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 (including playoffs) or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
The 2013-14 season was a turbulent one for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but also one that offers much hope for the future. On one side of the ledger we see a team that went from the 28th ranked team in the NHL to one that amassed 101 points and finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference. A team that had not one, but two youngsters step up and become Calder Trophy finalists in Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson, and one that showed the depth necessary to do this all while missing their best player, Steven Stamkos for the majority of the season.
On the other hand, a turbulent year led to the club saying good-bye to the last of the superstars that defined the 2004 Stanley Cup Win, as Martin St. Louis demanded a trade to the New York Rangers. The team would also show their inexperience, losing in 4 games to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, after Vezina finalist Ben Bishop was unable to play due to a late season elbow injury.
The off-season brings big changes in Tampa. Gone is Sami Salo, who despite his age, played a big role on the Tampa blue line. Also gone is Nate Thompson who was an effective bottom line player and penalty killer. However the Lightning have also made some big additions to replace these players. On defence, a trade sees Jason Garrison join the team from the Vancouver Canucks, while the team also signed Anton Stralman, one of the most sought after free agent defencemen on the market. Up front Brian Boyle of the New York Rangers, and Brenden Morrow of the St. Louis Blues were added to improve the bottom lines. The club also added Evgeni Nabokov to replace Anders Lindback as the backup goaltender. Add to that the expected graduation of top prospect Jonathan Drouin to the NHL and the Lightning could be poised to take another step forward this season. With an A- grade in our draft review, the Lightning also addressed future needs for the team’s blue line in the 2014 Draft.
2014 NHL Draft Picks Reviewed By LWOS: Anthony DeAngelo, Dominik Masin, Johnathan MacLeod, Brayden Point, Ben Thomas
Graduates: Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, Radko Gudas, J.T. Brown, Richard Panik, Mark Barberio, Andrej Sustr (23 years old + 48 career games)
Top Tampa Bay Lightning Prospects
Top Prospect Jonathan Drouin, Centre/Left Wing
*LWOS TOP OVERALL PROSPECT 2014*
Born Mar 28 1995 — Ste-Agathe, Quebec
Height 5.11 — Weight 185 — Shoots Left
Drafted by the Lightning in the 1st round, 3rd overall in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Playing left wing to Nathan MacKinnon’s centre in his draft year, the Lightning decided that they wanted to convert Drouin to centre and started to do so at 2013 training camp. They sent him back to Halifax to continue to learn his new position. Drouin had another monster year, going over 2 points per game, as well as scoring 9 points for Team Canada at the world juniors.
The first thing that stands out about Drouin, is his incredible hands. Drouin has the ability to stickhandle in a phone booth and can make tremendous plays both off the rush and by controlling the puck in the offensive zone. He regularly beats defenders one-on-one leading to high quality scoring opportunities for himself and his linemates. He has tremendous vision and is more of a set-up man than a goal scorer, and is able to thread passes through the tiniest of openings. However, those great hands in tight situations, and a very good wrist shot and release, also help Drouin to score goals. He plays a fearless game. He’s willing to battle in the corners and at the front of the net, getting in the dirty areas he needs to be in to score points. While many are concerned with Drouin’s size, we feel that due to his extremely high skill level, his non-stop motor and compete level, and his tremendous hockey IQ, the issue of size will not hold him back at the next level.
Drouin is a tremendous skater. His balance, agility, edgework, and ability to change speeds makes him extremely dangerous off the rush. There are a number of tools in his arsenal that he can use to beat a defender one-on-one off the rush. Add to that his ability to get by you and make a play towards the net in the cycle game, and you have an offensive terror. To top it all off, Drouin’s top-end speed is above average, and once he gets by, it is very difficult to chase him down from behind.
Defensively, Drouin has shown the willingness to improve his weaknesses all season long. Still not a staunch defender, he has greatly improved. His quickness and hockey sense are definite assets in his own zone, as well as his compete level. A concern is his inability to contain big opposition forwards and this is where his size can hurt him the most. He will need to bulk up and add some mass and strength to fully maximize his potential in all three areas of the ice.
Drouin should be in Tampa Bay this season, and is a potential Calder Candidate. He may start out as the third line centre, but in time he will be a tremendous 1-2 punch with Steven Stamkos. The sky is the limit on Drouin.
#2 Prospect: Andrei Vasilevsky, Goaltender
Born July 25 1994 – Tyumen, Russia
Height 6.03 — Weight 201 lbs — Shoots Left – Catches Left
Drafted by the Lightning in the 1st round, 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft
It was yet another outstanding season for Vasilevsky who put up great numbers playing for Salavat UFA in the KHL against men. Dominated at the World Juniors, and played for Russia at the World Championships. Vasilevsky has established himself as one of the top goalie prospects in the world, and depending on who you ask is usually ranked first or second (with the Ducks John Gibson as his main rival).
Coming in at 6’3″ tall, Vasilevski has the ideal height and size that NHL teams are looking for more and more in goaltenders today. He is big and takes up a lot of space. When he gets out on his angles he doesn’t leave shooters with a whole lot of net to look at. As evidenced by his performance in international competitions Vasilevski is mature beyond his years, and this helps him maintain a cool and calm composure in the net.
Vasilevski has quick and agile legs that cover the bottom of the net. He is very hard to beat down low. He also has an effective glove hand, something that more and more European goalies are learning to develop in recent years. Vasilevski is very good in his lateral movement, he gets side to side in his crease quickly and doesn’t overcommit to cross-ice passes.
There are not a lot of huge weaknesses in Vasilevski’s game. Like many young goalies he is going to need to better control his rebounds. However this will come with time and experience. Overall, his technique is still a little raw, but the talent is definitely there and just needs to be refined.
The Lightning plan to get Vasilevski over to North America as soon as possible and get him used to the smaller ice surface at the AHL level. He is expected to play for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL this year. He’s likely a few years away from an NHL impact, but the kid has the talent, and is one of the top goalie prospects in hockey.
#3 Prospect: Slater Koekkoek, Defence
Born Feb 18 1994 — Mountain, ONT
Height 6.02 — Weight 183 — Shoots Left
Drafted by the Lightning in the 1st round, 10th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft.
After two tough years, Slater Koekkoek finally had a mostly healthy season and showed what he could do with the Windsor Spitfires putting up 15 goals and 53 points in 62 games for Windsor. Unfortunately the injury bug bit again, as he missed the final week of the season plus the OHL playoffs after a shoulder injury. It was the third straight year that Koekkoek’s season was ended prematurely with a shoulder injury. This time though it was his right shoulder that required surgery, whereas 2012 and 2013 were left shoulder surgeries.
Koekkoek is an effective offensive defenceman. His slapshot is hard and accurate, and Koekkoek understands the importance of keeping it low and on net. Koekkoek is also a very good passer, and his excellent vision helps him to quarterback the Spitfires powerplay. He is a good puck handler, and has shown the ability to join the rush, and smart decision making to do it at the right times. Skating wise, Koekkoek has improved his speed going forward, but could use some work on his first step. His acceleration is decent. He also could improve his backwards skating as he sometimes has issues with gap control. However his agility, balance, and lateral mobility are very good and will serve him well going forward.
Defensively Koekkoek is a physical presence. He is a player who just loves to throw big body checks, and can strike fear into opponents coming down his side of the ice. Koekkoek is also a willing and able shot blocker. However, Koekkoek’s defensive game is far from a finished product. He requires more work on his defensive assignments, and on his positioning in the defensive zone. Koekkoek also needs to add muscle to his frame if he wants to be able to handle bigger forwards at the next level. He’s got good height and a good frame, however he does need to work in the weight room in order to properly fill out, as he is currently very slender.
Koekkoek will likely find himself in the AHL next season. He needs to stay healthy and work on refining his defensive game, but he could be a valuable piece in Tampa in the near future.
Super Sleeper: Cedric Paquette, Centre
Born Aug 13 1993 — Gaspe, PQ
Height 6.01 — Weight 206 — Shoots Left
Drafted by the Lightning in the 4th round, 101st overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Cedric Paquette had a solid first pro season with Syracuse Crunch putting up 20 goals and 44 points in 70 AHL games. He even earned a late season call-up playing in 2 regular season games and all four Lightning playoff games as he quickly earned the trust of coach Cooper. Passed over in the 2011 draft, the Lightning took Paquette in the fourth round in 2012 and he’s looking like yet another gem they have uncovered when everyone else looked the other way (see Palat and Johnson).
Paquette is a tireless worker. He is relentless on the forecheck, forcing turnovers and creating offense through hard work. He wins battles on the boards, and is strong in the cycle game. He’s also not afraid to get to the front of the net and battle hard to make a play. Most of Paquette’s goals come from in close to the net, where he can use soft hands to tip in pucks, or to bury rebounds. He’s also a good passer and can find an open teammate while working the cycle. His shot needs some work particularly in his accuracy and release in order for him to be able to score more goals from further out from the net.
Paquette’s work ethic extends to his play in his own end of the ice, where he provides good back pressure in helping to defend against the rush, and strong support for the defence down low. He brings the gritty game and work along the boards in all three zones, and is also willing to block shots and cut down passing lanes in the zone.
Paquette’s biggest weakness is his skating. An awkward stride gives him below average speed and acceleration. If he can improve this aspect of his game, he can really take the next step. He does have excellent balance though, and lower body strength. This is extremely useful along the boards and in protecting the puck in the cycle as mentioned above.
Paquette could be an excellent third line centre in time. Expect him to spend another year in the AHL and filling in for injuries when they occur in Tampa.
It is absolutely amazing that with 9 players graduating last year the Lightning had the season that they did. It is even more impressive that despite all those graduations the Lightning still have one of the top prospect cores in hockey. They have our top overall prospect, and our #2 goalie prospect. Behind Vasilevsky, the goaltending is extremely deep with Latvian Olympic Hero Krister Gudlevskis and Jaroslav Janus also in the system. On defence Koekkoek is joined by the four 2014 draft picks selected above as well as Dylan Blujus, and Nikita Nesterov to form a solid group. Meanwhile the forwards include Adam Erne, Vladislav Namestnikov, Henri Ikonen, Jonathan Marchessault, and newly drafted Brayden Point. While not a prospect for our rankings due to NHL games played, Brett Connolly had a solid AHL season and continues to knock on the door for the NHL team. He’s still just 22-years-old. Overall, the team’s prospect group is led by the two absolute studs and features excellent depth in all positions. This is a group that will contend for our ranking of Top Prospect Class in 2014.
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