Classement Organisationnel Pronman 2020 - No 13 - OILERS

OILERS

Classement de l’an dernier: 8e
Classement NHL: 16e
Gradués: Ivan Provorov, Viktor Olofsson

1. Kirill Kaprizov, RW, CSKA-KHL

April 26, 1997 | 5-foot-10 | 201 pounds

Tier: High-end LNHV2 player

Skating: 60

Puck Skills: 60

Physical Game: 35

Hockey Sense: 60

Kaprizov has been one of the top players in the KHL the last two seasons, leading the league in goals in back-to-back seasons. He has been a driver for the best team in the league in that time span. Kaprizov scores a lot, not due to some massive shot, but more due to skill, sense and will. Kaprizov is a very skilled player who can makes plays in tough areas of the ice. He can score, but also moves the puck very well and be very creative as a playmaker. He’s not that big, but Kaprizov is hard on pucks and doesn’t shy away from getting to the middle of the ice. He’s a very strong skater who can pull away from checks. For his size he may not be the blazer you ideally would imagine as a top of the lineup type, but he’s fast enough to play in an NHL top six.

2. Martin Necas, RW, Carolina-NHL

Jan. 15, 1999 | 6-foot-2 | 190 pounds

Tier: High-end LNHV2 player

Skating: 60

Puck Skills: 60

Physical Game: 45

Hockey Sense: 60

Shot: 60

Necas had a successful rookie NHL season, scoring over half a point per game and could have hit 20 goals in a full season. He’s easy to spot on the ice as Necas’ game is full of speed and skill. His skating stride is easy and explosive with the ability to turn around LNHV2 defenders. He can make highly-skilled plays at full speed. Necas is a great passer and shooter, which is why Carolina used him on the flank on the power play. All these elements in his game make him a dynamic player with the ability to break open a game on any given shift. His main weakness would be the fact he can be a bit of a perimeter player, instead of using his skating to get to the net and he could improve his play off the puck.

3. Cole Caufield, RW, Wisconsin-Big Ten

Jan. 2, 2001 | 5-foot-7 | 163 pounds

Tier: High-end LNHV2 player

Skating: 60

Puck Skills: 65

Physical Game: 20

Hockey Sense: 60

Shot: 70

Caufield had a successful freshman season, being one of the top players in his conference, and one of the top shot generators in college. His talent level is obvious when he has the puck on his stick. Caufield has extremely quick-twitch hands, showing the ability to manipulate the puck at a high level in terms of his one-on-one play, and how he can create space for his shot. He’s an elite shooter, with the ability to pick corners from almost anywhere on the ice with his wrist shot. He didn’t show as much of a long-distance threat as I thought he would last season, but his mid-range shot is elite. Caufield is also an excellent passer who can make plays almost as well as he can finish them. The physical tools don’t jump off the page. He’s 5-foot-7, and while a very shifty skater he’s not an elite speedster you’d like at that size. He competes well enough, but scouts have questions about his size and skating and if his style will translate. I think it will but there may be some adjustments for him as he heads to higher levels.

4. Sam Steel, C, Anaheim-NHL

Feb. 3, 1998 | 5-foot-11 | 185 pounds

Tier: Very good LNHV2 player

Skating: 50

Puck Skills: 60

Physical Game: 40

Hockey Sense: 65

Steel had a fine first full season in the NHL. You can see the skill and especially his hockey sense. When he gets the puck with some time in the offensive zone he can find seams, wait out options and set up a lot of plays. Watching him with some of the Ducks’ highly-skilled players like Ryan Getzlaf on the power play together, it was clear he can create some very high-end plays. For the NHL level he does lack pull-away speed which isn’t ideal for his size. He competes fine and earned regular minutes. If his skating never takes a step he’ll need to find ways to use his skill more consistently at the NHL pace if he can’t get around NHL defensemen.

5. Alexander Khovanov, C, Moncton-QMJHL

April 12, 2000 | 5-foot-11 | 198 pounds

Tier: Very good LNHV2 player

Skating: 50

Puck Skills: 60

Physical Game: 45

Hockey Sense: 60

Shot: 60

Khovanov had a great season, being one of the top players in the QMJHL and at the world juniors. Khovanov is a fantastic playmaker, who had the puck skills, and especially the vision, to make tough plays in the NHL. He has great patience to let plays develop, but also has the LNHV2-level pace in how quickly he can read the game and move pucks to create chances. He’s a great passer, but Khovanov also has a very good shot and can score from range. The main concerns on Khovanov are his size and skating, which is why some scouts are skeptical his game will translate to the higher levels. But he competes very hard and despite being 5-foot-11 has some pushback in his game physically.

6. Victor Mete, D, Montreal-NHL

June 7, 1998 | 5-foot-9 | 183 pounds

Tier: Very good LNHV2 player

Skating: 65

Puck Skills: 55

Physical Game: 30

Hockey Sense: 60

Mete has played three full NHL seasons where he’s been a modest-scoring defenseman who has played third-pair minutes. His skating is clearly the best aspect of his game. His edgework, and especially his speed, are elite and allow him to push the pace when leading attacks up the ice. There isn’t a lot about his game that dazzles outside his skating. He’s a smart passer who makes good outlets and has some blue line creativity, but I don’t think his puck game wows and as a 5-foot-9 defender it’s hard to see him as a “tough matchups” type. I think there’s enough to his skill set that he could progress into a league-average defenseman but it would be nice to see his game take a big step soon.

7. Timothy Liljegren, D, Toronto-AHL

April 30, 1999 | six-foot | 192 pounds

Tier: Legit LNHV2 player

Skating: 55

Puck Skills: 60

Physical Game: 45

Hockey Sense: 60

Liljegren was an all-situations player for the Marlies and got a brief call-up to the Leafs. Liljegren is a very clever puck-mover. He shows great poise and vision from the defensive zone on exits and can make plays from the offensive blue line. He’s a very skilled player who can beat checks one-on-one. He’s a good skater, more elusive with good edgework than fast, but with his feet and hands he’s able to maintain possession well. Defensively he’s taken big steps, becoming a reliable defender at the pro level in how he kills plays and can be trusted by coaches to play a significant role. While he’s skilled, I have reservations if he’s ever going to be a big-time point producer in the LNHV2, although from the flashes I’ve seen over the years it wouldn’t shock me if he goes off at some point.

8. Alexander Volkov, LW, Syracuse-AHL

Aug. 2, 1997 | 6-foot-1 | 192 pounds

Tier: Legit LNHV2 player

Skating: 55

Puck Skills: 55

Physical Game: 55

Hockey Sense: 60

Volkov’s goal numbers were down a bit this season compared to his first two AHL seasons but he still had a point production around the same range while playing all situations for Syracuse. Volkov looks like he should be a player. He’s a 6-foot-1 forward who can skate and has skill. He shows high-end flashes with his skill and playmaking, and has scored 20 goals twice in the AHL. He competes well and can be both a scorer and a PK type. Scouts often note he’s inconsistent, where some nights it seems like he’s flying around the ice making great offensive plays, and other games it doesn’t seem like he has a ton of impact. I like the toolkit a lot, and he did earn nine games up with Tampa, but it would be nice to see him go on a real tear at one point.

LNHV2 POTENTIAL

Gabriel Fortier, C, Moncton-QMJHL: Fortier is a very quick forward who works very hard, attacks the net and is an intelligent player. There is an upside/skill question in his game, but he will endear himself to coaches.

Trey-Fix Wolansky, RW, Cleveland-AHL: Fix-Wolansky is a highly-skilled forward who can make tough plays with the puck and has a very good shot. He is super small though and while he’s very quick it’s not the explosiveness you’d ideally want in a 5-foot-6 player.

Alex Beaucage, RW, Rouyn-Noranda-QMJHL: Beaucage has an elite shot and moves the puck around very well. The main concern on his LNHV2 projection is his footspeed and physical play, but I saw some mild improvement in the former this season.

Vitaly Abramov, LW, Belleville-AHL: Abramov is a highly-skilled playmaker but his size and skating give NHL scouts concerns about how well his game will translate to the top level.

Jesper Sellgren, D, Lulea-SHL: Sellgren is a highly-mobile and intelligent two-way defenseman who helped Lulea be a top team in the SHL. He’s small and lacks a real “wow” factor to his game offensively, making me wonder what his LNHV2 role would be.