Scout’s Analysis: How top prospects for Canadian teams are performing

With the calendar flipping to December, the hockey season enters an exciting segment of the year with the world junior championship at the end of the month in Minnesota. 

It’s also a good time to check in with the progress previously drafted players are making as they continue to develop with their club teams around the world. 

As part of my ongoing updates on prospects from Canadian NHL teams, here’s a look at how the first players selected by each team last June in Los Angeles have been trending this fall:

Vancouver Canucks 

Braeden Cootes: Six feet, 185 pounds, right-shot centre, first round (15th overall)

Cootes trained hard for his first pro camp this fall with the Canucks and impressed Vancouver’s brass enough to break camp with the team at the start of the season. 

Cootes appeared in only three games at the NHL level before being returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL, but the experience served him well. He’s the captain again this year and being deployed in all situations for the T-Birds. 

Cootes averages over 20 minutes per game and his scoring touch has gone to another level in his third season of major junior hockey. He’s produced nine goals and 12 assists in 14 games and is on pace for a career-high 38 goals and 51 assists. He’s a potential top-six NHL forward who’s engaged in all three zones, pushes back in the trenches and wins well over 50 per cent of his faceoffs. 

Here’s an example of Cootes executing a set-play off a faceoff in the offensive zone with his group on the power play.

Calgary Flames

Cole Reschny: five-foot-11, 183 pounds, right-shot centre, first round (18th overall)

Reschny is one of the CHL players who made the move to the NCAA this season. He’s a freshman at North Dakota after playing two years for the Victoria Royals and is a potential top-six NHL forward.  

Reschny put up huge offensive numbers in Victoria, putting up 47 goals and 104 assists over two seasons. He’s adjusted well to the NCAA level offensively, contributing two goals and 13 assists in his first 14 games. Reschny continues to impress me the overall detail he provides. When he isn’t producing offence, the team can count on his commitment defensively. 

Reschny is averaging well over 20 minutes ice time for a long stretch of games and being used in all situations at North Dakota. He’s second in team scoring but, as described, his defensive effort and overall detail stand out for me. 

Here’s an example of Reschny working to win possession of a defensive-zone draw on the penalty kill. The draw is scrummed but Reschny is fully engaged, tracks the play, and ends up exploding up ice and distributing the play on the two-on-one rush. 

Ottawa Senators 

Logan Hensler: six-foot-three, 198 pounds, right-shot defenceman, first round (23rd overall)

Hensler is a sophomore at Wisconsin and the potential second-pairing NHL defenceman is off to a solid start. His size and skating ability have always stood out and he’s starting to use those tools to impact the game more offensively. Last season, Hensler contributed two goals and 10 assists in 32 games. He has three goals and four assists in 13 games this season and averaging between 16-21 minutes per game of ice time. All of his shifts come at even strength and the power play. I’ve also been impressed with his defensive-zone detail. After ending last season with a minus-13 rating, he’s plus-two so far this year and much more consistent with his routes to kill plays and contain opponents. 

As Hensler continues to evolve offensively, and attempts to direct more pucks on net, I’m monitoring his shot-attempt volume and how many of his shots end up on net. He has the agility to walk the blue line or change the angle of his shot, but several of his shot attempts have been blocked by opponents and can result in turnovers. 

Here’s a look at how many of his shots have connected on net, over his last 10-game segment, compared to how many have been blocked:

Note: the shots blocked are marked with an “X”

Winnipeg Jets

Sascha Boumedienne, six-foot-two, 190 pounds, left-shot defenceman, first round (28th overall)

Boumedienne is a sophomore at Boston University and, like most of his teammates, off to an uneven start this season. He has two goals and four assists and is minus-nine on the season. The Terriers are a streaky .500 team. Boston has three-game winning and losing streaks in its first 15 games and sits 7-7-1 overall. 

Boumedienne is a potential middle-pairing NHL defenceman who logs a massive amount of ice time. He’s deployed in all situations and averages between 22-26 minutes per game. He’s one of the most elite skaters in the NCAA. He’s quick to front opponents defensively, can lead the breakout with the puck on his stick or join the rush as an extra layer, and walks the blue line efficiently to open up shooting and passing lanes. 

Considering Boumedienne’s skating ability, I was surprised to notice how he rarely pinches down in the offensive zone to direct pucks on net and equally as surprised to notice how many of his attempts are actually making it to the net. It’s an area of his game that has room for improvement. Here’s a look at how many of his attempted shots have reached the net in his last 10-game segment:

Montreal Canadiens

Alexander Zharovsky, six-foot-one, 163 pounds, left-shot winger, second round (34th overall)

Zharovsky was my favourite pick in the second round last June and Montreal could have another future top-line winger in its stable of prospects. 

Zharovsky was drafted out of the Russian junior league (MHL). He’s graduated to the KHL, playing for Ufa, and having a fantastic rookie campaign. Zharovsky has eight goals and 12 assists in 24 games. In his latest 10-game segment, he had three goals and three assists and averaged over 15 minutes ice time per game. All of his shifts come at even strength and the power play. He has a primary role on the top power-play unit. Zharovsky is a highly skilled winger who needs time to add more weight and strength to his frame, but his offensive hockey sense is elite. 

Here’s an example of Zharovsky lurking high in the offensive zone, collapsing to extend the play behind his opponent’s net, and escaping a small-area check on his way to the net for a tuck:

Toronto Maple Leafs

Tinus Luc-Koblar, six-foot-three, 190 pounds, left-shot centre, second round (64th overall)

Luc-Koblar hails from Norway and plays for Leksands in the Sweden’s top pro league, the SHL. He has only three goals and two assists in 21 games, but I see potential with his approach and believe he has a chance to evolve into a third-line NHL player in time. 

Despite his numbers, Koblar has a strong understanding of his responsibilities in all three zones and provides consistent compete from shift to shift. He’s a very good skater and a threat to make plays off the rush in transition. He also digs in around the crease and uses his size and leverage to screen goaltenders and extend plays. 

It’s going to take some time for Koblar to maximize his potential but his combination of size, speed and hockey sense will provide him offensive opportunities. I’m comfortable saying he can be deployed in a variety of roles. 

Here’s an example of what I’m describing. Koblar enters the play via a line change. He tracks back into his zone and stops in the faceoff circle to scan how the play is developing. He eventually pounces on the puck and leads the rush up ice before scoring:

Edmonton Oilers

Tommy Lafreniere, six feet, 183 pounds, right-shot centre, third round (83rd overall)

Lafreniere plays for the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL. He’s an interesting prospect. He has a very quick release and a shoot-first mentality. Pucks are on and off his stick in a hurry and he works to make plays to the net from high-danger areas of the ice. 

Lafreniere is deployed in all situations with the Blazers. He’s generally engaged defensively and proficient at seeking out quick-strike opportunities offensively. Lafreniere had 24 goals and 32 assists in 68 games last season already is up to 19 goals and 16 assists in 26 games this year. I describe him as an average-plus skater who has decent quickness out of the blocks, but isn’t a pure burner in open ice. Here’s a look at what areas of the offensive zone Lafreniere has scored his 19 goals this year: