It's obviously not a mock, but here's the capsules of the players from 20 to 22 and 33 in the rankings:
20. Anttoni Honka — RHD, JYP/Jukurit, 5-foot-10
Every year, hyperbole and exaggeration creep into the discussion around a handful of players and the polarity in how different evaluators view their games quickly turns into a contest of ego rather than a grounded evaluation of their skill set. This year, that has happened in some circles with Honka. He’s an October 2000 birthday, he was excellent in Liiga a year ago and expectations were sky-high for him to take a step and become a truly dominant prospect. When that didn’t happen, I think many scouts’ over-exposure to his game resulted in nit-picks about his flaws (which is the same thing that has happened for many talented players who’d spent years on the hockey world’s radar ahead of disappointing draft years, including Timothy Liljegren and Jakob Chychrun). Honka struggles in his own zone in a lot of the same ways Adam Boqvist did in his draft year but if that can become even average (if he can play a little more physically, give a little less off the rush and track his man in the defensive zone better than he does), the offensive tools are all there. Honka was outstanding in the Mestis playoffs and can take over games with his ability to exit the zone, control the play through the middle of the ice and quarterback offensive zone sequences with quick, aggressive movement. The right leap of faith may result in a steal.
21. Ville Heinola — LHD, Lukko, 5-foot-11
Heinola’s growth this year has been incredible. It really has. Every time I watched him play I came away more impressed than the last and that has made him one of the consistent risers on my list this season. And though he’s a more complete player than Honka, I don’t see the same offensive level at his ceiling. Heinola is who is he because he’s efficient (by that I mean that he makes plays quickly, he doesn’t hesitate, but he does both of those things while still having surveyed the ice ahead of the decision), he quickly earns the trust of his coaches, he’s precise in his execution offensively and he’s compact and careful defensively. But he doesn’t take over games and he’s not going to be a dynamic offensive threat at the next level (though he showed signs that there may be more flair below the surface in the Liiga playoffs). He’s really, really good. I just don’t think he’s going to be an outright star. He’s probably going to be picked in the mid-to-late first round, that’s fine.
22. Patrik Puistola — LW, Tappara/Leki, 6-foot-0
If you’ve followed my work this season you probably already know that Puistola is the player my ranking/evaluation probably differs from the most (at least among the rankings you’re likely to have read in the public sphere). That may begin to change after the under-18 worlds he just had (his five goals led the disappointing Finns) but Puistola is a blow-you-away-in-a-split second kind of talent. He can flat out break teams down and when it happens it can blow you away (and blow a puck past a goalie). His biggest challenge is that he’s only ever going to be exactly that kind of player and those kinds of players require two things:
- Coaches who believe in them and are willing to trust them in offensive roles rather than force them to work off the fourth line.
- The right kind of linemates who can just get them the puck and get out of their way.
Inherently, that means there’s risk involved. Puistola’s not going to be a checker. Still, if he can continue to develop within the right organization, there’s serious upside to his game.
33. Robert Mastrosimone — C, Chicago Steel, 5-foot-10
Mastrosimone is in one sense a project (I suspect he spends three or four years at Boston University before turning pro) and in another an exhilarating talent. He became more of a goal scorer this season by virtue of his role as the triggerman for standout USHL passer Nick Abruzzese but there is talent of all kinds below the surface. Mastrosimone makes quick, aggressive plays with the puck, can hang onto it and drive through the middle on exits and entries, is only going to get stronger (which should benefit an already excellent, silent release) and does a wonderful job avoiding contact by sliding off checks or around defenders. He and Trevor Zegras will give BU some much-needed depth down the middle.
34. Philip Tomasino — C/RW, Niagara IceDogs, 6-foot-0
Tomasino’s game is built for today’s NHL in that he plays with pace, he’s a threat in transition, he handles the puck lightly but not too long, he drives the slot, he finds pockets off the puck and he makes tough plays look easy. A little more upper body strength will go a long way to making him a more complete player as well. Though Tomasino is a natural centre, he spent a good chunk of the post-trade deadline season playing right wing with Akil Thomas due to the IceDogs’ overwhelming talent down the middle. Now that a decent chunk of the IceDogs core is poised to move on, Tomasino will become more of a go-to threat next year and I think he will handle it really well. The talent is there for him to become a productive, borderline line-driving top-nine forward at the next level.
35. Moritz Seider — RHD, Adler Manheim, 6-foot-4
Playing as a 17-year-old for most of the year, Seider was a third-pairing defenceman on the DEL champs, alongside former Stanley Cup champions and a number of players who fashioned out impressive careers in the AHL and NHL. He’s one of those players who isn’t going to wow you with his offensive upside but has proven he has the skill needed to be more than a tough-minutes option who goes off the glass and out. His size (which still has room to become even stronger, believe it or not) and length define him but he also possesses OK puck handling ability, a wrist shot that has some whip and bend to it (he doesn’t use his slapshot all that often but his wrister comes in hard) and rapidly-improving skating to his game too. You can see that skating at play below (you’ll notice his legs splay from the knees, creating an awkward extension, but that there’s still a lot of power being generated to allow him to pull away).
And watch the way he closes out on a loose puck, uses his size to gain body position, powers up the right-wing boards and exits the zone with a cross-ice pass for a primary assist.
Or the way he again uses that size along the boards, this time in the offensive zone to protect the puck and send the shot on net for another playoff assist.
He’s reliable in his own zone, rubs carriers out along the wall and has the skill needed to escape and exit the zone with an outlet pass. Though I wouldn’t take him in the first round, I’m not going to be surprised when a team does.
Mods, please modify or delete if I'm breaking rules.
