Welcome to the 2014 edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2014 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and you can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2014 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2014-15 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
The Winnipeg Jets spent their first season in the Western Conference and it certainly wasn’t an easy one. The season didn’t go exactly as planned and casualties included head coach Claude Noel. However the team went on a strong run after the hiring of new coach Paul Maurice and got themselves back into playoff contention. However it was too little, too late to actually get in, and a late season injury to young centre Mark Scheifele really put the final nail in the coffin. Overall the Jets were more competitive in the West than many analysts predicted but it still wasn’t enough.
With three years in the league now, the novelty of having NHL hockey back in Winnipeg is starting to wear off, and the team is under pressure to get some results this year. If they can’t get their first playoff appearance since the move to Manitoba this season the pressure will be on GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. With a .901 save percentage last year, the pressure is also on goaltender Ondrej Pavelec to prove he can be a starter in the NHL, because to this point he hasn’t gotten the job done.
2014 Draft Picks Reviewed by LWOS: Nikolaj Ehlers, Jack Glover, Chase De Leo
Graduates: Jacob Trouba, Mark Schiefele, Paul Postma, Patrice Cormier,
Top Winnipeg Jets Prospects
Top Prospect: Josh Morrissey, Defence
Born Mar 28 1995 — Calgary, ALTA
Height 6.00 — Weight 185 — Shoots Left
Drafted by Winnipeg Jets – round 1, 13th overall 2013 NHL Entry Draft
It was a huge season for Josh Morrisey this year, as he really became a top notch offensive blue liner, putting up 28 goals and 73 points in 59 games with Prince Albert. He also made the Canadian National Junior team. Morrissey finished it all off putting up 9 points in 20 playoff games for the Saint John Ice Caps.
The key to Morrissey’s games is his outstanding skating ability. He is amongst the skating defencemen in junior hockey. His stride is fluid, and he has excellent top end speed both backwards and forward. His first step is quick, and he accelerates well reaching that top speed in just a few strides. His agility, edgework, and pivots are very strong and fluid, giving him excellent mobility, and allowing him to cover a lot of ice, whether it be opening up passing and shooting lanes in the offensive zone, skating the puck out of his own zone and through neutral ice, or covering up defensively against the rush or the cycle.
Morrissey is very slick offensively. He combines very good stickhandling with his great skating to carry the puck through the neutral zone and lead the rush at times for Prince Albert. If not leading the rush, he can effectively join the play as a trailer, and has good instincts for jumping up on the rush. He also has great vision, and pin point passing skills both in starting the rush with a first pass, or in quarterbacking the play in the offensive zone. Morrissey has developed his slap shot over the past year, and it seems to be harder than it was in his draft year. He also knows how to keep his shot low shot low at key times and to get it on net despite the traffic in front, allowing teammates to get screens, rebounds, and tips. Morrissey also has a really good wrist shot, and an excellent release which he can use off the rush or if he can’t get the time to get his slapshot off. His hockey sense is top notch, and he almost always makes the right decision in the offensive zone. Morrissey has all the tools to be a high level offensive contributor from the blue line and a future powerplay quarterback if he continues on this path.
In his own zone, Morrissey just keeps improving. He plays an effective positional game, always keeping the opponent in front of him, and doing a good job to take away time and space. He doesn’t run around looking for hits, but has shown that when the opportunity presents itself he can be extremely physical, and throw a big check. However most of the time Morrissey is content not to gamble. Instead he plays smart positional defence and cuts off passing and shooting lanes, eventually forcing his opponent into a turnover, and quickly transitioning to offence. Morrissey could use more upper body strength however, and some time in the weight room will help him to win more one on one battles along the boards and in front of the net.
While Morrissey proved he is ready to make the jump from the CHL to the AHL, he is not old enough to do so yet due to the rules of the NHL-CHL transfer agreement. He must either be on the Jets, or back in the WHL this year. I would expect that with the Jets current defensive core, he will be given time to develop and should be back in Prince Albert and a key fixture at the World Juniors.
#2 Prospect: Nicolas Petan, Centre
Born Mar 22 1995 — Delta, BC
Height 5.09 — Weight 172 — Shoots Left
Drafted in the 2nd round, 43rd overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2013 NHL draft
Petan had another monster year in Portland, leading the WHL in assists for the second straight year. He also made the Canadian National Junior Team, and scored 4 goals in the tournament. He led his Portland Winterhawks team to their third straight WHL final, but unfortunately fell short to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
With more and more small players succeeding in the NHL, we can notice that a common theme that stands out, and allows these undersized players to continue to excel in the NHL is their skating ability. This is good news for Petan as his skating is well above average. While his top end speed is merely good, it is the rest of his skating ability that really stands out. He has a very good first step, and great acceleration. Petan’s ability to change pace quickly and good agility allows him to confuse defenders and beat them to the outside before driving the net. His great agility, and tight turns allow him to weave through traffic both with and without the puck. He is not afraid to go into those high traffic areas, and his skating ability helps him to fight through checks despite his size.
In the offensive zone, Petan has shown to be a multi-dimensional threat coupling great vision and playmaking skills with a good wrist shot and quick release. He creates scoring chances for linemates, but can also be a finisher when they set him up. He has a very high hockey IQ and always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and to make smart plays with the puck on his stick. Petan works hard in the corners and the front of the net and shows a lot of fight and grit despite his size. He is not intimidated to go up against bigger and stronger opponents.
Petan has also shown to be a reliable defensive player and often contributes on Portland’s penalty kill unit. He anticipates plays well and causes turnovers. His good hockey IQ allows him to steal pucks and transition quickly form defence to offence. He will of course need to bulk up to play in the NHL, and a transition to wing (like many smaller players) may eventually be in his future, but he does have the skills to succeed. Expect to see him play another season of junior hockey before making his way to the AHL ranks in 2015.
#3 Prospect: Scott Kosmachuk, Right Wing
Born Jan 24 1994 — Toronto, ONT
Height 6.00 — Weight 185 — Shoots Right
Drafted in the 3rd round, 70th Overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 NHL draft.
The third Jets prospect to have an absolutely huge junior season, Kosmachuk put up 49 goals and 101 points on the first line for the Guelph Storm. He helped Guelph to finishing first in the OHL’s regular season, and his 10 goals and 28 points in 20 playoff games helped the Storm to the OHL title. Unfortunately Kosmachuk’s junior career ended on a sour note as the Storm lost the Memorial Cup Final to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
The best way to describe Scott Kosmachuk in the offensive zone, is to say he is an absolute buzz saw at that junior level. Kosmachuk has a non-stop motor and is constantly forechecking, winning board battles, and getting himself in the middle of the action in high traffic areas. Kosmachuk is especially effective at controlling the puck down low and creates a lot of offence through an excellent cycle game and then taking the puck to scoring areas.
Kosmachuk has a decent shot and release, and he is not afraid to shoot from anywhere. His playmaking skills, and vision are merely average, and Kosmachuk is far more of a goal scorer than playmaker.
Kosmachuk is an agitator who plays the game on edge. He’ll hit anything that moves in the offensive zone, and is often involved in scrums after the whistle. He plays the game right on the edge and he can sometimes take undisciplined penalty by taking too much of a run at an opposing player.
An absolute speedster, Kosmachuk has excellent skating skills. He’s got good first step quickness and acceleration. Kosmachuk uses his edges well, giving him good agility and balance. His high end skating is seen in the offensive zone where he can be all over the ice at times.
Kosmachuk is a work in progress defensively. He needs a lot of work on his positioning and his play in his own end of the ice. He also has a tendency to float or puck watch at times, and we’d like to see him give the same effort in his own end of the ice that he gives in the offensive end. Given this a year apprenticing in the AHL seems to be in Kosmachuk’s future.
Super Sleeper: Connor Hellebuyck
Born May 19 1993 — Commerce, MI
Height 6.04 — Weight 200
Drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 5th round, 130th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Hellebuyck stole the starting job at U-Mass Lowell from Doug Carr as a freshman, an impressive accomplishment considering that Carr was one of the top NCAA goalies before Hellebuyck arrived. He has put up “video” game stats with a .952 save percentage as a freshman and .941 as a sophmore.
At 6’4″ Hellebuyck takes up a ton of net, and is an imposing target for shooters. He gets out quick on his angles and is excellent positionally to take away as much net as possible. He has quick legs and uses his frame to cover a ton of net when he’s down in his butterfly. He also has a good glove to take away the top half of the net. Hellebucyk skates well meaning he’s hard to get around on a deke, despite how far he comes out to cut down angles. He also gets side to side quickly and tracks the puck well keeping him in position to make a save.
Hellebuyck also shows good poise, and maturity. He is calm and relaxed, and seems to shake it off even when a goal gets past him. He was a leader for U-Mass Lowell and helped the team to a berth in the Frozen Four in the 2013 season. Hellebuyck could use work on his rebound control, however he is very quick at getting square to the puck and back into position when a rebound does go out.
Hellebuyck signed his ELC last April and should be in the AHL with the Ice Caps next season.
Overall the Jets are building a strong young team. Schiefele, Jacob Trouba, and Evander Kane are all youngsters making an NHL impact already. Add to them youngsters like those profiled above, new first round pick Nikolaj Ehlers, and a good stable of forwards including Adam Lowry, Eric O’Dell, Jimmy Lodge, J.C. Lipon and Tomas Kubalik. On defence Morrissey is joined by the newly drafted Jack Glover and Nelson Nogier. However it is in goal where the Jets show really great depth with Eric Comrie and Michael Hutchinson also having high end potential.
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