Welcome back! This post is going to cover our latest draft rankings as well as a Q&A with Keith Fries (Dobber’s Prospects) and Max from TPE Hockey where we cover such topics as who are the best skaters in the draft, who should the Edmonton Oilers draft if they had to today, and much more!
| # | Beer League Hero | Keith Fries | TPE Hockey |
| 1 | Quinton Byfield (C) | Alexis Lafreniere (LW) | Alexis Lafreniere (LW) |
| 2 | Alexis Lafreniere (LW) | Anton Lundell (C) | Quinton Byfield (C) |
| 3 | Yaroslav Askarov (G) | Quinton Byfield (C) | Lucas Raymond (W) |
| 4 | Anton Lundell (C) | Lucas Raymond (W) | Anton Lundell (C) |
| 5 | Jamie Drysdale (D) | Yaroslav Askarov (G) | Yaroslav Askarov (G) |
| 6 | Alexander Holtz (W) | Noel Gunler (W) | Alexander Holtz (W) |
| 7 | Lucas Raymond (W) | Jamie Drysdale (D) | Noel Gunler (W) |
| 8 | Tim Stutzle (W) | Tim Stutzle (LW) | Tim Stutzle (LW) |
| 9 | Marco Rossi (C) | Alexander Holtz (W) | Jamie Drysdale (D) |
| 10 | Cole Perfetti (C/W) | Cole Perfetti (C/W) | Cole Perfetti (C/W) |
| 11 | Dylan Holloway (C) | Marco Rossi (C) | Marco Rossi (C) |
| 12 | Noel Gunler (W) | Dylan Holloway (C) | Dylan Holloway (C) |
| 13 | Connor Zary (C) | Justin Barron (D) | Jan Mysak (LW) |
| 14 | Jaromir Pytlik (C) | Alexander Nikishin (D) | Antonio Stranges (C/W) |
| 15 | Kasper Simontaival (C) | Kasper Simontaival (C) | Hendrix Lapierre (C) |
| 16 | Antonio Stranges (C/W) | Antonio Stranges (C/W) | Kasper Simontaival (C) |
| 17 | Justin Barron (D) | Jaromir Pytlik (C) | Connor Zary (C) |
| 18 | Dawson Mercer (RW) | Jeremie Poirer (D) | Zion Nybeck (RW) |
| 19 | Alexander Pashin (RW) | Justin Sourdif (D) | Rodion Amirov (LW) |
| 20 | Zion Nybeck (RW) | Zion Nybeck (RW) | Jeremie Poirer (D) |
BLH: There are three international tournaments coming up. Can you give the readers a few names from each that we should have on our radar for the upcoming drafts?
Fries: The big tournament fans will likely be watching is the World U17 Hockey Challenge featuring mostly 2021 and a handful of 2022 draft-eligible prospects. Analysts are projecting a solid outing from Team U.S.A. whose USNTDP-U17 roster will be on display. But, Canada has more than a handful of top-tier 2021 prospects playing, as well. Logan Stankoven has seen his name circulating, recently, and a nice showing at this tournament could cement him as a first-round projected talent. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing Sean Tschigerl, a solid two-way forward who has the leadership qualities of a captain, and Russian forward Prokhor Poltapov. 2022 top-ranked prospects Matthew Savoie and Shane Wright will also be playing in this tournament, likely challenging one another on the stat sheet every step of the way.
As for the other tournaments, Finland’s U20 team looks really fun, with a great mix of talent already drafted, like Patrik Puistola, Anttoni Honka, and Mikko Kokkonen in addition to some top up-and-coming prospects, Anton Lundell and Aatu Raty – both of which who could be the first Finnish-born players selected in their respective draft classes.
Max: A lot of the top prospects for this year’s draft are at the U20s. Anton Lundell, Alex Holtz, and Lucas Raymond will all ever there. 2021 projected #1 pick Aatu Räty will also be there.
The U18s are a little sparse with much of the top talent off with the U20 squads but I’d have an eye on Zion Nybeck, a top 2020 prospect who’s torn up the U20 league in Sweden. Another Swede to have an eye on is goaltender Jesper Wallstedt. For Finland, Kasper Simontaival is a criminally underrated 2020 prospect. Should go top 15.
At the WHC-U17s the guys to watch are the 2022 top 3 of Matthew Savoie, Brad Lambert, and Shane Wright. Other top players are Dylan Guenther, Brandt Clarke, and Samu Tuomaala.
BLH: I feel like the Oilers need more speed in their prospect cupboard. Who are the top-5 best skaters available in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft?
Fries: I had a chance to catch the Bakersfield Condors, a few weeks ago, and their top skaters like Ryan McLeod and Kailer Yamamoto definitely stood out from the pack (in a good way, mind you). They were flying around and pushing the pace of play while others floated around. It definitely could be a problem in the long-term and is certainly one in the short. But, these are who I would suggest keeping an eye on:
– Lucas Raymond
– Tim Stutzle
– Justin Sourdif
– Antonio Stranges
– Jamie Drysdale
Max: 1. Antonio Stranges 2. Juuso Mäenpää 3. Lucas Raymond 4. Jamie Drysdale 5. Zion Nybeck
BLH: We’re more than one month into the season. Who has been your biggest surprise amongst the draft prospects?
Fries: I think Tim Stutzle has become a real household name and a legitimate top-10 pick. I’m very biased in-favor of German-born prospects and would likely support Stutzle whether he was good or garbage, but I’ve always been a fan of his skating and hockey IQ and I’m happy to see more-and-more people talking about him. He’s a true first-round talent, it’s just where he’s selected in the first-round that’s up in the air. But at this point, it’s in the high single digits.
Max: No one has really shocked me so far, but Tim Stützle rose quite a bit for me. It was clear his tools were always there, but this season he’s blown away a lot of expectations. He went from dominating a very weak junior league in Germany (at about the level of the OJHL) to dominating the German professional league. Nobody expected a transition as smooth as his was.
BLH: Piggybacking on the previous question, who has been your biggest disappointment so far?
Fries: Jan Bednar hasn’t had a stellar beginning to the season, but not all hope is lost. He started the season as my #2-ranked goaltender (behind Yaroslav Askarov) and at this point is still holding onto that title – just not so tightly. Keep in mind that he plays in the adult Czech pro-league so he’s being challenged by real challengers, but a 3.84 GAA and a .893 SV% is nothing to write home about.
Max: I was never super high on Justin Barron, but even then he fell off quite a bit for me. My concern last season was that his point totals were inflated by a very good Halifax team, and that his decision making and playmaking abilities weren’t up to snuff. He was flashy and skated fast, got a lot done off the rush, but you can’t play on just that. This season that’s really showed as he’s on a weaker pace than last season.
BLH: Given where the Oilers are sitting in the standings and how different that is from most preseason projections, who would you advise Ken Holland to select if the draft were held tomorrow?
Fries: You always want to select the best player available. You’re right that skating may be a want, but it may not be a need. Honestly, if the Oilers were picking anywhere in that 9-15 range and he’s still on the board, I’m taking Yaroslav Askarov all day! The Oilers have a solid pipeline of goaltenders which means they’re always valuable trade assets. And, for those arguing otherwise, yes, I do believe Askarov would be the best player available in this scenario.
Max: I’d bet Zion Nybeck could fall into their laps based on NHL teams continuous trend of passing on short players that are clearly really good. Been the best player in the SuperElit all season, and a kid that deserves to be in the SHL right now.
How do you feel about our rankings? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks to Max and Keith for their participation in this month’s draft prospects Q&A. You can catch them on Twitter @keithfries and @TPEHockey. Keith has signed on with Dobber Prospects to cover the Florida Panthers and Max is working with The Prospect Network! Both sites are must-visits for your hockey prospect information.
