2021 NHL Draft Notes: Part 1

Welcome to Top Shelf Prospects, the daily column that introduces you to the next generation of professional hockey players. Every day, I’ll bring you a new player profile or news article for the 2021 NHL Draft. Make sure to bookmark the site, Follow me on twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and screening reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for the entire “2021 NHL Draft”! We have a full list of our draft articles here. Today we bring you our 2021 NHL Draft Notes.

The big day has passed, and now we look back to see how each team did in the NHL Draft. Look, we know it’s far too early to assess a draft and that the real assessment will take place in four or five years. However, we don’t want to wait, instead we are following our annual tradition and doing our NHL Draft Notes now.

To be clear, our NHL Draft scores are based on the quality and amount of total talent added to the Draft. It’s not based on getting value for where you choose. For example, due to a lack of total picks, the Toronto Maple Leafs are likely to get a terrible mark in this year’s draft no matter how they use them.

LWOS 2021 NHL Draft Notes

Note: VALUE PICK does NOT mean the best drafted player. It means the best value. For example, Owen’s Power was the first player involved in this project. However, he is not our best choice for the Sabers. Why? Because anyone can take the best player with the first overall pick, we’re looking for value here, what steal did the team get in the draft which came later than we thought? If it was just an exercise in naming the best drafted player, it might as well be naming the team’s top pick, because that’s what their own scouts considered their best player.

Anaheim Ducks: A-

Pick: Mason McTavish, I’m Zellweger, Sasha Pastujov, Tyson Hinds, Joshua Lopina, Sean Tschigerl, Gage Alexander, Kyle Kukkonen
Denomination: Pastujov

The Ducks had a very strong draft. At McTavish, they get a big cross that can score goals. With McTavish and Trevor Zegras in the middle, the Ducks’ future looks good here. Zellweger is an attacking defender who has really risen through the ranks as his production has taken off. Sasha Pastujov is an absolute steal. The talented American NTDP winger fell much further than expected. Sean Tschigerl is a good end-of-round pick who goes both ways.

Arizona Coyotes: B +

Picks: Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Ilya Fedotov, Janis Moser, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, Rasmus Korhonen, Manix Landry, Cal Thomas, Samuel Lipkin
Stock: Guenther

In terms of having the highest cap for point production, there might not be a better prospect than Dylan Guenther in this draft. The Edmonton Oil Kings winger has scored two points per game in the WHL this season. Some might say that Josh Doan’s choice was down to nepotism, but that’s not true. Doan is a powerful winger who had an incredible season with the Chicago Steel and won the Clark Cup this season. Ilya Fedotov also has high-end offensive skills. He has an incredible flick. It is both powerful and precise. He also has a very quick release which deceives the keepers. The Coyotes also got good value with their subsequent picks, adding much needed talent to the prospect pool.

Boston Bruins: B +

Picks: Fabian Lysell, Brett Harrison, Philip Svedeback, Oskar Jellvik, Ryan Mast, Andre Gasseau, Ty Gallagher
Denomination: Harrison

The Bruins’ first two picks were exceptional. Lysell fell further than he should have. Lysell combines her exceptional skating with excellent puck handling skills. He can wield the puck and make plays while moving at top speed. Harrison is a solid two-way street player who would likely have risen without the canceled OHL season. I also really liked the value of their late picks. Gasseau is a great center who can develop a power play. Gallagher was part of the US NTDP. He doesn’t have any notable traits, but he’s a solid defender who also doesn’t have any liabilities. He brings excellent value in the seventh round.

Buffalo sabers: A

Picks: Owen Power, Isak Rosen, Prokhor Poltapov, Alexander Kisakov, Stiven Sardarian, Josh Bloom, Olivier Nadeau, Viljami Marjala, William Von Barnekow Lofberg, Nikita Novikov, Tyson Kozak
Stock: Nadeau

It was a big weekend for rebuilding the Sabers, with some of the current squad leaving via trade. The Sabers have also added a ton of young talent. As a result, they get one of the top marks in our 2021 NHL Draft Scores. At Owen Power, they get the best player in this draft. The great defender can do it all, on both sides of the ice. Rosen combines excellent skating with excellent stick handling. With his ability to perform movements at high speed, he is very good at moving the puck and creating chances.

Poltapov is another explosive skater with the ability to generate chances on the rush. Kisakov is a pure goalscorer. He has excellent wrist shot and very quick release. Nadeau is a creative wing playmaker. He is very good at controlling the puck down, in the game of the cycle.

Calgary Flames: A-

Picks: Matthew Coronato, William Stromgren, Cole Huckins, Cameron Whynot, Cole Jordan, Jack Beck, Lucas Ciona, Arsenii Sergeev
Value: Huckins

Coronato is one of the top scorers in the draft. His shot is formidable and he’s ready to break in the net and play in the dirty areas of the rink. Stromgren is another pure goalscorer. He loves to bring the puck into the net, where he can score goals with his quick hands. Huckins has the size and the will to play physically to be a power forward in the NHL. He also has offensive skills with his ability to score goals as well as organize games. Whynot is an excellent skater. He loves to push the offense and can be a power play quarterback.

Carolina Hurricanes: a

Picks: Scott Morrow, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Ville Koivunen, Patrik Hamrla, Aidan Hreschuk, Jackson Blake, Robert Orr, Justin Robidas, Bryce Montgomery, Nikita Quapp, Yegor Naumov, Nikita Guslistov, Joel Nystrom,
Denomination: Robidas

TIMEOUT, Don Waddell traded again. The Hurricanes entered the draft with a clear strategy to make as many picks as possible (and make day two of the draft last as long as possible). After all the trading, they used those picks wisely, again leading to one of our best NHL Draft scores in 2021. Morrow and Heimosalmi are two right-handed defensemen who can really pick up the pace and produce offense. . These are two long-term projects but their potential is very high.

Koivunen can control the puck and protect it with excellent stick handling ability. He has the vision and the anticipation to see when his teammates are also open to a scoring chance. Hreschuk’s solid two-way play is defined by his excellent skating. He is difficult to beat head-to-head and can lead the attack. Robidas is one of the best skaters in the draft. The lack of size is the only blow on this hard worker with two-way skills.

Chicago Blackhawks: B-

Picks: Nolan Allan, Colton Dach, Taige Harding, Ethan Del Mastro, Victor Stjernborg, Ilya Safonov, Connor Kelley, Jalen Luypen
Stock: Del Mastro

The Blackhawks reached Allan. He’s a great physical defender, but there just isn’t a lot of attacking play out there. It was an odd choice at the bottom of the first round. Dach is the brother of Blackhawks center Kirby Dach. Although he is not as talented as his brother, he also has size and an attacking play. Stjernborg is a solid defensive player, even at his young age. Stjernborg is almost always on the right side of the puck. He uses his hockey IQ and anticipation to read the games and create turnovers. Harding is a great defenseman who has played in AJHL. He could be a good deal if his game translates to higher levels.

Colorado Avalanche: C

Picks: Oskar Olausson, Sean Behrens, Andrei Buyalsky, Taylor Makar
Stock: Behrens

The lack of choice hurts the Avalanche, but they are saved by making their first two caps very well. Olausson is a very good skater and has an excellent range of strokes. He can score with his wrist shot, snapshot, slapshot, receiving shot and backhand. His hands are quick and his shots feature a quick, deceptive release. Olausson loves to shoot and will shoot from anywhere on the ice. Behrens is a good point guard from behind. He makes efficient puck transitions, with solid stick handling that compliments his skating skills. Makar is Cale Makar’s younger brother.

To continue the draft article on notes, click here.

Main photo of the 2021 NHL Draft Notes:

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