2020 Draft Picks (meet the new guys)

[Steve-CanucksGM]

1st overall selection:

Alexis Lafreniere (LW) (New York Rangers)

What makes Lafrenière such a special player (and great linemate) is his vision and hockey sense. He’s a great playmaker, but it’s also his ability to make quick decisions with the puck that separates him from the pack. Not many players from this draft class can make such quick reads and execute such high-difficulty passes.

2nd overall selection:

Quinton Byfield (C) (Los Angeles Kings)

Byfield is an extremely rare, yet versatile center. His frame is very unique, especially considering that he is one of the
youngest players in this year’s draft. He’s one of the biggest draft-eligibles and when you factor in his skating ability relative to his length, it produces a player that doesn’t come around very often. It’s uncommon for a player of his weight and frame to be able to generate the two-step area quickness he possesses.

4th overall selection:

Lucas Raymond (LW/RW) (Detroit Red Wings)

At his best, Raymond is an electrifying, instinctual line-driving winger who keeps a solid pace off the puck. When Lucas is on his game, he has the elusive “it” factor that allows him to take advantage of the talent he possesses.

5th overall selection:

Yaroslav Askarov (G) (Nashville Predators)

Askarov’s movement for his age is the best we’ve ever seen for his size, and it’s due to how seamless he can transition between different technical-movements. Whenthe puck is around his net-area, there’s a rare instinct of what his opponents are intending to do with the puck as well. His hockey-sense extends to reading shooting angles, and his puck-tracking ability is high-end, thanks to his fluidity when looking over or under-screens. His puck-tracking also extends to his head positioning when entering and exiting his butterfly.

13th overall selection:

Rodion Amirov (LW/RW) (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Amirov is a skilled, two-way winger who plays a finesse style of game. What really jumps out is how shifty and slick he is. Rodion is very difficult to pin down or gain a read on. This is in large part due to the combination of skating deception and craftiness he’s displayed. There’s a slipperiness to his style of play that allows him to take advantage of the game both in tight areas around the goal line and boards, as well as open space. The first factor that gives him his elusiveness and unpredictability is his skating.

25th overall selection:

Noel Gunler (LW/RW) (Carolina Hurricanes)

Gunler is a cerebral – sniper, who is one of the most gifted scorers featured in this draft. It is Noel’s offensive abilities that really makes him stand out as he is gifted with a superb offensive toolkit to create and score goals. Gunler’s wrist shot is elite, featuring fantastic mechanics. When you compare Holtz and Gunler’s shooting ability, there’s several similarities, including the coordination, fast-twitch, and rapid core and hip rotation. These movements come together to get off consistently quick and powerful shots, where he can pick a corner and shoot with superb velocity.

52nd overall selection:

Daniil Gushchin (LW) (San Jose Sharks)

An unmistakable organic rush attacker, the lightning-quick lefty can attack on the fly with the best of them. His combination of speed, stickhandling, and shooting is just about tops in this league. His acceleration is elite and his top speed is right there as well. He’s agile and very fluid in his stride. Daniil is very good on his edges, as well as with his starts and stops, when he so chooses to stop on something. He’s more of a looper; in that, he’ll circle around the area of where he ought to be, remain in motion, and then strike when he sees something appetizing. His stickhandling, particularly the way he can handle the puck at top speed, is near the top of this draft class.

77th overall selection:

Antonio Stranges (LW) (Dallas Stars)

What makes Stranges a dynamic player at times, is what he can do with the puck on his stick when he’s in motion. We’ve seen him show off tremendous hands on breakaways before roofing the puck off an impressive backhander in tight to the net, and we’ve seen him turn unsuspecting defenseman inside out, with his adaptive and lightning quick move-set. His hands really showcase how quickly he can assess and process the play in tight-areas of the ice. One of the more unique aspects of his skillset, is that his backhander is arguably as good as his wrist-shot.