The Hockey News May 11, 2020 - Draft Preview

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING sermon contains preachy language and high-horsed themes. Reader discretion is advised. We were living in extraordinary times before COVID-19 paralyzed Earth. Traditional leadership values were being challenged and often usurped by unorthodox styles, creating deep divides and fearful questions on how this epic (Comedy? Drama? Thriller? Farce?) would play out. It turns out that was the opening act. The pandemic halted everything, an extreme, brutal reminder of our frailty in the face of nature. It’s cliché but true that anxious circumstances reveal our true colors. Are you hoarding toilet paper, or do you actually give a crap and commit to being part of the solution? It’s a fundamental decision, a choice we all have the power to make. Raising your game in times of adversity is also a characteristic,…

Dear readers, Life has changed for everyone since the arrival of the COVID-19 virus, and it has hit hard for many families around the world, including The Hockey News family. When I acquired The Hockey News in January 2018, one of the first things I did was to change the term “subscribers’ to “members” because, as a half-century reader myself, I knew that we were one big hockey team, which is another word for family. Once announced, I received a flood of well wishes and suggestions from The Hockey News family around the world. One that stood out the most to me came from Philip Hoffman, who had been a loyal subscriber and member of The Hockey News family since 1988. Phil’s LinkedIn messages were always clear, which probably comes from him being…

WHEN NHL TEAMS eventually get the opportunity to select players for the 2020 draft, it’s going to be very different from previous years. Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, many important draft-related games and tournaments were cancelled, giving scouting departments incomplete report cards on the teenagers they are about to welcome into their organizations. “This draft could be a head-scratcher,” said one NHL scout. “It might be an old-style draft.” Think of the drafts back before teams had full complements of European scouts – the days when having a Hakan Andersson or Christer Rockstrom was a luxury, not a necessity. Expect selections to be more volatile than usual, with team lists varying greatly from franchise to franchise (again, even more than usual). While scouts always assess a player’s value based on the…

THE 2020 NHL DRAFT was going to be a grand, glorious gala on June 26-27. Hosted by Montreal at the Bell Centre, it had so many things going its way. The surefire No. 1 prospect, Alexis Lafreniere, is a native of Saint-Eustache, Que., just outside Montreal. Imagine the number of local fans in attendance. The team with the best odds of selecting first overall is the nearby Ottawa Senators. Can you say “road trip” for hundreds of Sens fans? Heck, there’s even a small chance Ottawa picks 1-2. And draft weekend would surely be dominated by fans of Canada’s three Eastern teams. The host Canadiens hold an unheard-of 14 picks in the seven rounds. (The last time any team had more than 13 picks was back in 2004 when Chicago had 17…

PRIOR TO the formation of the NHL amateur draft in 1963, Montreal had an advantage over its Original Six peers because it held territorial rights and team sponsorships in Quebec, while the other five teams looked for talent elsewhere. That’s a big reason why the Canadiens won so many Stanley Cups early on. But since 1963, the Habs have done extremely well on a level playing field. They’ve selected 10 players who have gone on to Hall of Fame careers. That’s double the next team. The following is a look at how franchises have ranked in terms of selecting players in the draft who went on to Hall of Fame careers. And just to be clear, only the franchise that drafted the player gets credit. So Montreal doesn’t get credit for Ken…

THERE’S A FRENCH saying that describes a person who is at ease with themself. It goes bien dans sa peau, which literally means “good in one’s own skin.” This seems to be an easy thing to do if you’re Alexis Lafreniere. It’s not a charmed life, but it’s close. Growing up in the idyllic Montreal suburb of St-Eustache, Lafreniere owns a story that is not uncommon. Solid foundation with a good family, outstanding in both baseball and hockey until one of them demanded all of his time, good in school, has his priorities straight. You know the drill. “I think when you have a chance to do what you love every day, you cannot help but feel good in your own skin,” said Lafreniere earlier this season. “I am truly passionate…