DBTB –
The Draft year rolls on. And this Draft is looking deeper, and more promising, than many would have expected. I had trouble confining all my 1st round players to the 1st round… there was some spillover, which means some 1st round-caliber players will be available into the 2nd round. That’s the sign of a very good, very deep class. Will it all hold? We will see. But for now, enjoy the ride. There are excellent prospects all over the map, from the CHL to Finland to Switzerland to the USHL and on to Russia. And many places in between. But enough chit-chat, let’s get to it!
WINGERS
One thing people like to look at as far as Drafts go is where they are strong, and where they might be weak. The 2026 class is heavy on wing players, and I would break them down into a couple different categories. First, big or power wings. These are players that are usually 6’2 or bigger, who can do a variety of different things. And they typically are selected much higher than the consensus will rank them, primarily because NHL scouts are in the position of trying to look into the future. And the possibility of a 6’4 kid who is still figuring things out but COULD be a future stud once he grows into his body, is almost always more attractive than a 5’11 kid who has all kinds of skill but won’t get any bigger and thus, will likely have a shorter development arc.
Additionally, there are more options for a towering kid who doesn’t have great hands/stickwork at the professional level. You can make them a PK’er with their length, they can be a 4th line banger, they can even become a shutdown defensive forward. But a smaller kid with a ton of skill normally can fill one kind of role: a top 6 forward who might be able to help on the Power Play. We see this in the Sabres’ prospect pool with kids like Rosen, whose value diminishes quickly if they can’t break in as a scoring forward.
In this Draft, Ethan Belchetz is the model for the power wing type of player. At 6’5 with skill, he’s going to put up good numbers but he’ll get drafted in the Top 10 – maybe even the Top 5 – in large part due to his size. Others to look out for are two guys who can also play a little center: Ryan Rooboroeck, a 6’4 high skill forward and Oliver Suvanto, a 6’3 monster who’s already making a splash in Liiga, the Finnish senior Men’s League. Freshman Ilia Morozov is putting up impressive numbers for Miami of Ohio’s team as a 6’3 wing in the NCAA, and 6’4 Czech Simon Katolicky has all the tools to be a big-time offensive performer…but seems to be scuffling for some reason right now. Still, a good class all around.
The second category in this class could be labeled ‘Skill Wings’. These are guys who have blistering speed, excellent hands and all-seeing vision who can drive play on the offensive end. They might be small, they might be perimeter players, and they might lose interest when they don’t have the puck, but you can’t deny the pure skill they possess. These are the guys who need to become Top 6 forwards, or, on teams that roll 3 scoring lines, a Top 9 guy.
And this Draft has plenty of these players, led by consensus #1 Gavin McKenna of Penn State University. But my #2, Ivar Stenberg, would also fit into that mold. And he’s really the first of the Swedish Four, along with Elton Hermansson, Marcus Nordmark and Viggo Bjorck. All of them have different skill sets but all fit into the ‘quick, skilled, but smaller” wings. They could all go in the Top 20. But you’ve also got WHL dazzler Mathis Preston at 5’11, displaying high-end skill most nights, and the CHL’s leading draft-eligible scorer JP Hurlbert (more on him below) putting up points game after game. So, again, the wing position looks to be this class’s standout position.
DEFENSEMEN
Coming in close behind in the positional ranks is Defenseman, although there is pretty considerable difference in most rankings as far as which blueliners fit in where. Almost everyone has monstrous 6’5 Keaton Verhoeff as the top defender off the Board, and with good reason. A bomb of shot, great size, and solid skating make him a future right-shot cornerstone on the back-end. But there are some puck wizards like Xavier Villanueve and Ryan Lin that could shoot up draft Boards as the continue to pile up points and drive the offense from the blueline. And there are more than a few of the big, grinding, physical defenders who focus primarily on their own end.
Guys like Swede Malte Gustafsson and American Luke Schairer can play that style, and these days there is a lot of value in those kind of players with the size and the skating to defend on the puck against quicker forwards. And perhaps the most interesting wild card is Latvian Alberts Smits, who has size, generates offense, and can defend against older, stronger forwards without missing a beat. With the scarcity of defenders that has teams clamoring for the position at the Trade Deadline every year, choosing from a good crop of back-enders would be a welcome sight for most scouts who are looking to make their name.
CENTERS
Further down the list are the Centers. And because they’re centers, they will get overdrafted, since most teams love the idea of adding a Top 6 centerman, and they are perhaps the hardest position to find. Topping the list of centers is Tynan Lawrence, a scrappy pest of a 2-way centerman with some high-end skill. For a while, he was really the only legitimate center in the discussion for the Top 10. But some others are emerging now that will challenge for a 1st round spot, if not higher.
The slick Russian operator, Yegor Shilov, came over to the Quebec league and has been lights out since he arrived. With good size, electric skating and eyes in the back of his head, Shilov has climbed rapidly. While the previous mentioned Ryan Rooboroeck can play in the middle, Caleb Malhotra – son of former NHL player and now Maple Leaf assistant Manny – has come on screen from out of nowhere, as one of the top centers of the Branford Bulldogs, a team tearing up the OHL for the time being. His smarts, pedigree and two-way play are going to be very enticing for an NHL scout come June. And playmaker extraordinaire Noah Kosick has broken into my Top 32, setting guys up left and right in Swift Current. So some different flavors, but a couple of those guys will likely go much higher than expected simply because of their position.
GOALTENDERS
And the last of the positions in terms of quality, Goaltender is at this point quite thin. I don’t have a goalie going until the 3rd round. Still, there’s some potential talent between the pipes, and the Sabres have had some success (and patience) with their mid-to-late round selections. My favorite at the moment is Slovak tendy Samuel Hrenak, a good-sized kid who knows his technique and doesn’t get himself caught out of position very often.
The other two on my radar are American Brady Knowling, a massive goalie backstopping the US National Development team and the same guy who won a gold medal at the Hlinka this past Spring, and Russian kid Dimitri Borichev, whose put up some crazy good numbers of Loko Yaroslavl in the MHL. Another potential star in a long line of Russian goalies.
A lot of talent in a group that should help NHL teams load up once more as the Crosby/Ovechkin generation ages out of the League and the new(er) kids on the block take over as the elder statesmen.
Not to be overshadowed, the Sabres’ youngsters continue to perform well. We all know that Isak Rosen (he of the 1G in his first game this year!) was named AHL Player of the Month in October, but did you know that 7th round selection Ryerson Leenders was named OHL Goalie of the Week last week? His Brantford Bulldogs are widely regarded as the top team in the CHL this year, and no small part of that being due to his goaltending.
Late-rounders appear to be a theme this Mock Draft, as 6th rounder Melvin Novotny continues to shine for Muskegon with 15P in 13 games to lead the Lumberjacks – no small task, with several other NHL draft picks and potential picks on the squad. And 7th rounder Ryan Rucinski wears the C for Youngstown, where he’s got 15P in 15 games and a few SHG for the Phantoms. The scrappy, versatile Ohio native is leading a really good team to one of the top spots in the USHL, along with mentoring fellow Sabre prospect Matuous Kucharcik. The big (6’4) centerman is over in North America for the first time, and under Rucinski’s tutelage, has 8P in 15 games. Lastly, junior sniper Jake Richard is the leading scorer for the #11 ranked UConn Huskies, with 7P in 8 games to help propel them to #3 in Hockey East. So some definite bright spots in the pipeline, which could influence how they draft in the future.
One note: I know the Sabres gave up their 2nd round pick in the Cozens trade, but for the purposes of putting more names in front of my fellow DBTB’ers to consider, I’ll pretend the Sabres still have that pick for one more Mock Draft.
This time, I used the actual standings at the time of my writing, then ran them through a lottery at Tankathon. So let’s get this thing started!
ROUND ONE:
1#1: NY RANGERS: Gavin McKenna, 6’0 C/LW, NCAA
1#2: SAN JOSE: Ivar Stenberg, 6’0 W, SWE
1#3: CALGARY: Keaton Verhoeff, 6’5 RHD, NCAA
1#4: ST LOUIS: Ryan Lin, 5’11 RHD, WHL
1#5: MINNESOTA: Tynan Lawrence, 6’0 C, USHL
1#6: NASHVILLE: Ethan Belchetz, 6’5 LW, OHL
1#7: NY ISLANDERS: Marcus Nordmark, 6’1 RW, SWE
1#8: BOSTON: Chase Reid, 6’2 RHD, OHL
1#9: VANCOUVER: Yegor Shilov, 6’1 C, QMJHL
1#10: BOSTON (TORONTO): Ryan Roobroeck, 6’4 C, OHL
1#11: CHICAGO (FLORIDA): Xavier Villaneueve, 5’11 LHD, QMJHL
1#12: BUFFALO: JP Hurlbert, 6’0 W, WHL
1#13: OTTAWA: FORFEITED
1#14: SAN JOSE (EDMONTON): Daxon Rudolph, 6’1 RHD, WHL
1#15: CHICAGO: Elton Hermansson, 6’1 W, SWE
1#16: COLUMBUS: Carson Carels, 6’1 LHD, WHL
1#17: SEATTLE (TAMPA BAY): Viktor Fyodorov, 6’0 C, RUS
1#18: LA KINGS: Alberts Smits, 6’3 LHD, FIN
1#19: WASHINGTON: Viggo Bjorck, 5’10 C/W, SWE
1#20: ANAHEIM: Malte Gustafsson, 6’4 LHD, SWE
1#21: NY RANGERS (DALLAS): Beckham Edwards, 6’1 C, OHL
1#22: PHILADELPHIA: Adam Novotny, 6’1 W, OHL
1#23: SEATTLE: Juho Piiparainen, 6’3 RHD, FIN
1#24: CAROLINA: Mathis Preston, 5’11 LW, WHL
1#25: MONTREAL: Caleb Malhotra, 6’0 C, OHL
1#26: NY ISLANDERS (COLORADO): Oliver Suvanto, 6’3 C/W, FIN
1#27: UTAH: Lavr Gashilov, 6’2 C, RUS
1#28: NEW JERSEY: Adam Valentini, 5’11 W, NCAA
1#29: DETROIT: Noah Kosick, 5’11 C, WHL
1#30: WINNIPEG: Ilia Morozov, 6’3 RW, NCAA
1#31: CALGARY (VEGAS): Jack Hextall, 6’0 C, USHL
1#32: PITTSBURGH: Axel Elofsson, 5’11 RHD, SWE
ROUND TWO:
2#1: CALGARY: Will Hakansson, 6’4 LHD, SWE
2#2: SAN JOSE: Tomas Chrenko, 5’11 C, SVK
2#3: PITTSBURGH (ST LOUIS): Maddox Dagenais, 6’4 C, QMJHL
2#4: NASHVILLE (MINNESOTA): Luke Schairer, 6’2 RHD, US NTDP
2#5: NASHVILLE: Simon Katolicky, 6’4 W, FIN
2#6: BOSTON: Blake Zielinski, 6’1 C, USHL
2#7: VANCOUVER: Landon Nycz, 6’2 LHD, NCAA
2#8: CHICAGO (TORONTO): Olivers Murnieks, 6’1 C, QMJHL
2#9: FLORIDA: Thomas Vandenberg, 5’11 C, OHL
2#10: BUFFALO: Brooks Rogowski, 6’6 C/W, OHL
2#11: NASHVILLE (NY RANGERS): Niklas Aram-Olsen, 6’0 W, SWE
2#12: CHICAGO (NY ISLANDERS): Vlad Dravecky, 6’1 RHD, OHL
2#13: UTAH (OTTAWA): Nikita Klepov, 5’11 W, OHL
2#14: EDMONTON: Joe Iginla, 5’10 W, WHL
2#15: CHICAGO: Filip Novak, 6’1 RW, CZE
2#16: FLORIDA (WASHINGTON): Oscar Hemming, 6’4 LW, BCHL
2#17: TAMPA BAY: Nikita Ovcharov, 6’2 RW, RUS
2#18: LA KINGS: Adam Nemec, 6’1 W, SVK
2#19: MONTREAL (COLUMBUS): Samu Alalauri, 6’2 RHD, FIN
2#20: ANAHEIM: Giorgos Pantelas, 6’2 RHD, WHL
2#21: DALLAS: Vilho Vanhatalo, 6’3 W, FIN
2#22: PHILADELPHIA: Sean Burick, 6’5 RHD, BCHL
2#23: SEATTLE: Callum Croskery, 6’0 LHD, USHL
2#24: NY RANGERS (CAROLINA): Nikita Shcherbakov 6’5 LHD, RUS
2#25: MONTREAL: Braidy Wassilyn, 5’11 C, OHL
2#26: UTAH: Will Yared, 6’2 C/RW, QMJHL
2#27: PITTSBURGH (WINNIPEG): Rasmus Rinne, 5’11 W, FIN
2#28: NEW JERSEY: Gleb Pugachyov, 6’3 LW, RUS
2#29: VEGAS: Lars Steiner, 5’10 RW, QMJHL
2#30: DETROIT: Ola Palme, 6’1 LHD, SWE
2#31: SAN JOSE (COLORADO): Oscar Holmertz, 6’0 C, SWE
2#32: PITTSBURGH: Rudolf Berzkalns, 6’4 LW, USHL
ROUND THREE:
3#1: CALGARY: Oleg Kulebyakin, 5’11 LW, QMJHL
3#2: PITTSBURGH (SAN JOSE): Max Sokolovsky, 6’8 LHD, OHL
3#3: ST LOUIS: Cole Zurawski, 6’0 RW, OHL
3#4: MINNESOTA: Pierce Mbuyi, 5’11 LW, OHL
3#5: NASHVILLE: Alexei Vlasov, 5’9 W, QMJHL
3#6: BOSTON: Tobias Tomik, 6’1 C/W, WHL
3#7: CALGARY (VANCOUVER): Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen, 6’2 RW, SWE
3#8: TORONTO: Alex Di Iorio, 6’1 C, OHL
3#9: OTTAWA (FLORIDA): Alex Command, 6’1 C, SWE
3#10: BUFFALO: Slava Fedoseyev, 6’1 RHD, RUS
3#11: NY RANGERS: Cam Chartrand, 6’1 RHD, QMJHL
3#12: NY ISLANDERS: Cooper Williams, 6’0 W, WHL
3#13: OTTAWA: Pavel Denisov, 6’1 LHD, RUS
3#14: EDMONTON: Mike Berchild, 5’9 W, US NTDP
3#15: CHICAGO: Samuel Hrenak, 6’4 G, SVK
3#16: WASHINGTON: Adam Goljer, 6’3 RHD, SVK
3#17: TAMPA BAY: Dylan Rozzi, 5’11 LW, QMJHL
3#18: LA KINGS: Logan Hawery, 5’10 C/W, OHL
3#19: COLUMBUS: Carter Stevens, 6’1 C, OHL
3#20: ANAHEIM: Brady Knowling, 6’5 G, US NTDP
3#21: LA KINGS (DALLAS): Jonas Kemps, 6’6 LHD, USHL
3#22: PHILADELPHIA: Jakub Frolo, 6’1 RW, CZE
3#23: DALLAS (SEATTLE): Chase Herrington, 6’0 LW, WHL
3#24: UTAH (CAROLINA): Jacob Xu, 6’2 LHD, OHL
3#25: MONTREAL: Andrei Molgachyov, 5’9 W, WHL
3#26: UTAH: Lincoln Kuehne, 6’2 RHD, NCAA
3#27: WINNIPEG: Casey Mutryn, 6’2 C, US NTDP
3#28: NEW JERSEY: Frankie Poletin, 6’2 G, FIN
3#29: VEGAS: Darian Rolsing, 6’6 RHD, WHL
3#30: DETROIT: Brayden Klimpke, 6’0 LHD, WHL
3#31: COLUMBUS (COLORADO): Ben Cossette-Ayotte, 6’1 RHD, QMJHL
3#32: PITTSBURGH: Colin Fitzgerald, 6’2 C, OHL
SABRES’ HAUL:
Rd1 #12: JP Hurlbert, 6’0 W, WHL:
Talk about an underdog story! Hurlbert, once a part of the US National Team, ditched the Program before the start of his final year and shuffled off to Kamloops in the WHL. The general consensus was that he would be a nice one-year player in the Dub and then be off to be a complimentary player for the Maize and Blue of Michigan before eventually becoming a mid-round draft choice. A funny thing happened on the way to the Big House. Hurlbert erupted on Day One of the WHL season and hasn’t stopped since. He’s the leading scorer in the entire CHL and has been invited to the CHL Top Prospects game, and in the process, has gone from an afterthought to a Top 15 selection in the Draft.
What makes him so good? He’s a pure scorer. Hurlbert has a vicious wrister, and a laser beam of a snapshot. Both are deceptive. Has the hands to get those shots off from any spot on the ice, often on-target and with some velocity. With a slingshot release that is lightning fast while also generating a lot of power, he’s a deadly scorer that can beat goalies clean from the top of the circle. But he’s more than a shooter. Hurlbert has a creative streak a mile wide.
Deadly give-and-go player, will deke you to death out high, then take you outside-in to get to the middle of the ice and change his shot angle to whip one past the tendy before he knows its coming. Will use the boards to create space for himself, and seems to be able to get pucks through defenders’ legs, between stick and skate, or just dance around the defense to open space. Plays very intelligent game, seems to take into account the game is 60 minutes and makes choices to set defenders up later in the game, controls the pace depending on the situation, and knows not to overstay his shift.
Very clever passer, and is murder in odd-man rushes, where he can kill you with the shot, the moves, or the pass. Pick your poison. Skating is good, but not great. His lateral movement is strong, and he’s shifty in small areas. Not a blazer, Hurlbert doesn’t explode out of the starting blocks and while his transitions are smooth, they are a little slow. Isn’t as strong on his skates as I’d like, and he can get pushed over in board battles or one vs one against big defenders.
A competitor, he hustles all over the ice and doesn’t stay out of puck battles or scrums in the corners. Can be a quiet assassin a lot of the time. You’ll see him just moving around the ice unassumingly and then bang! He gets the puck with a half-step on his defender, slips a check and gets into space where he rips it. But he’s not going to win a lot of end-to-end footraces. Defensively, he can tend to lose focus off the puck. He’s a hard worker, and is smart, so his positional defense is rock solid. An eager backchecker, and a clever forechecker, he doesn’t get beat from drifting out of position very often. But he can be outmuscled, and even when defending on the puck, he can be pushed around and lose inside leverage. Would like to see a more active stick.
One area where he really needs to improve is his raw strength, which could really help in a number of areas of his game. Hurlbert has put up 30P in 17 games for the Blazers, pretty impressive given he’s a newcomer to a team with multiple NHL draft picks at forward. That makes him the top scorer among all draft eligibles in the entire CHL (WHL, OHL, and Q), and second only to Top 10 choice Jake O’Brien from last year’s draft. If his development continues, I could see JP as being a Troy Terry-type of player, who can score 50-60P and play either wing.
Rd2 #10: Brooks Rogowski, 6’6 C/W, OHL:
Here the Sabres go with a monster in Rogowski, a 6’6 235# beast with the wheels and enough skill to fit anywhere in the line-up. Everything you want in a modern power forward, you’re going to get in this kid. He’s a dominating net front player, he plays a simple, effective game that channels pucks to the net and doesn’t waste a lot of time playing on the perimeter, uses his size to his advantage in all 3 zones. Obviously, you notice Rogowski’s size first when you see him play. He’s not a bean pole either. Has has some thickness to him on top of that towering height. Using a great reach, can get to loose pucks first despite losing the footrace.
The size makes him an ideal screen in front of the net, or on the penalty kill, where he can take away lanes and limit player options. Also a terror in the NZ, where that length can kill transition chances against before they really get going. His massive size makes him a deadly rebound vacuum from the slot or on top of the crease during a PP or off the cycle. Good core strength makes him really tough to move once he establishes position.
With his strength and reach, he can push aside smaller defenders or get to rebounds before other players and he’s got the smarts to get pucks right back to the net before the goalie can reset. Owns a heavy, hard shot but has the ability to change up velocities for different purposes – shooting for rebounds, for example. Doesn’t have a lot of deception in his shot, and his release needs to speed up (take some lessons from Tuch, maybe, with that sweeping snapshot he’s got) but it’s a weapon. Not a stickhandler, he’s not going to do a lot in terms of dekes or fakes to create space or open up lanes.
Where he really surprises you is his skating. For a giant human being, Rogowski can really move. His lateral movement needs work, and his edges could be a lot better, but he’s got a startling number of long rushes up ice where he simply blows past guys. It’s very Tage Thompson-esque. Because he doesn’t look fast – his strides are so long – he’s deceptive in how quick he gets on top of you, and how fast he goes past you. That said, when games turn into pure run’n’gun pond hockey, you tend to lose Rogowski because that just isn’t his game. He can get a little scrambly.
Defensively, he’s solid. He just swallows up smaller forwards, unless they are insanely quick, and isn’t afraid to lead with taking the body. Really smart, heavy stick that disrupts a lot of passes and deflects shots. Can play some on the PK, and do it effectively, although he’s not a guy you want hustling out to pressure guys. Has come out of the blocks well, with 13P in 13 games for a mediocre Oshawa team, where he’s the #2 scorer on a team with 4 NHL draft picks. Added 3P in 5 games for the USA’s Gold-medal winning team at the Hlinka. Has committed to Michigan State for the 27-28 season but could move up and potentially play there next season.
Rd3 #10: Slava Fedoseyev, 6’1 RHD, RUS:
You don’t often see young Russian defensemen who are offensive play drivers, so when one comes along you take a second look. This kid is one of those rare breeds. He’s shifty, with excellent movement, and has a stride that resembles Eichel – straight-backed, almost casual looking, but explosive with really good burst and exceptional lateral movement. Changes direction in a snap, can dance on the ice, and when he gets an opening, can burst through it before you know he’s there. At times, will try to do too much with the puck on his stick, instead of making the smart play and living to fight another day.
To that end, he loves to have the puck on his stick. Carries it with authority. Can make the stretch pass on target and on time, and his dual threat capability makes him really effective in breaking the puck out of his end. Really slick passer, can do it all: touch pass, sauce, backhand on target, stretch pass, can use the boards as well. Forecheckers be careful, he will lull you to sleep before he makes one pivot and explodes up the ice, leaving you in the dust.
Very high panic threshold when being pressured. Almost reluctant to give the puck up, although he is a skilled distributor. Head is always up, scanning, and controls the pace extremely well. Has really good handles, will stickhandle around defenders and combines that with his high-level skating to make it very tough to pin him down. He’s so evasive, sometimes it looks like he gets more interested in playing keep away than he is in making a play.
Doesn’t have a big shot, although he’s got the frame (6’1 185#) to develop a dangerous one. Will overpass at times rather than take a shot that’s given to him, so he’s got to improve his offensive awareness a bit and reduce his turnovers.
Defensively, he’s a work in progress. Can lose focus without the puck on his stick, especially when the opponent controls the puck for long periods. He’s not particularly physical. But in the Neutral Zone, he can terrorize teams by jumping up to break up zone entries or stealing passes and starting a counter-attack. Has already been called up to the VHL (Russia’s 2nd tier Men’s League) for a half-dozen games, but in Russian juniors (the MHL), he put up 10P in 11 games to start the season. Wears a letter for his junior team. Has that kind of attacking mindset from the back end, game reminds me a little of Thomas Harley in Dallas.
Rd4 #10: Julien Maze, 5’9 F, WHL:
An explosive, super-skilled forward is something this organization needs to add in the 2026 Draft. They started with one, but here they add another. The reason Maze is getting selected in the 4th round instead of the 1st really boils down to one reason… he’s small and slight. And its not easy to be effective in a League that makes it hard on those type of players to excel. But Maze is definitely a player worth taking a shot on. When watching him, you realize the potential to be a play driver in the same way that Zach Benson can be.
He’s got an innate sense of space and timing and rarely hangs on to the puck too long. Instead, he moves the puck quickly and directly – either through a pass or carrying it himself – and forces the defense to react to him, rather than the other way around. The puck seems attached to him. Doesn’t fumble it, lose focus, or stops moving his feet. He’s going every shift. With his ability to think two steps ahead, he identifies the defense and locates where the puck will be and beats his check to the spot continuously. Always seems to be in the right place at the right time, especially on offense. Makes it a habit of intercepting passes, staying on the right side of the puck, and getting himself open every shift. Has great acceleration with the puck on his stick.
Can explode East-West and leave defenders in the dust as he cuts across the slot or pick up a clearing pass and blaze a trail through the NZ to create an odd-man. Edge work is top end. Is constantly in attack mode. Playing at such a high pace makes him really a handful for WHL defenders, many of whom cannot keep up with Maze’s constant movement. But what makes him really dangerous, and it’s not his hands (although they are exceptional, especially when he’s weaving through defenders and chopping up the NZ) is his ability impact the game without the puck.
He can dish the puck and then make a beeline to the back post for a tap-in, will battle around the net for tips and rebounds, or can set up for a one-timer on the off-wing. A fiend of a forechecker, that constant pace pays off as he is a menace able to tip passes, strip pucks or get in on guys’ hands and turn them over. Maze is not a one-dimensional puck hog. Defensively, as discussed, he’s a relentless forechecker who not only will disrupt zone exits, but isn’t afraid to throw the body once in a while.
Obviously, given his size, he can be a liability against bigger forwards in his own end, but his smarts and ability to see plays before they happen serves him well when defending. Currently 2nd in scoring among all WHL draft eligibles, Maze has posted 20P in 14 games for Regina. You hope he can grow a couple inches and become a player not unlike a Seth Jarvis for Carolina.
Rd4 #14: Theo Knights, 6’4 LHD, SWE:
The Sabres have made a habit of late out of drafting big-bodied, mobile defenders in the middle rounds. Here is another one that mold, although this kid is a lefty rather than their usual right hander. One of the first things you notice after watching Knights for a little while is his competitive nature. Plays with a fiery intensity, hates to give up ground, or a goal. Very aggressive and physical when defending on the puck. Always gets a body on a puck carrier. And will look to flatten a forward who dares to come down the middle of the ice or cut inside on him. Will sell out to get to pucks first and win puck battles along the walls or in the corners. A battler in front of his net.
Reliable and certain, he wants to be the guy out there defending the lead late in the game. But if you couldn’t reach the guy you’re checking, it wouldn’t matter how mean a streak you had. Knights, however, is remarkably mobile for his size (6’4 200#). Has smooth transitions, and changes direction efficiently. Good explosiveness when needed to recover pucks or get across the ice to shut down a rushing forward. This lets him gap up against the rush or defend the Neutral Zone. And he’s tough to escape when he locks onto his check. But most surprising is his quickness in small areas and his light feet when escaping a scrum with the puck.
Has a great stick which he uses to positive effect either at even strength or on the PK. One thing you can say about Knights: he’s consistent, shift after shift. Offensively, he’s not a threat. He’s got a decent shot from the point that he can through to the net with regularity, but it’s neither hard nor heavy. And he has very little variety in his selection of shots – he doesn’t really change his shot angle, nor does he alternate between a heavy clapper vs a quick wrister depending on the circumstances. He’s not a bad passer, especially exiting the D-zone, where he uses quick, short passes to his forwards to get out of trouble and into the NZ. But in terms of creativity and creating offensive chances, you’re not going to get much out of Knights in that regard.
Had 1P in 5 games for the silver-medalist Team Sweden at the Hlinka, and in 7 games this year at the junior level in Sweden, he hasn’t chipped in a single point, which sort of confirms his role as a defense-first blueliner. For those who value physicality, however, he is projected to finish with 155 PIMS, which would put him in the Top 3 among all Swedish players at that level. I could see Knights as a traditional defensive defenseman, maybe develop into a Matthias Ekholm at the top of his upside.