THE PIPELINE SHOW: A Draft Preview Special

This week on The Pipeline Show we present the annual NHL Draft Preview special in conjunction with our friends at HockeyProspect.com. The nearly 3-hour special features five scouts from the publication talking in-depth about 5 different, specific regions and in the process, over 50 players are discussed.

2019 NHL Draft Special Part One: WHL

This week’s episode begins with the man at the top of HockeyProspect.com, Mark Edwards and an inside look at the 2019 Black Book, the benchmark of the independent scouting community. Edwards explains the reasons for the new format this year and what changes long-time subscribers will notice right away.

Mark is also on board this week to profile many of the notable players from the Western Hockey League. We start with Bowen Byram then proceed to the exceptional forward trio of Kirby Dach, Peyton Krebs and Dylan Cozens.

There is a comparison between Kelowna Rockets defenceman Lassi Thomson and Matthew Robertson of the Edmonton Oil Kings. We also discussed Rockets forward Nolan Foote, Prince Albert Raiders winger Brett Leason, and Medicine Hat Tiger goaltender Mads Sogaard.

Lastly, because of Mark’s position as head of scouting for Hockey Prospect, I asked him about German defenceman Moritz Seider and his top-ten ranking.

2019 NHL Draft Special Part 2: QMJHL

HockeyProspect.com scout Jerome Berubé is my guide to the draft-eligible players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. It is somewhat of a down year for the QMJHL but there are still some intriguing names to get to know.

Sherbrooke Phoenix forward Samuel Poulin leads the way but Halifax Mooseheads forward Raphael Lavoie is right next to him on the final ranking. Berubé shares his thoughts on both players and what there is to like and where they leave him with concerns.

Jakob Pelletier‘s ranking might surprise some casual fans so I had to ask about the diminutive Moncton Wildcats forward.

Other players from the Q that we discussed include Victoriaville Tigres winger Mikael Abramov, Baie-Comeau Drakkar power forward Nathan Legaré, Chicoutimi Sagueneens defender Artemi Kniazev and Saint John Sea Dogs forward Maxim Cajkovic.

2019 NHL Draft Special Part 3: OHL

Turning to the Ontario Hockey League, I called on Brad Allen from HockeyProspect.comfor his insight and knowledge.

We began with the top OHL guys including Niagara IceDogs centre Phil Tomasino, Mississauga Steelheads offensive defenceman Thomas Harley, Flint Firebirds blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok and forward Ryan Suzuki of the Barrie Colts.

From there we jumped to Jamieson Rees of the Sarnia Sting and Connor McMichael from the London Knights. 51-goal scorer Arthur Kaliyev is second only to Cole Caufield when it comes to goal scorers in the Class of 2019 but that doesn’t hide some flaws in his game which Allen goes over.

We also talked about Peterborough Petes winger Nick Robertson and goaltender Hunter Jones as well as forward Ethan Keppen from the Flint Firebirds.

2019 NHL Draft Special Part 4: USHL/USHS

Last week we went deep into the US-NTDP with Peter Krupsky. This week it’s everyone else in the USHL and some key high school players from across the U.S. as well. Dusten Braaksma of HockeyProspect.com is my guide for the segment.

We begin with a dynamic but undersized, highly skilled but not fleet-footed offensive forward from the Sioux City Musketeers, Bobby Brink. The old adage is that you can be small or you can be an average skater but you can’t be both. Brink will put that to the test as his talents in all other facets of the game might be strong enough that NHL teams look past his deficiencies.

How Bobby Brink uses pace and timing to overcome a wonky stride, and why those traits make him one of the draft's most exciting dual-threat scorers.

?for 1 more hour, only on @EPRinkside. https://t.co/qVm3fa4oEg

— Mitch Brown (@MitchLBrown) June 15, 2019

It’s a very long list of players that Braaksma dissects including Sioux Falls Stampede defender Ryan Johnson, Tri-City Storm point man Zachary Jones, Chicago Steel defender Jackson Lacombe, Omaha Lancers forward Rhett Pitlick, Tri-City Storm centre Shane Pinto, Dexter School pivot John Farinacci, Sioux Falls Stampede forward Ethan Phillips, St. Sebastien’s School defender Jayden Struble, Muskegon Lumberjacks forward Egor Afanasyev, Fargo Force forward Aaron Huglen, Waterloo Blackhawks winger Vlad Firstov, Chicago Steel forward Robert Mastrosimone and unheralded high school goalie Dominic Basse.

2019 NHL Draft Special Part 5: Sweden

There are a number of players from Sweden for fans to know leading up to next week’s NHL draft including, once again, several defencemen. To learn more about this year’s Swedish crop I called on HockeyProspect.com scout John Lindemalm Karlsson.

First up is Brynas IF defenceman Victor Soderstrom, the top-rated Swede in the eyes of HockeyProspect.com, who spent the entire season in the SHL. From there we went to another pair of defenders, AIK defender Philip Broberg and Djurgardens blueliner Tobias Bjornfot, and discussed what differentiates the three of them from each other.

Wrote about attempting to weigh the risk and reward inherent with Philip Broberg's game, how to project that to the NHL level, and where that should land him in the draft.

It's on @EPRinkside. If you look closely, you might notice something new…https://t.co/d2zyKRJtK1

— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) June 13, 2019

Undersized skill forward Nils Hoglander of Rogle BK was also talked about early in the segment as a potential first-round pick.

Other Swedish skaters that were covered over the lengthy segment with Johan included HV71 forward Simon Holmstrom, Farjestad defender Albert Johansson, MODO point man Mattias Norlinder, Frolunda winger Karl Henrikson, Djurgardens IF agitator Albin Grewe, Linkoping HC blueliner Simon Lundmark and 19-year-old, Froluna forward Samuel Fagemo.