The 2019 NHL Entry Draft ended on Saturday in Vancouver with the second day and Rounds 2 to 7.
photo: Lucas Aykroyd
In several respects, Day Two of the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver was more entertaining than Day One. Kicking off with a blockbuster trade set the tone.
The New Jersey Devils were once notorious for their boring, defensive style of hockey, as they used the neutral zone trap to win three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003). However, after picking Jack Hughes first overall on Friday, the Devils ensured they’ll be highly entertaining both to watch and to interview by acquiring superstar defenceman PK Subban from the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
In a statement, Predators GM David Poile praised Subban’s contributions on and off the ice, but added: “We had to make a business decision. With an aim at strengthening our forward corps this off-season, and the continued strength of our defensive group, we felt it was necessary to clear up salary cap space this way.”
In return, Nashville got two defencemen – Steven Santini, who won IIHF U18 silver with the U.S. in 2013 and played at the 2014 World Juniors and 2016 Worlds, and prospect Jeremy Davies – and two second-round picks.
The flashy Subban, 30, slumped to 31 points in 63 games this season. It was his lowest output ever in an NHL campaign where he played more than 60 games. The three-time NHL all-star won the Norris Trophy in 2013 with the Montreal Canadiens, and helped the Predators reach the 2017 Stanley Cup final. His IIHF highlights include an Olympic gold medal (2014) and two World Junior gold medals (2008, 2009).
This move revitalizes the debate over whether Montreal won or lost the controversial 2016 deal that sent Subban to Nashville in exchange for two-time Olympic gold medallist Shea Weber, who now serves as the Canadiens’ captain.
Another noteworthy transaction saw veteran Toronto forward Patrick Marleau shipped to Carolina. Again, it was to free up cap space. Marleau, 40, is the fourth-highest active NHL scorer overall (1,166 career points). The former San Jose Sharks icon, a two-time Olympic and World Champion, signed with Toronto in 2017, but has yet to win the Stanley Cup.
Via his wife Christina’s Twitter account, Marleau issued a statement to the fans, the Leafs organization, and teammates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
The New Jersey Devils were once notorious for their boring, defensive style of hockey, as they used the neutral zone trap to win three Stanley Cups (1995, 2000, 2003). However, after picking Jack Hughes first overall on Friday, the Devils ensured they’ll be highly entertaining both to watch and to interview by acquiring superstar defenceman PK Subban from the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
In a statement, Predators GM David Poile praised Subban’s contributions on and off the ice, but added: “We had to make a business decision. With an aim at strengthening our forward corps this off-season, and the continued strength of our defensive group, we felt it was necessary to clear up salary cap space this way.”
In return, Nashville got two defencemen – Steven Santini, who won IIHF U18 silver with the U.S. in 2013 and played at the 2014 World Juniors and 2016 Worlds, and prospect Jeremy Davies – and two second-round picks.
The flashy Subban, 30, slumped to 31 points in 63 games this season. It was his lowest output ever in an NHL campaign where he played more than 60 games. The three-time NHL all-star won the Norris Trophy in 2013 with the Montreal Canadiens, and helped the Predators reach the 2017 Stanley Cup final. His IIHF highlights include an Olympic gold medal (2014) and two World Junior gold medals (2008, 2009).
This move revitalizes the debate over whether Montreal won or lost the controversial 2016 deal that sent Subban to Nashville in exchange for two-time Olympic gold medallist Shea Weber, who now serves as the Canadiens’ captain.
Another noteworthy transaction saw veteran Toronto forward Patrick Marleau shipped to Carolina. Again, it was to free up cap space. Marleau, 40, is the fourth-highest active NHL scorer overall (1,166 career points). The former San Jose Sharks icon, a two-time Olympic and World Champion, signed with Toronto in 2017, but has yet to win the Stanley Cup.
Via his wife Christina’s Twitter account, Marleau issued a statement to the fans, the Leafs organization, and teammates Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
In terms of the actual draft, Canada and the U.S. dominated the selections, while Sweden and Finland also had strong showings, as expected. However, there was a major spike in interest in players of Russian heritage. In total, 27 Russians were drafted this year, compared to 17 in 2016, 18 in 2017, and 20 in 2018. Thus, Russia had the third-most players taken after the North American nations. It appears that the so-called “Russian factor” – the tendency of NHL teams to steer clear of Russians who may stay home – has evaporated.
In an off-the-beaten-path scenario, Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs) was taken 33rd overall by Los Angeles. He was born to Russian-speaking parents in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but moved to Staten Island, New York when he was 11 months old, and is officially American.
The gifted OHL sniper, who potted 51 goals and 102 points this season, has been criticized for defensive inconsistency. Kaliyev said he wouldn’t let the disappointment of getting drafted lower than expected hamper him: “I think it's one thing to get drafted, but it’s about trying to go prove yourself out there right now, trying to show what you’re made of. Just don’t give up. Stick with it. Going into camp, just try to be the best there.”
Kaliyev said he was looking forward to meeting Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Ilya Kovalchuk with the Kings, but that his role model was Rick Nash, who won two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014) and a World Championship (2007) with Canada: “I think he had a great shot. He was a big offensive player, who can score goals and make plays.”
The Russians just kept on trending, including two slick forwards from Stalinye Lisy Magnitogorsk, Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s junior squad. Pavel Dorofeyev, known for his stickhandling, appeared in 23 KHL games this season and could be a steal for Vegas (third round, #79 overall). Fellow dangler Yegor Spiridonov, who stepped up with two goals and six points at the 2019 U18 Worlds, was nabbed by San Jose (fourth round, #108 overall).
Towering European goalies were also a hot commodity on Day Two.
With the resurgent Carolina Hurricanes potentially poised to lose both Petr Mrazek and Curtis McIlhinney, GM Don Waddell chose 19-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov at #36. Undrafted last year, the 191-cm, 93-kg native of Penza, Russia played two games with the KHL’s HK Sochi last year, but made his biggest splash at the World Juniors in Vancouver and Victoria. Kochetkov backstopped Russia to a bronze medal with a dazzling 1.45 GAA and 95.3 save percentage and was named Best Goalie. He’ll play for SKA St. Petersburg in 2019-20.
The #37 pick was Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers). Ottawa made the 200-cm, 89-kg Aalborg native the highest-drafted Danish goalie ever, eclipsing Frederik Andersen (third round, #87 overall, by Anaheim, 2012). Sogaard sparkled with his 37 starts as a WHL rookie, but had a tough go at this year’s World Juniors. Denmark was relegated with a 10th-place finish after five straight years in the top division.
Sogaard said he was optimistic that team spirit would help the Danes return for the 2021 World Juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer: “I think we’re a really good group and we all stayed together. No matter what happened, we’re all still staying happy and not splitting apart from each other. I think we have some great talent there and some hard-working players and that’s what’s going to be important for us to move up again.”
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old can dream of going head-to-head and Dane-on-Dane with Andersen in the famous rivalry between Toronto and Ottawa.
As if Tampa Bay wasn’t stacked enough in net with 2019 Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevski, the Lightning bulked up with Hugo Alnefelt (HV71) at #71. The 190-cm, 88-kg Swede led his U18 national team to home-ice gold in Ornskoldsvik in April, posting a 2.75 GAA and 92.1 save percentage. Alnefelt made 35 saves in the thrilling 4-3 overtime win over Russia in the final.
Alnefelt described his outlook and style: “I’m just super-happy right now. You know when it’s your turn, it’s your turn. I would say that I’m a pretty calm goalie who doesn’t want to make any bigger movements than I have to. I like to stay on my feet, pretty much.”
As always, beyond the first round, there were plenty of question marks.
Did Edmonton luck out by picking up Raphael Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads) – originally pegged as a late first-rounder – at #38?
The big Montreal-born forward can skate and score: he had five goals in five games at last year’s U18 Worlds and led the QMJHL playoffs with a whopping 20 goals in 23 games this year. If Lavoie achieves any NHL success, it’ll be a welcome distraction from the woes of another young right winger: Jesse Puljujarvi. The 2016 World Junior MVP, drafted fourth overall that year, has just 37 points in 139 career NHL games and recently requested a trade out of Edmonton.
Tampa Bay has historically prospered with small, nifty forwards, including NHL scoring champs like Martin St-Louis and Nikita Kucherov. Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs) is unlikely to reach those lofty heights, but could he become a productive NHLer?
After all, the Slovak winger finished second to Jack Hughes in the scoring race at the 2018 U18 Worlds with 11 points. Cajkovic is also coming off a respectable QMJHL rookie season with a team-leading 22 goals and 46 points, although his backchecking is a work in progress. He remained the only Slovak player drafted.
2019 was not a banner draft for Switzerland either. The up-and-coming hockey power that earned a silver medal at the 2018 Worlds and finished fourth at the 2019 World Juniors only had one player selected in Vancouver: Valentin Nussbaumer (Shawinigan Cataractes). It was the worst draft class since no Swiss was drafted in 2009. What will happen with this versatile, high-IQ forward who was Arizona’s last pick (seventh round, #207 overall)?
Heading into 2018/19, Nussbaumer was widely viewed as “the cream of the Swiss prospect pool,” as Steve Kournianos of TheDraftAnalyst.com put it. Yet even though the EHC Biel product played in his second straight World Juniors, he had a dismal -49 plus-minus rating alongside his 38 points as a QMJHL newcomer. Still, Nussbaumer has time to become a diamond in the rough.
The Czech Republic, which had 11 draftees last year, dropped to seven this year. Goalie Lukas Parik (Bili Tygri Liberec U19) was the highest pick, going to Los Angeles (third round, #87 overall).
Meanwhile, there was a ray of light for Belarus. The Belarusians had two players drafted for the second straight year, including defenceman Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds). He went 52nd overall to the Florida Panthers after captaining his country to fifth place at the U18 Worlds. Kolyachonok is the highest-drafted Belarusian since Andrei Kostitsyn went 10th overall to Montreal in 2003.
Both Danish draftees were goalies, with Frederik Dichow (SonderjyskE) chosen by Montreal (fifth round, #138 overall). The lone Latvian selected was also a goalie. Arturs Silovs, who helped Latvia gain a U18 quarter-final berth this year, went late to the host Canucks (sixth round, 156th overall).
Here is the overall 2019 breakdown of players drafted by nationalities:
Montreal will host the 2020 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre.
In an off-the-beaten-path scenario, Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs) was taken 33rd overall by Los Angeles. He was born to Russian-speaking parents in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but moved to Staten Island, New York when he was 11 months old, and is officially American.
The gifted OHL sniper, who potted 51 goals and 102 points this season, has been criticized for defensive inconsistency. Kaliyev said he wouldn’t let the disappointment of getting drafted lower than expected hamper him: “I think it's one thing to get drafted, but it’s about trying to go prove yourself out there right now, trying to show what you’re made of. Just don’t give up. Stick with it. Going into camp, just try to be the best there.”
Kaliyev said he was looking forward to meeting Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Ilya Kovalchuk with the Kings, but that his role model was Rick Nash, who won two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014) and a World Championship (2007) with Canada: “I think he had a great shot. He was a big offensive player, who can score goals and make plays.”
The Russians just kept on trending, including two slick forwards from Stalinye Lisy Magnitogorsk, Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s junior squad. Pavel Dorofeyev, known for his stickhandling, appeared in 23 KHL games this season and could be a steal for Vegas (third round, #79 overall). Fellow dangler Yegor Spiridonov, who stepped up with two goals and six points at the 2019 U18 Worlds, was nabbed by San Jose (fourth round, #108 overall).
Towering European goalies were also a hot commodity on Day Two.
With the resurgent Carolina Hurricanes potentially poised to lose both Petr Mrazek and Curtis McIlhinney, GM Don Waddell chose 19-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov at #36. Undrafted last year, the 191-cm, 93-kg native of Penza, Russia played two games with the KHL’s HK Sochi last year, but made his biggest splash at the World Juniors in Vancouver and Victoria. Kochetkov backstopped Russia to a bronze medal with a dazzling 1.45 GAA and 95.3 save percentage and was named Best Goalie. He’ll play for SKA St. Petersburg in 2019-20.
The #37 pick was Mads Sogaard (Medicine Hat Tigers). Ottawa made the 200-cm, 89-kg Aalborg native the highest-drafted Danish goalie ever, eclipsing Frederik Andersen (third round, #87 overall, by Anaheim, 2012). Sogaard sparkled with his 37 starts as a WHL rookie, but had a tough go at this year’s World Juniors. Denmark was relegated with a 10th-place finish after five straight years in the top division.
Sogaard said he was optimistic that team spirit would help the Danes return for the 2021 World Juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer: “I think we’re a really good group and we all stayed together. No matter what happened, we’re all still staying happy and not splitting apart from each other. I think we have some great talent there and some hard-working players and that’s what’s going to be important for us to move up again.”
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old can dream of going head-to-head and Dane-on-Dane with Andersen in the famous rivalry between Toronto and Ottawa.
As if Tampa Bay wasn’t stacked enough in net with 2019 Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevski, the Lightning bulked up with Hugo Alnefelt (HV71) at #71. The 190-cm, 88-kg Swede led his U18 national team to home-ice gold in Ornskoldsvik in April, posting a 2.75 GAA and 92.1 save percentage. Alnefelt made 35 saves in the thrilling 4-3 overtime win over Russia in the final.
Alnefelt described his outlook and style: “I’m just super-happy right now. You know when it’s your turn, it’s your turn. I would say that I’m a pretty calm goalie who doesn’t want to make any bigger movements than I have to. I like to stay on my feet, pretty much.”
As always, beyond the first round, there were plenty of question marks.
Did Edmonton luck out by picking up Raphael Lavoie (Halifax Mooseheads) – originally pegged as a late first-rounder – at #38?
The big Montreal-born forward can skate and score: he had five goals in five games at last year’s U18 Worlds and led the QMJHL playoffs with a whopping 20 goals in 23 games this year. If Lavoie achieves any NHL success, it’ll be a welcome distraction from the woes of another young right winger: Jesse Puljujarvi. The 2016 World Junior MVP, drafted fourth overall that year, has just 37 points in 139 career NHL games and recently requested a trade out of Edmonton.
Tampa Bay has historically prospered with small, nifty forwards, including NHL scoring champs like Martin St-Louis and Nikita Kucherov. Maxim Cajkovic (Saint John Sea Dogs) is unlikely to reach those lofty heights, but could he become a productive NHLer?
After all, the Slovak winger finished second to Jack Hughes in the scoring race at the 2018 U18 Worlds with 11 points. Cajkovic is also coming off a respectable QMJHL rookie season with a team-leading 22 goals and 46 points, although his backchecking is a work in progress. He remained the only Slovak player drafted.
2019 was not a banner draft for Switzerland either. The up-and-coming hockey power that earned a silver medal at the 2018 Worlds and finished fourth at the 2019 World Juniors only had one player selected in Vancouver: Valentin Nussbaumer (Shawinigan Cataractes). It was the worst draft class since no Swiss was drafted in 2009. What will happen with this versatile, high-IQ forward who was Arizona’s last pick (seventh round, #207 overall)?
Heading into 2018/19, Nussbaumer was widely viewed as “the cream of the Swiss prospect pool,” as Steve Kournianos of TheDraftAnalyst.com put it. Yet even though the EHC Biel product played in his second straight World Juniors, he had a dismal -49 plus-minus rating alongside his 38 points as a QMJHL newcomer. Still, Nussbaumer has time to become a diamond in the rough.
The Czech Republic, which had 11 draftees last year, dropped to seven this year. Goalie Lukas Parik (Bili Tygri Liberec U19) was the highest pick, going to Los Angeles (third round, #87 overall).
Meanwhile, there was a ray of light for Belarus. The Belarusians had two players drafted for the second straight year, including defenceman Vladislav Kolyachonok (Flint Firebirds). He went 52nd overall to the Florida Panthers after captaining his country to fifth place at the U18 Worlds. Kolyachonok is the highest-drafted Belarusian since Andrei Kostitsyn went 10th overall to Montreal in 2003.
Both Danish draftees were goalies, with Frederik Dichow (SonderjyskE) chosen by Montreal (fifth round, #138 overall). The lone Latvian selected was also a goalie. Arturs Silovs, who helped Latvia gain a U18 quarter-final berth this year, went late to the host Canucks (sixth round, 156th overall).
Here is the overall 2019 breakdown of players drafted by nationalities:
- Canada 69
- USA 57
- Russia 27
- Sweden 26
- Finland 22
- Czech Republic 7
- Belarus 2
- Denmark 2
- Germany 2
- Latvia 1
- Slovakia 1
- Switzerland 1
Montreal will host the 2020 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre.
Top-3 NHL draft picks on Day 1 from left to right: Kirby Dach (3rd, Chicago Blackhawks), Jack Hughes (1st, New Jersey Devils) and Kaapo Kakko (2nd, New York Rangers).
photo: Dave Sandford / NHLI via Getty Images