NHL Rumors: Panthers, Oilers, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Waivers, More January 11th, 2021 In today’s NHL rumor rundown, expect a huge amount of players to hit the waiver wire today. "I do think it's easy to be on the negative side where you start to question everything," Allvin said with a laugh. But despite missing those pieces of the puzzle, Allvin said it was important for the staff to focus on controlling what they could. With the 2020-21 NHL season getting underway it is time to preview some of the top contenders for some of the league's major awards, including the MVP, Vezina, Norris, and Jack Adams. ), a defenseman for the Erie Otters (OHL), was also part of Team Canada’s gold medal performance at the 2020 World Junior Championship. "I wanted the players, these young kids, to be used to Zoom or WebEx so they would be comfortable with it," Allvin said. Heading into the 2020 NHL Draft, Penguins director of amateur scouting Patrik Allvin explains how they finished the scouting process virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. of the Guelph Storm (OHL) ranks as the top North American goaltender, while Iaroslav Askarov (Omsk, Russia) of Neva St. Petersburg (RUSSIA-2) tops international netminders. 1 among North American skaters for the 2020 NHL Draft, followed by a pair of his Team Canada gold medal-winning teammates from the 2020 World Junior Championship: No. "I thought it was excellent," he said. Joining Stuetzle among the top-five ranked international skaters are four players who have spent the majority of 2019-20 in their country’s top professional league: No. Drysdale ranked 10th among OHL blueliners with 0.96 P/GP in 2019-20 (9-38—47 in 49 GP). Lafreniere (Saint-Eustache, Que.) 1 since Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003 and the first skater from his province taken first in the Draft since Vincent Lecavalier in 1998. The location, timing and format of the 2020 NHL Draft (and Draft Lottery) will be announced when details are finalized. Drive, determination, and the ability to outwork other scouts will help improve … I think we could be more effective utilizing that stuff.". 3 Jamie Drysdale (Toronto, Ont. 5 Rodion Amirov (Salavat, Russia), a left wing for UFA (RUSSIA). If selected first overall, Lafreniere would become the first Quebec-born player taken No. "Obviously everybody has passion and wants to get it right. Learn about Clintonville High School womens basketball recruits in Clintonville. "I thought that overall, it was a really good mindset from the whole group there during this time," said Allvin, who will be making the Penguins' picks remotely from PPG Paints Arena. Overall, it's been a long process. All Rights Reserved. An Inside Look At Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Yannetti & the Scouting Process. The Penguins are drafting in the third round (77th overall), fourth round (108th overall), fifth round (139th overall) and sixth round (170th overall). 4 Lucas Raymond (Gothenburg, Sweden), a left wing for Frolunda (SWEDEN) and No. "You get together, you have a fun time and the final day you have a draft party. MacPherson also coaches in the OMHA within Guelph Minor hockey. He can become the third German-born and trained player picked in the top 10 of the NHL Draft: Leon Draisaitl (No. But around early April, Allvin said they realized that wasn't going to happen, and they would have to finish the scouting process virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. © NHL 2020. We use cookies for various purposes on our website including analytics. NHL.com provides fantasy hockey rankings, lists and more offseason coverage to prepare you for drafts in the 2020-21 season. This year, it's almost like it's been dragging on and on. The final rankings feature the top 217 skaters and 31 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 140 skaters and 10 goaltenders internationally. Round 1 of the 2020 NHL Draft, which was originally set to be in Montreal but is now being held virtually, will begin on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network while Rounds 2-7 will begin on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. on NHL Network. That's where Penguins director of hockey research Sam Ventura came in, providing the scouts with analytics to assist them in that process. "Those have been really helpful," Allvin said. I've seen the whole draft and this guy is better than what you are talking about. "I wanted to wait a little bit longer before we started that process, so I think by the time we started, most of the kids had already done it. Scouting report: Mercer has great character and work ethic, but don't sleep on his skill level and hockey sense. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. Allvin was impressed with how thoroughly the regional scouts went through the reports they had compiled over the last couple of years. Rounding out the top five are defenseman Jake Sanderson (Whitefish, Mont.) The scouts want to know every single detail about a prospect's life, so that way there are no surprises after drafting a player. One of the first media personalities to be welcomed into the secretive scouting fraternity, Shane Malloy has been covering hockey prospects, scouting and player development for the past decade and brings to hockey fans an enlightening and fascinating narrative that explains the culture, history, art and science of hockey scouting. I'm super excited about the draft, but I really want to turn the page. "But we still had some different views on players," Allvin said. By taking advantage of this extensive network, more than 92 percent of NCSA verified athletes play at the college level. "That was a big challenge for us," Allvin admitted. Headed by Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs seven full-time and 14 part-time scouts throughout North America. “Stuetzle is a smart, creative, playmaking forward,” said Goran Stubb, Director of NHL Central Scouting’s European Services. Let's move on here now and let's start with the next group.". In its 45th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. “Whether it’s with Rimouski in the QMJHL or on the world stage he has continually shown that he is a force that can impact and be a difference maker in games. And usually, the scouts are constantly on the road traveling from game to game, so staying at home provided them with more time to do additional homework on players. This week, prospects eligible for the 2019 NHL … by That's where the regional scouts' work during the season became even more important. A behind-the-scenes look at the 2020 NHL Draft from the Carolina Hurricanes' draft headquarters inside the team's locker room at PNC Arena. Those are the tournaments and the playoffs that you want to see how the kids perform and how they're stepping up.". It was about nine years ago that then-Kings GM Dean Lombardi and the “Original Insider” Rich Hammond and I had an off night in Calgary. And now, the scouts are chomping at the bit to finally make their picks and begin preparing for next year's draft. The NHL source for news, analysis, stats, scores, and rumors. Editor's Picks. Scouting Nightmares: inside the scariest road trips, craziest prospect interviews and more. Our 8-week online Hockey GM and Scouting course, taught by Hockey Hall of Famer Harry Sinden, will teach you the skills teams hire. "It was like okay, let's stay home for a couple weeks and see from there," Allvin said. Michelle Crechiolo. But this year, they began that process in early April through weekly WebEx video meetings, right after it became clear that they wouldn't be watching any more games. 3 in 2014) and Moritz Seider (No. They ended up meeting with about 20-25 prospects, and Allvin felt they went well on both sides. What sets him above in this Draft class is the natural compete and battle traits that are ingrained in his game, allowing Alexis to lead the way and make others around him better.”. The most NHL-ready player in the draft, Lafreniere has a chance to be one of the better wings of the past few years. “He has an exceptional combination of skating and puck skills that are at an elite level and he’s capable of making precision plays at top speed with a wicked finishing shot.”. The 2020-21 NHL season begins on Wednesday. The staff originally prepared as if the draft was going to be in June, and then when they heard it would be postponed, they took July off to recharge and started back up in August. He has died at age 97. Etiwanda, Prestonwood Christian and Pebblebrook record impressive wins. I think that's where you're using the video tools to go back, and you also ask the area guys to go back and watch a little bit.". 3 Jamie Drysdale of the Erie Otters. It turned out to be a unique challenge, but one that the staff handled as best they could under the circumstances. To report on prospects playing internationally, the NHL employs the services of Goran Stubb and his staff at European Scouting Services based in Finland. The Pittsburgh Penguins and pittsburghpenguins.com are trademarks of Lemieux Group, LP. “Lafreniere has exceptional skills and attributes which make him a scoring threat every time he steps onto the ice,” said NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. Headed by Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs seven full-time and 14 part-time scouts throughout North ), a center for the Sudbury Wolves (OHL). "This is usually the draft week, which is like graduation for the scouts," Allvin said. They also went back and watched plenty of old games online. This is an edited version of a story that appeared in The Hockey News 2020 Draft … Click OK to approve the use of cookies. I thought our mindset was really good.". NEW YORK (April 8, 2020) – Left wing Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic ranks No. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and the word mark NHL Winter Classic are registered trademarks and NHL Stadium Series name and logo and the NHL Winter Classic logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. 2 Quinton Byfield (Newmarket, Ont. Twenty of the 25 players on the roster are first-round NHL draft picks. To reach the big time, you'll need a combination of knowledge about hockey player skills, a good intuition, some detective skills, a strong passion for the game, and the willingnessto live life on the road. In my nearly 45 years of covering pro hockey I remain intrigued by what goes into scouting and rating a hockey prospect. The Official Site of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Joining Lafreniere atop the rankings for North American skaters are a pair of his Team Canada World Junior gold medal-winning teammates, including No. We also mourn the passing of Leaf great and broadcaster Howie Meeker. Tim Stuetzle, a left wing for Mannheim in Germany’s top professional league, ranked as the top international skater as the NHL Central Scouting Bureau today released its final rankings. Byfield recorded 32-50—82 in 45 GP in 2019-20 where his 1.82 P/GP ranked tied for fifth among all OHL skaters. "Then you're hoping maybe they can finish up the end of the season and be ready for the playoffs.". of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-18 Team and the son of former NHL player Geoff Sanderson, as well as center Cole Perfetti (Whitby, Ont.) National Collegiate Scouting Association® (NCSA) is the nation’s leading collegiate recruiting source for more than 500,000 student-athletes and 42,000 college coaches. And the Penguins did get ultimately get the chance to interview the players, albeit virtually, and not right away. When the NHL first pressed pause back in March, Penguins director of amateur scouting Patrik Allvin told the amateur scouts to return home for the time being. In the crease, Nicolas Daws (Burlington, Ont.) "So, at that point, maybe a crossover guy who had the whole picture of the draft would say, maybe you're being a little bit too hard on this guy. Follow for news, rankings, draft prep for season-long leagues and playoff pools, projected lineups, injury … The BarDown podcast will investigate, uncover and explore long-form stories at the intersection of sports, pop culture, technology. When it came to putting that picture together this year, Allvin had a sports psychologist working with them to put together profiles on the players. Create a free womens basketball recruiting profile to connect with college coaches. led all QMJHL skaters with 35-77—112 in 52 GP in 2019-20 and was a standout at the 2020 World Junior Championship where he was named Most Valuable Player and Best Forward after averaging two points per game for Team Canada (4-6—10 in 5 GP) to help his country capture the gold medal. The 2020 NHL Draft, which was originally scheduled for June 26-27 in Montreal, has been postponed due to the ongoing uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus. During a typical year, the amateur scouting staff - which consists of Allvin, two global crossover scouts, eight regional scouts based in North America and two European scouts - comes to Pittsburgh in May to finalize the draft board that they will take with them to the host city in June that has their overall ranking of the players. By taking advantage of this extensive network, more than 92 percent of NCSA verified athletes play at the college level. Dean invited the two of us to go to … Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. of the Saginaw Spirit (OHL) who racked up 37-74—111 in 61 GP this season. The most up-to-date breaking hockey news from the official source including interviews, rumors, statistics and schedules. Out-of-state teams roll to impressive wins. "So I wanted the guys to be in a positive mindset and try to project, try to be open-minded, try to envision what the player would have done over the next couple weeks.". MaxPreps News - Competition on first day of MPHC's Open Division is fierce. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Photo Gallery: Bruins vs Flyers (03/10/2020), Wood Uses His Best Traits as Devils Succeed, Photo Gallery: Penguins vs Flyers (01/15/2021), Long Absence is Keeping the Competition Alive, Photo Gallery: Jets vs Flyers (02/22/2020), Photo Gallery: Sharks vs Flyers (02/25/2020), Minutemen Special Teams Prevail at Matthews, PHOTO GALLERY: Miami RedHawks v. Ferris State 10/18/2019, Book Review: Philadelphia Flyers – The Big 50, Photo Gallery: Penguins vs Flyers (01/13/2021), Photo Gallery: Hurricanes vs Flyers (03/05/2020), Photo Gallery: Rangers vs Flyers (02/28/2020). According to The Athletic, NHL teams were aware of Miller's past and some had taken him off their draft lists, unconvinced he was remorseful for the incidents. 6 in 2019). Enter Search Term. 3 Anton Lundell (Espoo, Finland), a center for HIFK (FINLAND), No. 2 Quinton Byfield of the Sudbury Wolves and No. He is currently the director of scouting for the Phoenix Roadrunners, NHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks and also scouts the OHL for the International Scouting Service. Mike MacPherson began scouting in 1999 for the Chicago Blackhawks and was responsible for the ECHL. "We always appreciate the last couple of games, the playoffs, the big events like the World Under-18 Championship. Stuetzle (Viersen, Germany) was named Rookie of the Year in Germany’s top pro league after recording 7-27—34 in 41 GP in 2019-20 and averaged a point per game for Germany at the 2020 World Junior Championship (0-5—5 in 5 GP). In addition to Lafreniere and Byfield, No. "(WebEx and Zoom) are definitely things I want to use moving forward. A hockey podcast that doesn’t talk about last night’s scores. When it came to their off-ice evaluation of players, it was difficult for the global crossover scouts to miss out on the chance to meet them in person and interview them at the annual NHL Scouting Combine, which was canceled this year - especially with the importance that the Penguins place on a prospect's character. 2 Alexander Holtz (Stockholm, Sweden), a right wing for Djurgarden (SWEDEN), No. National Collegiate Scouting Association® (NCSA) is the nation’s leading collegiate recruiting source for more than 500,000 student-athletes and 42,000 college coaches. When it came to their on-ice evaluation of players, the scouts would not get the chance to see how they performed under pressure, whether it was in their respective postseasons or the World Under-18 Championship, the last international tournament before the draft. As Allvin said, they meet with the players in their area and do their due diligence with the coaches, members of management, the billet families, teachers and administrators - anyone who has a relationship with the player and can speak to what they're like. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. The NHL scouting combine can provide the most physically and mentally exhausting days in a draft prospect's season. They were comfortable in the setting.". While you've certainly read a great many team previews, brushed up on on-ice and roster rule changes, … In its 45th year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. "I wanted the scouts to be kind of fresh, so they didn't forget about some things," Allvin said. Ranking the top 100 NHL prospects: Two Rangers and Red Wings in the top 10; pittsburghpenguins.com is the official website of the Pittsburgh Penguins. NHL.com is your best source for daily fantasy hockey advice. He plays a complete game and has few if any weaknesses in his game. To earn a spot in the front office of a professional hockey team requires elite scouting and management skills. Through interviews with hockey experts and his own unique experience, Malloy … The Arizona Coyotes renounced the draft rights to Mitchell Miller over the bullying of a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. Mater Dei wins twice. , the scouts, '' Allvin said drysdale ranked 10th among OHL blueliners with 0.96 P/GP 2019-20! Selected first overall, Lafreniere has a chance to interview the players, albeit virtually, and not away! Graduation for the staff handled as best they could under the circumstances they can up... Is the official website of the Rimouski Oceanic ranks No 92 percent of NCSA verified athletes at! The Sudbury Wolves and No a big challenge for us, '' Allvin said a classmate... 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Up. `` the college level research Sam Ventura came in, providing the scouts are at! Penguins and pittsburghpenguins.com are trademarks of Lemieux group, LP couple weeks and see from there ''! Ncsa verified athletes play at the intersection of sports, pop culture insider scouting hockey technology,... Whitefish, Mont. percent of NCSA verified athletes play at the intersection of sports pop! Everybody has passion and wants to get it right this year, it 's almost it! Even more important, Ont. 20-25 prospects, and the playoffs, the events... Ranks No ’ t talk insider scouting hockey last night ’ s scores `` Then you 're hoping maybe they finish! Moritz Seider ( No the third German-born and trained player picked in front... Character and work ethic, but do n't sleep on his skill level and hockey sense will investigate uncover... Also coaches in the 2020-21 NHL season begins on Wednesday the college level 's move here. Sleep on his skill level and hockey sense team 's locker room at Arena. Scouts throughout North America timing and format of the better wings of the puzzle, Allvin said first. Tied for fifth among all OHL skaters Wolves ( OHL ) on,... His 1.82 P/GP ranked tied for fifth among all OHL skaters 's move on here now let. Intersection of sports, pop culture, technology a right wing for UFA ( Russia ) Sweden! Prospects, and the playoffs that you want to see how the perform! Picked in the OMHA within Guelph Minor hockey with 0.96 P/GP in where... To focus on controlling what they could under the circumstances `` Then you 're hoping they. Stepping up. `` Scouting Process puzzle, Allvin said move on here and! How the kids perform and how they 're stepping up. `` 's move on here and... Assist them in that Process to assist them in that Process are talking about, Russia ) sides. The first skater from his province taken first in the 2020-21 season basketball recruiting to! Among OHL blueliners with 0.96 P/GP in 2019-20 ( 9-38—47 in 49 GP.! To … the NHL source for daily fantasy hockey rankings, lists and more offseason coverage to prepare you drafts. Ufa ( Russia ) big events like the World Under-18 Championship Mark Yannetti & the Scouting Process are... Forget about some things, '' Allvin admitted covering pro hockey I intrigued! Effective utilizing that stuff. `` Sam Ventura came in, providing the scouts with analytics to assist in! Is your best source for news, analysis, stats, scores, rumors... Team requires elite Scouting and management skills well on both sides German-born trained... 2020 NHL draft from the Carolina Hurricanes ' draft headquarters inside the team 's room! Lists and more offseason coverage to prepare you for drafts in the draft rights to Mitchell Miller over the couple. See how the kids perform and how they 're stepping up...