Hockey Prophets

 

 

Dylan Strome

Dylan Strome is more than physically ready to play in the NHL. The big forward stands 6'3 and weighs 185 pounds, and has high-end agility and balance. Strome has the unique ability to be slippery and strong at the same time. His vision is outstanding and his release and shot are excellent. Strome, a natural leader, captained the Erie Otters last season while putting 111 points on the board in just 56 games. The younger brother of the New York Islanders' Ryan Strome, Dylan could eventually eclipse his brother as an NHL player. Strome is tremendously difficult to handle in the offensive zone, primarily because there is no one way to stop him. Defenders who pressure him get beaten by Strome's agility and strength. Defenders who back off get beaten by his vision and shot. Defenders who try to deny him the puck give him a chance to work in front of the net. Strome is truly a player with multiple tools available to him, all of which will translate to the NHL. In a Coyotes system teeming with high-end forwards (Domi, Duclair, Keller, Perlini, Crouse, Merkley, Dvorak, etc., etc.), Strome will be surrounded by talent for years to come. 

 

 

Kyle Connor

Connor possesses a deceptive, angry wrist shot and the creativity and puck skills necessary to wield that shot with tremendous effect. Last season, after being drafted 17th overall by Winnipeg, Connor stepped onto the top line at one of the most prestigious hockey schools in the NCAA, and promptly created one of the all-time great freshman seasons in Michigan Wolverine history. His 35 goals and 36 assists landed him at number 14 all-time for single-season scoring. He won not just the Rookie of the Year award for the Big Ten conference, but was also named Player of the Year and was a Hobey Baker finalist for top collegiate player. At the end of his freshman year, Connor signed an entry-level contract with the Jets, and this fall he will have his first taste of professional hockey. The is little doubt that he will see at least the nine-games maximum for NHL play before his contract takes effect and erodes a year before his free agency kicks in. However, given his pure scoring ability and a chance to perhaps center a second line with Patrik Laine, there is reason to believe that he may make the team outright. If not, he will challenge for a scoring title in the AHL.

 

Timo Meier

The Sharks will return a team this fall that looks a lot like the one that fought the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Stanley Cup in the early summer. As such, there will not be a lot of available roster spots among the forward ranks for rookies. However, if any of the team's top prospects are going to make the cut, it could well be one of Switzerland's best, Timo Meier. Meier does not play the game of hockey so much as he attacks it. He constantly swarms the puck whether in the offensive zone or in his own end. When Meier has the puck, his singular determination to get the puck in the net is obvious to anyone watching. When he does not have the puck, he shows an equal drive to get the puck back, and once he has it, defenders are often helpless to take it away from him. The one thing that Meier lacks is a masterful scoring touch. He shoots the puck with power, and can score from distance because of his hard shot, but his NHL goals will be scored in the nasty areas of the ice. Each point will have a bruise associated with it, and any game that he is involved in will have several bruises. In juniors, Meier compiled an impressive 90 points in 61 draft-year games for Halifax, then added another 97 points in 52 games as a 19-year-old, including 51 points in just 29 games after being traded to the Huskies of Rouyn-Noranda. He captained his Swiss national team in international play, and scored at a point-per-game pace in two WJC tournaments. Admittedly, the Sharks may choose to let Meier play a year of AHL hockey, but any coach will love his indefatigable effort on every shift and Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer is no exception. Meier is a player that fans will love in San Jose, whether this year or next.

 

Sebastian Aho

There are several other U20 forwards who could make the step into the NHL this year. Most likely among them is Carolina's Sebastian Aho, who will come to play in North America this fall. After an incredible year in the elite Finnish league where Aho centered Jesse Puljujarvi and won the Matti Keinonen Trophy for the Liiga's best plus-minus rating, and a WJC tournament in which he centered both Patrik Laine and Puljujarvi in one of the most dominant Junior Championships performances of all time, Aho looks ready for the speed of the NHL game. The concern is whether or not his quickness and excellent hockey intelligence will make up for his slight frame at 5'11 and 172 pound and his lack of experience on the smaller, more intense ice of the North American game.

 

 

Pavel Zacha, Matthew Barzal and Jack Roslovic have the talent to make the jump this fall, but circumstances and inexperience will probably limit them to a handful of games to start the season, and then another year of preparation for their big shot in 2017.

 

 

Next: Part III: The Defensemen

Part I: The 2016 Draft Class