14. Philadelphia Flyers (Ken MacMillan) – Cole Sillinger, 6’0″, 201 lbs, C.
Cole Sillinger dominated the USHL with nearly 1.5 points per game for Sioux Falls. In 2019-20 he scored 53 points in 48 WHL games for the Medicine Hat Tigers and he was just 16 years old. While he was a great playmaker in the WHL, this aspect of his game took a nosedive in the USHL, likely a result of the poor team he played on; his scoring, however, skyrocketed. Sillinger has a great shot and a high offensive ceiling. The centre is everything Nolan Patrick was supposed to be for the Flyers.
15. Dallas Stars (Scott Cowan) – Matthew Coronato, 5’10”, 183 lbs, LW.
Matthew Coronato is a Brendan Gallagher-esque player in many ways. He played alongside current Habs prospect, Sean Farrell, for the USHL’s Chicago Steel this season. While the argument could be made that Farrell’s 29-72-101 totals over 53 games helped contribute to Coronato’s ranking and subsequent selection, the Huntington native still brings a lot of intriguing qualities to the Stars. He plays bigger than his 5’10” frame, Coronato is willing to (like Gallagher) battle in front of the net and fight for rebounds and some of the less-fancy goals. Look out for Coronato to explode onto the NCAA scene next season with Harvard, where he will continue to play alongside Farrell.
16. New York Rangers (Maria Bouabdo) – Zachary L’Heureux, 5’11”, 196 lbs, C/LW.
L’Heureux doesn’t play like his name may indicate, he plays with a huge mean streak, routinely crossing the line (eg. spitting on an opponent during COVID season). This can likely be reeled in and channelled toward hyper-competitive and tenacious play, something he already brings to the table. L’Heureux is a playmaking power-forward who notched 19 goals and 39 points in 33 QMJHL games. His skill could catapult him to a top-6 role if he gains control of his temper. The Rangers would truly add to their embarrassment of riches in terms of prospects with this pick.
17. St. Louis Blues (Patrick Lortie) – Chaz Lucius, 6’0″, 172 lbs, C.
While the Blues may lose their skilled goalscorer this offseason in Vladimir Tarasenko, they add a new one to the mix by selecting Chaz Lucius. He has a deceptive yet devastating wrist shot paired with excellent vision, making him an unpredictable offensive threat, especially on the power play. He can pull off passes from all angles directly on the tape. While the skill is there, Lucius lacked pace and energy this season, something that may or may not be a result of the injuries he fought through all season. He’s a raw but high-level talent and will likely go higher than 17 on draft day.
18. Winnipeg Jets (Joshua Rosa) – Carson Lambos, 6’1″, 201 lbs, LD.
The Jets would draft a true hometown boy in this slot. Lambos is born in the ‘Peg and plays his junior hockey with the Winnipeg Ice as well. There were some health concerns this season, which brings an air of uncertainty, but Lambos has all the tools to be a solid two-way defenceman who shuts plays down on defence with his physicality and intelligence and has the ability to score with a canon of a shot, fun upside for this stage of the draft.
19. Nashville Predators (Sebastian High) – Logan Stankoven, 5’8″, 170 lbs, C/RW.
While Scott likened Coronato to Gallagher, I think Stankoven is the aptest Gallagher comparison in recent draft classes. He has the similar size, skating deficiencies, scoring ability, defensive work rate and play driving capabilities. Stankoven also has a wicked shot, something Gallagher has lost with the multitude of wrist injuries. He’s among the draft’s most enjoyable players to watch as he creates offence and doesn’t take a shift off and he would be the perfect replacement for Viktor Arvidsson in Nashville.
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