibly compare the two based on their combine performances?</p><p>For some talent assessors, the actual results matter less than how a prospect approaches the entire process. Is he at least prepared and competitive? &ldquo;The only question I would have to a guy if he&rsquo;s really bad at testing is: why?&rdquo; said the Eastern Conference executive. &ldquo;Is he dumb, or does he not care? What&rsquo;s the issue? I&rsquo;ve met guys who are 17 years old and look at me like I have two heads when I ask them about training. &lsquo;Training? What? There&rsquo;s other training than playing hockey?&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p><b>***</b></p><p><b>WHEN JUNE COMES AND</b> the NHL&rsquo;s 31 teams take the draft podium, they&rsquo;ll incorporate every scouting element into their selections. Maybe a kid dominated in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs. Maybe he lit it up at the world juniors but landed in his coach&rsquo;s doghouse for poor backchecking on his junior team. Maybe he can&rsquo;t stay out of the penalty box but comes from a standup family, gets straight A&rsquo;s and is beloved by teammates. All the pieces matter. A player&rsquo;s profile wouldn&rsquo;t be complete without each of them. Well, except maybe the combine.</p><p><i>For up-to-the-minute coverage, visit&nbsp;<a datastyle href="http://www.thn.com"><b>THN.COM</b></a></i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BUZZ_Matthews

BUZZ

HOW TO PAINT THE FULL PICTURE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz-draftlogo/259105-1-eng-US/buzz-draftlogo.jpg" title="Buzz-DraftLogo" width="883" height="614"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE APRIL 28 DRAFT</b> lottery determined the order of selections 1-15. Picks 16-31 will be reordered based on playoff results and regular season division titles. The Cup champ picks 31st, the other finalist 30th.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-0250/254067-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="810" height="304"></div><h1><b>PICKS BY ROUND</b></h1><p>The order of selection in the June 22-23 draft is in flux until the completion of the Cup final, but here&rsquo;s a breakdown of picks by round. In parentheses is the source of a team&rsquo;s acquired picks. Some stipulations apply on traded picks.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-0339/254060-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="1063" height="646"></div><p><i>&nbsp;</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Buzz-DraftLogo

2018 DRAFT ORDER

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="BUZZ-Womens_Watts1" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz-womens_watts1/265799-1-eng-US/buzz-womens_watts1.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FIRST OF HER KIND</b></p><p>Watts became the first freshman to win the Patty Kazmaier <br>Award as the NCAA&rsquo;s top women&rsquo;s player.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BOSTON COLLEGE ATHLETICS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>EW KNOW THE WOMEN&rsquo;S</b> game as well as Boston College coach Katie Crowley. She&rsquo;s helped develop renowned talents Alex Carpenter, Kelli Stack and Megan Keller; coached Team USA&rsquo;s U-18 squad to gold and silver medals; and owns Olympic gold, silver and bronze from her own playing days.</p><p>So, when asked to find a comparable for Daryl Watts, the Screaming Eagles freshman standout who took the NCAA by storm, one figures Crowley will dig into her mental rolodex, landing on any number of names. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s interesting about Daryl is that she can have a bit of a power forward in her, even if she&rsquo;s not as big as a big-time power forward&hellip;but she has a bit of an edge where she&rsquo;ll knock someone off the puck, knock someone away from her and power to the net,&rdquo; Crowley said. &ldquo;But she also has that finesse ability to dangle around people. We saw that, too. I think that&rsquo;s what makes her really unique. I don&rsquo;t think you find too many (players) that combine the two. And her speed combined with those, that almost makes her different than&hellip;&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">SHE CAN HAVE A BIT OF A POWER FORWARD IN HER&hellip;<br>BUT SHE ALSO HAS THAT FINESSE ABILITY<br>&ndash; Katie Crowley</blockquote><p>That&rsquo;s where Crowley trails off. She&rsquo;s drawing a blank, and it&rsquo;s evident her inability to find anything near a one-for-one likeness for Watts is bothering her. But the thing is it might be a trick question, because, at least from one perspective, there is no comparison for Watts.</p><p>After a brilliant rookie season, the 18-year-old Toronto native became the first freshman in NCAA history to win the Patty Kazmaier Award as the U.S. college circuit&rsquo;s top player. Not even legends Angela Ruggiero or Jennifer Botterill received the accolade so early in their careers. &ldquo;For me, as the first freshman ever (to win the award), it&rsquo;s really an honor,&rdquo; Watts said. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t really thought about the whole freshman aspect of it too much, but the award in general, I&rsquo;m just so grateful to have won it. And to be the first freshman is pretty cool.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s not as though Watts&rsquo; victory was surprising by any stretch come the end of the season, however. Her tour de force came complete with 42 goals, the most in the nation, and she led all NCAA scorers with 82 points&hellip;in 38 games. Jaw-dropping totals to be sure, made all the more stunning given Watts, without a hint of sarcasm, said she had to battle through the transition to the college game. &ldquo;I adjusted to the speed the easiest,&rdquo; Watts said. &ldquo;But the decision-making, the battles in the corners and the physicality was something that took longer to adjust to.&rdquo;</p><p>Once she hit her groove, though, Watts had to adapt again. Few teams game-planned for the speedy freshman early, but Crowley watched as teams shifted focus to shutting down Watts, limiting her time and space. There may have been a lull, but Watts&rsquo; twin five-point games to start the second half were proof positive that containing her was more likely than stopping her altogether. For that, Crowley credited Watts&rsquo; release, natural goal-scoring ability and work ethic. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s always listening, stays out late shooting pucks, comes out a bit early sometimes to work on different things, and she knows that for her all-around game to be better she needs to have a full 200-foot game,&rdquo; Crowley said.</p><p>The question, of course, is what&rsquo;s next for Watts after an historic freshman campaign. With at least three years remaining in her college career, she&rsquo;s a ways off from turning pro &ndash; though she could be drafted by a NWHL team in 2020 (see next page). For now, Watts has her sights set on an NCAA championship and could very well match Botterill as the only two-time &lsquo;Patty Kaz&rsquo; winner. But Watts also wants to follow in the footsteps of her women&rsquo;s hockey idol, Marie-Philip Poulin. &ldquo;My ultimate goal is to play for Team Canada and represent them at the Olympics,&rdquo; Watts said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s been my dream since I was a little kid.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BUZZ-Womens_Watts1

THERE’S NO COMPARISON

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><p><b>UNLIKE THE CLEAR-CUT RULES</b> governing the NHL draft, entry into the pro women&rsquo;s leagues is more convoluted.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz-cwhllogo/259112-1-eng-US/buzz-cwhllogo.jpg" title="Buzz-CWHLLogo" width="883" height="543"></div><p>The CWHL follows strict guidelines. Each draft-eligible player must be at least 20 as of Sept. 15 of the coming season, no longer a member of any club team &ndash; meaning only those leaving college programs are eligible &ndash; and the league charges a small registration fee.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz-nwhllogo/259119-1-eng-US/buzz-nwhllogo.jpg" title="Buzz-NWHLLogo" width="883" height="460"></div><p>The NWHL follows a structure closer to the NHL&rsquo;s. Eligible NWHL draftees are required to have completed their junior or senior season with a college program. Each player meeting those guidelines is eligible for selection regardless of entering a selection pool. However, the NWHL draft is not binding, which is to say players selected in the NWHL draft are able to enter the CWHL draft upon finishing their senior college seasons.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Buzz-NWHLLogo

THE SKINNY ON CWHL AND NWHL DRAFTS

<div class="byline">WORDS BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="BUZZ_Sedins5" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins5/265976-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins5.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Their connection seemed telepathic, but Daniel, No. 22, <br>and Henrik, No. 33, strategized verbally, too.</p><p></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins4/265983-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins4.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins4" width="1080" height="813"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Daniel hugs Henrik, thrilled the 1999 draft landed them <br>on one team: the Canucks at No. 2 and 3 overall.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins7/265990-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins7.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins7" width="1080" height="722"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Before they became known for their ginger beards, <br>the twins shared the NHL&rsquo;s peachiest complexion.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins8/265997-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins8.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins8" width="1080" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Henrik, top, and Daniel, bottom right, celebrate Olympic gold <br>in 2006 with Sweden. Can you spot them?</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ROBERT LABERGE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins6/266004-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins6.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins6" width="1080" height="757"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Henrik crashes Corey Crawford&rsquo;s crease in the 2011 playoffs. <br>The twins never shied away from dirty areas.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins14/266011-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins14.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins14" width="1080" height="1552"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Eating punches from Brad Marchand was a low point for Daniel. <br>Even lower: losing to the Bruins in the 2011 final.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins9/266018-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins9.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins9" width="1080" height="1287"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Henrik poses with his Hart and Art Ross after a monster 2009-10. <br>It was Daniel&rsquo;s turn for the Ross the next year.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins13/266025-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins13.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins13" width="1080" height="720"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>The Sedins have in fact played against each other, <br>drafted to opposite teams for the 2011 All-Star Game.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins12/266032-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins12.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins12" width="1080" height="796"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Brothers always &ndash; but fathers first. Daniel laces up son Erik <br>before the 2014 Heritage Classic family skate.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins1/266039-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins1.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins1" width="1080" height="764"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>The Sedins salute the crowd in Edmonton after their final game. <br>Even rival fan bases respected them.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_sedins22/266053-1-eng-US/buzz_sedins2.jpg" title="BUZZ_Sedins2" width="1080" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Canucks fans stretch for one last look at the greatest players <br>in franchise history at the Sedins&rsquo; final home game.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BUZZ_Sedins2

SO LONG SEDINS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="Rewind_Daigle" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/rewind_daigle2/259133-1-eng-US/rewind_daigle.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICK STEWART/ALLSPORT)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S CALLED DRAFT PREVIEW,</b> not Draft Premonition, so we&rsquo;re never going to ace every prospect projection &ndash; even at the very top of the draft. For every McDavid, Matthews or Crosby, there&rsquo;s a Yakupov or Stefan. We and the NHL scouts have whiffed before and will again. But never has a hotly hyped prospect disappointed like Alexandre Daigle in 1993.</p><p>The 1980s belonged to Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. The 1990s were supposed to belong to Eric Lindros &ndash; and Daigle. The dynamic pivot from QMJHL Victoriaville was hailed on our pages for his &ldquo;creative genius.&rdquo; He was the consensus top player in a group that included Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya. Alas, Daigle didn&rsquo;t become anything close to a generational talent. A whopping 25 players from the 1993 draft alone went on to score more points. Daigle topped out at 26 goals and 51 points in his fourth season with Ottawa. For much of his 616-game NHL career &ndash; which spanned 10 seasons, saw him traded four times and included him walking away from the sport for two years in his mid-20s &ndash; he was barely an average NHL player. Relative to expectations, it&rsquo;s tough to find a higher-profile bust in history. Interestingly, along with forecasting a massive ceiling, our profile did warn of some flaws: poor defensive play and a lack of discipline.</p><p>Below you&rsquo;ll find what scouts said about each of the 1993 first-rounders. At the time we billed the class as the strongest in at least 10 years and maybe even a match for the legendary cadre of 1979. Even with Daigle flopping, 1993 produced Hall of Famers in Pronger and Kariya plus a solid roster of excellent NHLers. But was a lot of it blind luck for the scouts? Of our &ldquo;revisionist history&rdquo; first round, 15 of 26 players were chosen outside the real-life first round, and eight went 100th or later.</p><h1><b>1993 FIRST ROUND</b></h1><p><b>1. ALEXANDRE DAIGLE, C, OTTAWA</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best player. I can see signs of greatness in him. He wants to be the best. His temper is a positive. He&rsquo;s so competitive.&rdquo;</p><p><b>2. CHRIS PRONGER, D, HARTFORD</b></p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see how any team, other than Ottawa, could possibly pass on Pronger. To get a defenseman that big, that skilled and that smart, well, they just don&rsquo;t come along very often.&rdquo;</p><p><b>3. CHRIS GRATTON, C, TAMPA BAY</b></p><p>&ldquo;He lacks quickness, but he has so much going for him in all other areas that you know he&rsquo;ll overcome that. He&rsquo;s a big, strong, physical kid with character.&rdquo;</p><p><b>4. PAUL KARIYA, LW, ANAHEIM</b></p><p>&ldquo;He is an absolute marvel with the puck. He is legitimate. He really is.&rdquo;</p><p><b>5. ROB NIEDERMAYER, C, FLORIDA</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll get his share and do far more than just score.&rdquo;</p><p><b>6. VIKTOR KOZLOV, C, SAN JOSE</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not posting good numbers at any level. His intensity is out more than it is in.&rdquo;</p><p><b>7. JASON ARNOTT, C, EDMONTON</b></p><p>&ldquo;He still has to learn the physical game. There is very big upside here because of his offensive skills, but some risk, too. He&rsquo;s going to have to increase his determination level by a lot.&rdquo;</p><p><b>8. NIKLAS SUNDSTROM, C, NY RANGERS</b></p><p>&ldquo;He might turn out to be just as good as Peter Forsberg.&rdquo;</p><p><b>9. TODD HARVEY, C, DALLAS</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s in the Bobby Clarke mold. He&rsquo;s tough as nails, wins faceoffs, scores goals, he does it all.&rdquo;</p><p><b>10. JOCELYN THIBAULT, G, QUEBEC</b></p><p>&ldquo;There are a lot of similarities between Thibault and Felix Potvin. They play the same style.&rdquo;</p><p><b>11. BRENDAN WITT, D, WASHINGTON</b></p><p>&ldquo;If he ever scored more than 20 points in an NHL season, I&rsquo;d be really surprised, but he&rsquo;s going to be a rock on some NHL team&rsquo;s blueline. Count on it.&rdquo;</p><p><b>12. KENNY JONSSON, D, TORONTO</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s probably as ready as anybody in this draft to step in and play pro.&rdquo;</p><p><b>13. DENIS PEDERSON, C, NEW JERSEY</b></p><p>&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do anything great, but he does an awful lot of things very well. His character is impeccable.&rdquo;</p><p><b>14. ADAM DEADMARSH, RW, QUEBEC</b></p><p>&ldquo;He could turn out to be a big, strong power forward who can score you 20 or more goals.&rdquo;</p><p><b>15. MATS LINDGREN, C, WINNIPEG</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not much of a finesse guy, but he skates well enough to get by, he&rsquo;s strong on his feet, and he&rsquo;s committed.&rdquo;</p><p><b>16. NICK STAJDUHAR, D, EDMONTON</b></p><p>&ldquo;Outside of Pronger, this could turn out to be the best D-man available.&rdquo;</p><p><b>17. JASON ALLISON, C, WASHINGTON</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so smart. He sees the ice so well, especially on the power play. The only concern is the speed factor.&rdquo;</p><p><b>18. JESPER MATTSSON, RW, CALGARY</b></p><p>&ldquo;A cocky S.O.B. who should adapt well to the NHL game.&rdquo;</p><p><b>19. LANDON WILSON, RW, TORONTO</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big, strong, rugged power forward who goes to the net really well.&rdquo;</p><p><b>20. MIKE WILSON, D, VANCOUVER</b></p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re really looking down the road. It&rsquo;s going to take a lot of time before he comes together as a player. He&rsquo;s just a big, raw talent.&rdquo;</p><p><b>21. SAKU KOIVU, C, MONTREAL</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one helluva hockey player. In spite of his size, there isn&rsquo;t anything he can&rsquo;t do.&rdquo;</p><p><b>22. ANDERS ERIKSSON, D, DETROIT</b></p><p>&ldquo;You could be talking here about a potential franchise defenseman. But that&rsquo;s only a projection.&rdquo;</p><p><b>23. TODD BERTUZZI, RW, NY ISLANDERS</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great skater for such a big man, but he&rsquo;s incredibly inconsistent. He seems to only play hard when he feels like playing hard, which isn&rsquo;t that often.&rdquo;</p><p><b>24. ERIC LECOMPTE, LW, CHICAGO</b></p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a great goal-scorer, and he&rsquo;s not a real banger. So what exactly is he?&rdquo;</p><p><b>25. KEVYN ADAMS, C, BOSTON</b></p><p><i>Ranked outside top 52. Not profiled.</i></p><p><b>26. STEFAN BERGKVIST, D, PITTSBURGH</b></p><p>&ldquo;As near as I can tell, this is the strongest kid in all of junior hockey. I&rsquo;m told he can bench press 300 pounds.&rdquo;</p><h1><b>REVISIONIST HISTORY</b></h1><p><b>1. CHRIS PRONGER, D</b>&nbsp;<br>(2nd by Hartford)</p><p><b>2. PAUL KARIYA, LW</b><br>(4th by Anaheim)</p><p><b>3. SAKU KOIVU, C</b><br>(21st by Montreal)</p><p><b>4. JASON ARNOTT, C</b><br>(7th by Edmonton)</p><p><b>5. KIMMO TIMONEN, D</b><br>(250th by Los Angeles)</p><p><b>6. PAVOL DEMITRA, C</b><br>(227th by Ottawa)</p><p><b>7. TODD BERTUZZI, RW</b><br>(23rd by NY Islanders)</p><p><b>8. MIROSLAV SATAN, LW</b><br>(111th by Edmonton)</p><p><b>9. BRYAN MCCABE, D</b><br>(40th by NY Islanders)</p><p><b>10. JASON ALLISON, C</b><br>(17th by Washington)</p><p><b>11. VINNY PROSPAL, LW</b><br>(71st by Philadelphia)</p><p><b>12. ANDREW BRUNETTE, LW</b><br>(174th by Washington)</p><p><b>13. JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER, RW</b><br>(35th by Dallas)</p><p><b>14. BRENDAN MORRISON, C</b><br>(39th by New Jersey)</p><p><b>15. DARCY TUCKER, C</b><br>(151st by Montreal)</p><p><b>16. TOMMY SALO, G</b><br>(118th by NY Islanders)</p><p><b>17. ADAM DEADMARSH, RW</b><br>(14th by Quebec)</p><p><b>18. CHRIS GRATTON, C</b><br>(3rd by Tampa Bay)</p><p><b>19. KENNY JONSSON, D</b><br>(12th by Toronto)</p><p><b>20. ERIC DAZE, LW</b><br>(90th by Chicago)</p><p><b>21. VIKTOR KOZLOV, C</b><br>(6th by San Jose)</p><p><b>22. DAVID VYBORNY, RW</b><br>(33rd by Edmonton)</p><p><b>23. PATRICK LALIME, G</b><br>(156th by Pittsburgh)</p><p><b>24. TODD MARCHANT, C</b><br>(164th by NY Rangers)</p><p><b>25. JANNE NIINIMAA, D</b><br>(36th by Philadelphia)</p><p><b>26. JOCELYN THIBAULT, G</b><br>(10th by Quebec)</p><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Rewind_Daigle

Rewind

THE DAIGLE BOONDOGGLE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="BUZZ_Veleno" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buzz_veleno2/266067-1-eng-US/buzz_veleno.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>IS JOE THE WAY TO GO?</b></p><p>Veleno is the top center in the draft but isn&rsquo;t a slam-dunk franchise player, whereas multiple defensemen in this class might be.</p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OSMICALLY, IT WAS ABOUT</b> time the Buffalo Sabres won a draft lottery. The fan base has gone through enough, and for its forever struggling franchise to land super-prospect defenseman Rasmus Dahlin just seems right. But, structurally, this was also a great way for the lottery balls to bounce.</p><p>Why? Because the Sabres, the worst team in the league, do not need a center. And this year, there is no surefire center to take at the top of the draft anyway.</p><p>With Jack Eichel, Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly and pending Calder Trophy candidate Casey Mittelstadt in town, Buffalo is flush down the middle for next season. Dahlin fits a desperate need on the back end. Rasmus Ristolainen&rsquo;s stress level has already gone down, I bet.</p><p>Carolina and Montreal, slated to pick second and third overall, could both really use a No. 1 center of the future but, alas, will have to settle for an amazing winger, unless they trade down (which the Hurricanes are already considering).</p><p>Amazing wingers are good, though, right? Well, when you&rsquo;re not built correctly, they can only do so much. Look at the No. 1 centers of recent Stanley Cup winners: Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Anze Kopitar and Patrice Bergeron. Those are all-world players, and it&rsquo;s not a coincidence their teams have been successful.</p><p>In the past five drafts, the first selection has been a center four times (Nico Hischier, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon), with only defenseman Aaron Ekblad wrecking the curve in 2014. And while Winnipeg is proving that your center of the future doesn&rsquo;t have to go first overall (Mark Scheifele went seventh in 2011), the odds go down as the picks come off the board.</p><p>This year, scouts are unsure of who the best center will be. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the big question,&rdquo; said one talent evaluator. &ldquo;And some of the kids playing center now may end up as wingers in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>If you made me choose the best center candidates out of this year&rsquo;s crop, I would point to Drummondville&rsquo;s Joe Veleno and Sault Ste. Marie&rsquo;s Barrett Hayton. Veleno needs to shoot more (he&rsquo;s got a little Ryan Johansen in him), while Hayton&rsquo;s true impact likely can&rsquo;t be measured until next season when some of the Soo&rsquo;s elite veterans turn pro, thus giving him a bigger role. I&rsquo;ll toss out a personal favorite in Isac Lundestrom, too, although the Lulea product may turn out to be a really, really good second-line center (may I interest you in a Lias Andersson analogy?).</p><p>So for teams like Carolina and Montreal, the 2018 NHL draft won&rsquo;t bring an instant turnaround, even if their rosters improve in a general sense. I certainly wouldn&rsquo;t turn down the chance to add Andrei Svechnikov or Filip Zadina to my team.</p><p>Of course, there&rsquo;s an alternate future to consider here. Yes, the only NHL champions of late have featured dominant centers, but 2018 is the year of the mobile defenseman. The template established by Erik Karlsson will be carried out by Dahlin, but also by Adam Boqvist, Quinn Hughes and Ty Smith, to name a few. All these kids are incredibly mobile and can make a big impact on a team&rsquo;s attack. As a further example, Vegas first-rounder Erik Brannstrom led the rush so many times for Sweden in international play that I often wondered which forward he was before realizing it was one of the top blueliners of his cohort.</p><p>Is it possible the next wave of Cup champions are built more like Nashville (or to a lesser extent, Carolina), teams with pretty good forwards but an absolutely deadly and deep defense corps? The Predators did go all the way to Game 6 of the final last season against Pittsburgh, and that was with Johansen missing the entire series.</p><p>That&rsquo;s the funny thing about a sea change in sports: you often don&rsquo;t see it happen until it&rsquo;s too late. Just ask the Edmonton Oilers how well a &ldquo;heavy&rdquo; roster worked out for them this season, for example.</p><p>Or, perhaps this is just an off year for centers. We&rsquo;re already getting mesmerized by top 2019 draft prospect Jack Hughes, who is basically Patrick Kane if he played center. Hughes doesn&rsquo;t have the typical size of a top-end pivot, but he has also been smashing offensive records at the U.S. National Team Development Program as an underager playing mostly with the under-18s and having folks wonder if he&rsquo;ll try to go NCAA a year early, just so he can play against better competition.</p><p>Is Hughes the wave of the future or an amazing mold-breaker? Obviously we&rsquo;ve got a lot of time to contemplate that. But as we do, let&rsquo;s not forget to keep an eye on all those great puck-moving defensemen coming into the NHL in the next few seasons. They might end up changing the game altogether &ndash; or they might still need a dominant center to pull the whole act together in the end.</p><p><a datastyle href="https://twitter.com/THNRYANKENNEDY"><b>@THNRYANKENNEDY</b></a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BUZZ_Veleno

PIVOTING AWAY FROM PIVOTS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="Dahlin-sidebar-iPad" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/dahlin-sidebar-ipad2/266088-1-eng-US/dahlin-sidebar-ipad.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h1><b>PIERRE TURGEON</b></h1><p><b>CENTER |&nbsp;</b><b>Draft Year:</b> 1987</p><p>So Turgeon didn&rsquo;t end up a Hall of Famer. At least not yet, according to the selection committee. But that doesn&rsquo;t diminish what he accomplished. Turgeon amassed more than 500 goals and 1,300 points in 19 seasons, overshadowed in an era belonging to Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. The Sabres traded Turgeon in a 1991 blockbuster that yielded one of their biggest stars ever: Pat LaFontaine.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h1><b>GILBERT PERREAULT</b></h1><p><b>CENTER |&nbsp;</b><b>Draft Year:</b> 1970</p><p>Anyone who calls the Sabres cursed forgets that fate smiled on them in their inaugural draft year when they earned the No. 1 pick over Vancouver with the literal spin of a wheel. When you think of Sabres legends, it&rsquo;s Dominik Hasek and it&rsquo;s Perreault. He&rsquo;s Buffalo&rsquo;s all-time leader in games, goals, assists and points. His &lsquo;French Connection&rsquo; line with Rick Martin and Rene Robert keyed Buffalo&rsquo;s 1975 Cup final berth.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Dahlin-sidebar-iPad

TAKING THE FIRST STAB

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-0171/254489-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUGHES: KEVIN HOFFMAN/GETTY IMAGES; BOQVIST: DAVE REGINEK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN IT COMES TO</b> comparing the Nos. 2 and 3 defensemen in the 2018 NHL draft, think about a Stradivarius and a Gibson Les Paul. One is a nuanced and elegant violin used to play classical music. The other is an electric guitar, used by some of rock and roll&rsquo;s loudest and most in-your-face musicians. Both are tools of greatness to be sure, but they could not be more different in how they deliver their messages.</p><p>The top defenseman in this year&rsquo;s draft is coincidentally also the undisputed top player, Rasmus Dahlin. But Adam Boqvist and Quinn Hughes also figure to go high and be a big part of any team&rsquo;s future plans. Neither one is the next Rod Langway, as each does his best work with the puck on his stick in all zones of the ice.</p><p>In an era when undersized players have a better chance than ever to succeed, Boqvist and Hughes had better hope that trend continues. Both players are downright small by NHL standards, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean there isn&rsquo;t a lot to like. If you want someone who can create offense and get the puck up the ice quickly, you need to take a look at these two players. Here&rsquo;s how they stack up in key areas of the game.</p><h2><b>SKATING</b></h2><p>In any draft class, both players would be considered top-five skaters. But remember what we said about the Stradivarius and the Gibson Les Paul? That is no more apparent than in their skating. Boqvist is more elegant and finesse oriented, using superior edging. Hughes, on the other hand, is a dynamic, explosive skater who can get up to top speed in no time, with or without the puck. &ldquo;When you watch Hughes, it&rsquo;s almost like he&rsquo;s shot out of a gun,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;Hughes is like a pinball game where balls just bounce off the bumpers, he&rsquo;s able to change direction that quickly. Boqvist is much more subtle and fluid, and he&rsquo;s a little more slippery.&rdquo; Another scout likes both players&rsquo; footwork, &ldquo;but Hughes is an exceptional skater.&rdquo;&nbsp;<b>EDGE: HUGHES</b></p><h2><b>PHYSICALITY</b></h2><p>When you're 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds (Boqvist) and 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds (Hughes), you&rsquo;re not going to overpower anyone. And even though neither player is considered physical by any stretch of the imagination, Hughes gets the edge. &ldquo;Boqvist is an artiste,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s cerebral and artistic in the way he does things and not always accountable. There are things he&rsquo;d rather be doing than defending.&rdquo; Hughes doesn&rsquo;t go out of his way to initiate physical contact, but he doesn&rsquo;t shy away from it, either. &ldquo;If he doesn&rsquo;t have to be physical, he won&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said another scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s undersized, and he knows he&rsquo;ll lose most of those battles. So Hughes is more of a bump-and-run guy. Get in quick, use his feet and get in under you.&rdquo;&nbsp;<b>EDGE: HUGHES</b></p><h2><b>HOCKEY SENSE</b></h2><p>If you're going to thrive as an undersized defender in the NHL, you&rsquo;d better be able to think your way around the ice. And both of these players can do that at an elite level. Hughes is more likely to skate the puck out of trouble, while Boqvist is more likely to assess his options. One scout compared Boqvist to Peyton Manning in that Manning can see three receivers shut down and still hit the fourth. &ldquo;The difference is Peyton is willing to throw a five-yard pass when he&rsquo;s in trouble. Boqvist will still go for the long bomb. He has to be more willing to throw a five-yard pass. But he probably sees three or four plays every time he gets the puck.&rdquo;&nbsp;<b>EDGE: BOQVIST</b></p><h2><b>DEFENSIVE PLAY</b></h2><p>Both players are offense-first types and, as Erik Karlsson has displayed the past few seasons, the ability to get the puck in your own zone and turn it up ice is a pretty good form of defense. Scouts see Hughes as more likely to take on a defensive mindset. &ldquo;Hughes is more willing to adopt a traditional defensive role than Boqvist,&rdquo; a scout said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more accountable. He&rsquo;s less stubborn. Boqvist will make the same mistake three times, and Hughes will make the mistake once and say, &lsquo;Maybe I should try it another way.&rsquo;&rdquo; At this point, both players are inclined to be overpowered by bigger forwards in the defensive zone.&nbsp;<b>EDGE: HUGHES</b></p><h2><b>OFFENSIVE PLAY</b></h2><p>If you're drafting either one of these players, it&rsquo;s primarily for their offensive bent. Hughes&rsquo; ability to create is born out of speed and explosiveness, while Boqvist&rsquo;s emerges far more subtly. &ldquo;From the blueline, Boqvist has a bigger arsenal of tools,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more creative and has more subtleties. He sees the second and third play.&rdquo; Another scout agreed that Boqvist&rsquo;s offensive talent is more innate, that creating offense comes a little more easily to him. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re both good from the blueline in, but Boqvist is a natural,&rdquo; the scout said. &ldquo;The best part of his game is from the offensive blueline in.&rdquo;&nbsp;<b>EDGE: BOQVIST</b></p><h2><b>NHL READINESS</b></h2><p>Hughes is 10 months older, so that inherently gives him an edge. He&rsquo;s also played a year of college hockey and appeared in the world juniors, while Boqvist has played primarily junior hockey in Sweden, seeing only spot duty in the men&rsquo;s league. That said, neither is seen as being immediately NHL-ready. They both have a lot of filling out to do. &ldquo;Boqvist has more tools, and he&rsquo;s bigger, but his game is so young and he is so immature the way he plays,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;If you can truly get to Boqvist, he&rsquo;ll be a better player, but I don&rsquo;t know if you can truly get to Boqvist.&rdquo; Another scout concurred. &ldquo;Whoever drafts Boqvist is going to have couple years of real growing pains,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and then you&rsquo;ll see the reward.&rdquo;&nbsp;<b>EDGE: HUGHES</b></p><h2><b>SHOT</b></h2><p>Hughes gets his shot off quicker, while Boqvist is more likely to assess his options and put the puck into more open spaces. Some scouts see Hughes as an average shooter at best. &ldquo;Boqvist is more deceptive,&rdquo; a scout said. &ldquo;He beats goalies. I&rsquo;d say their shots in terms of pace and speed are very similar, but Boqvist&rsquo;s is a little more disguised.&rdquo; Boqvist had 14 goals in 25 games in Sweden&rsquo;s junior league this year. Hughes had five goals in 37 games.&nbsp;<b>EDGE: BOQVIST</b></p><h2><b>FIRST PASS</b></h2><p>Hughes likes to skate the puck out of his zone. But when faced with a lane that is closed, he&rsquo;s willing to make a pass. Boqvist is often looking for the pass but sometimes makes things too complicated. He has more tools, so the chasm between the two should be bigger, but it isn&rsquo;t. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s Boqvist by a hair,&rdquo; a scout said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a little bit better, but sometimes he shoots himself in the foot. I should be telling you Boqvist definitively, but I can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;&nbsp;<b>EDGE: BOQVIST</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

HUGHES VS. BOQVIST

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-0169/254539-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>THE STORY OF ANDREI</b> Svechnikov starts with a scandal. Not his scandal, but one that would prove pivotal to his future nonetheless.</p><p>In 2016, Russia had put together a hothouse program of under-17s and under-18s to mirror USA Hockey&rsquo;s National Team Development Program. The first test for Russia&rsquo;s gambit would be the World U-18 Championship in North Dakota. But right before the tournament started, a doping scandal enveloped the Russian side, and the under-18s had to be replaced entirely by an assortment of under-17s and players from major junior programs, such as future Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.</p><p>Among the replacements was Svechnikov, who had just turned 16. Although the ragtag Russians would lose to Finland in the quarterfinal, the mere fact they didn&rsquo;t have to play for relegation was a minor miracle. Svechnikov had two goals in five games and alerted the hockey world that he was a big, talented kid with a bright future.</p><p>One of those who took notice was USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks GM and former NHL goalie John Vanbiesbrouck. Andrei&rsquo;s older brother, Evgeni, was already a first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings playing for the QMJHL&rsquo;s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. He&rsquo;d be eligible to play for the AHL&rsquo;s Griffins in Grand Rapids, Mich., in the 2016-17 season, and that got Vanbiesbrouck thinking about Evgeni&rsquo;s younger brother. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re about 30 miles from Grand Rapids,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;I had heard about this player and asked his advisor if the USHL was something Andrei would consider.&rdquo;</p><p>As it turned out, Muskegon was a great landing spot for Andrei&rsquo;s first foray into North American hockey. His mom, Elena, lived with him, while Evgeni was nearby for support. &ldquo;My brother helped me all the time,&rdquo; Andrei said. &ldquo;It was tough. Everything is different, the food, the culture, but after the first couple months I felt great. I kept working hard and stayed focused. That&rsquo;s my life, hockey life. I moved to Muskegon because I want to play in the NHL. I needed to get used to the style of the game here, the physical game and the smaller ice.&rdquo;</p><p>On the ice, you couldn&rsquo;t tell the 6-foot-3, 187-pound right winger was adjusting to anything. Svechnikov ended up leading the Jacks in scoring, despite missing games for more international duty with Russia, including the World Jr. A Challenge, where he was named MVP. He ended up nabbing the USHL&rsquo;s rookie-of-the-year award, and just as importantly, he was figuring out North America. &ldquo;He really bought in,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;He engaged well with the guys and they really enjoyed him. He developed into a good teammate, and I think we were a good link in the chain for his development.&rdquo;</p><p>Naturally, Svechnikov got the full experience as an import playing against North American kids. Although fighting is heavily sanctioned in the USHL, the new guy still got challenged, especially by members of the Chicago Steel, but Svechnikov knew his value came from putting pucks in the net. &ldquo;He can score,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;He was always a dangerous player thanks to his body positioning, the way he found lanes and read plays. I haven&rsquo;t seen too many players do what he can do when he drives low across the crease line. He&rsquo;s like Mark Messier when he powers off the wing, and I&rsquo;m not just saying that as an illustration. He&rsquo;s that kind of player.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/svechnikov22/266424-1-eng-US/svechnikov2.jpg" title="Svechnikov2" width="1080" height="869"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LET&rsquo;S GO STREAKING</b></p><p>Svechnikov gave scouts a glimpse of what he&rsquo;s capable of by finishing his OHL season with points in 23 straight games.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><br><p>While the USHL is a fine league, it&rsquo;s no comparison to the OHL in terms of development. The Barrie Colts had tried to grab Evgeni a couple years prior but lost him in the CHL import draft to Cape Breton. In 2017, they had the first overall pick, and this time GM Jason Ford got his man. And with the addition of Tampa Bay Lightning pick Alexei Lipanov (who was Svechnikov&rsquo;s center on several Russian national teams) and top OHL pick Ryan Suzuki, the Colts began the climb from worst to first in their division in one season. But it wasn&rsquo;t just Svechnikov&rsquo;s talent that helped Barrie. &ldquo;No doubt you see a great player,&rdquo; Ford said. &ldquo;You see a very strong kid with size and skill, but off the ice it&rsquo;s amazing the amount of work he puts in. This didn&rsquo;t just all come overnight. He was our hardest-working kid. We say to a lot of our kids, &lsquo;If you follow Andrei, that&rsquo;s a good base and start for anybody else.&rsquo; He&rsquo;s a great kid.&rdquo;</p><p>Helping the adjustment once again was his mom. It&rsquo;s remarkable how well travelled the Svechnikov clan has been over the years. Andrei was born in Barnaul, a hub city in Western Siberia known for its industries of heavy machinery manufacturing and diesel and carbon processing, but also for its theatres and museums. Svechnikov lived in Barnaul until he was nine years old, when the family moved to Moscow. A few years later, they moved to Kazan, where both Evgeni and Andrei played for the famed Ak Bars program. The boys&rsquo; father, Igor, was a doctor for 20 years while Elena was a homemaker. Igor still lives in Kazan, but he has retired from medicine and now runs a small hockey store in town. For Andrei, having his mother&rsquo;s borscht was yet another bonus of having her with him in North America. &ldquo;Here, there&rsquo;s more fast food,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Russia is more soup and potatoes. But my mom was here, so every day she was cooking me Russian food.&rdquo;</p><p>She has also been here for the ups and downs of Svechnikov&rsquo;s draft season. First, there was the broken wrist that forced him to miss nearly two months from October to December. He returned just in time for the world juniors, where the scouting fraternity was treated to a buffet of top 2018 draft picks, including Rasmus Dahlin, Filip Zadina, Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes. Unlike Dahlin, Zadina and Tkachuk, all of whom played major roles on their teams, Svechnikov didn&rsquo;t see much ice time. On a Russian squad helmed by coach Valery Bragin, veterans did the heavy lifting.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">HE&rsquo;S LIKE MARK MESSIER WHEN HE POWERS OFF THE WING&hellip; <br>HE&rsquo;S THAT KIND OF PLAYER<br>&ndash; John Vanbiesbrouck, Muskegon Lumberjacks GM</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/svechnikov3-ipad/266095-1-eng-US/svechnikov3-ipad.jpg" title="Svechnikov3-IPAD" width="1080" height="932"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Back in Barrie, the Colts were getting a little more veteran, too. Ford flipped Lipanov to Sudbury for Minnesota Wild prospect Dmitri Sokolov, a lethal scorer in his final OHL campaign, and he also acquired overager Aaron Luchuk, a talented center and leader from Windsor whom the Ottawa Senators had signed as a free agent. Sokolov and Luchuk joined Svechnikov on a potent line that blitzed opponents and helped Svechnikov run a 23-game point streak that only ended because the regular season finished.</p><p>Unfortunately for Svechnikov, in the final game of the regular season (a meaningless tilt against Sudbury), he caught an opponent with a high hit and was tagged with a four-game suspension heading into the playoffs. The Colts survived the ban, and Svechnikov returned in time to help eliminate Mississauga in six games before falling to Kingston in the second round.</p><p>Svechnikov is happy with his decision to come to Barrie for his draft year, even though there were some hiccups. The location (Barrie is about an hour&rsquo;s drive north of Toronto) even allowed him to check out a Maple Leafs game and see his favorite player, Auston Matthews.</p><p>With his OHL season over, it was assumed Svechnikov would join Russia for the world under-18s. It would have been his third time at the tournament, which rarely happens for a player. But a controversy erupted when the Russians claimed Barrie was holding Svechnikov out because of injury, though later they said it was their decision to leave him off the roster. It&rsquo;s a little surreal that a player who first came to prominence at an under-18 tourney he wasn&rsquo;t even supposed to be in would miss the same one he was supposed to star in, but it&rsquo;s been that kind of year.</p><p>So now there&rsquo;s a good chance the next time we see Svechnikov in a game it will be with an NHL jersey on his big frame, a culmination of a journey that&rsquo;s taken him from Russia to Muskegon to Barrie, pouring in goals at every stop along the way. &ldquo;His compete level is always there,&rdquo; Ford said. &ldquo;He still has a lot to learn about the game, but he&rsquo;s going to score goals at the NHL level any way you slice it. Time will tell when he makes it, but he&rsquo;s going to be a sniper in the NHL, that&rsquo;s for sure.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Svechnikov2

POWER PLAYER

<div class="image-hero"><img title="VS_ZadinaSvechnikov" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/vs_zadinasvechnikov/259147-1-eng-US/vs_zadinasvechnikov.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ZADINA: DAVID CHAN/HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS; SVECHNIKOV: TERRY WILSON / OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div>BY RYAN KENNEDY<br><h2><b>CREATIVITY</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>VECHNIKOV:</b> &ldquo;You see it when he&rsquo;s working along the boards,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He spins off guys and rolls into the high slot. Makes creative plays as he works in traffic with the puck.&rdquo;</p><p><b>ZADINA:</b> &ldquo;Better than average, but that&rsquo;s not one of his specialties,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a shoot-first guy.&rdquo; Zadina was a go-to guy for the shootout.</p><p><b>EDGE: SVECHNIKOV</b></p><h2><b>DEFENSE</b></h2><p><b>SVECHNIKOV:</b> Under coach Dale Hawerchuk, the Colts were a high-event team. &ldquo;In Dale&rsquo;s system, he lets the ponies run,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;With Andrei, there&rsquo;s a pushback, where he&rsquo;ll come back hard and finish his checks, but it&rsquo;s not always there.&rdquo;</p><p><b>ZADINA:</b> &ldquo;In the second half, he became more of a complete player,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;Not afraid to get involved and aware of his responsibilities.&rdquo;</p><p><b>EDGE: ZADINA</b></p><h2><b>PASSING</b></h2><p><b>SVECHNIKOV:</b> He had great chemistry with Dmitry Sokolov once the Minnesota Wild prospect came over from Sudbury, leading to a 23-game point streak to end the regular season. Before that, Svechnikov had Tampa Bay pick Alexei Lipanov as his center, and the two had previously clicked with Russia&rsquo;s national team.</p><p><b>ZADINA:</b> &ldquo;Zadina didn&rsquo;t have the same caliber of linemates,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;But when he got to the CHL Top Prospects Game, you really got to see what he could do.&rdquo; Halifax had Tampa Bay pick Otto Somppi as Zadina&rsquo;s center early on but eventually switched over to draft-eligible Benoit-Olivier Groulx, who is more of a two-way player.</p><p><b>EDGE: NEITHER</b></p><h2><b>PHYSICALITY</b></h2><p><b>SVECHNIKOV:</b> Though North American opponents have been challenging him since he arrived in Muskegon, Svechnikov isn&rsquo;t a fighter and knows he is more useful to his team when he&rsquo;s on the ice, not in the box. He was suspended for a head shot at the end of the season, but it was more careless than malicious.</p><p><b>ZADINA:</b> &ldquo;He has a little more of a presence inside,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;Both go into traffic, and both go hard along the walls.&rdquo; Zadina is a skill guy and got a crash course in CHL hockey early, getting knocked headfirst into the boards during his first pre-season game and absorbing a huge open-ice hit one month later. But he never shied away from contact.</p><p><b>EDGE: ZADINA</b></p><h2><b>SHOT</b></h2><p><b>SVECHNIKOV:</b> &ldquo;His release is deadly,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a high-volume guy, but he gets his chances and buries them. When he wants to be, he&rsquo;s a pure finisher. His shot and location are NHL-caliber.&rdquo; Svechnikov tallied nearly a goal per game in the regular season, which was especially impressive since he came back from a broken wrist mid-season.</p><p><b>ZADINA:</b> &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a big-league shot,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;Quick release and it&rsquo;s accurate, he rarely misses the net. Uses a combination of wrist shot and snap shot, so the goalie can&rsquo;t get ready for one or the other.&rdquo; Zadina&rsquo;s 44 goals tied for third in the &lsquo;Q,&rsquo; while he also led the league in even-strength tallies (33). He was effective shorthanded, too.</p><p><b>EDGE: SVECHNIKOV</b></p><h2><b>SKATING</b></h2><p><b>SVECHNIKOV:</b> &ldquo;Svechnikov has the more fluid stride, but it&rsquo;s like picking the best green apple at the county fair,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re both good skaters.&rdquo; With his big frame, Svechnikov is particularly difficult to handle on the rush when he puts his shoulder down and uses that speed.</p><p><b>ZADINA:</b> &ldquo;Powerful stride, great edges and maneuverability,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;Big hips, wide legs, hard to knock off the puck. Not elite-quick like Nikolaj Ehlers when he was in Halifax, but he has a more powerful stride than Ehlers. He can blow through checks thanks to his power.&rdquo;</p><p><b>EDGE: SVECHNIKOV</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

VS_ZadinaSvechnikov

SNIPER SHOWDOWN

Hot100_Bouchard

Top 100 Prospects

TOP 100 PROSPECTS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="LastWord_Tkachuk" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/lastword_tkachuk/266116-1-eng-US/lastword_tkachuk.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STEVE BABINEAU)</span></figcaption></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>E KNOW THIS MUCH.</b> We know Brady Tkachuk will not tumble out of the top 10 down to the No. 12 pick in the 2018 NHL draft, which would land him in the lap of the Calgary Flames, thereby making them the most miserable team in the league to play against for the next decade or so. So barring a blockbuster deal that would allow the Flames to move into the top five, there&rsquo;s little chance for an all-Tkachuk bad-cop, bad-cop tandem of Matthew and Brady in the immediate future.</p><p>It is, and has been for some time, predetermined that wunderkind defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will go No. 1 in the NHL draft. Nobody is deviating from that one because nobody wants to pass on the next Nicklas Lidstrom. Understandable and completely reasonable. And if that comes about, the lottery-winning Buffalo Sabres will enjoy 15-plus years of having a super-elite defenseman who will be a mainstay on a championship team. Hard to go wrong there.</p><p>But you need all kinds of players to win championships. So that&rsquo;s why any team, with the exception of the Sabres, that chooses another player over Brady Tkachuk does so at its own peril. We have him ranked No. 3 in this very publication, but would the Carolina Hurricanes pluck him at No. 2 and put him directly into the NHL next season? They would if they&rsquo;re smart. If you&rsquo;re able to without flying into a rage, picture an image of Claude Lemieux if he were 6-foot-3 and you&rsquo;ve got Tkachuk. TSN analyst Ray Ferraro once said Matthew is &ldquo;a saint&rdquo; compared to his younger brother, and we all know what kind of mayhem Matthew is capable of starting&hellip;and continuing.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s put it this way. One time when they were kids, the Tkachuk brothers were having a fight and their grandmother had to call one-time NHLer Phil McRae in to break it up. And that Matthew&rsquo;s idea of toughening up his little brother was to play mini-sticks with him and literally, not figuratively, put him through a wall in the basement. Or that he&rsquo;d get together with his cousins and the proceedings would usually involve boxing gloves. It&rsquo;s probably relevant at this point that Matthew, who has spent the past two seasons tangling with all comers, has already stated that Brady is bigger, stronger and more ornery than he is.</p><p>But to pigeonhole Tkachuk as an on-ice rowdy would do an enormous injustice to his skill level. First, he&rsquo;s a responsible player and plays all 200 feet of the ice. And he can certainly make plays. For my money, he was game-in and game-out Team USA&rsquo;s best player at the World Junior Championship in 2018. Yes, even better than Casey Mittelstadt, Kieffer Bellows and Trent Frederic. And remember, this is often not a tournament where 18-year-olds are supposed to excel, although they have in increasing numbers of late. The whole idea was to get Tkachuk among the best teenagers in the world, then have him assume a leadership role for Team USA next year. That plan has almost certainly gone by the wayside since Tkachuk will likely be in the NHL next season.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">IF YOU&rsquo;RE ABLE TO WITHOUT FLYING INTO A RAGE, PICTURE AN IMAGE OF CLAUDE LEMIEUX IF HE WERE 6-FOOT-3 AND YOU&rsquo;VE GOT TKACHUK</blockquote><p>Not only did Tkachuk impress with three goals and nine points at the WJC, it seemed he was on the ice for every crucial situation. He killed penalties. He was out when the U.S. was protecting a lead late in the game. He scored big goals. He played a physical game. And by the time the tournament was done, he was firmly in that group just behind Dahlin.</p><p>This is a draft deep in talent at the top end. To covet Tkachuk does not in any way take away from the talents possessed by the likes of Filip Zadina or Andrei Svechnikov or Adam Boqvist. Chances are, they&rsquo;re all going to be top players with wonderful NHL careers. Their performances to this juncture of their careers certainly point to that likelihood. So perhaps you would not go wrong by passing on Tkachuk at No. 2 or No. 3 or even No. 4.</p><p>But then again, how can a team possibly pass on a kid who has the potential to be an elite offensive producer, a true power forward, an all-situations player and one who makes guys on the other bench feel a little uneasy about playing against him? Those kinds of multi-dimensional stars are the ones that GMs dream about finding. When you can be difficult to play against in more than one way, that&rsquo;s a huge boon. Former Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi had a name for players like that. He would call them &ldquo;total a--holes,&rdquo; and he meant it in the most complimentary way possible.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s probably going to go No. 1,&rdquo; said Tkachuk of Dahlin after Team USA won the bronze medal at the world juniors. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not fooling anybody. But I think I&rsquo;m right there.&rdquo;</p><p>Tkachuk has no shortage of confidence in his abilities, but in a good way. The branches of his family tree are made of hockey sticks, with the Fitzgerald and Hayes boys among his first cousins. He learned at the foot of one of the scariest players of his generation in his father, Keith, and he was toughened up by an older brother who is now one of the most intriguing young talents in the NHL. All the elements are there. And if Tkachuk slides past the second spot, don&rsquo;t be surprised in 10 years if we&rsquo;re all wondering how in the world that could have happened.</p><p><a datastyle href="https://twitter.com/THNKENCAMPBELL"><b>@THNKENCAMPBELL</b></a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

LastWord_Tkachuk

THE BRADY HUNCH

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="ANA_Kesler" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/ana_kesler2/266620-1-eng-US/ana_kesler.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN KESLER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HERE&rsquo;S TWO WAYS</b> to look at Anaheim&rsquo;s roster. They&rsquo;re one of the NHL&rsquo;s most experienced teams with a dozen or so well-seasoned veterans sprinkled throughout their lineup. That suggests the window of opportunity is closing, and there&rsquo;s an urgency to win now. But the Ducks also have impressive youth at every position and are long known as a franchise that drafts and develops exceptionally well. If any team is poised to retool rather than rebuild, it&rsquo;s this one.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> First Corey Perry, now Ryan Kesler. The disturbing rate at which Anaheim&rsquo;s big-ticket producers are declining means the second wave of scorers needs to pick it up even more. Good thing Adam Henrique arrived and Ondrej Kase blossomed. The Ducks rank among the bottom five teams in shots on goal.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Anaheim doesn&rsquo;t just need a couple of capable replacements in the forward ranks in the coming few seasons, they need a good half-dozen or more reinforcements. The Ducks entered the post-season with seven of their 14 forwards on the downward slope of 30. And that doesn&rsquo;t include injured Patrick Eaves, who is 34. You know what positions they&rsquo;ll be targeting in the draft.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The Ducks will shed more than $10 million in expiring contracts this summer, but Josh Manson, Brandon Montour and Kase are in line for sizeable raises. GM Bob Murray will need cap space in 2019 with John Gibson, Jakob Silfverberg and Henrique requiring new deals and no old money coming off the books. Watch for a vet to be traded.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Marcus Pettersson and Jacob Larsson will almost surely take the spots of UFAs Kevin Bieksa and Francois Beauchemin on the blueline. They&rsquo;re young, they&rsquo;re more mobile and they&rsquo;re much cheaper. But they&rsquo;re not nearly as tough. There will be a learning curve.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Goalie prospect Olle Eriksson Ek is two-and-a-half years younger than Joel, a rookie center with Minnesota. They both played youth hockey with Farjestad in Sweden, the same organization their father, Clas, played 13 pro seasons.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h1><b>BOB MURRAY</b></h1><p><b>Hired:</b> Nov., 2008 <b>| Drafts:</b> 9</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Sami Vatanen, 106th, 2009; Josh Manson, 160th, 2011; Frederik Andersen, 87th, 2012</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Peter Holland, 15th, 2009; Emerson Etem, 29th, 2010; Nick Ritchie, 10th, 2014</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Jakob Silfverberg, Stefan Noesen, 1st rd pick from Ott.</p><p><b>OUT &ndash;</b> Bobby Ryan. July, 2013</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> James Wisniewski, 3rd rd pick from Clb. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> William Karlsson, Rene Bourque and 2nd rd pick. March, 2015</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Rickard Rakell, 4 yrs @ $3.79M; John Gibson, 1 yr @ $2.3M; Hampus Lindholm, 4 yrs @ $5.2M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Corey Perry, 3 yrs @ $8.63M; Ryan Kesler, 4 yrs @ $6.88M</p><p>&nbsp;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

ANA_Kesler

CHANGING OF THE CANARD

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="ARI_Raanta" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/ari_raanta/266627-1-eng-US/ari_raanta.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ANTTI RAANTA</b></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>OCKEY ANALYSTS</b> fall into this trap all the time. Team X has a young roster. Therefore, they&rsquo;re bound to get better in coming seasons. But that&rsquo;s not always the case, as Arizona has proven for the better part of 15 years. Sometimes development stagnates or flatlines. Under the right guidance, however, it can flourish. The Coyotes had a terrible start under rookie coach Rick Tocchet. But in the last two months of the season, they were a top-eight team in the West, even ahead of Vegas.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> The Coyotes have to find a way to keep the learning curve pointing upward for young players, especially with Clayton Keller their top player as a rookie. The likes of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Lawson Crouse, Louis Domingue and others had their best season as NHL freshmen. Perhaps there&rsquo;s an appetite to use them in a more sheltered environment with some vets.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Even if the Coyotes are able to hang on to Oliver Ekman-Larsson beyond his UFA season in 2018-19, the team will be in dire need of defensemen in a few years. Niklas Hjalmarsson has another year remaining on his deal while Alex Goligoski and Jason Demers have three years left apiece, but they&rsquo;re on the wrong side of 30, and there&rsquo;s not much in the system.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> GM John Chayka has to be careful not to hand out too many sevenor eight-year contracts to every entry-level player up for negotiation. The likes of Domi, Christian Dvorak, Christian Fischer, Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome shouldn&rsquo;t be issued anything more than bridge deals.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Strome has owned this space the past couple of years. Average skating has held him back, and he gets far less time and space with the puck on NHL ice. He is making fine adjustments in the AHL and we&rsquo;ll finally see him in October.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Tyler Steenbergen is a late bloomer. The undersized winger had just 46 points in his draft year in 2015-16 and went unselected. Seasons of 90 and 102 points later &ndash; plus the 2018 WJC gold medal-winning goal &ndash; and he&rsquo;s a top-10 Coyotes prospect.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h1><b>JOHN CHAYKA</b></h1><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2016 <b>| Drafts:</b> 2</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Tyler Steenbergen, 128th, 2017; Jakob Chychrun, 16th, 2016</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> N/A</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Alex Goligoski from Dal. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 5th rd pick. June, 2016</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Pavel Datsyuk, 1st rd pick (16th overall) from Det. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Joe Vitale, 1st rd pick (20th overall), 2nd rd pick. June, 2016</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Oliver-Ekman Larsson, 1 yr @ $5.5M; Nick Cousins, 1 yr @ $1M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Derek Stepan, 3 yrs @ $6.5M; Dave Bolland, 1 yr @ $5.5M</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h1><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h1>

ARI_Raanta

YOUNG AND RESTLESS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="BUF_Reinhart" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/buf_reinhart/266663-1-eng-US/buf_reinhart.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SAM REINHART</b></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVEN KINGSMAN/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN THE SABRES</b> hired Tim Murray as GM in 2014, they were getting the equivalent of a can&rsquo;t-miss prospect in terms of drafting and developing players. But as is the case with players, sometimes even blue-chip GMs don&rsquo;t work out. In three Murray drafts, the Sabres have almost nothing to show from them beyond the low-hanging fruit that came from embracing the tank. That will have to change under Jason Botterill. Casey Mittelstadt is a good start, but the Sabres need some late-round gems to get the depth required to be a contender.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> This may sound basic, but NHL caliber players at every position. One reason the Sabres have been mired in the muck is there hasn&rsquo;t been enough depth to push players who have become too comfortable in their surroundings. The Sabres need massive upgrades at forward, particularly on the left side, and someone with game-breaking skills.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> The Sabres haven&rsquo;t had a bona fide No. 1 goalie since Ryan Miller was traded, and it remains a gaping hole. It&rsquo;s difficult to tell whether Robin Lehner or Linus Ullmark is the answer because both have been plagued by inconsistency and injuries.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The Sabres have a ton of room to clean house, particularly if the salary cap goes up. With just $58 million committed to 16 players, Buffalo has the space to go after free agents and resign their own RFAs, the most prominent of whom are Lehner and Sam Reinhart.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Sabres fans who drooled over Mittelstadt at the 2018 WJC in Buffalo got their wish when the team signed him late in the season and gave up a year of his entry-level status. They&rsquo;re still waiting for Alexander Nylander to show consistency, but rearguard Brendan Guhle is ready to make the jump.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Since the modern draft was established in 1969, the Sabres are the 14th team to have a top-eight pick for five straight years. Some &ndash; Montreal, New Jersey, Pittsburgh (twice) and Quebec/Colorado &ndash; used those picks to build Cup winners, while others frittered them away.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h1><b>JASON BOTTERILL</b></h1><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2017 <b>| Drafts:</b> 1</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Casey Mittelstadt, 8th, 2017</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> N/A</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Danny O&rsquo;Regan, conditional 1st rd pick, 4th rd pick from SJ. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Evander Kane. Feb, 2018</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Nathan Beaulieu from Mtl. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 3rd rd pick. June, 2017</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Marco Scandella, 2 yrs @ $4.0M; Evan Rodrigues, 1 yr @ $650K; Jake McCabe, 1 yr @ $1.6M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Jason Pominville, 1 yr @ $5.6M; Matt Moulson, 1 yr @ $5.0M; Zach Bogosian, 2 yrs @ $5.14M</p><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

BUF_Reinhart

WHEELS KEEP ON SPINNING

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="CAR_Aho" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/car_aho/266699-1-eng-US/car_aho.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SEBASTIAN&nbsp;AHO</b></p><p><b>&nbsp;</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE HURRICANES</b> are a couple pieces away from being a threat in the East, and when it comes to drafting, diversity has been key. During Ron Francis&rsquo; tenure as GM, Carolina picked a goalie in each draft and spread the other picks around on size and skill. Talented blueliners have been the most successful item in that regard. Let&rsquo;s see what the replacement GM has in store.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Scott Darling was supposed to be the answer in net, but the 6-foot-6 stopper faltered in his first crack at being a full-time NHL starter. Cam Ward keeps hanging on, but his numbers are only good in comparison to Darling&rsquo;s stats. That lack of netminding likely got Francis booted upstairs from his GM perch, and with neither Alex Nedeljkovic nor Callum Booth ready, the Canes need to go outside for help again.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Carolina won&rsquo;t go anywhere without a true No. 1 center, which unfortunately is still the hardest thing to acquire in the NHL. In a perfect world, Sebastian Aho is the No. 2 guy and Jordan Staal handles thirdline shutdown duties. Maybe 2017 first-rounder Martin Necas is the answer, but he still has to fill out and may only be a second-line center himself.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The Canes have at least $25 million in cap space, and while they haven&rsquo;t been big spenders in the past, new owner Tom Dundon may change that. The team&rsquo;s vaunted young defense corps gets more expensive next year with big-money extensions for Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin kicking in, while Noah Hanifin comes off his entry-level deal, too. Up front, RFA Elias Lindholm needs a new pact.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Necas was huge for the Czechs at the 2018 WJC and had a solid season for Kometa Brno. He&rsquo;s ready for a longer stint with the Hurricanes after making his debut this season. Jake Bean has the pedigree to join the blueline, but likely needs some AHL seasoning first.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Not only does Necas&rsquo; name mean &ldquo;bad weather&rdquo; in Czech, but it&rsquo;s also an anagram for &lsquo;Canes.&rsquo; Sometimes a player is just destined to play for a certain team.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>RON FRANCIS*</b></h3><p><b>Hired:</b> April, 2014 <b>| Drafts:</b> 4</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Sebastian Aho, 35th, 2015; Martin Necas, 12th, 2017; Warren Foegele, 67th, 2014</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Haydn Fleury, 7th, 2014; Julien Gauthier, 21st, 2016; Alex Nedeljkovic, 37th, 2014</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Teuvo Teravainen, Bryan Bickell from Chi. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick, 3rd rd pick. June, 2016</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> James Wisniewski from Ana. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Anton Khudobin. June, 2015</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Justin Faulk, 2 yrs @ $4.83M; Teuvo Teravainen, 1 yr @ $2.86M; Jaccob Slavin, 7 yrs @ $5.3M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Scott Darling, 3 yrs @ $4.15M; Victor Rask, 4 yrs @ $4.0M; Jordan Staal, 5 yrs @ $6.0M</p><p><i>*Outgoing GM</i></p><p>&nbsp;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

CAR_Aho

IS IT TIME TO OPEN WALLET?

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="COL_MacKinnon" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/col_mackinnon/266735-1-eng-US/col_mackinnon.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NATHAN MACKINNON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RUSSELL LANDFORD/ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>OR ALL THE LOVE</b> that Vegas has received as a remarkable underdog story, the Avalanche were almost as impressive, emerging as a playoff team one season after posting the lowest point total in the salary cap era. Finally trading Matt Duchene was a rallying point, with GM Joe Sakic revitalizing the team&rsquo;s prospect pool in one mammoth move. The Avalanche&rsquo;s arrow points north now, especially with Nathan MacKinnon emerging as an MVP-caliber superstar.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> The top-heavy Avs rely on the powerhouse line of Gabriel Landeskog, MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen for a disproportionate amount of their goals. They need secondary scoring badly. Colorado has defense prospects on the way, but it has one of the league&rsquo;s weaker bluelines and could use a solution until Cale Makar and Conor Timmins are ready.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Most of the Avs&rsquo; young forwards beyond the top line, from Tyson Jost to J.T. Compher to prospects Vladislav Kamenev and Shane Bowers, are twoway types, so Colorado could use another dangerous scorer. Goalie Jonathan Bernier is a UFA this summer and Semyon Varlamov is the year after. Spencer Martin and Adam Werner aren&rsquo;t elite netminding prospects, so Sakic would be wise to fortify the position.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The Avs are swimming in cap space, $25 million at minimum. The question is whether this team is ready to spend aggressively and behave like a contender. Sakic is more likely to play it safe while his prospects bake. Rantanen, fresh off a monster sophomore year, is an RFA in 2019 and will be eligible to sign a big extension this July.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Kamenev, a promising 200-foot center, was NHL-ready before breaking his arm in his first game after arriving in the Duchene deal. Kamenev returned late in the year.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Among forwards drafted first overall, Nail Yakupov has the lowest points per game of all-time aside from Year 1 selection Garry Monahan in 1963. Monahan&rsquo;s career mark is 0.38. Yakupov&rsquo;s is 0.39.</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>JOE SAKIC</b></h3><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2013 <b>| Drafts:</b> 5</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Will Butcher, 123rd, 2013; Nathan MacKinnon, 1st, 2013; Mikko Rantanen, 10th, 2015</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Conner Bleackley, 23rd, 2014; Chris Bigras, 32nd, 2013; Nicolas Meloche, 40th, 2015</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Samuel Girard, Shane Bowers, Vladislav Kamenev, Andrew Hammond, 1st rd pick, 2nd rd pick, 3rd rd pick from Ott/Nsh. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Matt Duchene. Nov, 2017</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Eric Gelinas from NJ. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 3rd rd pick. Feb, 2016</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Nathan MacKinnon, 5 yrs @ $6.3M; Tyson Barrie, 2 yrs @ $5.5M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Carl Soderberg, 2 yrs @ $4.75M; Colin Wilson, 1 yr @ $3.94M</p><h2><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

COL_MacKinnon

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="DAL_Seguin" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/dal_seguin/266771-1-eng-US/dal_seguin.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TYLER SEGUIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARK BLINCH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>ALLAS WAS THE</b> NHL&rsquo;s most aggressive team in free agency last year, whiffing on Martin Hanzal but hitting on Alexander Radulov and Ben Bishop. To evolve into a Cup threat, however, the Stars must accomplish more from within. Their draft-day bloodbath since 2009 includes Scott Glennie, Jamie Oleksiak, Jack Campbell, Valeri Nichushkin and Denis Gurianov. No team has done less with so many picks in the top half of the first round over the past decade.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Radulov form a dynamite first line, but the Stars&rsquo; secondary scoring is weak behind them on the wings. With Hanzal undergoing spinal-fusion surgery and Jason Spezza reaching his mid-30s, even Dallas&rsquo; center depth isn&rsquo;t what it appeared a year ago.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Same as the short-term ones. Dallas needs some high-end young forwards to fortify its top-six. Maybe Gurianov, Nichushkin or Riley Tufte fills that role, but it&rsquo;s no guarantee. Bishop is signed through 2022-23, but given his injury-prone ways, GM Jim Nill needs to start grooming a successor in net. The Stars do have candidates for that role in Jake Oettinger and Colton Point down the road. On defense, Miro Heiskanen is an elite prospect, so the Stars have the luxury of focusing a lot of energy on their needs at forward. The other positions have help coming.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Nill will have to tighten up this time around with less than $20 million to spend and medium impact RFAs Stephen Johns, Mattias Janmark and Devin Shore to re-sign. Agitator Antoine Roussel is a UFA, but is he money well-spent when Dallas must prepare to give 2019 UFA Seguin $10 million a year, give or take? He&rsquo;s the priority.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Nichushkin wasn&rsquo;t bad as an NHLer before leaving for the KHL and is expected back in October. Heiskanen has a chance to crack the lineup with his promising blend of size, smarts and skill. It isn&rsquo;t a make-or-break year, though.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> John Klingberg has been nicknamed &lsquo;The Ghost of Gothenburg&rsquo; for his pale complexion and Swedish hometown.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>JIM NILL</b></h3><p><b>Hired:</b> April, 2013 <b>| Drafts:</b> 5</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Remi Elie, 40th, 2013; Colton Point, 128th, 2016</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Denis Gurianov, 12th, 2015; Brett Pollock, 45th, 2014; Valeri Nichushkin, 10th, 2013</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Ryan Button from Bos.<br><b>OUT &ndash;</b> Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Joe Morrow, Matt Fraser. July, 2013</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Marc Methot from Veg.<br><b>OUT &ndash;</b> Dylan Ferguson, 2nd rd pick. June, 2017</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> John Klingberg, 4 yrs @ $4.25M; Tyler Seguin, 1 yr @ $5.75M; Radek Faksa, 2 yrs @ $2.2M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Jason Spezza, 1 yr @ $7.5M; Martin Hanzal, 2 yrs @ $4.75M; Marc Methot, 1 yr @ $4.9M</p><p>&nbsp;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

DAL_Seguin

DIGGING DEEP IN DALLAS

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="EDM_Nurse" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/edm_nurse/266847-1-eng-US/edm_nurse.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DARNELL NURSE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ARD TO BELIEVE</b> so many gambling and media outlets &ndash; yes, including us &ndash; marked Edmonton down as the class of the West prior to the season. Even ahead of 2017 Cup finalist Nashville. The Oilers looked like they were only going to gain speed, with their two best players just 20 and 21. But flaws in their team game became apparent. Now, with a top-10 pick, Edmonton needs more speed and skill.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Oscar Klefbom and Andrej Sekera aren&rsquo;t going to be the offensive difference-makers from the blueline that the team badly needs. Edmonton&rsquo;s defense corps ranks among the worst in the NHL in terms of production, and that&rsquo;s with Darnell Nurse having a breakout year. A big bomber from the point would remedy the league&rsquo;s worst power play unit.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> It&rsquo;s crazy to suggest there&rsquo;s a silver lining in Cam Talbot&rsquo;s subpar season, but had he put together two more campaigns like the one in 2016-17, he&rsquo;d price himself out of Edmonton when he&rsquo;s a UFA at 32 in 2019. He&rsquo;s more affordable now, but the Oilers need to work on his replacement a few years hence.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Edmonton traded Patrick Maroon because of the huge raise from $1.5 million he&rsquo;s sure to get as a UFA. The Oilers will want to sign RFAs Nurse and Matt Benning to bridge deals until Sekera&rsquo;s unwieldy $5.5-million cap hit is off the books in a few years. When your top four forwards and top four &lsquo;D&rsquo; make $50 million, you seek bargains for the other 15 players on your roster.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Kailer Yamamoto is what the Oilers need &ndash; young, speedy and with a creative offensive bent to make a difference on the right side of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. And he&rsquo;ll be cheap for a few seasons. He made Edmonton out of camp this season but was returned to junior after nine NHL games.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Down on the farm in AHL Bakersfield, Family Day takes on an NHL alumni overtone. Keegan Lowe, Dillon Simpson, Ryan Mantha, Caleb Jones, Brad Malone and Ty Loney have fathers, uncles or brothers who have suited up for 4,265 NHL games and counting.</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>PETER CHIARELLI</b></h3><p><b>Hired:</b> April, 2015 <b>| Drafts:</b> 3</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Ethan Bear, 124th, 2015; Caleb Jones, 117th, 2015</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Jesse Puljujarvi, 4th, 2016; Tyler Benson, 32nd, 2016</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Cam Talbot from NYR. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick, 3rd rd pick. June, 2015</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Griffin Reinhart from NYI. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 1st rd pick, 2nd rd pick. June, 2015</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Connor McDavid, 8 yrs @ $12.5M; Oscar Klefbom, 5 yrs @ $4.17M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Milan Lucic, 5 yrs @ $6.0M; Andrej Sekera, 3 yrs @ $5.5M; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 3 yrs @ $6.0M</p><h2><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

EDM_Nurse

OIL CRISIS DRAGS ON

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="LA_Doughty" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/la_doughty/266883-1-eng-US/la_doughty.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DREW DOUGHTY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>OS ANGELES KINGS</b> fans can be excused if they&rsquo;re thinking more about July 1 than they are the draft. That&rsquo;s the first day the team is eligible to re-sign Drew Doughty to a new deal and conceivably keep him in Kings&rsquo; duds for the rest of his playing days. It won&rsquo;t be cheap and it probably won&rsquo;t happen overnight, but it would be a strong signal this team can continue being a contender. But attention on the draft is crucial, too. The Kings have one of the thinnest crops of prospects in the league, and it badly needs some diamonds in the rough.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Anze Kopitar scored a career-best 35 goals this season and Dustin Brown hit a seven-year high. So why is more offense needed? Because the Kings are still just middle of the pack and their most productive players are well into the back half of their careers. There&rsquo;s no such word as rebuild in Hollywood.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> It&rsquo;s time to load up on defensemen at the draft. Even if the Kings sign Doughty, there&rsquo;s a dearth of blueliners in the system between 20 and 26. Kale Clague is the only blue-chipper among prospects. Rearguards drafted this year and next will be 21 and 22 in four years when L.A.&rsquo;s current defense corps is ancient.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Rookie GM Rob Blake did a fine job rescuing the Kings from salary cap Armageddon. He got rid of Marian Gaborik&rsquo;s untenable contract, then had Ottawa eat some of Dion Phaneuf&rsquo;s equally untenable contract. Now it looks as though most Kings have team-friendly deals &ndash; the younger ones, anyway.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Gabe Vilardi has missed almost 60 games with various ailments over the past two OHL seasons, but the Kings would welcome him stealing an NHL job with a strong camp. And that&rsquo;s despite him having another year of junior remaining.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> When Blake drafted Drake Rymsha in the fifth round last year, he crossed paths with an old college rival. Rymsha&rsquo;s father, Andy, was a hard-nosed power forward with Western Michigan in the late 1980s. He battled for three seasons against Blake, a hard-hitting defenseman from Bowling Green.</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>ROB BLAKE</b></h3><p><b>Hire:</b> April, 2017 <b>| Drafts:</b> 1</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> N/A</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> N/A</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Dion Phaneuf (partial salary), Nate Thompson from Ott. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Marian Gaborik. Nick Shore. Feb, 2018</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Tobias Rieder, Scott Wedgewood from Ari. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Darcy Kuemper. Feb, 2018</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Drew Doughty, 1 yr @ $7.0M Alec Martinez, 3 yrs @ $4.0M Jake Muzzin, 2 yrs @ $4.0M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Dion Phaneuf, 3 yrs @ $5.25M Dustin Brown, 4 yrs @ $5.88M</p><h2><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

LA_Doughty

RETENTION ATTENTION

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="NJ_Hischier" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/nj_hischier/266955-1-eng-US/nj_hischier.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NICO HISCHIER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARK BLINCH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>INNING THE</b> draft lottery helped New Jersey&rsquo;s remarkable summer turnaround, but Nico Hischier wasn&rsquo;t the only good pick. Unheralded 2016 sixth-rounder Jesper Bratt also made a quick impact, giving credence to the Devils&rsquo; strategy of casting a wide net in the draft. GM Ray Shero gave his scouts 20 picks in the past two drafts. Shero traded away some picks this year, but still has six selections heading into Dallas.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> The addition of Sami Vatanen helped buttress a defense corps that, on paper, was less than impressive. Rookie Will Butcher proved himself ready for the NHL, but another defenseman would go a long way for this rapidly improving franchise. With a generous amount of cap space, New Jersey has the opportunity to court a true No. 1 blueliner in the off-season.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> New Jersey rode backup Keith Kinkaid as the Devils scrambled for a wild-card spot in March, casting doubts on the future of starter Cory Schneider. While Schneider has been a rock in the past, his numbers have been pedestrian lately, and he owns the team&rsquo;s biggest contract. Kinkaid is a perfect backup, but who will be the starter three years from now?</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The Devils are in great shape when it comes to the salary cap. Shero has more than $20 million to play with and all his key players are already signed. Brian Gibbons will get a well-deserved raise, as will RFA Miles Wood, but neither will break the budget. Shero has the luxury of molding his upstart club on the fly, meaning UFAs such as Drew Stafford, Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon can be evaluated properly.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> John Quenneville has already logged some NHL games, while Michael McLeod is champing at the bit during his final OHL season. One or both of the skilled centers could earn an NHL job.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Not only did power forward Joey Anderson captain Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2017 WJC, but he and brother Mikey (L.A.) were the first siblings to win a medal together for the Americans since Chris and Peter Ferraro in 1992.</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>RAY SHERO</b></h3><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2015 <b>| Drafts:</b> 3</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Jesper Bratt, 162nd, 2016; Joey Anderson, 73rd, 2016</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Pavel Zacha, 6th, 2015; Mackenzie Blackwood, 42nd, 2015</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Taylor Hall from Edm. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Adam Larsson. June, 2016</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Mirco Mueller, 5th rd pick from SJ. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick, 4th rd pick. June, 2017</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Taylor Hall, 2 yrs @ $6.0M; Sami Vatanen, 2 yrs @ $4.88M; Damon Severson, 5 yrs @ $4.67M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Travis Zajac, 3 yrs @ $5.75M; Andy Greene, 2 yrs @ $5.0M; Cory Schneider, 4 yrs @ $6.0M</p><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NJ_Hischier

BUILDING BLOCKS

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="NYR_Lundqvist" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/nyr_lundqvist/266991-1-eng-US/nyr_lundqvist.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HENRIK LUNDQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE &lsquo;FREE AGENTS</b> and forget it&rsquo; Rangers are dead. While New York can still rely on its Manhattan address to woo veterans, the team has started to stock the cupboards with draft picks, and the early returns are good. The 2018 draft looks even more promising, as GM Jeff Gorton has three first-rounders (thanks to the Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh trades) and two second-rounders. If Tampa Bay wins the Cup this year or next, New York will get an extra first-rounder in 2019, too.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Outside of Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal and Brady Skjei, the Rangers&rsquo; blueline is short on sure things. There&rsquo;s a cadre of youngsters and second-chancers who will get a shot, but next season could yield some chaotic results. The acquisitions of Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren and Yegor Rykov bring promise.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> The Rangers are perhaps deepest in goaltenders when it comes to prospects, but which one will take King Henrik&rsquo;s crown? While Lundqvist is still the marquee attraction on Broadway, the clock is ticking. An ironclad KHL contract will keep Igor Shesterkin on the other side of the world until 2019-20. And as good as he seems, he&rsquo;ll need time to adjust.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Gorton has nearly $30 million to play with this summer and no prominent UFAs on the docket. There is work to do when it comes to RFAs, though none of it ominous. Skjei, Vlad Namestnikov, Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes top the list, while newcomer Ryan Spooner will be an interesting negotiation.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> New York had two first-round picks in 2017 and both Lias Andersson (seventh overall) and Filip Chytil (21st) are knocking on the door. The 19-year-old centers have already made their NHL debuts and both possess two-way games, greatly increasing their chances.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Not only have the Rangers taken prospects with NHL bloodlines (Ty Ronning, Adam Tambellini), but they&rsquo;ve even hit the same family tree twice: free agent signing Vinni Lettieri and draft pick Tyler Nanne are both grandsons of Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h2><b>JEFF GORTON</b></h2><p><b>Hired:</b> July, 2015 <b>| Drafts:</b> 2</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Filip Chytil, 21st, 2017</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> N/A</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, Ryan Lindgren, 1st rd pick, 7th rd pick from Bos. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Rick Nash. Feb, 2018</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Brendan Smith from Det. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick, 3rd rd pick. Feb, 2017</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Mika Zibanejad, 4 yrs @ $5.35M; Mats Zuccarello, 1 yr @ $4.5M; Chris Kreider, 2 yrs @ $4.63M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Brendan Smith, 3 yrs @ $4.35M; Marc Staal, 3 yrs @ $5.7M; Henrik Lundqvist, 3 yrs @ $8.5M</p><h1><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h1>

NYR_Lundqvist

NEW YORK, NEW PLAN

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="PHI_Giroux" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/phi_giroux/267027-1-eng-US/phi_giroux.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CLAUDE GIROUX</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N ASSEMBLING A</b> teeming prospect pipeline, GM Ron Hextall and his staff have left no discipline uncovered. The franchise has taken six goaltenders in the past six drafts while also selecting for size, skill, character and defense amongst the skaters. Winning the second overall pick in 2017 brought an unexpected boon in Nolan Patrick, and the internal competition for roster spots in the next few years will be fearsome.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Ahhh, it always comes down to goaltending, doesn&rsquo;t it? Despite all the picks, Philadelphia still doesn&rsquo;t have a dependable starter, and it&rsquo;ll be at least another year or two before top prospect Carter Hart is even an option. In the meantime, the Flyers have to find someone via trade or free agency.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> With the exception of Claude Giroux, the Flyers&rsquo; offense went silent in the playoffs, and while they&rsquo;ve often been the underdog recently, eventually that has to change. Finding someone, internally or externally, who can come through in the clutch &ndash; <i>a la</i> Justin Williams &ndash; may be the final piece of the puzzle for a team that has everything in the pipeline.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Hextall has $20 million available this summer, and the subtractions will merely clear space for improvement. Valtteri Filppula, Matt Read and Johnny Oduya are all UFAs who can be replaced by either better or cheaper (or both) options. Petr Mrazek is an interesting RFA, since the Flyers still have Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth under contract.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Based off his boffo post-draft campaign in Sault Ste. Marie, it&rsquo;s hard to rule out center Morgan Frost next year, though he could also return to the OHL and dominate at the world juniors. A more likely candidate is Philippe Myers, the big and smooth defenseman who had a successful rookie pro season with AHL Lehigh Valley.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> At 6-foot-6, it&rsquo;s inevitable that Guelph left winger Isaac Ratcliffe has been asked if he&rsquo;s been a basketball player at some point in his life. Genetically, that&rsquo;s not out of line, since his father won two Canadian college titles with the Fanshawe Falcons.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h2><b>RON HEXTALL</b></h2><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2014 <b>| Drafts:</b> 4</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Oscar Lindblom, 138th, 2014; Travis Konecny, 24th, 2015; Carter Hart, 48th, 2016</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> None</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Radko Gudas, 1st rd pick, 3rd rd pick from TB. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Brayden Coburn. March, 2015</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> R.J. Umberger, 4th rd pick from Clb. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Scott Hartnell. June, 2014</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Sean Couturier, 4 yrs @ $4.33M; Wayne Simmonds, 1 yr @ $3.98M; Shayne Gostisbehere, 4 yrs @ $4.5M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Jori Lehtera, 1 yr @ $4.7M; Andrew MacDonald, 2 yrs @ $5.0M; Dale Weise, 2 yrs @ $2.35M</p><p>&nbsp;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

PHI_Giroux

STILL ABOUT PIPES & POSTS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="STL_Piettrangelo" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/stl_piettrangelo/267063-1-eng-US/stl_piettrangelo.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ALEX PIETRANGELO</b></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(Claus Andersen/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>ON&rsquo;T SLEEP ON</b> the St. Louis Blues, who have a fearsome quartet of forwards &ndash; Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin and Tage Thompson &ndash; knocking on the door, with Thompson already having played a good chunk of the 2017-18 season. With so much help coming up front, GM Doug Armstrong can start searching for his next Alex Pietrangelo on &lsquo;D.&rsquo;</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> St. Louis hit big by converting Brayden Schenn to center, but they could use another veteran puck distributor to replace the traded Paul Stastny. And can the Blues afford to part with Carter Hutton after his spectacular season? With supposed starter Jake Allen so maddeningly inconsistent, St. Louis needs a high-end backup goalie on hand at all times.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Thomas is the only center among the high-end prospects, so the Blues could use another with big offensive upside. With Jay Bouwmeester in his twilight years, might they search for another big-minute blueliner at the draft? They have a few solid &lsquo;D&rsquo; prospects, but none that would qualify as a can&rsquo;t-miss stud, like Pietrangelo was as the fourth overall pick in 2008.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The Blues have some depth RFAs to sign, but since Robby Fabbri blew out his knee, he&rsquo;s regressed to bridge-deal territory, which could be a blessing. Armstrong has almost $12 million to spend and could have something left over even after he&rsquo;s signed his RFAs, the most expensive of whom should be sturdy D-man Joel Edmundson.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> Take your pick from the aforementioned forward group. Kostin&rsquo;s a sniper with NHL size and got AHL experience this season, while Thomas and Kyrou toiled in major junior, so Kostin has the slight edge entering training camp.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> The Blues had no official AHL affiliate this season with the Vegas Golden Knights taking over the Chicago Wolves. It was an awkward year for Blues prospects, who shared roster space on the Wolves but also got shuttled to other teams. Top blueline prospect Jake Walman played for Chicago as well as the Binghamton Devils.</p><h2><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h2><h3><b>DOUG ARMSTRONG</b></h3><p><b>Hired:</b> July, 2010 <b>| Drafts:</b> 7</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Colton Parayko, 86th, 2012; Robert Thomas, 20th, 2017; Jordan Kyrou, 35th, 2016</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Jordan Schmaltz, 25th, 2012; Ty Rattie, 32nd, 2011; Tommy Vannelli, 47th, 2013</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Brayden Schenn from Phi. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Jori Lehtera, 1st rd pick (27th overall). June, 2017</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick from Ott. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Ben Bishop. Feb, 2012</p><h2><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h2><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Brayden Schenn, 2 yrs @ $5.13M; Jaden Schwartz, 3 yrs @ $5.35M; Alex Pietrangelo, 2 yrs @ $6.5M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Patrik Berglund, 4 yrs @ $3.85M; Alexander Steen, 3 yrs @ $5.75M; Jake Allen, 3 yrs @ $4.35M</p><h2><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

STL_Piettrangelo

INTERNAL COMBUSTION

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="TB_Kucherov" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/tb_kucherov/267099-1-eng-US/tb_kucherov.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NIKITA KUCHEROV</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE LIGHTNING</b> won&rsquo;t be picking until late in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft, but not to worry. With all the quality young players they have in their system, they probably wouldn&rsquo;t have room for another stud with talent. We joke because there&rsquo;s always room for more assets, but there will be no tag days for Tampa Bay in the foreseeable future. That&rsquo;s twice in the past four years the Lightning haven&rsquo;t had a first-round pick, but with the way GM Steve Yzerman and head scout Al Murray have found hidden gems beyond the first round, that shouldn&rsquo;t pose much of a problem.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> A reliable and experienced backup who can: (a) push Andrei Vasilevskiy; and, (b) spell him off when he needs a break. Vasilevskiy seemed to wear down as his first season as an uncontested No. 1 goalie progressed. Without an established backup, he went from a Vezina Trophy contender to something of a concern.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> Ryan McDonagh, Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi are all UFAs after next season. Two of them are over 30 and one is approaching 30. The Lightning have had the luxury of trading away a lot of futures to win now, which might impede their ability to restock the blueline.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Tampa Bay has about $11 million in cap space and only one significant RFA to sign in J.T. Miller, who has arbitration rights. The Lightning will want to extend Nikita Kucherov this summer, since his bridge deal has only one year remaining, and he&rsquo;s their premier offensive player.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> The Lightning have had a strong presence at the WJC in the past two years, but some of those players have been dealt. Anthony Cirelli proved with his late-season call-up that he&rsquo;s ready to take on the role of third-line center.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Tampa Bay likes its prospects close to home. Each of the Bolts&rsquo; top 10 prospects in Future Watch played in North America, and seven of them spent time on the AHL farm with Syracuse. Unless he makes the big team, Taylor Raddysh will join that group next season.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h2><b>STEVE YZERMAN</b></h2><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2010 <b>| Drafts:</b> 8</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Nikita Kucherov, 58th, 2011; Ondrej Palat, 207th, 2011; Brayden Point, 79th, 2014</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Brett Connolly, 6th, 2010; Anthony DeAngelo, 19th, 2014; Slater Koekkoek, 10th, 2012</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Ben Bishop from Ott. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Cory Conacher, 4th rd pick. April, 2013</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Braydon Coburn from Phi. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Radko Gudas, 1st rd pick, 3rd rd pick. March, 2015</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Nikita Kucherov, 1 yr @ $4.77M; Yanni Gourde, 1 yr @ $1.0M; Andrei Vasilevskiy, 2 yrs @ $3.5M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Ryan Callahan, 2 yrs @ $5.8M; Braydon Coburn, 1 yr @ $3.7M; Dan Girardi, 1 yr @ $3.0M</p><h1><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h1>

TB_Kucherov

DEEP AND DEEPER

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="VAN_Boeser" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/van_boeser/267135-1-eng-US/van_boeser.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BROCK BOESER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Derek Cain/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>UST A FEW YEARS</b> ago, the Canucks were still a 100-plus point team, but a first-round exit signalled they were falling off the table as contenders. The reality was they had an aging roster with not a lot in the pipeline. But the addition of dynamos Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, plus five prospects in the top 80 in Future Watch has silenced some of Vancouver&rsquo;s critics. Add in the No. 7 pick in 2018 and GM Jim Benning is living up to his billing as a builder-through-the-system guru.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> The Canucks have only five wingers under contract for next season and a couple of them are of the fringe variety. So this is Benning&rsquo;s opportunity to decide if he&rsquo;ll fill the gaps with youth or go looking for veteran names via trade or free agency. Vancouver needs serious secondary scoring.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> True top-pair defensemen are tough to come by, and the Canucks lack options now and in the near future. Alexander Edler is the current No. 1, but only because he logs heavy minutes. He&rsquo;ll be a 33-year-old UFA in 2019. Olli Juolevi, Vancouver&rsquo;s top draft pick in 2016, may eventually ascend to the top pair, but more options in the system are needed.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> The combined $14 million for Daniel and Henrik Sedin is off the books, and none of the team&rsquo;s other nine free agents &ndash; both UFAs and RFAs &ndash; will command big raises, so the door is open for Benning to go shopping. The Loui Eriksson experience might make him skittish, though.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> It makes sense to give 20-year old Juolevi another crack, but the defense corps looks seven deep already assuming Troy Stecher and Derrick Pouliot return as RFAs. Up front, could recently-turned-pro Adam Gaudette make the team after a spectacular third season at Northeastern? He&rsquo;s a center but could play the right side and will be 22 by October.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Goalie prospect Michael DiPietro was a defenseman in youth hockey until age 9. After watching stepbrother Mark play net one day, he made the switch. Nine years later, he became a second-round NHL pick.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h2><b>JIM BENNING</b></h2><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2014 <b>| Drafts:</b> 4</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Brock Boeser, 23rd, 2015; Adam Gaudette, 149th, 2015</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Jake Virtanen, 6th, 2014; Olli Juolevi, 5th, 2016</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Jonathan Dahlen from Ott. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Alexandre Burrows. Feb, 2017</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Adam Clendening from Chi. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Gustav Forsling. Jan, 2015</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Michael Del Zotto, 1 yr @ $3.0M; Jacob Markstrom, 2 yrs @ $3.67M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> Loui Eriksson, 4 yrs @ $6.0M; Anders Nilsson, 1 yr @ $2.5M</p><h1><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h1>

VAN_Boeser

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="WSH_Carlson" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/wsh_carlson/267171-1-eng-US/wsh_carlson.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHN CARLSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>OT TO TWIST THE</b> knife for Capitals fans, but Washington is basically like Pittsburgh without the Cups right now. Years of going for it has deprived the Caps of high picks, and now the cupboard is pretty bare. In 2017, Washington made just four selections, and the first came with the 120th pick (Tobias Geisser). Luckily, late-rounder Benton Maass had an incredible freshman season at New Hampshire to make the crop look rosier.</p><p><b>IMMEDIATE NEEDS:</b> Some minor pre-deadline deals helped shore up Washington&rsquo;s blueline, but it is still an area of concern. That situation will get worse should John Carlson leave this summer, and the numbers make that likely. Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos were given big assignments this year, and they&rsquo;ll have to step up even more.</p><p><b>LONG-TERM NEEDS:</b> The Caps had a goaltending controversy brewing, predicated by Braden Holtby&rsquo;s slump before the playoffs. Philipp Grubauer got the start in Game 1 against Columbus, an unheard of concept in the past. With star prospect Ilya Samsonov free to leave the KHL for North America, Washington GM Brian MacLellan has a decision to make once Samsonov is ready for his big chance.</p><p><b>CAP SITUATION:</b> Washington is up tight against the cap, with at most $15 million, assuming the ceiling goes up as much as expected this summer. Carlson is the big UFA, and depending on his needs, the Caps might have to walk away from their No. 1 defenseman. Power forward Tom Wilson, not to mention Bowey and Grubauer, are all RFAs, and they will eat into that Carlson pie.</p><p><b>IN THE SYSTEM 2018-19:</b> There&rsquo;s no lock for a riser right now, but defenseman Lucas Johansen is probably the best bet if someone makes the jump from AHL Hershey. Johansen is a slick-skating blueliner, and while he can&rsquo;t replace Carlson, he can at least move the puck.</p><p><b>DID YOU KNOW:</b> Maass wasn&rsquo;t even the most prominent defenseman on his high school team last year (that was Tampa Bay pick Nick Perbix), but the Elk River Elks (Minn.) product made a big splash at New Hampshire, finishing second in blueline scoring.</p><h1><b>GM SNAPSHOT</b></h1><h2><b>BRIAN MACLELLAN</b></h2><p><b>Hired:</b> May, 2014 <b>| Drafts:</b> 4</p><p><b>MOST ASTUTE PICKS:</b> Ilya Samsonov, 22nd, 2015; Jonas Siegenthaler, 57th, 2015; Benton Maass, 182nd, 2017</p><p><b>DUBIOUS PICKS:</b> Vitek Vanecek, 39th, 2014</p><p><b>BEST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> T.J. Oshie from StL. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley, 3rd rd pick. July, 2015</p><p><b>WORST TRADE: IN &ndash;</b> Curtis Glencross from Cgy. <b>OUT &ndash;</b> 2nd rd pick, 3rd rd pick. March, 2015</p><h1><b>CONTRACT TRACKER</b></h1><p><b>BEST VALUE DEALS:</b> Dmitry Orlov, 5 yrs @ $5.1M; Brett Connolly, 1 yr @ $1.5M; Evgeny Kuznetsov, 6 yrs @ $7.8M</p><p><b>ALBATROSS DEALS:</b> T.J. Oshie, 7 yrs @ $5.75M; Brooks Orpik, 1 yr @ $5.5M</p><h1><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h1>

WSH_Carlson

BLUES ON BLUELINE?

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0066-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0233/257605-1-eng-US/f0066-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LOW RISK, HIGH GAIN</b></p><p>Kirk projects as a Day 2 draft pick but possesses the upside to produce like a Day 1 pick if he realizes his potential.</p><p></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(SHEFFIELD STEELERS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>AUL THOMPSON IS WARY</b> of getting people&rsquo;s hopes up, particularly his own. But he coached in the pro league in Denmark a few years back and got to see Nikolaj Ehlers in a couple of stints with the under-20 team. And some of the things he saw in Ehlers he has seen this season in a young 18-year-old player named Liam Kirk.</p><p>Now, for a young man to be compared to Ehlers is nothing out of the ordinary, but for that teenager to be a homegrown product of the United Kingdom&rsquo;s hockey system rates very close to unicorn status. Perhaps the best parallel would be a young soccer player in Alaska vying for a spot in the Premier League. It&rsquo;s not an outlandish notion, but it&rsquo;s not something you see every day, or every decade for that matter.</p><p>Thompson, who coached Kirk this season with the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in Britain, is quick to point out that he&rsquo;s not saying Kirk will be the next Nikolaj Ehlers, but there are some common traits. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to put him on a pedestal, but there are some similarities there,&rdquo; said Thompson. &ldquo;The way they skate and handle the puck, he reminds me a lot of Ehlers.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">JUST BECAUSE NOBODY HAS DONE IT BEFORE <br>DOESN&rsquo;T MEAN I CAN&rsquo;T BE THE FIRST<br>&ndash; Liam Kirk</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/kirk32/259175-1-eng-US/kirk3.jpg" title="Kirk3" width="1080" height="1563"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SHEFFIELD STEELERS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Like Ehlers, Kirk will find out exactly how good he is next season when he plays in the CHL, possibly in the QMJHL, where Ehlers put up 100-point seasons before and after being taken in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets. Kirk is nowhere near that point in his development yet, but he remains an intriguing prospect for this year&rsquo;s draft. After starting the season as a relative unknown, Kirk has landed on the radar of a number of NHL teams and is a good bet to go on Day 2 of the draft in Dallas, possibly as high as the fourth round, but more likely in the fifth or sixth.</p><p>All told, there have been 52 players who were born in the United Kingdom who have played in the NHL, including modern-day stars such as Owen Nolan and Steve Thomas and Hall of Famers Joe Hall and Charlie Gardiner. But every one of those played his minor hockey in Canada, and to date, not a single player who was both born and trained in the U.K. has appeared in an NHL game. British hockey legend Tony Hand was drafted in the 12th round by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986, and Glasgow-born EIHL star Colin Shields was taken in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2000 before going on to play at the University of Maine and the minors.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">THE WAY THEY SKATE AND HANDLE THE PUCK, <br>HE REMINDS ME A LOT OF EHLERS<br>&ndash; Paul Thompson</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/kirk42/266137-1-eng-US/kirk4.jpg" title="Kirk4" width="1080" height="720"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>THERE&rsquo;S NO &lsquo;D&rsquo; IN OFFENSE</p><p>Thompson sees great scoring skill in Kirk but says his defensive awareness needs a lot of work.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SHEFFIELD STEELERS/CHAMPIONS HOCKEY LEAGUE VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It&rsquo;s a daunting task, but one Kirk is prepared to accept. He&rsquo;s entered the pool of players for the CHL&rsquo;s import draft and this past season acquitted himself quite well playing in the British League, which is sprinkled with former ECHL and American League players as well as veterans of other pro leagues in Europe. After spending much of the first part of the season on the fourth line, Kirk began to get more ice time and responsibility and finished the season with nine goals and 16 points in 52 games. &ldquo;I thought I developed a lot over the season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was just trying to develop my defensive game to go with the offense.&rdquo;</p><p>If Kirk makes the NHL, he won&rsquo;t contend for a Selke Trophy since offense is his calling card. As a 16-year old two years ago, Kirk had 98 points in 17 games with Sheffield&rsquo;s under-18 team and 44 points in 10 games with the under-20 squad. Last season while playing in the English Professional Ice Hockey League, which is essentially the lower tier of the EIHL, Kirk had 20 goals and 45 points in just 38 games. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very talented kid, but we put him on the fourth line,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;He skates very, very well and offensively he knows what to do. Defensively, he didn&rsquo;t have much of a clue and it took a good three or four months of learning and having him understand how to play away from the puck, but once he started grasping it at around the end of November, his whole game started to escalate. There are a lot of former AHL defensemen in this league, and he was able to get his battle level up so he could go against them.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/kirk2/266123-1-eng-US/kirk2.jpg" title="Kirk2" width="1080" height="720"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SHEFFIELD STEELERS)</span></figcaption></div><br><p>It&rsquo;s imperative, however, for Kirk to test himself against elite players his own age in order to see exactly where he is in his development, which is why he&rsquo;s decided to play major junior next season. Goran Stubb, the head of NHL Central Scouting in Europe, watched Kirk play once in Sheffield and later in the Div. II-A Under-18 World Championship in Estonia and acknowledged there is a player worth getting to know better. He compared Kirk&rsquo;s situation to that of Columbus Blue Jackets 2017 second-rounder Alexander Texier, who played in the men&rsquo;s league in France last season before moving to the Finnish League this season. &ldquo;He played with men and against men and he did pretty well there,&rdquo; said Stubb of Kirk. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more of a finesse player, very good with the puck and a good skater, and he has a good understanding of the game, but it&rsquo;s not easy to judge him because of the competition. There&rsquo;s still a long way to go, but he definitely has the skills to play in the NHL. There&rsquo;s definitely something there, but we&rsquo;ll see better what it is when he moves to a better league.&rdquo;</p><p>For his part, Kirk is not phased by the challenge that lies ahead for him or the history he&rsquo;s up against in his quest to play in the NHL. He finished all his high schooling while playing pro hockey and is ready to dedicate himself full-time to playing in the best league in the world, however long it takes him to get there. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see why I wouldn&rsquo;t be able to do it,&rdquo; Kirk said. &ldquo;If I work hard and dedicate myself, I should be able to give myself a chance. Just because nobody has done it before doesn&rsquo;t mean I can&rsquo;t be the first.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Kirk4

Eye On Europe

BRIT AND DETERMINATION

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="SneakPeek_Dach" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sneakpeek_dach/266144-1-eng-US/sneakpeek_dach.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KIRBY&rsquo;S ADVENTURE</b></p><p>Dach had a 19-game taste of the &lsquo;Dub&rsquo; at just 15. That helped him step in as a &ldquo;mature&rdquo; 16-year-old rookie.</p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE HISCOCK/SASKATOON BLADES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>OR FIVE STRAIGHT SEASONS,</b> the Saskatoon Blades have failed to qualify for the WHL playoffs. Given that junior hockey&rsquo;s cycle tends to be one that sees teams rebuild in a span of two or three years, this is a pretty dusty patch. And with these results, it shouldn&rsquo;t be surprising the Blades fired coach Dean Brockman in March, meaning there will be a new voice behind the bench for the fourth time in seven years. Historically, the Blades haven&rsquo;t fared much better. Despite being an original member of the WHL, they&rsquo;ve never won a championship and have lost in the Memorial Cup twice while hosting.</p><p>Enter Kirby Dach, the kid who wants to change all that.</p><p>The second overall pick in the 2016 WHL bantam draft, Dach, a center, is nearly 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, with plenty of time to build upon that frame. During his post-draft year, he was granted special permission to play more than the usual five-game maximum by the WHL when Saskatoon ran into injury problems. The result was six goals and 10 points in 19 games as a 15-year-old turning 16, and, more importantly, experience heading into this season. &ldquo;I was used to the size and speed of the game,&rdquo; Dach said. &ldquo;It made the adjustment so much easier.&rdquo;</p><p>This year was Dach&rsquo;s &ldquo;real&rdquo; rookie season, and notwith-standing a couple of minor injuries, he stayed even keel. Like a lot of elite youngsters, Dach&rsquo;s trip to the World Under-17 Challenge in British Columbia in November did a lot to help his confidence. He finished second on Canada Black with seven points in five games. Back in the WHL, he became a crucial part of the Saskatoon attack and one of the team&rsquo;s top scorers with 46 points, making him nearly a point-per-gamer overall. &ldquo;He can do things on the ice that very few players can,&rdquo; said Blades GM Colin Priestner. &ldquo;He can take over a game.&rdquo;</p><p>Dach grew up in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., near Edmonton. His parents run a small water supply business together in a town known for its petrochemical industry and, incongruously, a flock of sheep that hang out in a downtown park every summer. Ray Whitney, Joffrey Lupul and Dach&rsquo;s current teammate, 2018 draft prospect Eric Florchuk, all hail from Fort Saskatchewan, too.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s blue collar,&rdquo; Dach said. &ldquo;A hockey town for sure.&rdquo;</p><p>Along with hockey, Dach spent his childhood playing baseball in the backyard, while also dabbling in lacrosse. But hockey was the main focus, and thanks to younger brother Colton, he always had someone to play with. &ldquo;That was definitely special, playing with my brother growing up,&rdquo; Kirby said. &ldquo;He was always pushing me and it made for a competitive household. He&rsquo;s going to be an exceptional player. I pick up things from <i>his</i> game.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, Colton looks like a player, too. Currently suiting up for Okanagan Edmonton&rsquo;s bantam prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, the younger Dach was one of the team&rsquo;s top scorers and already has some decent size himself &ndash; despite his 2003 birthday.</p><p>When it comes to NHL players who Dach likes to study, his favorites are Anaheim&rsquo;s Ryan Getzlaf and Winnipeg&rsquo;s Mark Scheifele. Those are lofty role models, but the youngster has high expectations for himself. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s extremely mature,&rdquo; Priestner said. &ldquo;Humble, but confident in himself. He wanted to come in and be our best player.&rdquo;</p><p>One experience that will help with that was Dach&rsquo;s inclusion on Canada&rsquo;s roster for the world under-18s. Because of the tournament falling during the CHL playoffs, the Canadians often bring a smattering of high-end underagers, some of whom play for the duration of the tourney, others who take a back seat once older reinforcements arrive. Either way, it&rsquo;s a great development tool for the kids who will likely play for Canada internationally the next season at the newly christened U-18 Ivan Hlinka-Wayne Gretzky summer tournament or the under-18s again in the spring. The kiddy corps this season is stacked, with Dach joined by fellow WHLer Peyton Krebs (who went first over Dach in the bantam draft) and QMJHL phenom Alexis Lafreniere.</p><p>But no matter what happens at the under-18s in Russia, Dach knows he has an important summer ahead of him, improving as many aspects of his game as possible. Goal scoring should be at the top of the list, as the playmaking pivot counted only seven times this past season, but he&rsquo;ll have plenty of opportunity to do so on a Saskatoon team that needs him. Just making the post-season would be a step forward for the Blades, but that&rsquo;s too small a goal to settle on: they need a statement. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been six years since we&rsquo;ve made the playoffs,&rdquo; Dach said. &ldquo;The future is happening now, so we have to bear down and keep our word. We want to win a championship in the next few years.&rdquo;</p><p>With Dach down the middle, the Blades at least have a key component for a title run already in place.</p><h1><b>PROJECTED TOP 10</b></h1><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sneakpeek_hughes3/259182-1-eng-US/sneakpeek_hughes3.jpg" title="SneakPeek_Hughes3" width="1080" height="768"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Steve Kingsman/HHOF-IIHF Images)</span></figcaption></div><b></b><h1><b>1. JACK HUGHES</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-034/257817-1-eng-US/f0069-032.jpg" title="f0069-03" width="78" height="100"></div><p>C, U.S. NTDP (USHL)</p><p><i>Next Patrick Kane already centering U-18 team&rsquo;s top line as an underager.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>2. ALEX NEWHOOK</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-043/257810-1-eng-US/f0069-042.jpg" title="f0069-04" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-052/257803-1-eng-US/f0069-052.jpg" title="f0069-05" width="78" height="101"></div><p>C, Victoria (BCHL)</p><p><i>One of the league&rsquo;s leading scorers. Great hockey sense.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>3. KIRBY DACH</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-062/257796-1-eng-US/f0069-062.jpg" title="f0069-06" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-072/257789-1-eng-US/f0069-072.jpg" title="f0069-07" width="78" height="98"></div><p>C, Saskatoon (WHL)</p><p><i>Size, mobility and hockey IQ make him a load to handle. Acts like a pro.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>4. PEYTON KREBS</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-082/257782-1-eng-US/f0069-082.jpg" title="f0069-08" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-092/257775-1-eng-US/f0069-092.jpg" title="f0069-09" width="78" height="97"></div><p>LW, Kootenay (WHL)</p><p><i>Deadly playmaker uses speed, smarts and skill to drive offense.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>5. RYAN SUZUKI</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-102/257768-1-eng-US/f0069-102.jpg" title="f0069-10" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-11/257761-1-eng-US/f0069-112.jpg" title="f0069-11" width="78" height="97"></div><p>C, Barrie (OHL)</p><p><i>Intelligent, quick and able to find the soft areas in the offensive zone.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>6. KAAPO KAKKO</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-12/257754-1-eng-US/f0069-122.jpg" title="f0069-12" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-13/257747-1-eng-US/f0069-132.jpg" title="f0069-13" width="78" height="97"></div><p>RW, TPS Jr. (Fin.)</p><p><i>One of league&rsquo;s top scorers. Looked great at Five Nations as underager.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>7. CAM YORK</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-14/257740-1-eng-US/f0069-142.jpg" title="f0069-14" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-15/257733-1-eng-US/f0069-152.jpg" title="f0069-15" width="78" height="98"></div><p>D, U.S. NTDP (USHL)</p><p><i>The kind of D-man everybody wants right now. Smart and mobile.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>8. RAPHAEL LAVOIE</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-16/257726-1-eng-US/f0069-162.jpg" title="f0069-16" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-17/257719-1-eng-US/f0069-172.jpg" title="f0069-17" width="78" height="101"></div><p>C, Halifax (QMJHL)</p><p><i>Absolutely beastly down the stretch. Big man with great hands and upside.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>9. ALEX TURCOTTE</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-18/257712-1-eng-US/f0069-182.jpg" title="f0069-18" width="55" height="59"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-19/257705-1-eng-US/f0069-192.jpg" title="f0069-19" width="78" height="99"></div><p>C, U.S. NTDP (USHL)</p><p><i>Motor that doesn&rsquo;t quit. Sublime skater who plays in all three zones.</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h1><b>10. COLE CAUFIELD</b></h1><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-20/257698-1-eng-US/f0069-202.jpg" title="f0069-20" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-21/257691-1-eng-US/f0069-212.jpg" title="f0069-21" width="78" height="99"></div><p>RW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)</p><p><i>Super small but impossible to pin down. Great skill and vision.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

SneakPeek_Dach

Sneak Peeks

FORTUNE CHANGER

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="SneakPeek_Kleven" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sneakpeek_kleven/266151-1-eng-US/sneakpeek_kleven.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FARGO DAVIES EAGLES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>YLER KLEVEN, THE TALK</b> of Team USA&rsquo;s NTDP tryout camp this spring, is a prototypical NHL defenseman in the making. &ldquo;He showed impressive composure in a field of pure skill and speed,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;No panic in the face of an aggressive forecheck, and he made tough breakouts look effortless.&rdquo;</p><p>Already 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, Kleven is a native of North Dakota who played for Fargo Davies high school this past season. He has already committed to the University of North Dakota, the team he has always cheered for. A punishing, physical player who can also jump into the rush, he&rsquo;ll be a rare Fargo product to play for the Fighting Hawks once he gets to Grand Forks in a few years. As good as the program is, most of North Dakota&rsquo;s talent usually comes from out of state.</p><p>While Kleven raised eyebrows at NTDP camp, he also had company in forwards Antonio Stranges and Ty Smilanic, though Stranges recently committed to play in the OHL for the London Knights.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

SneakPeek_Kleven

MISTER DO-IT-ALL

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-0115/257931-1-eng-US/f0072-012.jpg" title="f0072-01" width="553" height="553"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NO QUIT IN HIM</b></p><p>Leicht was dogged even as a youngster: a badly swollen eye wasn&rsquo;t going to stop him from getting his medal.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LEICHT FAMILY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>ELESTE LERAY-LEICHT </b>apologized for the mess, though by 19-year-old male standards it was actually reasonably tidy. On the desk, near the Fidget Spinner and a stack of red Solo cups &ndash; yes, these kids play beer pong occasionally &ndash; was an SAT practice book her son Jacob was using to study for the test, which he was planning on taking to pursue a hockey scholarship at a U.S. university. Above the desk was a bulletin board with all his medals, including the one he earned as a 10-year-old when he managed to play his piano at a music recital with his left eye swollen shut. There were also childhood pictures, including one of Jacob with a beaming smile after winning a hockey tournament and another of Brianne Theisen-Eaton, his childhood babysitter, who went on to win a bronze medal in the heptathlon at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In the corner was a crossbow Jacob received for Christmas and never got to use. Behind his bed, among other things, were a half-drunk glass of water and a picture of Jacob with his girlfriend. Last year, he had fallen in love with a girl he met in Prince Albert, where he was playing midget hockey. &ldquo;He had that special feeling that someone cared about him,&rdquo; said his father, Kurt. &ldquo;He made that step in life.&rdquo;</p><p>It can be a haunting experience sitting in a dead boy&rsquo;s bedroom talking to his parents less than a week after he is taken from them in an unimaginable tragedy. It can be, but strangely it wasn&rsquo;t. Celeste and Kurt find faith in different places, but their faith is steadfast and their resolve steely. Perhaps it was the endorphins, maybe it hadn&rsquo;t sunk in, perhaps it was the need to stay strong for their three other children &ndash; 17-year-old Isaac, 14-year-old Kiana and 12-year old Karysa. The road ahead will be long and hard, they know that, but two days before they put their son to rest there was a sense of peace and tranquility in that room. It was filled with love, some laughter and wonderful memories.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">HE WAS THE SMALLEST GUY ON THE ICE WITH THE BIGGEST HEART<br>&ndash; Colton Halvorson, former teammate</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0073-0115/257924-1-eng-US/f0073-012.jpg" title="f0073-01" width="745" height="1048"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARLA POSSBERG)</span></figcaption></div><p>Celeste and Kurt have lived a charmed life, she said, at least until the night of April 6 when their son was killed. Celeste is a vice-principal at a faith-based school in Humboldt who taught all four of her children at one time or another, and Kurt is a financial planner who is a carpenter by trade. He built the house they live in, complete with a home movie theater in the basement. He spent time with his children, teaching Jacob how to build things, repair a car, how to take down a deer and instilling in him the values that his firstborn son would put to good use helping others. Times were hectic, and the two parents would often put hundreds of miles on their vehicles travelling all over the province with their children, sometimes passing each other along the way to sporting events on the same weekend. &ldquo;People used to think we were nuts at times because we used to follow our kids all the time,&rdquo; Kurt said. &ldquo;But this is why we went to everything, every game we could to watch each of our kids. <i>This</i> is why. You don&rsquo;t know how much time you have, right? I loved it. I wouldn&rsquo;t give it up.&rdquo;</p><p>The night of Jacob&rsquo;s death, Kurt and Celeste came home to see their son&rsquo;s Bible hanging over the edge of his bed frame, looking like it had recently been read. The ribbon was marking the page in the Old Testament with Psalm 18, attributed to by King David: &ldquo;I love you oh Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s important to note that King David is the same David who, in biblical lore, killed Goliath. It&rsquo;s fitting that an undersized kid who often stared down bigger players and overcame the odds to play for his hometown junior team would be reading the words of King David. After all, here was a 5-foot-8 kid with speed who decided to become a long jumper instead of a sprinter in high school track and field. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not bad, eh? He read it at some point,&rdquo; Celeste said. &ldquo;Jacob was quiet in his faith. He wasn&rsquo;t ashamed of it, but it was just his personality and character. Verbally, he was just soft-spoken.&rdquo;</p><p>Like 14 others on that Humboldt Broncos bus en route to a playoff game, Jacob was killed instantly when the bus collided with a semi-trailer transport truck on a stretch of highway in rural Saskatchewan (team trainer Dayna Brons died in hospital five days later). It was an accident so tragic, so random, so devastating that it prompted an outpouring of emotion from around the world. We&rsquo;ve chosen to highlight Jacob&rsquo;s story at length, not because it merits any more prominence than any of the other people who lost their lives chasing their dreams, but because he was the only player killed on that bus who was from Humboldt, who had been a Bronco from the first time he played hockey, who idolized the Broncos players that came before him and yearned to skate on the same ice surface, the one at the Elgar Petersen Arena where he was laid to rest a week after the accident.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/broncos_leight6/266158-1-eng-US/broncos_leight6.jpg" title="Broncos_Leight6" width="1080" height="718"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BORN TO WIN</b></p><p>Before joining the Broncos Leicht helped his midget team win a pair of league titles and a provincial championship.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARLA POSSBERG)</span></figcaption></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>It was a spa day for the moms in the neighborhood, which meant the dads were on kid duty. What could go possibly wrong with that arrangement? (Spoiler alert: plenty.) You see, the dads were also occupied with the task of replacing the windows in Kurt&rsquo;s house that day. When you live in rural Saskatchewan and there are too many kids underfoot while you&rsquo;re trying to cross things off the to-do list, you simply have them trundle off to the park and not worry too much about it. No big-city helicopter parenting necessary.</p><p>Well, you know, kids being kids, they got into a fierce game of tag, and that&rsquo;s when 10-year-old Jacob tumbled down the ladder of the play structure, almost strategically smacking his left cheek/orbital bone against each rung on the way down. By the next morning, his left eye had just about swelled shut and the side of his face was grotesquely enormous. &ldquo;He looked like the Elephant Man,&rdquo; Celeste said.</p><p>Compounding the problem was that it was graduation day for the Music for Young Children program. Jacob had been part of the program for years, and if he didn&rsquo;t play his piano at the final recital that day, he wouldn&rsquo;t be awarded the big shiny medal he had so long coveted. He woke up crying, thinking there was no way he was going to be able to play, but he got dressed up and played the final piece, despite barely being able to see out of his left eye. He earned that medal and received it proudly, with everyone in the audience focused on his face. &ldquo;He played,&rdquo; Celeste said, &ldquo;but you could tell everybody&rsquo;s focus was on his eye. &lsquo;What the heck happened to this little boy?&rsquo; It was priceless.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">ON HIS BEST DAY, JACOB WAS 5-FOOT-8, AND THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WITH SKATES ON. BUT HE PLAYED WITH THE HEART OF A LION<br>&ndash; Randy MacLean, Broncos vice-president</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0075-024/257903-1-eng-US/f0075-022.jpg" title="f0075-02" width="343" height="335"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PEOPLE PERSON</b></p><p>Of Leicht&rsquo;s many positive attributes, his parents were most proud of how he treated everyone equally.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LEICHT FAMILY)</span></figcaption></div><p>Music always came easily to Jacob. His teachers at Humboldt Collegiate Institute used to rave about how diligently he must have practised the saxophone, though his parents don&rsquo;t recall him ever bringing it home. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t until the Christmas concert one year that I realized he switched from alto sax to baritone sax,&rdquo; Celeste said. &ldquo;He did not practice once. I was like, &lsquo;When did you switch instruments?&rsquo; And he was like, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t know, the teacher just gave me a different instrument to play.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>That tiny 10-year-old didn&rsquo;t grow a whole lot more through his teenaged years. Jacob was all of 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds when he cracked the roster of the Broncos Jr. A team as an 18-year-old this season, the culmination of a lifelong climb to the top of Humboldt hockey. But the same dogged determination and persistence was evident on the ice as Jacob gutted his way up the ranks of minor hockey in his hometown. Some years in Humboldt, he would make the AA team, which was the highest level of hockey in town, but others he&rsquo;d be relegated to the A team one tier below. Three years ago, he was cut from Humboldt&rsquo;s AA midget team only to be called back up midway through the season when the club needed players. He went on to help that team win back-to-back league championships and a Saskatchewan provincial championship in the second season. &ldquo;Smallest guy on the ice with the biggest heart,&rdquo; said Colton Halvorson, a former teammate on that midget team in Humboldt. &ldquo;Out of anyone on the two midget teams, he was the one who deserved to be (on the Broncos Jr. A team) the most. He would go into the corner with some of the biggest guys in the league, and he would be winning puck battles.&rdquo;</p><p>Jacob never played AAA hockey until last season when he left home to join the Prince Albert Mintos after being cut by the AAA midget team in nearby Tisdale. In his first game against Tisdale, the home opener for the team that had just cut him, Jacob led Prince Albert to victory. He had two goals and an assist and was named the first star of the game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0075-0113/257910-1-eng-US/f0075-012.jpg" title="f0075-01" width="343" height="714"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CELESTE LERAY-LEICHT & KURT LEICHT</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LEICHT FAMILY)</span></figcaption></div><p>Last fall, Jacob made the Humboldt Broncos Jr. A roster as a rookie. As he had with so many other teams in the past, he played up and down the lineup. There were games when his ice time was limited, but he dressed for every Broncos game this season. He was already looking forward to a summer in the gym that would make him stronger and an increased role with the Broncos as a 19-year-old, which he hoped would catch the eye of U.S. college recruiters.</p><p>Shortly after having made the team, Jacob and fellow rookie Layne Matechuk took their 20-year-old teammates Logan Schatz, Bryce Fiske and Jaxon Joseph on a hunting expedition, charging the veterans with the task of clearing brush to get the deer to come out. Of the ones who went on that outing, only Matechuk and Fiske survived the crash. &ldquo;On his best day, Jacob was 5-foot-8, and that might have been with skates on,&rdquo; said Broncos vice-president Randy MacLean. &ldquo;Played with the heart of a lion. Never took a shift off. &lsquo;Jacob, how you doing?&rsquo; &lsquo;I&rsquo;m doing great. I&rsquo;m living the dream. I wanted to play for the Humboldt Broncos, and I&rsquo;m playing for the Humboldt Broncos.&rsquo; So proud, so proud.&rdquo;</p><p>That Broncos pride extended off the ice as well. On Friday or Sunday nights if they weren&rsquo;t playing, the Broncos, led by assistant coach Mark Cross, who also died in the crash, would throw the doors of the arena open for any kids who wanted to come and play. Parents would drop their kids off at the rink and each would wear a Broncos practice jersey, with the ice divided up into three different skill sets with boys and girls of all ages playing. Jacob rarely missed an opportunity to volunteer and work with the kids.</p><p>A town of only about 6,000 people, Humboldt is the kind of place where there are so many interconnections, particularly when you&rsquo;re a teacher or a vice-principal. One of those teachers at the high school Jacob attended is Karla Gardiner, whose son Erik played this season with WHL Kelowna and is one of Jacob&rsquo;s childhood friends. &ldquo;As a parent you worry if your kid is going to be a good kid,&rdquo; Celeste said. &ldquo;I was always asking my colleagues, &lsquo;What kind of kid is he?&rsquo; More important than anything is how they treat others. And they would always tell me, &lsquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter who we put him with. He&rsquo;s happy to be partnered up and in a group with anyone we put him with.&rsquo; Erik Gardiner&rsquo;s mother shared with me at the vigil, she said, &lsquo;I need you to know that what we loved most about Jacob at the high school was how he treated everyone.&rsquo; And that&rsquo;s all I can ask for. That&rsquo;s more important than anything in life.&rdquo;</p><p>Two days after the bus crash, Celeste was sitting at her kitchen table crying. She and her husband were preparing to take Jacob&rsquo;s grandparents and brother to the morgue in Saskatoon to see him. She asked for God and Jacob to help her get through the dark days ahead. It was at that moment, Celeste said, that she felt her son&rsquo;s presence in a very powerful way. Just as he had done with teammates and friends, he was helping her find a higher purpose.</p><p>Celeste then talked about how her home province was hurting even before the bus crash. More than 150,000 First Nations people live in Saskatchewan, which makes up 16 percent of the province&rsquo;s population, but the majority lives below the poverty line and has a lower life expectancy. In 2016, a 22-year-old Cree man by the name of Colten Boushie was shot dead by a farm owner in Saskatchewan after Boushie and some friends drove onto the property and then crashed their SUV into a car. The owner of the farm, Gerald Stanley, was charged with second-degree murder but was acquitted, claiming the gun had gone off by accident. The case drew national media coverage and highlighted the issue of relations with First Nations people in Canada. Celeste talked about the tragedy and affliction indigenous people suffer and how it doesn&rsquo;t seem to get enough attention, and when it does it tends to be overwhelmingly negative. At a time when a GoFundMe effort can raise more than $15 million in 11 days for the Broncos, there are those who have faced socioeconomic disadvantages for generations.</p><p>Celeste then talked about how people need to reach out to one another and how her son&rsquo;s memory will inspire her to do that. She now plans to establish a foundation or movement for indigenous children inspired by the spectacular Northern Lights that you can often see in Saskatchewan when you look north. &ldquo;From hurt can come good,&rdquo; Celeste said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not going to be about Jacob, but he&rsquo;s going to be instrumental. He&rsquo;s going to be my guide.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Broncos_Leight6

JACOB’S LADDER

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-0114/258072-1-eng-US/f0076-012.jpg" title="f0076-01" width="717" height="851"></div><h2><b>LOGAN SCHATZ</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-026/258065-1-eng-US/f0076-022.jpg" title="f0076-02" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>20 YEARS OLD, ALLAN, SASK.</i></p><p><b>HAD IT NOT BEEN</b> for an injury last year, Schatz likely wouldn&rsquo;t even have been in Humboldt for his fourth season. &ldquo;I thought he was headed to NCAA and wouldn&rsquo;t be here,&rdquo; said team president Kevin Garinger. When he walked into the gym, the other players knew it was time to work. &ldquo;Logan would walk in and it would change, without saying a word,&rdquo; said team vice-president Randy MacLean. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t about demanding respect. He carried himself like he played and the way he played was an extension of who he was as a person.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>ADAM HEROLD</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-033/258058-1-eng-US/f0076-032.jpg" title="f0076-03" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>16 YEARS OLD, MONTMARTRE, SASK.</i></p><p><b>THE YOUNGEST PLAYER ON</b> the bus, Herold would&rsquo;ve turned 17 six days after the accident. He was up with the Broncos after finishing his midget season in Regina and was likely headed to the WHL&rsquo;s Prince Albert Raiders next season. &ldquo;Even at 16 you could see he was a great leader,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;You could see it on the ice. He was going to be a star.&rdquo; His coach with the Regina Pat Canadians said he was the kind of boy you wanted as a son or you wanted your daughter to bring home.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CONNER LUKAN</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-04/258051-1-eng-US/f0076-042.jpg" title="f0076-04" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>21 YEARS OLD, SLAVE LAKE, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>AFTER THREE YEARS IN</b> the Alberta Junior League, Lukan was traded to the Broncos this season and billeted with Garinger, who would relish the opportunity to wait up after games and talk to him when he got home. &ldquo;He was appreciative for everything, it didn&rsquo;t matter what,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;It was, &lsquo;Thank you, thank you, thank you.&rsquo; He was a superstar on the ice and a superstar off the ice, no question.&rdquo; In a playoff game, he blocked five shots while killing a penalty. &ldquo;He would do anything for Kevin and (wife Kathy),&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;That kid you want representing your community.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>EVAN THOMAS</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-05/258044-1-eng-US/f0076-052.jpg" title="f0076-05" width="63" height="63"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 63px"><span class="photo-credit">(HUMBOLDT BRONCOS)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>18 YEARS OLD, SASKATOON, SASK.</i></p><p><b>THE BRONCOS HOLD A</b> lottery each season and they work the phones to sell tickets in the community, with each player having to do a shift. Garinger said he never saw a kid work harder to sell than Thomas. &ldquo;He would just not give up,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re being kicked out of the office for crying out loud and he still wanted to keep going. That&rsquo;s the kind of kid he was.&rdquo; A rookie this season, Thomas blended in easily with the group. &ldquo;Everybody knew he was a bit of a character and they loved his character,&rdquo; MacLean said.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>JACOB LEICHT</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-0114/258037-1-eng-US/f0077-012.jpg" title="f0077-01" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>19 YEARS OLD, HUMBOLDT, SASK.</i></p><p><b>A LOCAL KID WHO</b> grew up in the Broncos&rsquo; minor hockey system, Leicht was living out his dream. Despite almost always being the smallest player on the ice, he played with the heart of a lion. &ldquo;For so many of our kids when they&rsquo;re little this is their NHL,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;He was the type of kid, once you gave him a shot, you&rsquo;d never get him out of the lineup because he worked so hard. He was the type of kid that it was all about the crest on the front of the jersey. If it needed to be done, he did it with no fear. It&rsquo;s who he was as a person.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>JAXON JOSEPH</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-025/258030-1-eng-US/f0077-022.jpg" title="f0077-02" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>20 YEARS OLD, EDMONTON, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>WHEN JOSEPH CAME TO</b> the Broncos in November, he had three goals. He ended the season with 28. In their first round playoff series &ldquo;he scored a goal few people, at whatever level of hockey, would score,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;Pass, breakaway from the blueline in. Deke, backhand, forehand, backhand, post and in.&rdquo; MacLean recalled when Jaxon&rsquo;s father, ex-NHLer Chris, and grandfather came to a game. Jaxon came out with a big smile, gave them both a hug and said, &ldquo;Dad, Grampa, I&rsquo;m hungry!&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>LOGAN BOULET</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-034/258023-1-eng-US/f0077-032.jpg" title="f0077-03" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>21 YEARS OLD, LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>THE SON OF EDUCATORS,</b> Boulet wanted to follow in his parents&rsquo; footsteps and become a teacher. That&rsquo;s why when he wasn&rsquo;t playing hockey, he would often spend his free time playing floor hockey with &ndash; or reading to &ndash; the kids in the local schools. &ldquo;Darcy (coach Haugan) would put the call out and right away Logan would be like, &lsquo;Boom. OK, I&rsquo;ll go,&rsquo;&rdquo; MacLean said. It surprised no one that Boulet had arranged to have his vital organs donated so others could live after he died. &ldquo;Not a fun kid to play against,&rdquo; Garinger said, &ldquo;but an amazing kid to talk to.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>LOGAN HUNTER</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-042/258016-1-eng-US/f0077-042.jpg" title="f0077-04" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>18 YEARS OLD, ST. ALBERT, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>TEAM CAPTAIN CONNER LUKAN</b> took Hunter under his wing and the rookie was developing the leadership qualities that would&rsquo;ve made him a great captain. &ldquo;Conner would talk about how he enjoyed playing with Logan,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;Not that Conner would talk bad about anybody, but nobody could find anything wrong with Logan.&rdquo; Hunter was pegged to be a cornerstone player for the team in the future. &ldquo;You could see he was the kind of kid who would eventually score 40 goals in this league,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;Unbelievable character.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>STEPHEN WACK</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-052/258009-1-eng-US/f0077-052.jpg" title="f0077-05" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>21 YEARS OLD, ST. ALBERT, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>MACLEAN WAS WATCHING THE</b> team in training camp and saw Wack was 6-foot-6. &ldquo;I said to him, &lsquo;Wack, did you grow?&rsquo;&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;And he just said, &lsquo;Yup,&rsquo; with a huge smile on his face.&rdquo; He was great with computers and had a future in video editing. His teammates liked playing with him, both because of his skills and his on-ice demeanor, which was not a reflection of his easygoing nature off the ice. &ldquo;Look out if you ever pushed the wrong button with him,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;You didn&rsquo;t want to take a kid as big as Stephen and anger him.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>PARKER TOBIN</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-062/258002-1-eng-US/f0077-062.jpg" title="f0077-06" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>18 YEARS OLD, STONY PLAIN, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>A PROMISING GOALIE WITH</b> a future in the NCAA, Tobin had the league&rsquo;s best playoff save percentage at .941. He and MacLean got into a heated debate one night during the lottery fundraising calls over who was better, Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. Parker, a Gretzky guy, was recruiting opinions to buttress his argument. &ldquo;He was really into it and I finally had to say, &lsquo;Parker, we&rsquo;re here to make phone calls, man,&rsquo;&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;And then we ended up at Dairy Queen having Blizzards.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>DARCY HAUGAN,&nbsp;</b>COACH</h2><p><i>42 YEARS OLD, PEACE RIVER, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>A WHL PLAYER BRIEFLY</b> sent to the Broncos remarked that Haugan never swore at practice. Haugan took over the Humboldt bench on short notice prior to 2015-16. The team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 36 years, but made it the past two seasons. He believed the Broncos were building citizens as much as hockey players. He&rsquo;ll be hugely difficult to replace. &ldquo;As he&rsquo;s looking down he can say, &lsquo;You know what? I left the place better than I found it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re gone and people miss you that deeply, that&rsquo;s a good idea of the impact you&rsquo;ve had.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>MARK CROSS,&nbsp;</b>ASSISTANT COACH</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-082/257988-1-eng-US/f0077-082.jpg" title="f0077-08" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>27 YEARS OLD, STRASBOURG, SASK.</i></p><p><b>WHENEVER THE BRONCOS WEREN&rsquo;T</b> playing on a Friday or Sunday night, Cross would open the Elgar Petersen Arena for kids to play shinny. He&rsquo;d section off the ice and have kids arranged according to skill level. And he did it on his own time, expecting nothing in return. After playing five years at York University, he was just starting his coaching career. &ldquo;He was a bright, bright guy and he wanted to be a hockey coach and starting that with the Broncos was a dream,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;He believed in respect for each other and respect for the game.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TYLER BIEBER,&nbsp;</b>PLAY-BY-PLAY</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-092/257981-1-eng-US/f0077-092.jpg" title="f0077-09" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>29 YEARS OLD, HUMBOLDT, SASK.</i></p><p><b>AFTER HAVING TO BE</b> coaxed to do the Broncos&rsquo; play-by-play because it conflicted with him coaching football and basketball at the high school, Bieber took the job and excelled in it. He cared for the community where he grew up and it showed. Garinger, who&rsquo;s also the director of education in Humboldt, recalled the town&rsquo;s Canada 150 parade where he was pulling the board of education&rsquo;s float: &ldquo;Tyler says on the radio in front of everyone, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s nice to see Mr. Kevin Garinger, director of education, actually working on a Saturday.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BRODY HINZ,&nbsp;</b>TEAM STATISTICIAN</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-102/257974-1-eng-US/f0077-102.jpg" title="f0077-10" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>18 YEARS OLD, HUMBOLDT, SASK.</i></p><p><b>WHEN HE WAS SEVEN</b> years old, Hinz received a hockey statistics book for Christmas and that was all it took. Not only was he a whiz with numbers, he earned the trust of coach Haugan, who valued his opinion. It all started with the Broncos when he went to the office one day and told Garinger he wanted to help. That&rsquo;s also how it started with the local radio station, where he worked part time while attending school. &ldquo;He wanted Bieber&rsquo;s seat,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;Tyler was in no rush to give it up.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>DAYNA BRONS,&nbsp;</b>ATHLETIC THERAPIST/EQUIPMENT MANAGER</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-112/257967-1-eng-US/f0077-112.jpg" title="f0077-11" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>24 YEARS OLD LAKE LENORE, SASK.</i></p><p><b>IN HER SECOND SEASON</b> with the team, Brons was a university-educated athletic therapist who also took on the role of equipment manager, despite having no experience. She&rsquo;ll be remembered for her passion and efficiency on the job &ndash; and for being able to give and take the constant ribbing. &ldquo;They teased her unmercifully,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;They would torture her. They&rsquo;d be at a restaurant on the road and start singing &lsquo;Happy Birthday&rsquo; or tell the owner it was her birthday, even though it wasn&rsquo;t. But they loved her and she loved them.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>GLEN DOERKSEN,&nbsp;</b>BUS DRIVER</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0077-122/257960-1-eng-US/f0077-122.jpg" title="f0077-12" width="63" height="63"></div><p><i>59 YEARS OLD CARROT RIVER, SASK.</i></p><p><b>A REGULAR BUS DRIVER</b> for both senior teams in the area and the Broncos, Doerksen was trusted and loved by all who were brought to their games by him. &ldquo;The kids loved him,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;d give up things. If he had something going on and the kids needed someone to drive, he&rsquo;d drive them. He took the safety of our kids and the responsibility&hellip; he didn&rsquo;t want anybody else to do it and we wouldn&rsquo;t have wanted anyone else either. He was like a dad to everyone, including Darcy (Haugan), and that&rsquo;s why he drove the bus all the time.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0076-01

THOSE WE LOST

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0078-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0078-0114/258115-1-eng-US/f0078-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HOME TEAM</b></p><p>The town of Humboldt and the hockey world rallied around the Broncos in the days and weeks after the horrific crash.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p> <span class="photo-credit">(Kymber Rae/AFP/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">Everything you know and everything you understand is gone. But there is an opportunity that exists for us to heal and that can only happen with the Humboldt Broncos being on the ice<br>&ndash; Humboldt Broncos president Kevin Garinger</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HEY&rsquo;D MADE UP</b> their minds. No more billeting hockey players, and that was final. Which was why this was just supposed to be a temporary arrangement. But then Conner Lukan stepped through the doors of Kevin and Kathy Garinger&rsquo;s home and stole their hearts, what with all the passion and the pleases and the thank yous and the wearing of his heart on his sleeve. It only took a couple days before Kevin turned to his wife and said, &ldquo;Can we keep him?&rdquo;</p><p>Kevin, who is also the president of the Humboldt Broncos junior team for which Conner played, relished staying up late to talk with Conner after games about hockey, about the Edmonton Oilers, about life in general. And more than two weeks after Conner was taken away, Kevin couldn&rsquo;t even bring himself to walk down into his own basement and be in Conner&rsquo;s bedroom. &ldquo;I feel guilty because I feel like he needs me,&rdquo; Garinger said. &ldquo;When you can&rsquo;t even go downstairs in your own home&hellip;I need to figure out how I&rsquo;m going to deal with that and I need to find the strength to go and be with him.&rdquo;</p><p>Along with Kevin Garinger, the good people of Humboldt are learning that there&rsquo;s no how-to manual for dealing with tragedy. There&rsquo;s no rationalizing why 16 people were taken in such a random event as a bus full of hockey players and personnel hitting a transport truck in the light of day in perfect road conditions. It&rsquo;s hard for them to even conceive of a future without these 15 men and one woman. &ldquo;That was ripped away from us,&rdquo; said Broncos vice-president Randy MacLean. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not like we&rsquo;ve folded. We&rsquo;re decimated. We put 29 people on a bus on a Friday afternoon and at five o&rsquo;clock our lives&hellip;shifted exponentially.&rdquo;</p><p>A tragedy of this magnitude would be a terrible burden for a city of any size, but when it happens to a town of 6,000 people, it&rsquo;s nothing short of a crippling blow. Things will never be quite the same in Humboldt after the tragic events of April 6, 2018, but there is a resilience among the people that will pull the community together. As one former Broncos player put it two days after the accident: the Broncos will be back. And they will be strong.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">THERE IS ZERO QUESTION THERE WILL ABSOLUTELY <br>BE A HUMBOLDT BRONCOS NEXT YEAR<br>&ndash; Kevin Garinger, Broncos president</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/broncos_garinger/266165-1-eng-US/broncos_garinger.jpg" title="Broncos_Garinger" width="1080" height="685"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HEALING PROCESS</b></p><p>Humboldt team president Kevin Garinger believes that people&nbsp;<br>need to see the Broncos back in action next season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(KYMBER RAE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Part of what has made this tragedy so real and painful in Humboldt also has to do with what the Broncos mean to the fabric of the community. They&rsquo;re far more than just a hockey team, a darn successful one that won the Royal Bank Cup as Canada&rsquo;s national Jr.</p><p>A champions in 2003 and 2008 and once had a stretch of 36 consecutive years in the Saskatchewan Junior League playoffs. The players there become part of the tribe. They read to little kids in local schools and volunteer with the developmentally disabled. They play floor hockey and basketball with kids and throw the doors of the Elgar Petersen Arena open on a Friday or Sunday night to host shinny games with them. They work part-time at the Black Pepper Bar & Grill.</p><p>It&rsquo;s the kind of place where a player like Curtis Knight can come and play for the Broncos from Swift Current and be billeted by Dr. David Guilbault, a local optometrist. Now that Dr. Guilbault has retired, Dr. Curtis Knight has taken over Optical Management on Main Street. It&rsquo;s the kind of place where they name the arena not after a politician or wealthy businessman, but after an unassuming regular guy who volunteered his time to minor hockey.</p><p>MacLean said there have been people in town who have been season-ticket holders for 30 years. One of them walked into the arena the morning after the crash and said to MacLean, &ldquo;I had to come here. I didn&rsquo;t know where else to go.&rdquo; As did another who has a seat right under the press box, four rows down from the top and puts his coffee in the stairwell, only to have it regularly stepped on or kicked over by people selling 50-50 tickets. &ldquo;He comes in and gives me a big bear hug,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;And he says, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m so sorry we&rsquo;ve lost our team. We&rsquo;ve lost kids. I had to come. I had nowhere else to go.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-0114/258101-1-eng-US/f0081-012.jpg" title="f0081-01" width="680" height="329"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>VIGIL FOR THE VICTIMS</b></p><p>The Broncos are much more than just a hockey team in Humboldt &ndash; they're part of the fabric of the community.</p></figcaption></div><p>An unusually cold Prairie wind swept across Humboldt in the days after the accident. It seemed to take with it all sense of hope and replaced it with despair. The Broncos suddenly find themselves essentially without a team. They have no coach or GM. They have almost no players. Two, maybe, three of the teenagers who survived the crash will be able to come back and play for the team next season. They have no trainer/equipment manager and no goalie. Not even a bus driver.</p><p>The healing process for Humboldt is going to be a long one, and it must include a resurrected version of the Broncos. At a vigil held two days after the accident, 16-year-old Brett Joseph, whose father, Chris, played in the NHL and whose brother Jaxon died in the crash, told MacLean he intends to play for the team. There could be a dispersal draft among the other clubs in the SJHL, but it doesn&rsquo;t really matter. Whether or not the Humboldt Broncos are competitive or how many games they win is secondary to the fact that they will take the ice in the fall. &ldquo;There is zero question there will absolutely be a Humboldt Broncos next year,&rdquo; said Garinger, who will return as president. &ldquo;We will do everything within our power, put everything we have in terms of our resources, do everything we need to do to ensure this community can come together and support each other and the 2018-19 Humboldt Broncos. People need to see that when things are the most difficult, when you&rsquo;ve been faced with the greatest challenge you could ever imagine, that you&rsquo;re willing step up and take a step forward.&rdquo;</p><p>In the days following the accident, the SJHL wrestled with what to do about the rest of its playoffs. When the accident occurred, the Broncos were en route to a road game against the Nipawin Hawks, hoping to get themselves back into the series after falling behind 3-1. The winner of that series would play the Estevan Bruins for the right to play the Manitoba champion, the winner of which would then move on to the Royal Bank Cup. The league decided to go forward with the final between the Hawks and the Bruins, which Nipawin won in seven games. When the SJHL voted on what to do, it wanted Humboldt&rsquo;s blessing to go ahead. The league received it, wholeheartedly and unwaveringly.</p><p>That was the first step of the process in putting faith in the healing power of the game. Humboldt will be forever changed. There will be memorials, numbers will be retired, new players will be faced with the monumental task of replacing teenagers who will be immortalized in the hearts of Broncos fans. &ldquo;This tragedy can&rsquo;t define us,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;We have to heal, we have to reflect, we have to remember, we have to honor. But we also have to live, and we have to give ourselves license to live.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Broncos_Garinger

HUMBOLDT STRONG

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="Broncos_Sticks" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/broncos_sticks/266172-1-eng-US/broncos_sticks.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD LAUTENS/TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>f the 29 members of the Humboldt Broncos who boarded the bus on the afternoon of April 6, only 13 emerged from the wreckage. Some sustained only minor injuries, while others were left permanently disabled. They face a life that will never be the same and will carry their emotional scars for a long time. Here are the survivors.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0078-034/258228-1-eng-US/f0078-032.jpg" title="f0078-03" width="151" height="164"></div><h1><b>10 RYAN STRASCHNITZKI</b></h1><p><i>D, 19, AIRDRIE, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>IN THE DAYS AFTER</b> the accident, Straschnitzki lifted the spirits of a country. After learning he had been paralyzed from the chest down, he announced that he would pursue a spot on Canada&rsquo;s national sledge hockey team. He was hoping to play university hockey.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-0114/258221-1-eng-US/f0079-012.jpg" title="f0079-01" width="150" height="168"></div><h1><b>31 JACOB WASSERMANN</b></h1><p><i>G, 18, HUMBOLDT, SASK.</i></p><p><b>THE TEAM HAD HIGH</b> hopes that Wassermann would be the first Broncos player drafted directly to the NHL. He was rookie of the year in the SJHL this season and had played games with the WHL&rsquo;s Regina Pats. Nice kid with a competitive spirit, never gave up on a puck.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-025/258214-1-eng-US/f0079-022.jpg" title="f0079-02" width="151" height="169"></div><h1><b>19 MATTHIEU GOMERCIC</b></h1><p><i>LW, 20, WINNIPEG, MAN.</i></p><p><b>A POWER FORWARD WITH</b> good hands, Gomercic would have worn a letter, or even been a captain, had the Broncos not been loaded with vets. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be the first one to go in the corner and be the last one out,&rdquo; said team president Kevin Garinger. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;ll be the first one back in his end.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-034/258207-1-eng-US/f0079-032.jpg" title="f0079-03" width="150" height="168"></div><h1><b>14 BRYCE FISKE</b></h1><p><i>D, 20, LA RONGE, SASK.</i></p><p><b>THE CAPTAIN OF THE</b> La Ronge Ice Wolves, Fiske came to Humboldt in a mid-season trade and quickly established himself as a leader. His sister dates a player from Nipawin, and the moment they walked into his hospital room for the first time, he flipped his opponent the bird.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-043/258200-1-eng-US/f0079-042.jpg" title="f0079-04" width="151" height="162"></div><h1><b>26 BRAYDEN CAMRUD</b></h1><p><i>D, 19, SASKATOON, SASK.</i></p><p><b>IRRITATING TO PLAY AGAINST,</b> Camrud had the temerity to back up his actions. In one playoff game, he took a bad penalty that led to the tying goal late in the game but redeemed himself by scoring the OT winner. He&rsquo;s one of the few players who likely will be back next year, perhaps as captain.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-024/258193-1-eng-US/f0080-022.jpg" title="f0080-02" width="150" height="167"></div><h1><b>16 KALEB DAHLGREN</b></h1><p><i>RW, 20, SASKATOON, SASK</i></p><p><b>A TYPE 1 DIABETIC,</b> Dahlgren has never allowed a regimen that sometimes calls for five needles a day to slow him down. Shortly after coming to Humboldt from Notre Dame high school in Saskatchewan, he established Dahlgren&rsquo;s Diabeauties to support and mentor kids with diabetes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-032/258186-1-eng-US/f0080-032.jpg" title="f0080-03" width="151" height="166"></div><h1><b>3 XAVIER LABELLE</b></h1><p><i>D, 18, SASKATOON, SASK.</i></p><p><b>A PHYSICAL DEFENDER WHO</b> controls the play, Labelle may still have a future in the game depending upon how he recovers. The team&rsquo;s only bilingual player, he was taking high school courses in French. His recovery has progressed quickly, which doesn&rsquo;t surprise anyone with the Broncos.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-04/258179-1-eng-US/f0080-042.jpg" title="f0080-04" width="150" height="161"></div><h1><b>9 GRAYSEN CAMERON</b></h1><p><i>RW, 18, OLDS, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>THE PLAYER IN THE</b> middle of that moving photograph of three Broncos players holding hands in their hospital beds was Cameron. He was a third-line checker and embraced his responsibilities. A hardworking kid, he got out of the hospital in time to attend some of his teammates&rsquo; funerals.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-05/258172-1-eng-US/f0080-052.jpg" title="f0080-05" width="151" height="167"></div><h1><b>24 MORGAN GOBEIL</b></h1><p><i>D, 18, HUMBOLDT, SASK.</i></p><p><b>GOBEIL WAS ANOTHER LOCAL</b> player who was living his dream. He eschewed the chance to leave town to play AAA hockey because he also wanted to play high school football. He played both forward and defense at a high level and could return next season if he fully recovers from his injuries.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-025/258165-1-eng-US/f0081-022.jpg" title="f0081-02" width="150" height="160"></div><h1><b>23 DEREK PATTER</b></h1><p><i>C, 19, EDMONTON, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>THE BRONCOS CAN PENCIL</b> Patter into the lineup for next season because he has emphatically stated he has every intention of playing in 2018-19. He plays much bigger than his 5-foot-9 stature, largely because he&rsquo;s a ball of muscle. Well liked by his teammates, Patter is a character player.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-033/258158-1-eng-US/f0081-032.jpg" title="f0081-03" width="151" height="163"></div><h1><b>28 LAYNE MATECHUK</b></h1><p><i>D, 18, COLONSAY, SASK.</i></p><p><b>ONE OF THE LAST</b> players to come off the critical list, Matechuk suffered severe head and upper-body injuries. Although only 18 on a veteran team, he asserted himself on the blueline with his ability to control the play. He may be able to come back in the future but has had a number of surgeries.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-042/258151-1-eng-US/f0081-042.jpg" title="f0081-04" width="150" height="169"></div><h1><b>21 NICK SHUMLANSKI</b></h1><p><i>C, 20, TISDALE, SASK.</i></p><p><b>SHUMLANSKI WAS THE BRONCOS&rsquo;</b> leading scorer in the playoffs. He was acquired at the trade deadline as the final piece Humboldt needed to contend for a league championship. He&rsquo;s the kind of player you want on the ice in the last minute of the game, whether you&rsquo;re up or down a goal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-052/258144-1-eng-US/f0081-052.jpg" title="f0081-05" width="151" height="161"></div><h1><b>15 TYLER SMITH</b></h1><p><i>C, 19, LEDUC, ALTA.</i></p><p><b>EARLY IN THE SEASON,</b> Smith was released from his Alberta Jr. A team. He jumped in his car and drove to Humboldt, with no commitment from anyone, and asked for a tryout as a walk-on. He developed into a dependable bottom-six forward who was highly valued by his teammates.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Broncos_Sticks

THE CRASH SURVIVORS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0082-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-0114/258264-1-eng-US/f0082-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEAH HENNEL)</span></figcaption></div><p><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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