With the NHL season at the halfway mark and the U-20 World Juniors finally over, Team Canada came out top, winning gold, Russia with silver and Sweden with bronze. However, this time period should be one to reflect on players who could possibly end up at these spots if the draft was held today. That being said, there can be some fluctuation and volatility based off the draft lottery.
- To the obvious I have at number
- 1 Alexis Lafreniere, LW/C
- 2 Quinton Byfield, C
- 3 Alexander Holtz, RW
- 4, Lucas Raymond LW
- 5 Marco Rossi C
- 6 Tim Stutzle LW
- 7 Cole Perfetti LW
- 8, Marco Rossi C
- 9 Jamie Drysdale D
- 10, Anton Lundell C
- 11 Hendrix LaPierre
- 12 Yaroslav Askarov G
- 13, Noel Gunler RW
- 14 Justin Barron D
- 15 Jan Mysak RW
Top Five Projected Picks Scouting Summary:
Alexis Lafreniere: A left-winger who plays more dominantly in the face-off circle and has the potential to be a perfect long-term center. Alexis scored a goal and three assists versus last year’s silver medal Team USA squad. There were times when Lafreniere looked cornered, but he still finds the perfect passing lane to yield scoring chances. He has the potential to play similar to that of HOF’er Martin St. Louis. This of course is with his build and IQ while his senses also match that of Sidney Crosby. Lafreniere seems to score like a Vincent Lecavalier at his age.
Quinton Byfield: Big body with lots of speed who is a playmaker and power forward center. He’s an excellent stickhandler who can play a two-way game and a 200 foot game. Quinton is very smart and he has a very underrated wrist shot and a beautiful slap-shot.
Alexander Holtz: Offensive awareness comes super natural to him. His scoring comes from the point and the slot similar to Finnish winger Patrik Laine. Holtz, 17-years-old, has a great shot from the blue line and the crease. Holtz of Stockholm, Sweden drives to the net with speed and bravery when he competes.
Lucas Raymond: Solid setup man in the trapezoid and a great puck distributor to his shooters. Raymond is cerebral when it comes to working on the same line as fellow teammate Alexander Holtz and has excellent vision in finding his open teammates. Lucas crashes the net and brings energy on scoring drives, is solid and elite when it comes to the wrist shot. He’s absolutely clutch and maybe better than Montreal’s Cole Caufield.
Marco Rossi is the Austrian center for the Ottawa 67’s who gets to play with a 5-foot-10 inch, 165 pound frame. He’s incredibly shifty as a center and he adds marvellous speed to the package. His stick handling is most comparable to Nico Hischier as well as the quick shot.
Like Nico, Marco Rossi is a can’t miss playmaker who very much loves scoring from the mid and high danger zones. His zone entries are rather spectacular and like Will Scouch of Scouching.ca said on The Jersey Joe Corner early last year, “He’s going to be the best hockey player coming out of Austria. He [Marco Rossi] may not have bye-bye speed like Michael Grabner, but his speed is very fast.” After talking with Will and watching highlights of Rossi, I can see why the 18-year-old can be a top-five player in this year’s draft.