Every year, the NHL see’s their fair share of Draft Re-entry players. These are guys that went one or even two consecutive seasons without getting drafted. This year’s draft features plenty of guys re-entering, and a few of them are quite intriguing. Here at Last Word on Hockey, we will take you through several intriguing names of players who are re-entering the draft in 2020!
2020 NHL Draft Re-Entry Players
NHL Draft Re-Entry: Pavel Gogolev
Pavel Gogolev, ranked 114th by LWOH, is a 6’1”, 181 pound left winger for the Guelph Storm of the OHL. Gogolev was ranked in the top-160 in the 2018 NHL Entry draft, but wound up undrafted. He was not ranked in the 2019 NHL Entry draft, where he once again did not get drafted. Finally, he found his big break. In the shortened 2019-20 NHL season, the 20-year-old Gogolev broke out, scoring 45 goals and 51 assists for 96 points in 63 games.
Gogolev Scouting Report
Gogolev isn’t a special skater, but he can keep up with the play. He’s an excellent puck handler as well, which allows him to open his game. It can give him space to release a strong shot or send a pass to a teammate in a high danger area. In previous years, his defensive game was notably extremely poor, but he took massive strides this year. His effort level is higher, he’s able to support the defense down low and he’s caught puck watching less often. He is AHL eligible coming out of the draft and can season his game immediately for whichever NHL team drafts him. Gogolev could wind up being a solid 3rd line goal scorer, if things play out well. He was the 8th overall selection in the 2016 OHL Priority draft, so there may be a bit of that potential left, it;s just a matter of unlocking it.
NHL Draft Re-Entry Yevgeni Oksentyuk
Yevgeni Oksentyuk, ranked 110th by LWOH, is a 5’8”, 163 pound winger playing for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. Oksentyuk is an extremely undersized forward, as seen, but the 19-year-old persevered. Despite putting up lacklustre numbers in the Belarus men’s league, leading to him going undrafted, he made the jump to Canada to play in the OHL. He wound up scoring 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points in 58 games played.
Oksentyuk Scouting Report
As usual with smaller players, Oksentyuk is a very good skater. He certainly isn’t the fastest, but he can win races with consistency and has the ability to beat defenders wide. His stride is also sound technically, albeit with a few minor tweaks that could be made. One of his strong suits is his stickhandling. His ability to pair his strong skating ability with his stickhandling makes him scary when on the rush. It helps him create space for himself and buy time for his teammates to get open. He has a good playmaking sense and can get passes through to teammates with regularity. He must work on his shot however, more specifically his power.
The best way to describe his defensive game is inconsistent. His offensive IQ simply does not translate to the defensive zone, and when he isn’t at his best on defense, he can be a liability. Like with Gogolev, he has third-line scoring upside. He’s slated to return to Belarus next year when the season starts. But again, like with Gogolev, he was an early draft pick (5th overall in the 2019 CHL Import Draft) and may have some untapped potential.
Thank You!
Thank you for reading today’s NHL Draft Re-Entry article. Coming in the future are quick profiles of Tag Bertuzzi and Gage Goncalves!
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