Greetings, all! I thought I’d give the Q and A thing another try – this time by focusing on one CHL league in particular. For this Q and A I got in touch with Cody Nickolet a scout and writer for Future Considerations Hockey who focuses mostly on the WHL and Western Canada.
1) Brandon’s Ivan Provorov has been going to the CBJ in a majority of mock drafts. If the Jackets were to select Provorov what would he bring to the organization?
For me, Provorov is right behind Noah Hannifin as the 2nd best defender in this draft. He would be a great fit for a number of teams for a number of reasons. He’s a heady, two-way defender with very few weaknesses. Not only does he have few weaknesses, but he’s extremely well-rounded. He matches his two-way smarts with good skating ability, a bomb of a shot and the ability to defend both cerebrally and physically. While his lack of size and length isn’t exactly ideal, he makes up for it in so many other ways. I personally see him as a legit #2 style of defender at the NHL level if his development goes very well and expect to see him coming off the board within the top 6-8 picks come draft day.
2) Oliver Bjorkstrand recently won the WHL’s 4 Broncos Memorial Trophy. What kind of impact do you see him making in his rookie pro season (either in Lake Erie or Columbus)?
I think it will be a fairly smooth transition for Bjorsktrand next year and ideally I see him in the AHL. There is no rush to put him into an NHL environment where he will be a step behind the speed of the guys while also lacking the physical nature to help make up for it. I think he will slide right into the AHL and be able to play within a top 9 quite comfortably, while also being a threat on the powerplay. This will be possible thanks to his obvious offensive talents, plus his extremely high hockey sense. He’s ready for a new challenge and his time in the AHL will probably be short but still necessary.
3) Former Jacket Brett Harkin’s nephew, Jansen, is the 15th rated North American skater. What are your impressions of him as a player?
I really like Jansen as a player. He’s got a good frame, decent skating mechanics, good vision and the ability to play a 200-foot game. While he may not do many things that blow you away on a shift to shift basis, he just gets the job done while still having the ability to put up numbers and be sound defensively. I expect we’ll see him come off the board in the final 10 picks of the first round come June and top out as either a decent 2nd line centre or a very good 3rd line centre at the NHL level, even if his game and body still need plenty of refining.
4) The Jackets hold the 34th pick in the draft. If a WHL player rated in the first round were to slip that far, who would you project might still be available?
A guy like Paul Bittner is a bit of a wildcard for me and a guy who could slide a bit come draft day. While he’s a big rangy kid (6’4) and has a great shot, he seems to lack a bit of a killer instinct, ultimately cancelling out his impressive frame. I think there will be a pretty big split on how he’s seen amongst scouts this year and that could translate into a bit of a slide come draft. With that being said, he has been a top 15 guy on Bob McKenzie’s list this year so we’ll see. Ultimately it only takes one team to like a guy.
5) The WHL has a strong tradition of developing NHL defensemen. Is this something intentional? Related to style of play? What are your thoughts on how this reputation developed for the league over time.
I think it has to do with the nature of people in Western Canada. For me, growing up in the prairies, the people here are known for being hard-working and willing to endure. I think that translates on the ice regarding the style of player that have come through the WHL over the years including the ability to produce good defenders. Defenceman usually had to be big and hard to play against and that tough and gritty mentality is a bit of a microcosm of Western Canada. The WHL was also always famous for being the lowest scoring of the three junior leagues in Canada, so part of it is definitely chalked up to a tighter-checking and more physical style of play. That’s my theory, anyway.
6) As of right now, the Jackets need to make a decision on signing Brandon captain Peter Quenneville. Do you think the Jackets should sign him and what kind of impact could he make in the pros?
I think he’s definitely a prospect worth signing. While he may not be considered one of the best prospects in the league or anything, he’s definitely shown me decent growth over the past couple of seasons. He’s got an elite ability to shoot the puck and a skill like that definitely translates to that next level in the AHL. I am usually a big picture guy when it comes to depth stuff like this and I feel like even if Quenneville might not have legit top 6 NHL skill, he’s a guy that is still valuable to an organization as a scorer at the AHL level. So yes, for me he’s worth signing and should be a guy who can lead an AHL team in scoring when he’s 23 or 24, even if he fails to crack an NHL roster full-time.
7) Matthew Barzal erupted at a recent international tournament – how much will this affect his draft status?
I think it definitely helps. He’s had questions for much of the year due to his knee injury and even though he elevated his play down the stretch and in the playoffs, a big showing on the world stage was key for him. With that being said, there are still some things to watch out for regarding his performance. That Under-18 tournament was obviously played on bigger ice and that extra space really aided Barzal’s game and allowed him more room to roam and create. As a guy who has had some knocks regarding his willingness to go to tough areas consistently, it was the perfect storm for him to explode at the tournament. Ultimately I think his showing there really sealed his standing as a legit top 7-8 guy in this draft, if not higher.
8) If Mike Reilly doesn’t sign with Columbus, the Jackets top two defensive prospects are Kamloops alum Austin Madaisky and Swift Current alum Dillon Heatherington. Which could you see making their NHL debut first?
I am not super familiar with Madaisky’s game as I didn’t see him a lot when I first started following the WHL closely, so this one is a bit tougher to answer. But, I think as far as Heatherington goes, it’s safe to say he’s well on his way to making that goal happen. It’s pretty clear that the Jackets really like his game, drafting him as high as they did and he’s rewarded them so far with good development. I was a bigger fan of him than most people were at the time of his draft so it’s nice to see him take the strides he has. He’s the kind of guy that will likely never be more than a #3 or 4 defender so the fact that he can be brought in slowly as a #7 guy at the NHL level is also a nice luxury to have, too.
9) Do you expect 4 Broncos runner up Tim McGauley to be drafted after being passed over last year and where do you see him being selected?
I don’t see McGauley being drafted, even though I think his game possibly warrants it. In the end not many guys eligible for the 3rd time see their (sic) name called, so the fact that he’s a 1995-born skater does hurt him this year. With that being said, I know there is interest in his game from NHL teams. It will more likely translate into him being passed over at the draft, attending an NHL development camp this summer and potentially signing a pro deal following the 2015-16 WHL season.
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