NHL Draft Preview

Three Merrimack players will be eligible for this weekend’s NHL Draft in Montreal. After talking to coaches, scouts and even one NHL GM, I’ve put together some general predictions as to where these guys might end up.

Kyle Bigos
Prediction: No. 84 overall (3rd round) to New Jersey
The Devils organization has some ties to the Vernon Vipers, and Bigos fits the Devils-mold – a big bruising defenseman who manages the defense in his own end. Bigos also displayed a heck of a shot with Vernon this season. One scout compared him to a bigger version of Scott Stevens (not a bad compliment). 

Historically, the Devils draft the best available player on the board and have shown that they aren’t hesitant to take players from the second-tier leagues like the BCHL, as opposed to Major Juniors or NCAA.

Joe Cannata
Prediction: No. 173 (6th round) to Vancouver
The Canucks have been high on Cannata since the middle of the regular season and their organization has drafted and had success with Hockey East goaltenders in the past (see Cory Schneider). Vancouver hasn’t drafted a netminder since 2005, so their prospect depth is a bit thin. Vancouver GM Mike Gillis insists that character plays a big role in their draft decisions, and Cannata more than fits the bill in that category.

If the Canucks pass, I would look for Cannata’s next shot to be at No. 187 to the Phoenix Coyotes. The ‘Yotes have had a strong preference towards Major Junior players lately but with so many picks in recent years, they’ll have a lot of younger players all looking to make a jump at the same time. Investing in a longer-term college prospect like Cannata would be a wise organizational choice. Phoenix watched Cannata during the season as well; so did the Calgary Flames.

I also spoke with someone in the Bruins scouting department who acknowledged that he’s seen a lot of Cannata, but was hesitant to say whether or not the B’s were interested.

Stephane Da Costa
Prediction: Undrafted
Nothing against Da Costa’s skills, because I think he’ll be one of the top-scorers on the team next year as a rookie (if not lead the team), but his age (he’ll turn 20 years old in July) along with his size (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) will hurt his stock with NHL clubs.

But he did score a lot of points (31g-36a-67pts in 48 games) in a very good USHL. If he goes, he’ll go late in the draft, but I think he’s a player that teams will get a look at in college and try to sign as a free agent down the road.