It’s that time of year again. This will be the third year in a row I will be writing about sleepers who should be available in the seventh round. Last years post was very successful with three players; Rudolf Balcers, Cameron Hughes, and Brett Seney getting drafted.
To qualify as a sleeper the player needs to be unranked by the Hockey Prospect 2016 Black Book. These are players I feel have been overlooked whether because of age, injury, size etc.
Hockey Prospect profiled 411 players total, giving me 200 unranked players to choose from. I made two lists: one for first time eligible players and a quick one of players who were previously passed over. There were many players I liked, but to keep this a readable length I only profiled 11. There were some tough decisions made, so apologies if your favourite sleeper isn’t on the list.
Scouting Notes are predominately from the Black Book. Stats courtesy of Eliteprospects.
Players Listed Alphabetically
Lukas Doudera – D
Team: HC Trinec (Czech)
Height: 5’11 Weight: 165
Stats: 30GP 0-2-2
Strengths – Doudera played a full season in the top Czech pro league. He’s a puck mover who skates well with and without the puck. He likes to join the rush to create offense. He has great hands and can make plays under pressure.
Weaknesses – Small, and not a good defensive player. He struggles at defending zone entries and allows forwards to walk in too easily. Has difficulty anticipating plays when in his own zone.
Hardy Haman Aktell – D
Team: Skellefta (J18 Elit & J18 Allsvenskan)
Height: 6’3 Weight: 198
Stats: 26GP 6-23-29
Strengths – A big defencemen who scored over a point per game in two tiers of Swedish junior leagues. His hockey IQ is strong as he reads and anticipates the play very well. His passing and vision show upside, but are works in progress.
Weaknesses – Performance was strong but was against lesser competition, as he played the majority of his season in a lower league, the J18, rather than the under-20 SuperElit league or one of the pro Swedish leagues. He isn’t a great skater which has held him back. He gets beat easily by forwards with speed.
David Hrenak – G
Team: Slovakia U20 (U20 Slovakia)
Height: 6’1 Weight: 176
Stats: 13GP .926 SV%
Strengths – Hrenak played on the Slovakia U20 team that played in the U20 Junior League as well as both of the top pro leagues. He didn’t play in a ton of games but was good when he called upon. In 13 U20 games he had a. 926 save percentage and in six games in the Slovakia second division he had a .933 sv%.
Weaknesses –He has had injury problems, which partially explains why he’s played so few games. Also tends to struggle in the early part of games, leading to questions about his mental game. He struggled when playing in the top Slovakian league with an .884 sv% in seven games.
Tim Hultstrand – G
Team: Malmo Redhawks (J20 SWE)
Height: 6’0 Weight: 176
Stats: 39GP .922 SV%
Strengths – Had a strong season in the SuperElit, posting a .922 sv% in 39 games, which tied for second in the league. He’s a calm goalie with no panic in his game. When he’s been caught out of position he has displayed good recovery to get back in position.
Weaknesses – He lacks explosiveness and is more of a positional goalie than an athletic one. He is undersized relative to the average goalie at just 6’0.
Petr Kodytek – C
Team: HC Plzen (Czech U20)
Height: 5’6 Weight: 146
Stats: 19GP 12-20-32
Strengths – Kodytek lit up whatever league he was playing in, posting 38 points in 17 games at the U18 level and 32 points in 19 games at the U20 level. He has a real strong, accurate shot and is a player who is trusted defensively by his teams. He is also very young, with a mid-August birthday, meaning he has some more time to fill out.
Weaknesses – The only flaw in his game is his 5’6 frame. Despite that, he plays physical and can be a shutdown player. As he progresses his size may limit what he can do defensively and he may not have enough skill to carry him. There is still a chance that he could hit a growth spurt which would lessen the size issues considerably.
Marco Miranda – LW
Team: GCK Lions (NLB)
Height: 6’2 Weight: 194
Stats: 36GP 10-5-15
Strengths – Spent the entire season as a 17 year old playing against pros in Switzerland in their second division, the NLB. He’s big, with a strong and powerful skating stride. He handles the puck well and has some fine hands. He uses his size well to protect the puck.
Weaknesses – Despite his large frame, Miranda isn’t physical. He struggled at the U18 World Championships, which may have bumped him off of some teams’ lists. He had trouble this season when the pace picked up and needs to improve his reaction to plays.
William Pethrus – D
Team: Mora IK (SuperElit)
Height: 6’2 Weight: 183
Stats: 35GP 13-22-35
Strengths – Pethrus put up impressive points totals SuperElit. He was the lone defencemen to play in double-digit games and score a point a game. He has very good puck skills, handling the puck with ease and couples that with strong vision.
Weaknesses – He is a bit older than some of his cohorts, and many of his other late-97-born peers are already playing regular roles in the top two Swedish pro leagues, the SHL or Allsvenskan. Pethrus managed to get into just 11 Allsvenskan games. As with many younger offense-first dmen, Pethrus is lacking in his own zone, especially when it comes to gap control.
Tarmo Reunanen – D
Team: TPS (Jr. A SM-Liiga)
Height: 6’0 Weight: 178
Stats: 11GP 2-4-6
Strengths – Reunanen is a strong offensive defencemen. He is a smooth skater with a great hockey sense. As a 16 year old in 2014/15, he put up 30 points in 42 games in the Jr. A SM-Liiga. That was second among U17 defencemen behind only potential top 10 pick Olli Juolevi, who had 32 in 44.
Weaknesses – This season was essentially a lost cause for Reunanen, as he suffered a major injury which kept him sidelined for six months. He only played 11 regular season games, scoring six points. He returned for the playoffs, but got into just two games. He was unfortunately not invited to the U18 Worlds despite being back and healthy. He’s basically a wild card, as his lost season has stunted a promising growth curve.
Igor Shvyryov – C
Team: Metallurg Magnitogorsk Jr. (MHL)
Height: 6’1 Weight: 191
Stats: 44GP 12-26-38
Strengths – Shvyryov put up great numbers in the MHL, leading all U18 players in scoring. His PPG rate was second behind likely first rounder German Rubtsov. Shvyryov is a poised and mature player. His best attribute is his puck control and his vision. Is on the younger end of the draft class with a July birthday.
Weaknesses – Despite the points, isn’t a very dynamic player. Tends to play a more simple style as opposed to the flash you’d typically expect from Russians. He is inconsistent defensively.
Tim Wahlgren – LW
Team: Modo (SuperElit)
Height: 6’0 Weight: 178
Stats: 39GP 20-25-45
Strengths – Finished sixth in scoring among all players in the SuperElit league. He played 10 SHL games, notching two points. He is a smart player with good hands in tight that help him get to good scoring areas. He has good vision and can be a playmaker.
Weaknesses – He is a poor skater with underwhelming speed. Also has poor acceleration, which limits his transitional play.
Linus Weissbach – LW
Team: Frolunda (SuperElit)
Height: 5’9 Weight: 156
Stats: 44GP 17-31-48
Strengths – Finished third in the league in scoring. He has good acceleration which helped him blow past defencemen. He’s a playmaker with “dizzying hands.” He has a quick release on his shot, though elects to pass more often.
Weaknesses – Is a smaller player who lacks awareness. Has put himself into vulnerable positions where he has been hit hard. He suffered an injury crashing into the boards which caused him to miss the U18 World Championships.
Overagers Worth a Look
These players are all similar, possessing high skill levels and big points totals, not only this season but in the past as well. For the third-time eligible players, it’s more likely that they will be passed over again in the draft, and have to earn pro contracts with impressive development camp showings over the summer. But they are all worth keeping an eye on, especially if you’re looking to get some skill-based depth in the organization.
Yegor Babenko – LW Lethbridge Hurricanes (2nd time eligible) – 67 GP, 29 G, 40 A, 69 Pts
Alex Barre-Boulet – C Drummondville Voltigeurs (2nd time eligible) – 65 GP, 35 G, 54 A, 89 Pts
Michael Carcone – LW Drummondville Voltigeurs (3rd time eligible) – 66 GP, 47 G, 42 A, 89 Pts
Maxim Lazarev – LW Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (3rd time eligible) – 52 GP, 30 G, 45 A, 75 Pts
Dante Salituro – C Ottawa 67’s (2nd time eligible) – 65 GP, 38 G, 45 A, 83 Pts
Tyler Soy – C Victoria Royals (2nd time eligible) – 72 GP, 46 G, 39 A, 85 Pts
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