BUFFALO — Leo Carlsson was delightfully honest when asked at the NHL Scouting Combine how much he knew about the city of Columbus.
There’s a very good chance the young Swede will land there as the third-overall pick at the NHL Draft in a couple weeks, but that doesn’t mean he’s got much of a grasp on the city just yet.
“I can find it on a map,” he said with a smile, noting that was at least a good start.
It was also a good reminder that there’s still a lot of learning — from all sides — going on at the combine. Carlsson is one of the few faces — along with Adam Fantilli and, of course, Connor Bedard — that are fairly recognizable thanks to their status as high-end prospects. But there were also a ton of guys with NHL futures floating around the LECOM Harborcenter who don’t stand out in the crowd just yet — especially at the back end of the rink.
The 2023 draft preamble has been defined by Bedard and a bunch of other incredibly talented forwards long touted to have many goals, assists and dollars in their future. That might obscure the fact there are also some very intriguing goalies and defencemen in the mix who could have something to say about how the first round of the draft plays out.
So, as we empty the notebook after a day of hearing kids huff and puff on the notorious Wingate bike, let’s spend make sure to give some shine to the blue-liners and puckstoppers.
A tale of two ‘tenders
Size is always a huge talking point when discussing NHL netminders. In the case of Michael Hrabal and Trey Augustine, the former has it while the latter has to constantly answer questions about it.
“In the past couple years, smaller goalies have been finding ways to get in the NHL and stay there,” said Augustine, somehow considered small at six-foot-one. “Obviously, I get asked about (size), but I don’t think there’s a problem there.”
Neither does U.S. National Team Development Program teammate Ryan Leonard.
“Best goalie in the world, in my opinion and probably a couple guys on our team,” he said of the guy who posted a .934 save percentage for the victorious American side at the World under-18 Championship this spring. “Makes your life tough in practice.”
Not surprisingly, Augustine said he models his approach in the crease after a couple modest-sized goalies. “I try and watch (Sergei) Bobrovsky and (Juuse) Saros,” he said. “Just kind of how they’re able to move and take up net. Obviously, they’re not super tall, so kind of similar size to me. (I watch to) see how they maximize their coverage in the net.”
At the other end of the spectrum sits Michael Hrabal. It might be a slight stretch to suggest either Augustine or Hrabal could move up into the first round, but with a six-foot-six frame, you know teams are going to be eying Hrabal.
“It’s so comfortable to play in front of him,” said Hrabal’s fellow Czech Jakub Stancl. “He’s like a wall.”
This past year was Hrabal’s first in North America and he said he grew a lot living away from his parents for the first time. He also endured a rough patch during the middle of the season with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League and he said he’s better for the experience.
“I’m very thankful for the year,” he said. “I learned a lot, went through some ups and downs.”
While it would obviously be an honour to be the first goalie taken off the board, Hrabal isn’t getting too wrapped up in that. “It would definitely be great, but I don’t see it like that,” he said. “I just want to go to a team that wants me and where I can have a good future.”
The Big 3 on D
Two years ago, the draft was headlined by defenceman Owen Power going first overall to the Buffalo Sabres. Last year, the New Jersey Devils snapped up rearguard Simon Nemec with the second pick.
A defenceman doesn’t figure to go that high this time out, but things could really heat up from picks five through 15, maybe even 12. With the uncertainty surrounding Russian players, it’s hard to know what might happen with highly touted Mikhail Gulyanov (who was not in Buffalo).
That leaves David Reinbacher — who figures to be the first blue-liner off the board — and Swedes Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Tom Willander to think about. Although their styles vary, all three come with the desired right-shot feature.
The Austrian Reinbacher spent this past season playing in the same Swiss pro league Auston Matthews skated in before being selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. “I would say I’m a good breakout defenceman, good, long stick, calm with the puck,” said the six-foot-two Reinbacher.
Willander was a huge riser in the second half of the season, and Sandin-Pellikka has a pretty good idea why. “He’s pretty aggressive,” he said of his World U-18 Championship teammate. “He’s really good all over the ice and he can quarterback a power play. He’s got some great hands on him, so he’s a great overall player.”
As for Sandin-Pellikka himself, his sporting future took an important turn early on in life. His father tried to steer him toward cross-country skiing, but another family member had something else in mind. “My grandfather bought me hockey equipment when I was (about) six years old,” Sandin-Pellikka said. “Basically, after the first practice, I just straight up told my father we have to quit cross-country skiing because hockey was way more fun.”
With so much talk about how big bodies — specifically on the blue line — have been dominating the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the five-foot-11 Sandin-Pellikka found himself in the familiar position of being asked about his size.
“I don’t really care that much what people say,” he said. “Obviously, there are a lot of guys who aren’t that big in the NHL. Especially Quinn Hughes (of the Vancouver Canucks), he’s one guy I look up to and watch play. With his skating and puck-handling, he can still handle himself well in the NHL. I get inspiration from those guys.”
The other side of a huge swap
Nick Lardis had one goal from Nov. 26 through Jan. 5 playing for the Peterborough Petes. Knowing they had a shot at an OHL championship, the Petes acquired major junior vets Avery Hayes and Gavin White from the Hamilton Bulldogs for a package that included Lardis and Sahil Panwar going the other way. The Petes got what they wanted in the form of an OHL championship, but things worked out for the players going the other way, too.
Lardis, a left winger, and Panwar formed a line with Patrick Thomas, and the results were immediate. Lardis scored in his first and second games with Hamilton. He was blanked in his third, but added four more goals in his next three outings and was off to the races, shooting up the NHL draft rankings. In all, the 17-year-old wound up tallying 25 times in 33 games with his new club.
“I think it was a little bit of everything, just kind of hitting the reset button,” said Lardis, known for his fantastic wheels. “I got a lot of opportunity in different situations to be an impact player on a younger team and just kind of ran with it.”
The end result could well be getting drafted in the first round or maybe as the very first name off the board on Day 2.
Looking ahead to ’24
It’s easy to get excited around the draft about players’ potential impact, even though the vast majority are realistically two or three years away from making the NHL and even further away from having a real impact at that level. Still, this is futures season and there was already chatter about Macklin Celebrini, the guy who figures to headline the 2024 event.
“I was fortunate enough to live with him this year,” said Jayden Perron, Celebrini’s teammate with the Chicago Steel in the USHL. “He’s an unbelievable person off the ice and works extremely hard and deserves everything he’s gotten.”
