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Draft Preview 2019
It’s The Hockey News' highly anticipated Draft Preview 2019 edition! We run down our top 100 prospects with scouting reports on each player, plus NHL Team Reports for all 31 clubs. Also, feature stories on our top three prospects: Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko and Dylan Cozens, and a sneak peek at the 2020 and 2021 NHL drafts.
THOMAS HARLEY
BORN Aug. 19, 2001, Syracuse, N.Y. 2018-19 Mississauga POS D HT 6-3 WT 183 SHOOTS L INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 16 ANOTHER PLAYER WHO gained prominence as the season went on, Harley comes from an athletic family, with his older sister and brother playing U.S. college hockey and a younger brother who’s still coming up. Born and raised in Syracuse, N.Y., Harley has Alberta roots, with his dad originally moving to New York state to do a residency as an orthopedic surgeon. Harley represents Canada internationally, and don’t be surprised to see him wearing that jersey a lot in the future. “He’s just a good defenseman,” said one scout. “He’s poised, good at making plays. He’s not flashy. He doesn’t have that ‘wow’ factor, but he’s good at moving the puck, he’s subtle in that…
VICTOR SODERSTROM
BORN Feb. 26. 2001, Skutskar, Swe. 2018-19 Brynas POS D HT 5-11 WT 176 SHOOTS R INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 13 SODERSTROM WAS NOT the biggest name on the draft radar entering the season, but his work on the ice has done the talking for him, bumping his stock into the first half of the first round. “He’s a smart, all-around defenseman who plays a supporting role in the SHL,” said one scout. “He’s getting 20 minutes a game on the second pairing and second power-play unit. He’s mobile, has puck skills and is a good skater. He plays good minutes, maybe Brynas is afraid they’ll lose another player like they did with Adam Boqvist.” Boqvist, Chicago’s 2018 first-rounder, moved from Brynas to OHL London this season. Soderstrom’s CHL rights are open right now, but…
DYLAN COZENS: THE DARK HORSE FROM WHITEHORSE
IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T heard yet, Dylan Cozens is from Whitehorse. You’re going to hear a lot about that between now and the NHL draft, because it’s a pretty good yarn. When Cozens plays his 24th NHL game, he’ll have played more games in the best league in the world than all the other players from Whitehorse combined. It’s cold and isolated there, and when Cozens was 12 years old, he was playing in a men’s league and had his leg broken when a guy twice his weight fell on him. But that’s not even the most interesting thing about Cozens’ backstory. His parents, now that’s a tale. His mother, Sue Bogle, was born in Jamaica. Who goes from Jamaica to Whitehorse? And trains for marathons throughout the winter in Canada’s…
VLADISLAV FIRSTOV
BORN June 19, 2001, Yaroslavl, Rus. 2018-19 Waterloo POS LW HT 6-0 WT 181 SHOOTS L INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 48 ON ONE OF THE BETTER teams in the USHL, Firstov was one of the top rookie scorers in the league. Not bad for a kid who just arrived in the American Heartland this season. “He has improved since Day 1,” said one scout. “He excels with the puck, and that team goes as he goes, which is pretty impressive for a young player. He’s strong, has good pace with the puck and a good shot. He just hasn’t acclimated to North America yet. Sometimes he’s not there the whole game.” That inconsistency was picked up on by another talent hawk, who nonetheless sees impressive upside in the winger. “The first third of his season…
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