2021 NHL Entry Draft Recap

The NHL entry draft for 2021, widely regarded as the most unscouted in recent history, took place over the weekend.

Usually I would have done a pre-draft series of articles covering some of the players in the draft as well as a break-down focusing on the Ducks areas of need but given the nature and circumstances of this draft I didn’t really feel the need to do the player analysis. I also did not do a depth-check this year because essentially nothing has changed from last year. The Ducks still need scoring and they need it in a bad way. The defensive pipeline has been slowly re-stocked but could do with a slight top up, while there has been some positive development between the pipes this last season with some big steps from Olle Eriksson Ek and Roman Durny.

So entering this noted defender-heavy draft, the Ducks needed to find some snipers as well as some potential late round steals. Did they succeed? Lets take a deep dive on the selections.

Round 1

Selection #3 – Mason McTavish – C – Peterborough Petes (OHL)

With Buffalo predictably taking Owen Power and Seattle following that up with Matty Beniers – it really was anyone’s guess as to who the Ducks would select at third. Most draft-boards had the small but electric play-making winger William Eklund as the next best ranked player and although the Ducks have never shied away from taking a Swede most pundits had them taking the Edmonton Oil-Kings Dylan Guenther – a right shooting winger who posted 24 points in 12 games. The Ducks had other plans, taking what felt like a typical Bob Murray pick in McTavish – a Center with size and a slight physical edge to his game who spent the cancelled OHL season in Switzerland.

The more I read about him the more I agree with Felix Sicards thoughts here.

McTavish is set to develop into the dominant two-way center that the Ducks have lacked since Ryan Kesler was forced into early retirement after he could not fully recover from invasive hip surgery. Described as a power forward with a bit of old-school snarl to his game that has some comparing him to Nazem Kadri, McTavish thrives when creating space for his line-mates or tiring out opposing defenders down low on the cycle. He had 11 points in 13 games in the second division Swiss league last season then turned it on in the playoffs as he grew more acclimatized to his team and shift to the wing, putting up 7 points in 4 postseason games. Bob Murray is quoted as being the most impressed by his showing at the Under 18s, getting 11 points in 7 games while captaining the gold medal winning Canadians – tied for fourth in tournament scoring with four other players.

He isn’t regarded as a play-maker, he won’t thread elite passes through traffic to generate scoring chances but can use his size to create space for any play-making wingers he might be paired with. He also is not regarded as one to drive play or lead transition, another reason to pair him with a specialist winger. His skating is not explosive but has been described as deceptively deft – particularly in the offensive and neutral zones where he fools defenders with well balanced edge-work and head-fakes.

The main strength in his game is his shot – noted as having an “outstanding wrist shot” and a “very good one-timer”, the clips and highlights shown during the draft broadcast showed some pretty nasty goals – one from the left circles where he looked off a pass and tucked the puck into a tight angle shooting lane before wiring it by the goaltender with a very quick release. All scouting reports agree he is a high volume shooting center with two way ability. The above selection of highlights from his time at the most recent U18s gave me some Mark Stone vibes just without the breakaway foot-speed; his ability to strip opposing players of the puck and slide into areas for the shot are shades of the Vegas Golden Knights Captain.

Because he was on loan to his Swiss club he will still need to play two more years in the OHL before turning pro but if his Peterborough Petes do not make the Memorial Cup this season, we could see him make an appearance as a Black Ace with the Gulls in April or May.

Round 2

Selection #34 – Olen Zellweger – LHD – Evertt Silvertips (WHL)

With the second pick in the second round the Ducks again made somewhat of a surprise selection. Where an array of first round holdovers like forwards Samu Tuomaala, Logan Stakoven and Aatu Raty were still available the Ducks went with the electric Everett Silvertips 5’10” left shooting defender.

One of the youngest prospects in the draft, Zellweger reads like the next in a wave of new-NHL era modern defensemen. That is to say he is small for a blueliner but makes up for it with his skating and ability to quickly transition. His mobility and acceleration allows him to elude forecheckers and lead a rush in transition while his edge-work helps him to quarterback a Power Play by walking the line and open passing lanes.

On offence – his wrist shot is excellent with a quick release, it is his favourite weapon of choice but he is not partial to any one particular spot to shoot from. He can sneak into the top of the circles, or wire a low shot from the point through traffic.

On the back end – his active stick and ability to close gaps with his elite skating make him great at defending the rush however, like most smaller defenders the only knock on his game are his is size and strength when battling larger forwards in puck battles along the boards or attempts to clear the front of the net. Positionally, he can sometimes get caught out of position or guilty of chasing the play at the risk of leaving a man open.

Some names that have been thrown around for comparables for him are the likes of Quinn Hughes and Samuel Girard. His game does sound eerily similar to both of those players so let’s hope the Ducks have placed a bet on a winner and given their recent second round success (LaCombe, Groulx, Comtois, Pettersson and Montour) they have the odds in their favour.

As he is still just 17 it may be some time before we see him make his full time professional debut, although he has played two seasons in the WHL (Im sure they must be counting last year despite how short it was) it does mean he only needs to play two more to be pro eligible. I will be following his development and progression where I can with a very keen interest.

Again like McTavish he could join the Gulls as a Black Ace at the conclusion of his Junior season.

Round 3

Selection #66 – Sasha Pastujov – RW – US NTDP (USHL)

If most scouts and observers were largely ho-hum on the Ducks first two selections, this one definitely grabbed their attention as a sure steal. He lead the US NTDP in scoring last year – netting 30 goals and adding 35 assists for 65 points in 41 games and was considered by many to go either late in the first round or early in the second round but dropped to the third potentially because of a knock on his skating.

So let us start with that. It has been described as “short and choppy” which detracts from his overall acceleration and teams might have been scared off by him not being able to overcome this in order to make it to an NHL level. His edge-work and agility are good though and he uses them to fight through checks and to get to the dirty areas.

Although initial reports on him made him sound like a smaller version of Arthur Kaliyev (pure goal scorer with slow/bad skating) but the more I dig further the more I can see his upside is much higher and that he could also top out as a proficient set-up man given that was the main facet of his game before electing to shoot more this past season.

Defensively – well, there are some knocks there also. He is all about offence so has a tendency to fly the zone to try setup for an odd-man rush or get caught puck chasing and lose his assignment, but he is good on the back-check so there is that.

He excels on the Power Play, setting up shop in the high slot and wiring goals with a quick release, hunting down rebounds in front or knowing exactly where to be at the right time to finish a play. I believe its these last two positive points of consideration that the Ducks loved about him the most. Where most snipers succeed largely because of their shot, Pastujov seems to just be all about the puck, knowing where it is going to be, when and where he should be to have the best chance to score and having the hockey IQ to get there.

The son of a New York dancer and Russian translator who met and married while working for the travelling Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, he has two older brothers that both played at Michigan University. Pastujov will (as he puts it) be stepping out from his brothers shadows and is committed to Notre Dame, starting his freshman year this season where he will join Ducks 2019 fifth round pick Trevor Janicke who will be entering his Junior year. As many have mentioned – the true test will be how he fares going from being surrounded by a bunch of weapons in the development program, to being a tad more self reliant at Notre Dame in the much more defensively structured NCAA.

He has already fired shots at the detractors and those teams that passed on him, stating that he is motivated to prove them wrong and the Ducks right for selecting him. Given his brothers did the full four seasons at College we could see him do the same but time will tell, if he continues on the development trajectory he has been on – we could see him a lot sooner.

Round 3

Selection #76 – Tyson Hinds – LHD – Rimouski (QMJHL)

The Ducks acquired an additional third round pick (perhaps not anticipating that Pastujov would be available when he was) from Montreal in order to select Hinds. The pick originally belonged to Chicago and was acquired by the Habs in the 2019 Andrew Shaw deal. The Ducks surrendered their third rounder in next years draft to Montreal in the trade.

His stock appeared to rise after a mid-season trade to Rimouski after he put up unimpressive numbers with the Cataractes the season before. He had 11 points in 54 games with the Cataractes last year and just one point ten games this season before the trade. Once he joined the Oceanic he exploded for 15 points in 23 games which from reports I have read, is due in large part to the Rimouski system allowing for more freedom in allowing its defenders to join the rush. Hinds appears to thrive in this environment and loves to jump up on the play, it can also end badly however as a knock on his game is getting caught up ice against the flow of play. This appears to be less and less of an issue in today’s modern NHL however as teams are increasingly deploying a team-centric cycle attack, with defensively minded forwards recognising and dropping back to cover for their more mobile defensemen.

A lot of the respected writers I follow mostly panned this selection, Scott Wheeler of the Athletic wrote “He probably tops out as a good AHL defenceman” and Corey Pronman followed that with “His mobility isn’t NHL-quality… and he doesn’t have a ton of skill with the puck”.

But I am intrigued by what the Ducks must see in his game to need to acquire an additional pick to grab him. I like that he appears to have a natural affinity to join the rush but that in contrast to most mobile defenders with offensive flair – he also already has steadfast defensive game with little to no flaws (other than the aforementioned getting caught behind an odd-man rush). He uses his size and reach to break up plays, his skating to close gaps and his aggressive tenacity to clear the net or dislodge a puck with a thunderous hit. To top it off he is also great on the breakout and transition. The clip above also shows how dangerous he can be with time and space – such as during the three on three overtime period.

He will need two more seasons in the Q before making the jump to the AHL but I am excited to see what he looks like on his first few tastes – hopefully with some end of season auditions.

Round 4

Selection #98 – Joshua Lopina – C – UMass (NCAA Hockey East)

The Ducks annual over-ager selection, Lopina put up some good numbers as a nineteen to twenty year old freshman at the University of Massachusetts after failing to get noticed with two sub par seasons at Lincoln in the USHL. A right shooting 6’2″ center, Lopina appears to be a face-off specialist defensive forward who found some offensive touch this season with a team that ended up winning the National Championship.

Defensive face-off specialist sounds familiar – I am immediately thinking Jack Badini version two point oh. Badini also spent some time with Lincoln and totaled 17 points in 33 games, a 0.52 point per game rate in his freshmen year at Harvard. Lopina had 23 points in 29 games in his first year at UMass – 0.79 per game. Lopina lead the Hockey East in face-off wins with 312 and was ranked 15th with a 54.5% win percentage.

His sudden emergence but late-age lead most to think he might go somewhere in the fourth round so the Ducks clearly had him ear-marked for selection there; I wonder if it might have been a slight reach but I am also curious to see how he progresses after such a strong start at UMass.

The Ducks would probably like him to attend at least one more year at College before attempting a pro-transition but given his late age – he could theoretically turn pro now if he so wished. Winning a National Championship in your first year at College would be kind of hard to top.

Round 5

Selection #130 – Sean Tschigerl – LW – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

Tschigerl was a point per game player with the Hitmen in the shortened WHL season – scoring 21 points in 21 games, second on the team behind Josh Prokop (team captain and older brother of Luke Prokop) he also lead the team in goals with 13. For further reference – Ducks 2019 late first rounder Brayden Tracey had the same amount of points in one more game played this season.

Despite his impressive goal total this year, most reports describe him as a tenacious defensive forward and a threat on the penalty kill. Possessing a knack for knowing when to pressure the play and break up a rush, great timing and gap control as well as good awareness in his own zone. It is also mentioned that he has the ability to aid in zone entries by holding the puck while looking for team-mates cutting through the neutral zone.

I am trying not to put too large a label on him but um….. Antoine Morand anyone? Potentially with more goal scoring touch? Morand was a late second round pick owing to his overall game that saw him put up 74 points in 64 games in his draft year but only 28 of those points were goals. Tschigerl would have totaled 39 goals over a 64 game season if he kept the same rate.

There do not appear to be any major knocks to his game other than perhaps some issues with skating and acceleration with regards to an awkward stride, he also can be turnover prone when holding onto the puck for too long looking to find an open man or attempting a zone-entry on his own without support but these do not seem like massively glaring issues.

Again like the other CHL players taken this draft, we won’t be seeing him for another two years except for the odd potential Black-Ace end of season stint but for a fifth round pick I am very excited about this selection, I’ll be following him closely in the WHL next year.

Oh and one other thing. Tschigerl was one of the first team-mates that Luke Pokop came out to last year and had this to say about it:

“Luke is an amazing friend of mine and nothing has changed between us, just for hockey and his life, it’s just going to be that much easier now. He’s going to enjoy it that much more.”

I really really like this kid.

Round 5

Selection #148 – Gage Alexander – G – Winnipeg Ice (WHL)

With the pick acquired in last off-seasons Erik Gudbranson trade to Ottawa the Ducks took the very tall 6’7″ Winnipeg Ice starting goaltender Gage Alexander. He went 6-3-0 as an overager – rocking a 2.23 GAA and a 0.917 SV% – eighth in the WHL by Save Percentage. He was the twelfth goaltender taken in the draft and the fifth North American, originally ranked 28th by North American scouting.

Tall goaltenders are an unescapable trend as the game moves in the opposite direction for defensemen. As players get smaller and more agile on the backend – Goaltenders seem to be getting taller to be able to see over and through traffic on their own without the need for a crease-clearing slow moving stalwart. Anaheim might be hoping to replicate the recent success shown by Anthony Stolarz – another tall netminder – who with the retirement of Ryan Miller now gets the backup role full time in Anaheim.

I couldn’t find much scouting report info on Alexander – only that he had a horrible season in his draft year but played much much better in this most recent pandemic shortened year. You can see a lot of nice raw tools in the highlights reel above though – good side to side movement, athleticism on redirects and some smooth glove saves. His game looks a little unstructured though – but positioning and style can be taught.

He will likely go back to the WHL for his final year as an over-ager given the Ducks don’t really have anywhere to put him – other than as a backup to Durny in Tulsa. With both Eriksson Ek and Durnys deals expiring after this season I guess the Ducks are adding another body to the depth chart incase either of those two stumble in their development this upcoming season.

Round 6

Selection #162 – Kyle Kukkonen – C – Maple Grove (Minnesota High School League) -> Michigan Tech (NCAA)

OK 74 points in 23 games is kind of insane, I don’t care what league that took place in. Thats 3.2 points per game!

He was supposed to join the Madison Capitals of the USHL last season but the Pandemic put paid to that so he was forced to go back to his high school team for another year. He finished second in scoring to the Rangers fourth round pick Brody Lamb – who had 87 points in 24 games. Lamb is off to the USHL while Kukkonen is taking the somewhat unconventional College route of attending Michigan Tech. The Huskies haven’t won a National Championship since 1975 and their most recent WCHA championship was in 2016 but Kyle will be joining his older brother Trevor there for the 2021 season.

He was ranked 78th by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters and reports I read detail his stick-handling, skating, face-offs and two-way game as overall strengths. I like that it appears that he thrives in driving play and creating opportunities for himself. He is slight at 5’10”, 165lbs and will need to fill out during his time at College – particularly against the heavier NCAA ranks.

Of all of the Ducks later round picks – the general commentary seemed to be admiration of the Ducks taking the swing on this potential dark horse steal. Pronman however does have concerns for his overall speed noting that as a smaller forward that it will make it harder for him to progress to the higher levels. Kukkonen is a project pick that will take longer to develop but like a lot of the Ducks selections this draft, one to follow with intrigue.

Conclusion:

The Ducks definitely addressed a desperate need for goal-scorers with this draft while also finding some very interesting mobile defenders and overall I really liked most if not all of their selections. There is one small thing that bugs me though.

I’m not entirely sure why they seem to be dead-set on developing a face-off ace, I have written before that Badini could see NHL time if he develops into an Antoine Vermette type and perhaps the Ducks see having a player like that as necessary to contend. But if you look around the league the best modern-NHL example I can think of for that is Patrice Bergeron – the closest guy the Ducks have in the system to replicate him is BO Groulx. Who knows – maybe Lopina can become that too; I just wish they would also try to target some dynamic play-driving forwards to complement their growing array of snipers.

To recap and break it down, here is the selections from this draft by position, handedness and style comparison.

Name	Age	League	Position	Shoots	Style Comparison
Mason McTavish	18	OHL	C	Left	All around center with grit, Nazem Kadri/Ryan Kesler type.
Olen Zellweger	17	WHL	D	Left	Smaller offensive mobile defender, Samuel Girard/Quinn Hughes.
Sasha Pastujov	18	NCAA	LW	Left	All offensive scoring winger with average skating, Blake Wheeler
Tyson Hinds	18	QMJHL	D	Left	Lanky mobile defender that is strong in his own end, Zach Whitecloud
Josh Lopina	20	NCAA	C	Right	Defensive face-off specialist, Antoine Vermette.
Sean Tschigerl	18	WHL	LW	Left	PK specialist with some scoring upside, Brad Marchand.
Gage Alexander	19	WHL	G		Very tall goalie with raw tools, Anthony Stolarz.
Kyle Kukkonen	18	NCAA	C	Right	Small high scoring forward, Yanni Gourde.

The Center, Left Wing and Defensive depth received a healthy injection of talent with this draft but the Right Wing suffered unless you figure Kukkonen will be too small to play Center at the pro level. As it is the Ducks only have Volkov, Kindopp, Perreault and Colangelo on the horizon – of that group Perreault is the only realistic top six option right now. Next years draft is looking to be a lot more skilled – here is hoping the Ducks already have a long term plan to nab some play driving forwards who can play the right there.

Would you look at that! Shane Wright, Brad Lambert and Danila Yurov all shoot right….