Prospects Ramblings: Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament Preview
Kevin LeBlanc
2016-09-14
On September 16th, eight NHL teams will send their selected prospect rosters to the 18th Annual NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The tournament consists of two, four-team divisions named for NHL Hall of Famers Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. Each team will play a round-robin schedule within their division, with the division winners playing for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup in the Championship.
| Gordie Howe Division | Ted Lindsay Division | ||||||
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Carolina Hurricanes | ||||||
| Chicago Blackhawks | Minnesota Wild | ||||||
| St. Louis Blues | Dallas Stars | ||||||
| Detroit Red Wings | New York Rangers |
Traverse City By the Numbers
Total players on a Traverse City roster who were NHL draft picks: 112
Number of players drafted in 2016 playing in Traverse City: 25
Team with the most drafted players on their Traverse City roster: Carolina, 18
Highest drafted player playing in the tournament: Pierre-Luc Dubois – CBJ, 3rd Overall – 2016
Team Breakdowns:
Carolina Hurricanes
| Forwards | Drafted | Defense | Drafted | Goaltenders | Drafted | ||
| Clark Bishop |
2014, 7th Overall |
Jake Bean |
2016, 13th Overall |
Callum Booth |
2015, 93rd Overall |
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| Hudson Elynuik |
2016, 74th Overall |
Noah Carroll |
2016, 164th Overall |
Jeremy Helvig |
2016, 134th Overall |
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| Mike Ferrantino | Undrafted | Haydn Fleury |
2014, 7th Overall |
Alex Nedeljkovic |
2014, 37th Overall |
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| Warren Foegele |
2014, 67th Overall |
Ben Gleason | Undrafted | ||||
| Julien Gauthier |
2016, 21st Overall |
Roland McKeown |
2014, 50th Overall |
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| Janne Kuokkanen |
2016, 43rd Overall |
Alex Peters | Undrafted | ||||
| Steven Lorentz |
2015, 186th Overall |
Josh Wesley |
2014, 96th Overall |
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| Andrew Poturalski | Undrafted |
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| Nicolas Roy |
2015, 96th Overall |
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| Spencer Smallman |
2015, 138th Overall |
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| Sergey Tolchinsky | Undrafted |
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| Lucas Wallmark |
2014, 97th Overall |
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| Valentin Zykov |
2013, 37th Overall |
Overview:
The Canes enter the 2016 NHL Prospect Tournament with a stacked lineup consisting of 18 drafted players, 14 of which were drafted in the top-100 of their respective draft. A good mix of talented prospects and tournament veterans join first-round selections Haydn Fleury, Jake Bean and Julien Gauthier on the roster. Alex Nedeljkovic will likely carry the load in net, while players such as Valentin Zykov, Sergey Tolchinsky and Lucas Wallmark will look to impress prior to NHL training camp. This group could be even deeper were Aleksi Saarela not a late scratch due to injury. The Canes could be the tournament favorite given their depth.
Highest Drafted Player: Haydn Fleury, 7th Overall, 2014
Player To Watch: Tons of names here, but if I had to narrow it down to one, my choice would be Julien Gauthier. He showed glimpses of dominance in prospect camp this summer and will look to parlay a solid NHL Prospect Tournament into a stellar season in 2016-17.
Under the Radar: Lucas Wallmark. The 2014 fourth-rounder has been a bit overlooked, but could have a Victor Rask-like rise with a good showing.
Chicago Blackhawks
| Forwards | Drafted | Defense | Drafted | Goaltenders | Drafted | ||
| Radovan Bondra |
2015, 151st Overall |
Carl Dahlstrom |
2013, 51st Overall |
Jake Hildebrand | Undrafted | ||
| Bryn Chyzyk | Undrafted | Gustav Forsling |
2014, 126th Overall |
Brent Moran | 2014, 115th Overall | ||
| John Dahlstrom | 2015, 211th Overall | Jeff King | Undrafted | ||||
| Alex DeBrincat | 2016, 39th Overall | Justin Lemcke | Undrafted | ||||
| Alexandre Fortin | Undrafted | Robin Norell | 2013, 111th Overall | ||||
| Luke Johnson | 2013, 134th Overall | Dmitry Osipov | Undrafted | ||||
| Graham Knott | 2015, 54th Overall | Travis Walsh | Undrafted | ||||
| Trevor Mingoia | Undrafted |
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| Tyler Motte | 2013, 121st Overall | ||||||
| Ivan Nikolishin | Undrafted |
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| Nathan Noel | 2016, 113th Overall | ||||||
| Roy Radke | 2015, 164th Overall | ||||||
| Nick Schmaltz | 2014, 20th Overall | ||||||
| Hayden Verbeek | Undrafted |
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Overview:
Chicago’s entry into the NHL Prospect Tournament consists of a majority of mid-to-late round draft selections and undrafted prospects. Two dominant college hockey players making the jump to pro hockey this season in Nick Schmaltz and Tyler Motte highlight the Blackhawks group. Linköping teammates Carl Dahlström and Gustav Forsling are a pair to watch on the blueline.
Highest Drafted Player: Nick Schmaltz, 20th Overall, 2014
Player To Watch: Alex DeBrincat. It will be interesting to see the super-talented, diminutive forward compete against players of this caliber. He has the talent to shine.
Under the Radar: John Dahlström. The 2015 seventh-round selection was close to a point-per-game performer for the Frölunda U20’s last season. He will play in the WHL for Medicine Hat in the fall.
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Forwards | Drafted | Defense | Drafted | Goaltenders | Drafted | ||
| Vitaly Abramov |
2016, 65th Overall |
Stephen Gibson | Undrafted | Jeremy Brodeur | Undrafted | ||
| Francis Beauvillier |
2012, 174th Overall |
Jacob Graves | Undrafted | Lucas Peressini | Undrafted | ||
| Paul Bittner |
2015, 38th Overall |
Dillon Heatherington |
2013, 50th Overall |
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| Pierre-Luc Dubois |
2016, 3rd Overall |
Frank Hora | Undrafted | ||||
| Keegan Kolesar |
2015, 69th Overall |
Markus Nutivaara |
2015, 189th Overall |
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| Darby Llewellyn | Undrafted | Sam Ruopp |
2015, 129th Overall |
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| Jordan Maletta | Undrafted | Blake Siebenaler |
2014, 77th Overall |
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| Sonny Milano |
2014, 16th Overall |
Zach Werenski |
2015, 8th Overall |
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| Nick Moutrey |
2013, 105th Overall |
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| Dante Salituro | Undrafted |
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| Justin Scott | Undrafted |
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| Kole Sherwood | Undrafted |
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| Calvin Thurkauf |
2016, 185th Overall |
Overview:
The Blue Jackets enter the 2016 NHL Prospect Tournaments as back-to-back champions. Their roster includes high-end talent in Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sonny Milano and Zach Werenski, all former first round picks drafted in the top-20. Undrafted OHL veterans Lucas Peressini and Jeremy Brodeur set the tone between the pipes. If Columbus is going to repeat for the third time in a row in Traverse City, it will need a strong performance from its stars.
Highest Drafted Player: Pierre-Luc Dubois, 3rd Overall, 2016
Player To Watch: Vitaly Abramov. His fall down draft boards to the third round in 2016 was due to his size, not his ability. Abramov has game-breaking offensive talent and should fit in well in Columbus’s prospect group.
Under the Radar: Keegan Kolesar. The Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) power-forward had a breakout season in 2015-16 with 30 goals, 61 points and 107 penalty minutes. He is a fun player to watch, with a motor that never stops running.
Dallas Stars
| Forwards | Drafted | Defense | Drafted | Goaltenders | Drafted | ||
| Nick Caamano |
2016, 146th Overall |
Brandon Anselmini | Undrafted | Landon Bow | Undrafted | ||
| Connor Chatham |
2014, 71st Overall |
Gordie Ballhorn | Undrafted | Philippe Desrosiers |
2013, 54th Overall |
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| Remi Elie |
2013, 40th Overall |
Ludwig Bystrom |
2012, 43rd Overall |
Henri Kivaiho |
2012, 144th Overall |
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| Austin Glover | Undrafted | Niklas Hansson |
2013, 68th Overall |
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| Denis Guryanov |
2015, 12th Overall |
Miro Karjalainen |
2014, 135th Overall |
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| Cordell James | Undrafted | Chris Martenet |
2015, 103rd Overall |
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| Samuel Laberge | Undrafted | Ondrej Vala |
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| Mike McMurtry | Undrafted |
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| Grayson Pawlenchuk | Undrafted | ||||||
| Devin Shore |
2012, 61st Overall |
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| Ethan Szypula | Undrafted |
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| Jordan Topping | Undrafted |
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| Cole Ully |
2013, 131st Overall |
Overview:
Dallas has done a good job in recent years of integrating their prospect group onto their NHL roster and surrounding them with veteran talent. The Stars have a good amount of free agent invites on their Traverse City roster due to many of their prospects being college players. Devin Shore has a chance to impress and show Stars management that he is ready to make the jump to the NHL in 2016-17.
Highest Drafted Player: Denis Guryanov, 12th Overall, 2015
Player To Watch: Has to be Guryanov. Taken with the 12th overall selection in the 2015 draft, the young Russian has had a turbulent start to his career. Two unsuccessful seasons for Lada Togliatti (KHL) have brought up questions about his development moving forward. The Stars have to be relieved they will have Guryanov on North American soil to more closely monitor him this fall.
Under the Radar: Cole Ully. The former Kamloops Blazer showcased his offensive upside in the WHL averaging over a point-per-game in his final three seasons of junior. He split time between the AHL and ECHL last season.
Detroit Red Wings
| Forwards | Drafted | Defense | Drafted | Goaltenders | Drafted | ||
| Tyler Bertuzzi |
2013, 58th Overall |
Matthew Caito | Undrafted | Jake Paterson |
2012, 80th Overall |
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| Mike Borkowski | Undrafted | Dylan Coghlan | Undrafted | Stephen Dhillon | Undrafted | ||
| Justin Brazeau | Undrafted | Joe Hicketts | Undrafted | Connor Hicks | Undrafted | ||
| Luke Coleman | Undrafted | Filip Hronek |
2016, 53rd Overall |
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| Kyle Criscuolo | Undrafted | Dan Renouf | Undrafted |
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| Jeff De Wit | Undrafted | Robbie Russo |
2011, 95th Overall |
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| Luke Kirwin | Undrafted | Jordan Sambrook |
2016, 137th Overall |
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| Adam Marsh |
2015, 200th Overall |
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| Zach Nastasiuk |
2013, 48th Overall |
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| Dylan Sadowy |
2014, 81st Overall |
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| Mathew Santos | Undrafted |
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| Givani Smith |
2016, 46th Overall |
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| Evgeny Svechnikov |
2015, 19th Overall |
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| Dominic Turgeon |
2014, 63rd Overall |
Overview:
The Red Wings bring a talented group, with nine of their 11 drafted prospects selected in the top-100 of their respective draft. Their forward group is deeply talented with players such as Evgeny Svechnikov, Dylan Sadowy, Zach Nastasiuk and Dominic Turgeon leading the way.
Highest Drafted Player: Evgeny Svechnikov, 19th Overall, 2015
Player To Watch: Joe Hicketts. After earning an entry-level contract with his play at this tournament in 2014, Hicketts returns to Traverse City for the third time fresh off an all-star season for Victoria (WHL).
Under the Radar: Jake Paterson. He will be an integral part of the Red Wings team in net, and a strong showing should propel him towards starts for Grand Rapids after spending 2015-16 in the ECHL.
Minnesota Wild
| Forwards | Drafted | Defense | Drafted | Goaltenders | Drafted | ||
| Sam Anas | Undrafted | Gustav Bouramman |
2015, 201st Overall |
Stephen Michalek |
2011, 161st Overall |
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| Christoph Bertschy |
2012, 158th Overall |
Braydyn Chizen |
2016, 204th Overall |
Adam Vay | Undrafted | ||
| Parker Bowles | Undrafted | Blake Heinrich |
2013, 144th Overall |
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| Cody Bradley | Undrafted | Gustav Olofsson |
2013, 46th Overall |
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| Joel Eriksson Ek |
2015, 20th Overall |
Nick Seeler |
2011, 131st Overall |
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| Adam Gilmour |
2012, 98th Overall |
Hunter Warner | Undrafted | ||||
| Keegan Iverson |
2014, 85th Overall |
Nolan Zajac | Undrafted | ||||
| Tanner Jeannot | Undrafted |
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| Pavel Jenys |
2014, 199th Overall |
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| Chase Lang |
2014, 167th Overall |
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| Mario Lucia |
2011, 60th Overall |
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| Alex Petan | Undrafted |
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| Nick Saracino | Undrafted |
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| Dmitry Sokolov |
2016, 196th Overall |
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| Alex Tuch |
2014, 18th Overall |