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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.
MATTHEW ROBERTSON
BORN March 9, 2001, Edmonton, Alta. 2018-19 Edmonton POS D HT 6-4 WT 201 SHOOTS L INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 24 ONE OF THE SAFEST picks in the draft, Robertson is a player who will almost certainly take a few years to develop as an NHL defenseman. But the team that takes him and shows patience might end up being richly rewarded. If he continues to develop, he may turn out to be one of the better skating big men in the game. “He’s got good skating any way you want to rate it,” said one scout. “Do you want to rate it in terms of speed? It’s good. Do you want to rate it in terms of agility? It’s good. You want to rate it in terms of pivoting and fluidity? It’s good.” The…
KAAPO KAKKO
BORN Feb. 13, 2001, Turku, Fin. 2018-19 TPS POS RW HT 6-2 WT 190 SHOOTS L INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 2 THERE ISN’T VERY MUCH separating Kakko from Jack Hughes at the top of this draft class. And there would be even less if Kakko played center. Kakko set a Finnish record for goal scoring by an under-18 player in the Liiga, beating Aleksander Barkov’s old mark of 21. Oh, and Kakko also scored the golden goal for Finland at the World Junior Championship in Vancouver. “At that age, in that league, the things he does with the puck – no one has done this,” said one scout. “The flashiness and offensive skill is the best I’ve seen so far at that age. Has the mindset of a big player.” The mild concern is that Kakko…
MICHAEL VUKOJEVIC
BORN June 8, 2001, Oakville, Ont. 2018-19 Kitchener POS D HT 6-2 WT 203 SHOOTS L INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 64 VUKOJEVIC PLAYED 12 games with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers as a 16-year-old while he was committed to NCAA Michigan, but he signed with OHL Kitchener once he realized he’d get solid minutes with a team that boasted talent such as Winnipeg prospect Logan Stanley, his eventual ‘D’ partner. That was good news for Kitchener, as it got a solid blueliner. “He’s a steady, competitive defenseman who plays a lot of minutes for two NHL defensemen in coaches Jay McKee and Dennis Wideman,” said one scout. “He’s a shot-blocker and a defensive player first. There’s not a ton of players like that in the draft.” That would be the one concern about Vukojevic: there…
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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