NHL training camp: Jonathan Drouin leads prospects to watch
In a matter of days, NHL teams will open their camps with all the familiar faces of regular roster players and established veterans that signed as free agents. Those will be all the names most NHL fans know, but perhaps the most interesting players to watch during training camps are the prospects vying for NHL jobs. This year there will be no shortage of prospects to watch.
There are going to be a lot of talented youngsters in camps and some of them have an honest shot at making the NHL roster this season. There are some just-short-of-obvious candidates for making the NHL this year like No. 1 pick Aaron Ekblad with the Florida Panthers and No. 2 selection Sam Reinhart with the Buffalo Sabres.
With the number of young players that will be vying for spots this year, I decided to pick 10 that are going to be particularly interesting to watch. For some, it’s just how impressive they were in junior or college last season, and for others it’s how they can help their teams right away.
Here are the 10 rookies that should be among the most interesting to follow as training camps commence.
Jonathan Drouin (Tampa Bay Lightning): After being a veritable human highlight reel over the last two seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads, the No. 3 pick from the 2013 NHL Entry Draft is ready for the next step. Terrific puck-handling skills accent Drouin’s high-end hockey sense which makes him a rare offensive talent. He had 213 points in 95 games over the last two years in the QMJHL and will join a Lightning squad that has no shortage of offensive weapons. Finding where he fits in will be the most interesting storyline. It’s expected he’ll play on the wing, but with what center? His high-end playmaking abilities may get him a top-six role out of the gates, which makes where they slot him in the preseason of particular interest.
Anthony Mantha (Detroit Red Wings): Between the regular season and playoffs in the QMJHL, Mantha had 81 goals in 81 games for Val d’Or. That kind of goal-scoring prowess is rare these days, even for junior. Tack on Mantha’s physical attributes at 6-5, 205 and most Red Wings fans have to be licking their chops to see what this kid can do. The Red Wings have brought along their younger players with patience, but Mantha is going to have a shot to make the team out of camp. No one is going to expect a goal per game out of him at the NHL level, but seeing how he’s able to produce in the preseason, or even more importantly just how he handles himself in the offensive zone playing against men, will be worth following.
Teuvo Teravainen (Chicago Blackhawks): Blackhawks fans got a brief glimpse of Teravainen at the end of last season when the dynamic Finnish forward played in three games. It was his first taste of pro hockey in North America at all after a successful career with Jokerit in Finland. Considering his level of production in the Finnish pros as a teenager and his star turn at the World Junior Championship in leading Finland to gold, expectations are high. The question is where does he fit in the Blackhawks lineup if at all. The club improved center depth by adding Brad Richards in free agency. It’s going to take an impressive camp for Teravaianen to make the Hawks’ opening night roster, but his skill level will give him a shot.
John Gibson will look to build off of his trial by fire last season.(USATSI)
John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks): Gibson was the toast of the NHL for a brief period at the end of last season and a portion of the playoffs when he earned the Ducks’ No. 1 job. The young netminder’s season ended on a sour note when he gave up four goals to the Kings in Game 7 as the Ducks got bounced from the playoffs in the second round. How he bounces back after a long summer to think about that will be key. The Ducks are probably going to roll with Gibson and Frederik Andersen this season. They may work in tandem, but Gibson is widley considered the best goaltending prospect in the league. He has seven NHL games under his belt between the regular season and playoffs last year. Could he seize the No. 1 job? Training camp may start to answer that question.
Kevin Hayes (New York Rangers): After his highly-publicized snubbing of the Blackhawks and the heavy interest he drew on the free agent market, Hayes will have a lot to prove in camp. Having signed with the Rangers, Hayes has the benefit of a team that needs to stay cap compliant. His cheap entry-level contract can help his chances of making the opening night roster, but don’t expect him to be handed a spot. That said, he had a remarkable senior season at Boston College with 65 points in 40 games. There will be a lot of competition in camp and a few veterans to try to unseat. It was rumored that Hayes was looking for a more direct path to the NHL, one that Chicago couldn’t provide, so we’ll see what the early returns of his decision look like in a few weeks.
Max Domi (Arizona Coyotes): The Coyotes desperately need scoring and they may be able to find some of it in the form of the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. Domi is likely ready for a full-time role with the team after putting up 93 points for the London Knights last season. He has had a scorer’s touch over the last two years and after Arizona lost sniper Radim Vrbata, they need someone to fill the void. At 19, asking Domi to fill that on his own would be asking too much, but if he can make some sort of impact this year, the Coyotes’ chances will improve in the tough Pacific Division.
Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames): Most eyes are going to be on No. 4 overall pick Sam Bennett, but of the two, Gaudreau may have the more realistic shot of making the NHL roster. The Flames would be wise to stash Bennett in junior for one more year to preserve the year on his entry-level contract. Gaudreau is coming off of a hugely successful college season, winning the Hobey Baker Award after an astonishing 80 points in 40 games with Boston College. His size is a concern (5-7, 150), but Gaudreau has some dazzling skills that could help him stick with the big club. How he handles the college-to-pro transition is probably a bigger question than his size at this point.
David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins): There’s a lot of buzz out of Boston that Pastrnak has a real chance at making the NHL roster. That’s not something you usually hear about the 25th overall pick in the most recent draft. Pastrnak is a bit of a special case though. For one, the Bruins are in tough against the cap. Secondly, Pastrnak was excellent in the Swedish second division last year with Sodertalje, playing against men at 17. Boston has to be careful here. If Pastrnak makes it because of the cap situation and not on merit alone, it could lead to problems both this season and in the longer-term.
William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs): Going into last season, Nylander was generating a lot of draft buzz as a potential top pick. He had an up and down season, even missing the cut for Sweden’s World Junior team, but really hit his stride when he got to Sodertalje on loan. He averaged better than a point-per-game while there playing against pros. Toronto’s possession woes last season are well noted, perhaps a high-skill player like Nylander who dropped to No. 8 in the draft, can push for a spot out of camp. If not, he can be sent to the AHL and earn his way to the NHL roster. He’s an exciting young player that could help boost the skill in Toronto, but how he handles his first NHL camp will set the stage for the rest of this season.
Kasperi Kapanen (Pittsburgh Penguins): Another later first-round pick that has a chance to make an NHL roster right away, Kapanen will really have to impress to crack the Penguins lineup. Unfortunately, a finger injury is going to keep him off the Pens’ rookie tournament roster. That’s one evaluation point he’ll sorely miss as he only gets a few weeks to show his new bosses what he can do. The Finnish forward has some serious speed and skill that could help him earn a spot with the Pens and bring some needed scoring depth. Kapanen didn’t have an overwhelming draft season, but Pens assistant GM Bill Guerin indicated months ago that the team is quite high on him and he’ll get a chance to make the squad in camp. The son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen, Kasperi has some idea of what he’s getting himself into, but his performance will have to be special to get on this Cup-hungry roster.
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