Looming NHL draft holds major implications for next season's London Knights
Defenceman Alex Vlasic
The NHL draft isn't just a major stepping stone for players hoping to hear their names called this weekend in Vancouver.
It's also a massive indicator of what the Knights roster could look like this fall.
The London organization is hoping a handful of top American talent, particularly big defenceman Alex Vlasic and energetic goaltender Cameron Rowe, land with Knights-friendly franchises on Friday and Saturday. That could make the summer recruiting process much smoother for an OHL team looking to contend again this season.
The 18-year-old Vlasic, a 6-foot-6, 200-pounder with the United States national team development program, was selected by London in the fourth round two years ago. He is also committed to Boston University.
Most NHL draft pundits expect the Illinois native to be taken in the latter part of the first round or early in the second.
"The points (four goals and 27 points in 61 games with the under-18s) for him are deceiving," Knights associate GM Rob Simpson said. "The Americans have a very good team there. With Alex's combination of size, puck movement and his ability to walk the blue-line, there is more upside to the offensive side. It's hard to find guys who have the size, skating and skill that all go together like he does."
The pro game has become smaller and faster, but the Stanley Cup final showed there is plenty of room for big, mobile d-men.
The Blues were full of them and the Bruins had a few, too.
Cameron Rowe
Rowe, a 6-foot-2, 203-pound goaltender from Vlasic's hometown of Wilmette, Ill., had to battle for every minute he got in the crease with the U.S. program. His teammate was Spencer Knight, a sure-fire first-rounder Friday.
"For a lot of the year, they split the net," Simpson said. "Cameron won some big games for them and the end of the year, they went with Spencer.
"(Rowe) has great size and presence. His compete level and effort on secondary chances is exceptional. He will never give up easy goals and there's a lot to like there."
Rowe is the fourth-ranked goalie among North Americans, according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. That could mean fourth or fifth round Saturday, if not higher.
The 18-year-old is committed to the University of North Dakota, but he's also Knights property through a seventh-round pick. Even with Jordan Kooy set to return, London still has an immediate net need with the graduation of overager Joseph Raaymakers.
The Knights have been in contact with Vlasic and Rowe, plus a number of other American skaters. They have already convinced Senators prospect Johnny Gruden, who played NCAA hockey at Miami of Ohio last season, to join the squad.
The successful recruitment of U.S. stars will certainly help the Knights recover from their disappointing OHL draft in 2017. They have already traded away their top four picks from that spring: Lucas Rowe, Andrew Perrott, Dalton Duhart and Emmett Pierce.
London made 19 selections and the only one with OHL service who still belongs to them is d-man Liam Whittaker.
"You look back at that draft now and we got a lot of players in the league at different picks," Simpson said. "We took some swings at American players. At the end, we could have upwards of six or seven players from that draft, which is a success."
That is contingent, of course, on players like Vlasic and Rowe eventually showing up.
IMPORT STATUS: The Knights are prepared to make one pick in the Canadian Hockey League's import draft, which runs a week from Thursday.
They have that right because Swedish d-man Adam Boqvist, no guarantee to return for a sophomore OHL season, is a Blackhawks first-rounder. London doesn't expect to get an answer on their leading playoff goal-getter until well into the fall.
"That's something they're going to take their time deciding," Simpson said. "It's going to happen after Adam has a summer of training and goes through the process of Chicago's camp and the American league. So you have to look at both options (of him going or staying)."
The Knights were in the same predicament last year with Boqvist and that's why they picked Belarusian NHL prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok, whom they eventually traded to Flint.
London will keep Russian forward Matvey Guskov, who they expect will become a premier scorer in his second OHL season. He should be a third or fourth-round NHL pick Saturday.
"He's going to surprise people next year," Simpson said. "You'll see his point totals take a big jump and his importance to our lineup take a big step. He has an exceptional shot, he can break open the game and beat defenders all by himself.
"He works incredibly hard off the ice and there's a ton of upside. He would be one player (the Russian world junior team) would be monitoring for the future."
The Knights expect Connor McMichael, Guskov's frequent linemate last season, to join an NHL team Friday during the first round.
"If he got the same opportunities other players at his age got in our league, he would've had 15 more points (than his 72)," Simpson said. "We had a good, first-place team so he didn't have as many minutes on the power play as others did. His five-on-five point totals were very impressive."
DUCK TALES: Knights legend Corey Perry was bought out by the Ducks Wednesday, paving the way for Anaheim's all-time leader in games played to find a new hockey home. Anaheim GM Bob Murray called it one of the "most difficult decisions I've had to make in my 44 years in the NHL." The 34-year-old Perry's agitating style rubs many fan bases the wrong way, but wherever he lands, they will soon discover what makes him one of the game's great winners.
Three Knights players or draft picks earn U.S. look at summer... Anaheim Ducks buy out final two years of Corey Perry's contract
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