32 Picks are in the books, and rounds two through seven begin this morning. With just 32 picks in the first round and hundreds of players hoping to hear their name called, there were going to be more than a few hearts broken. Here are the best players available going into the second round.
Cameron Schmidt
Cameron Schmidt had a huge season for the Vancouver Giants this year, putting up 40 goals and 78 points in 61 games this season. However, his lack of size is a big reason why he’s fallen as far as he has.
Schmidt’s offensive ability is unbelievable; his speed and shot will be noticeable wherever he ends up playing. His size could turn out to be an issue, but the NHL isn’t as reliant on a player’s size as it was 20 years ago. His underlying skills should make him a player called in the second round.
Malcolm Spence
It’s a little surprising that Malcolm Spence didn’t hear his name called on day one, having put up 73 points in 65 games. He has NHL-ready size, weighing in over 200 pounds and standing an impressive 6’2″. However, despite his numbers, scouts doubt whether he can continue this offensive production at the next level, being more of a passer than a puck-carrier. However, the fundamentals suggest he is a high-floor player, which makes a difference at this level. Expect him to hear his name called in the second or third round.
Ivan Ryabkin
In the last few years, teams have been hesitant to pick Russian-born players in the draft because it’s unknown if they’ll be able to come over. However, his elite playmaking and his creativity with the puck could be enough to get him drafted early on day two. He’s been touted as the next great Russian player for a reason. Similar to Matvei Michkov and Ivan Demidov, Ryabkin could be a boom or bust type of pick. However, he’s proven all season that he’s worth the risk.
Blake Fiddler
The son of former NHLer Vernon Fiddler, Blake saw his point production more than double from last year, putting up 33 points in 64 games for the Edmonton Oil Kings. Fiddler brings exactly what you want out of a modern NHL defenceman- he’s a big body who can really shoot the puck.
The one thing that he really could use work on is his skating. His size does work against him in this regard, but as a longer term prospect, he does have lots of time to get this figured out. He does have to work on his consistency game-in and game-out, but this tends to be an issue with many young players, and most tend to figure it out in time.
He likely hears his name called in the second round.
William Moore
The Canadian centreman jumped from the GTHL in Ontario, to the USA National Team Development Program (NTDP,) and put up really decent numbers this year. Scouts raved about his two-way game going into the draft, but often this comes at the expense of production. Not for Moore. He had 59 points in 64 games for the U18 program then 21 in 25 games for the USNTDP Junior Team.
The challenge for him has been his strength and general ability to put it all together. The former is fixable with more time in the gym, but the latter is going to be somethings teams need to evaluate. There’s a good chance that it is, but it will take a lot of time and energy to fix. Whether he is worth the risk is the big question.
Jack Murtagh
This was a slow year for the USNTDP, but Murtagh was one of the bright spots. The left winger put up 53 points in 56 games for the U18 program, then had 18 in 24 games for the USNTDP Juniors.
Known for his nose for the net and ability to do a lot of the little things well, scouts raved about his ability to play the game the right way. However, his decision-making was suspect for good chunks of the season. He also needs to work on his defensive game. However, the fundamentals are there, and if a team thinks that he can learn those skills, there is a good chance he hears his name in round two.
Milton Gastrin
It’s interesting to see the Swedish centreman fall out of the first round. He has size, skills, skating, and a strong two-way game, which should have made him a late first round selection. However, he goes into the second round as a very well-rounded selection for whoever selects him. Gastrin spent most of the year in J20 with Modo, putting up 42 points in 40 games. While he does have to work on his physicality, he has a lot of the key things that scouts look for in a draft pick.
Expect him to hear his name called early in this one.
Looking ahead to the second round and beyond
All of these players should hear their names called in the second round, with one likely going 33rd with the first pick of the second round. As Lanny McDonald put it so well in the first round, the players who didn’t have their names called should show up today with a fantastic attitude and prove the teams that didn’t select them wrong.
