Independent Draft Preview - January 2018 Edition
Jul 27, 2016 10:12:06 GMT -5
Beans (BOS), bjernagris (PHI), and 2 more like this
Post by agrimsley on Jul 27, 2016 10:12:06 GMT -5
Welcome to the first independent draft preview as we take an early look at the top prospects in the 2018 iNHL draft! The draft class looks to be extremely strong across all areas and will feature a number of players touted to be the future stars of their respective franchises. The biggest strength appears to be amongst centers with Ryan McLeod, Joe Veleno and Aiden Dudas headlining the bunch.
Highlighted players:
Ryan McLeod (C) - Mississauga Steelheads
McLeod is the early favourite to be declared as the top prospect in the draft. The big bodied center weighs in at 210lbs with plenty of growing still to be done on his young frame. He is having an excellent season for the Steelheads scoring 49 points through the first 38 games. His physical play and defending still need to improve before he can be effective at the top level but with 9 months to go before the 2018 season begins, it would be a surprise if he didn't make the jump to pro level in his first year.
Mattias Samuelsson (LD) - U.S. National Team Development Program
The son of former Flyers and Penguins defenseman Kjell, Mattias Samuelsson has the breed to turn into one of the best defensemen in the iNHL. His defensive skill are already at a level where he could be effective in the iNHL but as with a lot of prospects his age, he still has a lot of growing to do. His shot is not a standout attribute but it could develop and his 23 points in 27 games this season show that he could definitely turn into an elite two-way player.
Lucas Jagbring (G) - Djurgardens IF
The young goalie has yet to make his debut in the senior SHL but has made 34 appearances for the junior Djurgardens IF team. He has posted a cumulative 22-8-4 record with a career .908 save percentage and 2.76 GAA. Considering at times he has faced players 4 years his senior, he has certainly grown early for a goalie. He projects to be a future iNHL starter and any franchise looking to invest in their goaltending future can definitely do worse.
Quick highlights:
Best skater: Aiden Dudas
Best shooter: Olivier Mathieu
Best playmaker: Joe Veleno
Best defender: Mattias Samuelsson
Most physical: Tommy Cardinal
Best hockey sense: Oliver Wahlstrom
Best character: Jacob Semik
Quickest: David Levin
Best conditioned: Alexander Osin
Highlighted players:
Ryan McLeod (C) - Mississauga Steelheads
McLeod is the early favourite to be declared as the top prospect in the draft. The big bodied center weighs in at 210lbs with plenty of growing still to be done on his young frame. He is having an excellent season for the Steelheads scoring 49 points through the first 38 games. His physical play and defending still need to improve before he can be effective at the top level but with 9 months to go before the 2018 season begins, it would be a surprise if he didn't make the jump to pro level in his first year.
Mattias Samuelsson (LD) - U.S. National Team Development Program
The son of former Flyers and Penguins defenseman Kjell, Mattias Samuelsson has the breed to turn into one of the best defensemen in the iNHL. His defensive skill are already at a level where he could be effective in the iNHL but as with a lot of prospects his age, he still has a lot of growing to do. His shot is not a standout attribute but it could develop and his 23 points in 27 games this season show that he could definitely turn into an elite two-way player.
Lucas Jagbring (G) - Djurgardens IF
The young goalie has yet to make his debut in the senior SHL but has made 34 appearances for the junior Djurgardens IF team. He has posted a cumulative 22-8-4 record with a career .908 save percentage and 2.76 GAA. Considering at times he has faced players 4 years his senior, he has certainly grown early for a goalie. He projects to be a future iNHL starter and any franchise looking to invest in their goaltending future can definitely do worse.
Quick highlights:
Best skater: Aiden Dudas
Best shooter: Olivier Mathieu
Best playmaker: Joe Veleno
Best defender: Mattias Samuelsson
Most physical: Tommy Cardinal
Best hockey sense: Oliver Wahlstrom
Best character: Jacob Semik
Quickest: David Levin
Best conditioned: Alexander Osin