16 Thoughts - Offseason Musings
Well, I thought the next written piece would be positional rankings, but I think I have more than enough to do a 16 Thoughts. A lot has happened since the last entry of this back in April and a lot has happened since the last time I’ve written.
Since I have haven’t really written about current prospect musings since Development Camp, I haven’t gone over a ton of things. Including (but not limited to) the KHL offseason, recent ELC signings, the World Junior Summer Showcase, and maybe 1 or 2 other things. With that out of the way, let’s get into the Offseason Musings.
1. It’s imperative that I mention that you shouldn’t read a ton into summer tournaments. It’s a time where a lot of prospects haven’t been training and are going to play with guys they haven’t played with in a while. But I’d be remiss to not mention that each representative of the Carolina Hurricanes seemed to have a standout game or two (or more) and have really helped their International stock.
2. Starting with probably the only guy that already was in good standing with his country, William Hakansson was great. Everyone that has listened or read what people say about Hakansson, they know about his defensive ability. But his play this tourney showed a lot more of the offensive side of his game, picking up 4 assists in 5 games. A hefty sum of his offensive ability still relies on shots from the point, but the comfort level with the puck on his stick was much improved. The defense and physicality was as present as always and I think he’s cemented a spot in Sweden’s top 4 heading into World Juniors.
3. Sticking with Sweden, Filip Ekberg is showing something that I didn’t really see from him last year. One thing that really helps with projectability to pro (to a certain extent) is the desire to get to the middle of the ice and the success level related to that. Ekberg showed that in heaps this tourney. He was getting to the front of the net and the middle of the ice and scoring, something that I didn’t see a ton of last year. The skating is improved and his offensive ability showed in a big way. I’d imagine and hope he’ll be a good part of Sweden’s middle 6 going into World Juniors.
4. Sometimes with goalies, size doesn’t matter. The number one question a goalie should have to solve is “Can you stop the puck?” Ryder Fetterolf does that in spades. Heading into the show match with Canada, Fetterolf had already had a nice tournament. He made a statement in that game, making 32/34 saves in a 7-2 USA win. Fetterolf understands how to stop pucks, which I think puts him in a nice position for a role at the World Juniors with the US.
5. I’m not saying that it came out of left field that Mikey Berchild was one of the better forwards on the US roster, but it was a welcome surprise. Inserted on the top line with first round pick Wyatt Cullen and college standout Ethan Wyttenbach, Berchild was the perfect complimentary piece that was able to connect plays and do the dirty work to give those two time and space. He got extended time on the power play, got some short handed time, and was dangerous offensively almost every time he stepped on the ice. With the US toting a stacked forward group, I was interested to see how he’d make a case for himself and I think he nailed it. The Athletic did a mock up of what Team USA could look like come World Junior time and they kept Berchild-Cullen-Wyttenbach together as the top line.
6. Off to Russia where I must remind everyone that rumors are rumors for a reason. Until its official, it is nothing but hearsay.
7. The timeline of events for Nikita Artamonov read out like Owen Wilson trying to explain something to Tom Hiddleston in Loki. First, he returns to Torpedo from his loan. He’s then in rumors to SKA, but nothing comes about. He’s then officially moved to Avto, where he signs a one year extension. Finally, he’s loaned out to Severstal. At the end of the day, Severstal is a nice place for him to try and restart. I think he’ll fit this system better and should get a nice role.
8. I had selfishly hoped that Fyodor Avramov would sneak his way to North America but alas, he was moved to Spartak where he signed a 2 year deal. Realistically, him finally getting consistent game time in the VHL is the best thing possible and I have zero complaints about it. Maybe him and Stanislav Yarovoy can unite on a line.
9. Staying with Khimik, there’s a real chance Semyon Frolov gets his VHL debut this year. Good amount of competition but he’s got the talent to hang. In any case, I want him to play more than 10 games this year to showcase his talent.
10. A sneaky fun player to track (and see his personality), Roman Shokhrin is primed for his professional debut this year. I think he’ll have success, as I really hold stock in his defensive ability. Probably the best defensive defenseman I saw at Dev Camp this year.
11. I was happy to see Andrei Krutov head back to Amur on loan, thought he had good success and development with them last year. I want to see his skating improve and maybe see if he can have more success at center.
12. Timur Kol still hasn’t signed with Dynamo Moscow. That seems interesting, no?
13. Last one in Russia, I don’t know if there is a prospect I’m more bullish on than Alexander Siryatsky. It’s really, really early to say what he can be, but I see a lot of good qualities built into a prototypical modern day NHL defenseman. I see a decent power play quarterback (PP2 at peak), I see a decent penalty killer (probably unit 2 at peak), and I see a really solid puck mover who’s able to defend at a good level. I want him to add weight and some physicality in his game, but I have high hopes for him. Again, really early to assign potential, but I can see a world where Siryatsky can be a solid 2nd pairing defenseman.
14. The more I’ve talked to people and the more I’ve watched footage, Zach Lansard is someone that continues to stand out. Excellent forechecker who does the dirty work and excels in the small areas. Also, for people who enjoy high end talent for the next few drafts, he plays on a line with Liam Pue and Maddox Schultz, two guys who will go really, really high in the upcoming drafts.
15. To Chicago, where we have 2 newcomers from the pipeline joining the Wolves. Let’s tackle the easy one first, that being Yegor Velmakin.
This one caught me off guard for the sole reason was that I thought the time had passed for him to come to North America, but I’m not complaining. He’s been a pretty solid Russian pro goalie for the past 2 years, having decent success in the VHL and KHL. He’s not the biggest goalie, standing at 6’1, but he’s really solid from a technical standpoint and he doesn’t have the same aggressiveness that Russian goalies normally have (to a certain extent). He’ll probably end up in between Chicago and Greensboro, more so being in Greensboro.
16. The other, unless Eric Tulsky was lying in the press release of him signing his ELC, is Noel Fransen. The only reason why I say this is because EliteProspects has Fransen listed as playing next season with Farjestad on loan, while in the press release, it says:
I’ll go off the assumption that the team knows more. Fransen has the chance to replace Domenick Fensore in the offensive output, as they both base their game off very similar styles. Fransen is an effortless skater, being able to explode with speed while being able to weave in and out of forecheckers. His offense is great, known more for his playmaking ability. He’ll be able to fill in a power play quarterback role, something the Wolves need with Fensore gone. I want to see the defensive game keep coming around and I want to see him engage more physically, but he’s got a good baseline game and I’m interested to see how his game translates to North America.
Thank you for reading! I’ll be back next week for positional rankings leading into the Prospect Showcase (where the Canes should host and I should be attending) and the start of a few European seasons. Also, I’ll have some Lansard tape coming soon once I have a chance to watch it (moving back to school for my last semester).