Day 1 of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft is in the books with the Canucks grabbing Russian forward Vasili Podkolzin with the 10th-overall selection. Now, everyone turns their attention to Rounds 2 through 7.
The Canucks currently have the No. 40 overall selection and are poised to add a really exciting player in that spot. GM Jim Benning mentioned after the first round of the draft they like their defensive prospects and may look to restock the forward ranks but there could be some interesting defencemen there, too.
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Time will tell which route they go but here are some of the players who are left on the board that the Canucks could consider at No. 40.
Forwards
Albin Grewe
If the Canucks are looking to add even more skilled sandpaper to their prospect pool after selecting Podkolzin, look no further than Swedish forward Albin Grewe. A personal favourite prospect in this draft class, Grewe is a player who can and will do anything on the ice. He can move up and down the lineup and make an impact anywhere.
He has been asked to play various roles throughout the season and has thrived as a top-six and bottom-six player. Grewe also offers one of the highest likelihoods of becoming an NHL player among the prospects still available:
Grewe might’ve snuck into the first round but appears to be a fantastic pick for some of the teams picking in the early parts of the second round. Not to mention he makes a lot of sense for the Canucks in their quest to be “tougher to play against” while still giving them skill throughout the lineup.
Another Swedish player who didn’t hear his name called on Day 1, Nils Hoglander is an energizer bunny on the ice. He isn’t the biggest player at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds but he never puts himself in situations where it matters. He is also one of the most slippery players, he’ll get pushed physically by opponents and just dip out of the contact with the puck.
He isn’t afraid to drive the puck to the net and muck it up to get second and third chances. Like Grewe, he presents a really high chance of becoming an NHL player
If the Canucks were to select him at No. 40, it’s because they see a player who could really thrive in a middle-six role.
You’d think that scoring 51 goals in the OHL would be enough to warrant a first-round selection but Kaliyev remains on the board.
The biggest concern with his game is that he can be unengaged and not drive play. He also isn’t the most dynamic player so it makes sense why teams didn’t want to take that risk. Corey Pronman did a fantastic breakdown of his game back in March.
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I don’t expect him to be around for too long tomorrow as those concerns will become smaller with each passing name. There are very few players in this draft class who possess the same shot and playmaking abilities. Whoever selects him will just need to get him firing on all cylinders on a more regular basis.
The Canucks do value competitiveness in their players but it’s possible the organization’s interview process will reveal things of which the general public isn’t aware.
Bobby Brink
Bobby Brink is another player many expected to be selected in the first round.
He’s a player who is constantly involved and always seems to have the puck on his stick. This past season, Brink was involved in 33 percent goals of the Sioux City Musketeers scored and posted a goals-for percentage of 66.2 percent and goals-for percentage relative of +23.0 percent. If he wasn’t on the ice, they weren’t scoring.
The major issue to his game is his skating ability from a technical standpoint. I believe it’s an area that he can improve with the right skating instruction
The Canucks have preached being able to play with pace and looking purely at Brink’s straight-line speed, there would be a reason to have trepidation. But his work ethic, engagement and offensive abilities are why he was in the conversation as a first-round pick.
The last forward who is a bit of a surprise to still be available is Pavel Dorofeyev of Russia.
Corey Pronman has this scouting report on him:
Dorofeyev is a talented all-around threat in the offensive zone. He’s creative, he can thread passes into tough lanes and he can play through defenders with his puck skills. Dorofeyev can flash high-end offensive ability but it wasn’t consistent, and, outside of his shot, he lacked a truly dynamic variable when he had the puck. His shot is quick and he can pick a corner if given space. His game can lack urgency. He likes to slow the play down, survey his options and doesn’t often hit the blue line with speed. That said, he has a good top gear and overall skating ability when he does get going. He’s not an overly physical player, but he’s decent defensively and killed penalties at the MHL level.
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Because he played in various Russian leagues, we don’t have a way to quantify his stats.
From a Canucks standpoint, it’s unlikely they take two Russians with their first two picks of the draft but if they want to swing for the fences again, Dorofeyev could be on their radar.
Defencemen
Mikko Kokkonen
Kokkonen spent the majority of his season in the top league in Finland and acquitted himself quite well. In fact, he got better as the season went along and his role grew. He produced three goals and 16 assists in 56 Liiga games with Jukurit.
That production is pretty rare for a player in his draft season; in fact, it resulted in him only have one statistical match.
The issue with Kokkonen is his skating, it’s heavy-footed and he lacks agility. At times it has resulted in him getting exposed as he misjudges his opponents speed through the neutral zone and is unable to recover. Otherwise, there is so much to like about his game. He took advantage of his situation, produced, and improved as the season went along.
He will be a project but could pay off in the long run.
Anttoni Honka
Honka is one of the most divisive players in this draft class.
Many people, myself included, see a high-potential player that transitions the puck with aplomb.
Others point to times where he appears to zone out and then get burnt badly. He can also be too aggressive and in turn, put himself into bad situations. He has reduced the number of times this happened as the season went along.
If the Canucks were looking at Honka, it’s another swing for the fences pick on his potential. It’s entirely possible that he is there at 71st overall as well, so they might not have to take that risk in the second round.
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If there is a safe pick to be had among the defencemen available, Edmonton Oil Kings rearguard Matthew Robertson is the one to look at.
Benning says "there's still some defencemen we like" for pick 40 in the 2nd rd. Two @whl players to keep an eye on: Edmonton's Matthew Robertson; Kelowna's Kaedan Korczak (R-shot).
— Matthew Sekeres (@mattsekeres) June 22, 2019
Robertson is a very agile and fluid skater who moves around the ice with ease. He can make a good first pass out of the zone but also isn’t afraid to carry it out on his own.
He plays a mature game that has some rough edges to it but nothing that should concern you about his overall upside.
Like some of the forwards, Robertson has a really high likelihood of becoming an NHL player for the 40th-overall selection
The Canucks have been praised for swinging on potential with Podkolzin, but there wouldn’t be any harm in going the safe route with someone like Robertson. That same idea can also be applied to the other player mentioned by TSN 1040’s Matthew Sekeres in Kaeden Korczak.
Beyond the lottery, one of the trickle-down effects of finishing lower in the standings is positioning yourself for earlier picks in each round. Every single year, players fall out of the first round and are ripe for the picking in the early parts of Day 2.
The Canucks added a nice piece in Jett Woo last season and with the players who are still available this year, they appeared poised to do it again.
(Photo of Bobby Brink: Josh Holmberg / Getty Images)