Golden Knights confident in unearthing gem at end of NHL Draft’s first round

By Justin Emerson

Friday, July 23, 2021 | 2 a.m.

When working at the back of the draft, the pickings for obvious future NHL stars get slim. Anyone can take a Marc-Andre Fleury first overall, but it takes some skill to pluck a Mark Stone in the sixth round.

Officially, the Golden Knights will pick 30th in the NHL Draft, which is set to begin at 5 p.m. today on ESPN2, but it’s really 29th because the Coyotes forfeited their No. 11 overall selection. That’s the same spot Vegas grabbed Michigan sophomore Brendan Brisson with last year and will look for another impact prospect this time.

“I can tell you that our staff are extremely excited about the players in our wheelhouse,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “We’re drafting third-last in the first round, but the guys are really dialed in on the players who are going to be available in and around that pick.”

On Day 2 of the draft Saturday, the Golden Knights have five picks in rounds 2-7 — one in each except for the third. Vegas does not have its own second-round pick but has New Jersey’s, which is 36th overall — six picks after the Golden Knights’ first rounder.

For the second year in a row, the draft will be virtual. The Golden Knights will make their selections from their war room in Las Vegas, as opposed to Montana where they were last year. McCrimmon said that while he misses the arena atmosphere and face-to-face contact with other teams, it is nice not having to keep picks and players secret while the draft is ongoing.

Another difference is that year’s scouting season took place entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the difficulty of scouting players. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the top junior leagues in the world, didn’t have a season, while other leagues were shortened or limited access to scouts.

Team scouts had fewer in-person viewings than normal and relied on video even more than in most years. McCrimmon said it’s a challenge, but one a good scouting staff should be able to overcome.

“I was never as concerned about it because, and I said to our staff different times, the more uncertainty or more chaos there is around the NHL Draft the better I feel,” McCrimmon said. “Because I have that much confidence in the experience of our staff to sort that out. So if there’s challenges or opportunities for competitive advantage, I think this presents that for us a little bit.”

This year’s draft is fairly top-heavy, meaning there is separation in the top 10 or so prospects, then a wide range of players who could be taken in the middle of the first round or fall out of it entirely.

That makes it a good year to be picking at the end. The Golden Knights will be realistic in their draft board, and the top two players they view as attainable might both fall to them with their first-round pick and early second.

“There’s two schools of thought,” said Chris Peters, draft and prospects expert for Hockey Sense on drafting late. “One, take the safest guys, the guy that most easily projects to the NHL, or take a swing on upside.

“And I think in this class the decision is a little bit easier because most of the players in that range, you’re looking at upside, and not necessarily the safe guys, the guys that have projectable tools.”

Peters listed three players when asked who Vegas might take if they’re available at pick No. 30, all forwards: Finnish center Aatu Raty, Montreal-born power forward Zachary L’Heureux and Finnish sniper Samu Tuomaala.

Raty was pegged as a potential top pick two years ago when he made Finland’s World Junior team as an underaged player and showed No. 1 overall potential. He’s struggled since then, missing the team entirely last year, but still has enough skill to merit a first-round pick. He had just six points in 35 games in Finland’s top league this year.

L’Heureux doesn’t play to his 5-foot-11, 196-pond frame, throwing his body around and playing the role of agitator. But he also scores, registering 19 goals and 39 points in 33 games with QMJHL Halifax this season.

Though Tuomaala has yet to produce in Finland’s top pro league (just five games), he’s shown an aptitude for scoring in the past, even with a rough junior season in 2020-21. His wrist shot is electric, according to scouts, and he dominated at the Under-18 Worlds with five goals and 11 points in seven games.

There’s a chance all of those players are gone by the time Vegas picks, as projecting selections this late in the draft is a tough business.

But sometimes you stumble onto a good one. Shea Theodore was the 26th player taken in 2013 and Max Pacioretty was 22nd in 2007. William Karlsson was even a second-rounder. There’s value to be had.

Whoever the Golden Knights take tonight will go into the record books as the 30th overall pick, even if he’s the 29th player off the board. It’s up the Golden Knights scouting staff to make sure he’s a player they can rely on in the future.