CANTLON: NEWS & NOTES FROM NHL DRAFT DAY TWO 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The second act of the annual NHL Entry Draft took place on Wednesday.

In the First Round, not only did the New York Rangers have the first overall pick in the draft that they used to take superstar prospect Alexis Lafreniere, but the team also had a second draft pick, which was originally supposed to be 22nd overall but traded with the Calgary Flames to move up to the 19th position where they took right-handed-shooting defenseman, Braden Schneider, from the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL).

Schneider brings the Rangers’ organization size and a highly sought after righty shot. The 19-year-old has played for three years consisting of 185 games and has registered 16 goals and 72 assists (88 points) with 84 PIMs.

His draft marker is that of a very strong physical defenseman and he was also a first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

ROUNDS TWO THROUGH SEVEN RECAP

After sending their Second Round draft pick in the Marc Staal trade last week, the Rangers got one making two important moves in doing so.

The team ended the failed Lias Andersson era. The former first-round pick (7th overall) in 2017, he is currently on loan skating with HV71 (Sweden-SHL) where he has registered four points through four games. The Rangers traded him to the Los Angeles Kings, where his father, Nicklas, is the team’s European scout and made their way back into the second round with the 60th pick.

Last November, Andersson bailed out on the Hartford Wolf Pack, leaving the team abruptly and returning home to Sweden while asking the Rangers for a trade.

On their end, the Rangers overestimated Andersson at draft time. On Andersson’s part, he had an over-inflated sense of his own value. At the NHL level, if he has a future there at all, he’s seen as a bottom-six forward.

The Rangers used the 60th pick to select a 6’3, 205 pounds, speedy center, Will Cuylle, from the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). The move is seen as an effort to upgrade the team’s size down the middle.

Cuylle has speed and plays with a physical edge. He has a hard, right-handed shot and is playing in his second season of major junior. He played the same number of games with the same offensive output, 22 goals, and 42 points in 62 games.

The Rangers third-round pick went to Swedish centerman, Oliver Tarnstrom, from the AIK J-20 (Super Elite) team. In 41 games last season, he tallied 11 goals and 23 assists. He’s listed at 6’1 165 pounds.

The son of former Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Dick Tarnstrom, has played two games each so far this year with the AIK team in the Allsvenskan league and the J-20 National team.

In the 4th round, the Rangers went for a goalie. They took 18-year-old, Dylan Garand, who’s 6’1 and 175-pounds from the Kamloops Blazers (WHL), who is in his second full season of major junior play. He’s played 42 games with a 2.21 GAA, off 2,442 minutes, and stopped over a 1,000 pucks. He has a .921 save percentage and a record of 28-10-2.

Tarnstrom is a native of Victoria, BC, the most western part of Canada. He won a championship with the VIJHL Campbell River Storm.

In the fifth round (134th overall) the Rangers took forward, Brett Berard, from the US National Development Team (USNTDP). In 54 total games, he had 38 goals and 52 points. While on the shorter side (5’9) he’s 155-pounds and is a quick skater, but not afraid to be in action, with 64 PIM. He’s a commit this year to the Providence College Friars (HE)

Berard’s father, David Berard, is the Head Coach at Holy Cross (AHA) and for two seasons as an Assistant Coach for UCONN during the AHA years. David is a graduate of Providence College.

His younger brother, Brett Berard, plays for the US National U-17 team and is a 2022-23 commit to PC as well.

In the sixth round, (165th overall) the Rangers took a “big” project, in 6’8″, 236-pound center, Matt Rempe.

Rempe is from the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) and a player-in-training. In 47 games, he had 12 goals and 37 points, and 59 PIMS.

The Rangers made their final selection and wrapped up their draft day by taking another big player in the seventh and final round.

The Blueshirts selected 6’8, 205-pound netminder, Hugo Ollas, of Linkopings HC J-20. Last season Ollas posted a 2.43 GAA and a .895 save percentage. With the Swedish already underway, thus far, in seven games, Ollas has a 2.40 GAA and .894 save percentage.

UCONN

Three of the four projected UCONN (HE) players considered to be NHL draft worthy, were taken on Wednesday.

Yan Kuznetsov was the first player with CT ties drafted. His selection came in the second round (50th overall) by the Calgary Flames.

As a freshman last season, the 6’4, 200-pound defenseman played in 34 games tallying two goals and 11 points was a minus-7. Like the rest of the Huskies, he played better in the second half of their season.

The second UCONN player who received the selection call was incoming freshmen, Artem Schlaine (pronounced Schline), who was taken by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round (130th overall).  Schlaine comes from the highly-regarded Shattuck St. Mary’s Sabres program in Minnesota where he posted 26 goals 42 assists (48 points) in 46 games.

Schlaine, who has dual citizenship, resides in Florida. He de-committed to Boston University and will attend UCONN this year. At 6’1, 175-pounds, his skill level is there, but he will need to fill out his frame and gain the necessary upper-body strength. He is expecting to bring good times to the Huskies.

“He is very highly-skilled coming in as a true freshman, and as he adds strength and weight to his frame, he has the potential to be a very big player for us,” said UCONN Head Coach, Mike Cavanaugh, last month.,

Following Schlaine, East Haven’s Nick Capone, who played at Salisbury School for two years, was taken by the Stanley Cup Champion, Tampa Bay Lightning, early in the sixth round (157th overall).

Capone played last season for the Tri-City (NE) Storm (USHL) and in 34 games had seven goals and 19 points and 96 PIM. He changed his commitment from the University of Maine Black Bears to UCONN.

Cavanaugh also had high praise for Capone. “(He’s a) typical, old-school, power forward, like Milan Lucic in his early days in Boston, or a Cam Neely type. He can make plays. He plays with an edge and is physical. Players like him are so valuable. They can play in any type of game.”

PLAYER MOVEMENT

The Rangers did not extend qualifying offers to two Wolf Pack players. The two are Ryan Gropp, a second-round draft pick in 2015, and Dawson Leedahl, who was signed as an undrafted player three years ago.

A 6’5, 210-pound, right-handed shooting center, Jack Finley, the son of former Wolf Pack and Ranger, Jeff Finley, was taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round (57th overall).

Finley had a solid first year with the Spokane Chiefs (WHL). In 61 games he logged 19 goals and 57 points and was a plus-32.

His father, Jeff, had a strong AHL career with the Springfield Indians and played some with the Falcons. He is currently an amateur scout with the Winnipeg Jets. His younger brother, Mason is playing bantam level hockey.

The highly-regarded, Connecticut prep school, The Gunnery, which is now known as the Gunn School, saw Alex Jefferies taken by the NY Islanders in the fourth round (121st overall).

The Merrimack College (HE) bound forward posted very high numbers for a prep school player putting up 33 goals, and 36 assists (69 points) in just 32 games.

Morgan Barron, a future Wolf Pack this season, saw his younger brother, Justin Barron, of Halifax (QMJHL), where he’s coached by former Wolf Pack Assistant Coach, J.J. Daigneault, was a late first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche.

John Fusco, from the Dexter School (MAPREP), is the son of ex-Hartford Whaler, Mark Fusco, and who’s Harvard University (ECACHL) bound, like his father and uncle Scott Fusco (New Jersey Devils draftee) was taken in the seventh round (189th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs. His younger brother Matt is entering his senior season at Dexter.

Nick Bonino (Farmington/Avon Old Farms) was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Minnesota Wild for Luke Kunin.

Luke Evangelista was drafted in the second round by the San Jose Sharks. He’s a cousin to former Whaler and current Toronto President, Brendan Shanahan.

Sebastien Bordeleau was also drafted by San Jose. He is a Michigan (Big 10) commit coming out of the USNTDP program in Plymouth, Michigan, and has an amazing hockey lineage and background. He has citizenship in three countries. He’s a Canadian, and his father, Sebastien, is also a US Citizen, and they have Swiss citizenship from his time in the NLA league. His father spent a season as a member of the Springfield Falcons. His grandfather, Paulin, Sr., was a long-time player and coach at the NHL, AHL, and WHA.

He also has two uncles who played pro hockey as well.

Christian had a long WHA career with Quebec and Winnipeg, while J.P. skated for the Chicago Blackhawks in the mid-70s.

Zack Bross, from Division III UMASS-Boston, transfers to the newest Division I program, the independent, Long Island University Sharks making 35 players transfer this year.

Ryan Ruck finished his grad transfer season with Colorado College (NCHC) and signs with the Reading Royals (ECHL). The Royals also signed Cam Strong out of Dartmouth College (ECACHL) making 170 players from Division I colleges who have signed North American pro deals and 299 players total between Division I and III, to have signed pro deals in North America and Europe.

The conference breakdown is; Hockey East 35, NCHC 33, WCHA 27, ECACHL, and Big 10 each have 26, AHA 20, and Division I independent Arizona State has four.

Tristan Thompson of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (WCHA) signs with Marseille (France FFHG Division-2) making 78 college players Division I and III to sign in Europe.

Sebastian Aho, the Swedish defenseman with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, resigned with the New York Islanders to a two-year contract. In Year 1 he gets a two-way deal ($700K-NHL and $275K-AHL) and in Year 2 it’s a one-way deal paying $750K.

Moritz Seider was officially loaned to Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL).

157 AHL’ers have been loaned or signed in Europe from last season.

Former UCONN Husky, Max Letunov, signs a one-year extension for a two-way deal with San Jose paying $700K in the NHL and $140K in the AHL.

Another Husky, Ben Oskroba, from UCONN’s AHA years, retired after a six-year minor pro career all with the Peoria Rivermen (SPHL).

Former Sound Tiger, Blair Riley, also retires from hockey having played last season with the Cardiff Devils (Wales-EIHL).

A great draft moment the Ottawa Senators as Alex Trebek, a Canadian native and University of Ottawa grad, as well as being the host of Jeopardy who also happens to be battling Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, made the Tim Stützle pick, who was the number three overall selection in true Jeopardy-style.

The Winnipeg Jets organization allowing the widow of their all-time great Hall-of-Fame player, the late Dale Hawerchuk – Crystal Hawerchuk – to make their first pick of Cole Perfetti.

Lastly, with the last pick of the first round, San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson Jr., the son of the Sharks GM, used sign language to let the mother of their pick Ozzie Wiesblatt, know they were about to draft her son. Wiesblatt played for the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL).