The Draft: NHL's winners and where Calgary compared

Posted 4:16 PM ET | Comments 8

With the 2014 NHL draft in the books, and summer development camps at a conclusion as well, I thought I would share my thoughts on the teams that did well at the draft, how the Calgary Flames stacked up against other organizations, and what the Flames came away with, as 6 new prospects were added to the talent pool. I know it’s already been a few months, however I feel some extra information gathered from development camp may provide a more accurate analysis.rn As a first time blogger, I hope I provide some intellectual insight in the hockey world, and welcome some friendly debate. Although I am no professional scout by any means, I have watched the CHL extensively over the last number of years, especially the WHL, as the prairies is where I call home. I also try to catch as many AHL and NCAA games as possible to gauge the Flames prospects and evaluate the probability of NHL success. Needless to say that including keeping up with the NHL schedule as well, keeping up during the winter months is a difficult task. However, I am passionate about hockey in general, and I love to make a successful evaluation of a player.rn Now for the good stuff. Admittedly, the European based prospects are a little harder to read, as relying on clips from the internet, scouting reports, and statistical analysis does not always tell you the whole story. But from what I have gathered from the 2014 draft class is this. The Vancouver Canucks were big winners at the draft. Say what you want about the trades made prior to the draft in Philadelphia, the Canucks did very well drafting talented players that addressed team needs. With their 1st pick, sixth overall, they selected Jake Virtanen from the Calgary Hitmen. A power forward with a dynamic shot, this kid has great mix of size, speed, and skill as well as leadership qualities that cannot be overlooked for team culture. Had the Flames slid outside the top 5, he would have been my pick, hands down. If developed properly, could be a top 6 power forward at center or wing. His style of play reminds me of Blake Wheeler or a bit of Jeff Carter. At pick 24, Van got exceptional value from a falling Jared McCann. I did not expect Jared to slide past 20, and his strong two way play and hard-nosed work ethic may have other teams regretting not drafting the Greyhounds centerman, who put up close to point per game stats last year. In the second round, GM Jim Benning complimented these two strong picks up front by drafting the top goalie prospect in the draft after Calgary opted to go with Mason McDonald a few picks before. Thatcher Demko posted a 16-5-3 record for Boston College with a GAA of 2.24 and .919sv% which is made more impressive because of his young age. As well, a big body defenseman in Tryamkin could be an interesting prospect if he decides to cross the pond.rn The next big winner was the St. Louis Blues. Despite not walking up to the podium until the 21st pick they managed to land Robby Fabbri, another one of few players I was particularly high on. A smaller forward that plays bigger than he is, He is a shifty, physical, and speedy centerman who played a large part in Guelph’s OHL championship campaign. With 45G, 42A and 87 points in 58 games, he was 14th in league scoring, and looked even better in the playoffs. The Blues may have just plucked the Jeff Skinner of this draft. In the second round, 33rd overall, the Blues managed to grab Ivan Barbashev, who many thought would be a mid to late first rounder. He is a playmaking winger who racked up 68 points with Moncton. With consistency issues, I’m skeptical if he will be able to make the transition to the NHL anytime soon, but a good value pick nonetheless. The Blues had ten picks all together getting value at all positions throughout the draft, including Finnish goalie Ville Husso, and Jaedon Descheneau of the Kootenay Ice. Jaedon had a great playoffs alongside Sam Reinhart, and many think his success is from feeding off Buffalo’s second overall draft pick, but I beg to differ. He may be small but this kid has skill and a scoring touch that could be a steal in the 5th round.rn The third big winner would be the L.A. Kings, as the rich keep getting richer. The Stanley Cup champions’ scouting team and GM Dean Lombardi had little room for error as they were scraping the bottom of the barrel in each round. With the 29th pick the Kings selected Adrian Kempe, a player who fits their team mold to a “T”. A big, scoring forward who plays both ends of the ice, Adrian loves to throw his body around, making him a good fit for how the Kings brass likes to play. Coming off a solid year in Sweden’s top league, his game should transition well to the North American game. Now don’t ask me why, but Roland Mckeown was still sitting undrafted at the midway point of the second round. The Kings traded up to draft him 50th overall for what might be the biggest steal of the draft. Although not overly large in size, and could work a bit on his skating, Roland has great puck moving ability and solid in his own zone. Although not as high of a ceiling compared to Alex Pietrangelo, he plays a similar style. I am really high on this young defenseman as his rate of progression could see him in a 3-4 role in a few years’ time. Great pick. I had hoped for either of these two prospects to be drafted by the Flames with their 1st second round pick, but they are going to be developed well in the King’s system. Lintuniemi, Amadio, Marchment and Spencer Watson, (who was over a point per game with Kingston) are all good value picks as all of these OHL players have progressed considerably in the last year. rn So where do the Flames and new GM Treliving stack up against the other NHL teams at the draft? I’d have them in the 4th-7th range for what they brought back to the organization, with the NY Islanders, Nashville, and Buffalo having a solid draft as well . Sam Bennett was a huge pickup, and I was ecstatic when the Oilers opted to go with larger center Leon Draisatl. Don’t get me wrong, Leon isn’t a bad player, however after watching both players extensively, I really believe we got something special in Bennett. His work ethic on the ice is second to none in the OHL. Although not overly big or strong he makes up for it with heart, playing a solid two-way game with a strong effort. His combination of speed, awareness and grit make him a great piece to the Flames’ future top six. From what I seen at camp, I am very excited to see a Bennett-Gaudreau combination sometime in the future, when Sam has developed a bit physically for the NHL. Their 1st of two second round picks was a curious one, as the Flames began what was a run of goalies in round 2. They passed on the top goalie prospect (described above) to take Mason McDonald 34th overall from the Charlottetown Islanders. Mason had a .900 save percentage and 3.44GAA on an Islanders team that wasn’t very good last year, making his stats less impressive as Demko’s sparkling season in Boston College behind a powerhouse team. But the Flames scouting team must like what they see in the lanky 6’4’’ goaltender, and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. I would have liked to see Calgary take Hunter Smith with their 3rd round pick, however I am glad they got him nonetheless, as this 6’6’’ giant of a RW isn’t what you assume. You can look at his size and think he will be just another stone-hands tough guy that will be a 4th line goon type for his career, but his potential to be a 3rd or 2nd line power forward is not out of grasp. His skating needs work, but with that massive reach, a hard shot and good offensive awareness he could be a monster on the right side for the Flames with a few years of development.rn With the last 3 of only six draft selections, Calgary received some decent value in the later rounds. Brandon Hickey was somewhat of a surprise but after seeing some clips from the development camp he is a smooth skating defender that didn’t look out of place and I am interested in seeing how he fares with a higher level of competition. If there was a diamond in the rough defender in this year’s draft, Adam Ollas Mattsson might just be the guy. This time last year, he was pegged by some to go as high as the late first round. But an up and down year with injury caused Adam to fall in the draft. At 6’4’’ this smart defensive specialist is a few years away from being ready for the pro ranks but could blossom into a solid shutdown defenseman. In the seventh round, the Flames got great value as well in Victoria Royals RW Austin Carroll, a 6’3’’ forward who has developed quite nicely since his rookie season in 2011-12, doubling his goal totals every year. rn It was quite clear the Flames MGMT wanted to add size to their prospect pool, and they did it in a way where skill and hockey intelligence wasn’t sacrificed. Overall, I liked what Calgary did, but the big question is whether Sam Bennett is physically ready for the NHL this year, as his skill level already is. But that’s a discussion for another blog… Thanks for reading.rn

Filed Under: Flames Draft