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 Pittsburgh Penguins were once again one of the top teams in the National Hockey League, winning the Metropolitan Division by a comfortable margin. However they suffered another disappointing playoff loss, this one coming after they blew a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs and lost in seven games. However there was one big difference from previous years, this playoff loss couldn’t really be blamed on goaltending and defence, instead it was the scoring that dried up as Henrik Lundqvist stoned the Penguins shooters.
The off-season brings big changes as GM Ray Shero and coach Dan Bylsma are both gone, replaced by Jim Rutherford and Mike Johnston. James Neal was traded to the Predators for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. Jussi Jokinen, Matt Niskanen, and Brooks Orpik were all allowed to leave for other teams via free agency. The Penguins made some free agent noise of their own though, signing defenceman Christian Ehrhoff; forwards Steve Downie and Blake Comeau; and goaltender Thomas Greiss. With two defencemen out and only one brought in, it may be time for the Penguins to start relying a little more on the young stable of defencemen the Penguins have been building. Olli Maatta has already taken on a top 4 role on the team. Meanwhile, Robert Bortuzzo and Simon Despres have passed the 50 game mark on lower pairs. There are still plenty more promising young defensive prospects on the way.
2014 NHL Draft Prospects Reviewed by LWOS: Kasperi Kapanen
Graduations: Olli Maatta, Brian Gibbons, Robert Bortuzzo, Beau Bennett,
Top Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects
Top Prospect: Derrick Pouliot, Defence
Born Jan 16 1994 — Weyburn, SASK
Height 6.00 — Weight 203 — Shoots Left
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round, 8th overall of the 2012 NHL Draft.
Derrick Pouliot was taken 8th overall by the Penguins last year with a pick acquired when Pittsburgh traded Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes. Pouliot had a great season in his last year of junior. He went to the World Juniors with Team Canada and played a top 4 role, and scored 5 points in 7 games. He was dominant on the Portland Winterhawks, winning the CHL defenceman of the year award this year.
Pouliot is a skilled offensive defenceman. He is one of the best skating prospects in this series, as he is very fast in both directions and has great acceleration. He also has excellent balance and agility. Pouliot uses his edges extremely well and has good pivots. He is able to change directions quickly. The outstanding mobility is Pouliot’s best asset and helps him in all aspects of the game, whether it be creating offense off the rush, walking the line in the offensive zone and opening up shooting and passing lanes on the powerplay or by helping him to contain opponents defensively.
Pouliot is very skilled with the puck on his stick, able to carry and control it efficiently and is a good stickhandler capable of making deceptive moves around opponents. He makes tape to tape passes both in starting the breakout and in setting up his Winterhawks teammates with excellent chances in the offensive zone. Pouliot’s shot doesn’t have the power of some other top offensive defence prospects but he makes up for that with a lightning quick release on his wrist shot and deadly accuracy. He’s able to keep his slap shot low and get it on net, which is essential for any power play quarterback as it creates good opportunities for teammates to tip in shots or pounce on rebounds.
Pouliot improved greatly in his defensive game this year, but there are still some more improvements to be made. As mentioned before his quick skating and good first pass are definite assets as he can effectively get to loose pucks, find his way out of danger, and start the transition game. Pouliot has added almost 20 pounds since his draft day and this has really helped him, however he still needs about more to reach the next level. Putting on weight will be tougher this summer as Pouliot is also rehabbing a shoulder injury. Right now Pouliot can sometimes be overpowered by bigger, stronger opponents; though this weakness has been reduced with his extra bulk. His defensive positioning has also improved but will continue to needs work going forward. He can sometimes make errors in coverage and miss assignments leading to quality scoring chances against. He has improved over the last year, but there is still some work for him to do going forward.
Pouliot is still a solid prospect, especially with the emphasis on puck moving, mobile defencemen in the NHL today. Given the nature of Pouliot’s injury and the fact he will miss most of training camp (and possibly the start of the season) he’ll be hard pressed to make the Penguins roster to start the season and will probably find himself in Wilkes-Barre when he’s ready to go. That said, new coach Johnston was his coach in Portland so he knows what Pouliot can do. Expect him to be called up at some point this year.
Pouliot is an outstanding prospect who can become a top pairing defenceman if he can improve defensively. Those types of skills can be developed especially for a player with the skating and offensive mind which Pouliot possesses.
#2 Prospect: Scott Harrington, Defence
Born Mar 10 1993 — Kingston, ONT
Height 6.01 — Weight 203 — Shoots Left
Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2nd round, 54th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
After an extremely successful junior career, Scott Harrington made the jump to the AHL this year, and showed surprising offence, picking up 5 goals and 24 points in 76 games in his rookie year in the AHL.
Harrington is a shutdown defender. He struggled a little in his first month or so in the AHL, but improved very quickly and was soon playing at a very high level for a 20-year-old rookie. He reads the play very well and positioning in the defensive zone is superb, and as a result he is able to cut down passing lanes and block a lot of shots. He has good size and plays a strong physical game along the boards and clearing the front of the net. Harrington has good mobility due to strong agility, a good skating stride, and strong edgework. This mobility allows him to stay with any forward and he is rarely beaten by speed. A good first pass helps him to clear the zone and gets the transition game started.
Offensively, what you see is what you get from Harrington. He put up points this year playing a very simple game, and making smart plays. He’s a decent passer and has good vision, but he isn’t going to wow you, just making the safe, smart play. He handles the puck well enough, but isn’t the type where he will try to stickhandle around defenders. He also has a decent slapshot, but its not a cannon by any means. His offensive instincts have developped, and while he’s still mostly a stay at home defender, he will join the rush if it is an extremely good opportunity. He also seems to make more pinches now than he did before he was drafted. Harrington though is still very much a stay at home type, and bigger numbers than he put up this season would again be a nice surprise.
Harrington will be in the training camp mix fighting for a spot on the Penguins blueline, but it could be a season filled with short callups from the AHL depending on the Penguins needs due to injuries.
#3 Prospect: Brian Dumoulin, Defence
Born Sep 6 1991 — Biddeford, ME
Height 6.04 — Weight 219 — Shoots Left
Drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2nd Round, 51st Overall in the 2009 NHL Draft.
Traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2012 NHL Draft.
Brian Dumoulin has already played three years of college hockey with Boston College (and two national championships), and two years in the AHL, Dumoulin finally got a shot with the Penguins this year, getting a callup for 6 games while Pittsburgh was going through major injuries on the blueline. He even scored his first NHL point. Dumoulin also showed decent offence in the AHL this year with 21 points in 56 games.
Dumoulin has a very awkward, almost bowlegged skating stride. However it doesn’t seem to slow him down, as he shows excellent mobility for his size. He has decent speed, and good acceleration in both directions. He has good agility and lateral mobility, with the ability to walk the line and open up shooting and passing lanes. He has a hard shot which he keeps low and gets through to the net. Dumoulin is also a good passer from the point, capable of playing powerplay minutes, but likely maxes out as a second unit kind of guy. He makes good breakout passes to start the transition game and is not afraid to join the rush.
Dumoulin uses his size to play a physical game throwing big hits on opposing forwards, and battling in the corners and in front of the net. He needs to learn how to reign in his aggressiveness at times though as it can lead to him over-committing and getting caught out of position. These seem to be the cause of the majority of his mistakes as he is very good defensively in other areas including his general positioning when he doesn’t get overly aggressive looking for that big hit. Dumoulin is a good penalty killer using his size and long reach to cut down on passing lanes, and not being afraid to block shots.
I believe that Dumoulin, who will be 23 when the NHL season starts, will win the job with the Penguins and start the season in the NHL. He is the most NHL ready of the three prospects profiled here, but also has the lowest ceiling of the three. Thats not a shot at Dumoulin who can be an effective NHLer, more of an acknowledgement of Pouliot and Harrington’s potential.
Super Sleeper Prospect: Josh Archibald, Right Wing
Born Oct 6 1992 — Brainerd, MN
Height 5.10 — Weight 170 — Shoots Right
Drafted by Pittsburgh Penguins in the 6th round, 174th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft
Josh Archibald signed an ELC with the Penguins after completing his junior season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He started in Wilkes-Barre and while he only put up 1 assist in his first games, plus 1 goal in 2 playoff games, it was good for him to get his feet wet in the pro game. He put up 79 points in 76 games over his last two years in college.
Archibald is an absolute speedster. He has elite level skating both at the top end and in his acceleration and agility. He can beat defenders on the rush by taking them wide, and can fool them and open up space through quick changes of pace. In the transition game he has the type of speed that can lead to long breakaways passes from teammates in the transition game. Archibald also has the hands to fully take advantage of that speed with very slick stickhandling ability, and quick, soft hands to finish in close to the net. His passing game is decent, but he’s more of a goal scorer cutting to the net than a playmaker. Archibald’s shot and release are decent, and when defenders back off him to respect his speed he has a knack for using them as a screen before shooting on net.
Archibald’s is a hard worker who is willing to show his grit in all three zones. He battles hard for pucks in all areas of the ice, and while he’s not the biggest player he does know how to use his leverage to win a lot of battles along the boards. He shows good back pressure, and supports his defence down low in the cycle game. With his speed, he’s a threat to score on a turnover during the penalty kill.
Expect Archibald to spend the season in the AHL, but he could be ready to compete for a full-time NHL spot as early as the 2015 training camp.
Even with the three defence prospects listed above, there are still more on the way. Add Philip Samuelsson to this group, and consider that Maatta, Bortuzzo, and Despres are all young NHLers, and you have the deepest group of young defenders in the NHL. There is also depth in goal with Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray as recent picks, and Eric Hartzell as a college free agent one year ago. Up front the depth is being stretched as the majority of focus in recent years has been on the back end. Beau Bennett and Brian Gibbons have graduated. Kasperi Kapanen was a good pick and starts to address that need, but the rest of the group which includes Jason Megna, Oskar Sundqvist, Scott Wilson, Teddy Blueger, and Anton Zlobin as the best of the forwards in the pipeline is lacking in real top 6 quality prospects..
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