It was a compliment festival last week in Buffalo, at the National League evaluation camp for the draft. The many hopes of the United States National Development Program (USNTDP) have been particularly spoiled.
In bulk, the most beautiful flowers sent:
- The general manager of the Canadian, Kent Hughes, about Ryan Leonard: “He plays in the style of Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, physically aggressive, very intense. »
- Leonard, on Gabriel Perreault: “He makes plays that you wouldn’t be able to see watching the game in slow motion on television. »
- Dan Marr, Vice President of NHL Central Scouting, on Oliver Moore: “His speed is the difference. But he’s got the scoring skills, he’s good with the puck, he’s got the determination. He is very complete and I think the coaches will want to send him in all situations. »
We spare you the praise about Will Smith. But Perreault and Smith, for what it’s worth, finished the season with 132 and 127 points, respectively. They broke the USNTDP single-season record of 117 points, which belonged to a guy named Auston Matthews.
Most mock drafts call Smith a top-five selection. NHL Central Scouting ranks him 3e hope in North America, ahead of Leonard (5e), Moore (8e) and Perreault (10e).
The lessons of 2019
This is the second year in a row that the American program has taken up so much space in the discussions. Last year, Logan Cooley was drafted 3efollowed by Cutter Gauthier (5e), Frank Nazar (13e) and Rutger McGroarty (14e). All attackers. None of these players have yet played in the NHL, however, so it will be a few years before these picks are evaluated.
On the other hand, the portrait of the 2019 draft is starting to become clearer. This vintage had been historic for the USNTDP; eight of its members had been drafted in the first tower, including seven in the top 15. “We admire them. These players have set a standard and we try to live up to it, ”said Oliver Moore about them.
A reminder of members of this grand cru du top 15 :
1- Jack Hughes (NJD)
5- Alex Turcotte (LAK)
9- Trevor Zegras (ANA)
12- Matthew Boldy (MIN)
13- Spencer Knight (FLA)
14- Cam York (PHI)
15- Cole Caufield (MTL)
Hughes is coming off a 99-point season. The Michigan poutine is not unanimous, neither are the Michigan goals of Zegras; the fact remains that with his spectacular maneuvers, Zegras has just had two seasons of 60 points in a row. Caufield was on course to cross the 40-goal mark this season before picking up the injury. Boldy: 31 goals, 32 assists in 2022-2023.
Knight and York, respectively goalkeeper and defender, will take longer to develop.
The attentive reader will therefore have noted that Turcotte is the only one who has not been named so far. It’s that he still hasn’t broken into the NHL, having played only 12 games there, without getting a point. Even in the American League, his offensive impact is long overdue; he’s been limited to 17 points in 32 games at Ontario this season. At 22, he still has time to get his career back on track, but let’s just say he would fall far behind Zegras, Boldy and Caufield if the 2019 auction were to be repeated.
However, the son of Alfie Turcotte was unanimous. Recruiters consulted by The Press at the time provided for him a selection at 3e or at 4e rank. “A competitor who is also very talented,” summed up a scout. Renowned TSN colleague Bob McKenzie, who has a well-stocked contact book, ranked him 4e hope. In short, the choice of the Kings respected logic, for a player whose overall game was praised, failing to turn heads with his skills.
The only caveat: his attitude, considered a tad too confident during his meetings with the teams. This arrogance was also apparent in interviews with the media at the evaluation camp in Buffalo.
And this year?
The challenge for recruiters this year, a challenge that will arise for the Canadian in the 5e rank, will therefore be to identify the real drivers of the USNTDP this season, and those who benefited rather from an ultra-talented entourage like, with hindsight, Turcotte.
One of the problems: Leonard, Smith and Perreault have spent most of the season together. “It’s funny they call it the development program, but it would have helped to give them the chance to play apart. We would have liked to see them with other players, ”lamented an NHL recruiter on condition of anonymity.
PHOTO JEFFREY T. BARNES, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Ryan Leonard, during the National League evaluation camp for the draft
By his vision of the game considered phenomenal, will Perreault be able to feed his teammates to the next level, despite his average skating? Leonard may have the spirit of the Tkachuks, but he is listed at 6 ft and 192 lbs. Can he be as intimidating as the two brothers when he faces men?
Kent Hughes is well aware of the difficulties of evaluating players in this program. “When you evaluate a player in the American program, they are the best young people in the country, warned the general manager of the Canadian, Thursday, in Buffalo. But some will become third or fourth line players, 5 or 6 defenders. They will not all be placed in the same context that they have known all their lives. We have to evaluate that too. Often, a player has a potential that we have not seen because he has not been placed in this context. »
We can therefore wonder, for example, if Oliver Moore was not a victim of the stability of the first line. However, he remains a good prince. “Everyone is good on this team. You can’t mope about the fact that you play in the second line. »