OHL scout analyzes upcoming June NHL draft
Ontario Hockey League scout Mark Seidel has a few glowing words to describe junior hockey superstar Connor Bedard.
Coming off a World Juniors gold medal in Halifax with Team Canada, the Regina Pats forward is the consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft. (Supplied)"Generational. He’s a phenomenal player,” he said.
Coming off a World Juniors gold medal in Halifax with Team Canada, the Regina Pats forward is the consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft.
"We haven’t seen the stuff he’s been doing since Connor McDavid in the Ontario Hockey League,” said Seidel, the chief scout at North American Central Scouting.
“It’s very bizarre when you’re watching and you see a kid at that age dominate the way he has. You have to go all the way back to Pavel Bure, who dominated as a 17-year-old.”
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There's still a long way to go until the draft. Bedard told TSN’s James Duthie on NHL trade deadline day March 3 that the draft isn't on his mind just yet.
"I'm still playing,” Bedard said. “There are a lot of games left and lots to play for in the NHL."
After Bedard, most scouts have a shortlist of the players they expect will be selected next. The list includes Matvei Michkov from Russia and Sweden’s Leo Carlsson.
Right up there is Canadian Adam Fantilli, who is currently starring with the Michigan Wolverines in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
'THOSE GUYS WOULD PROBABLY ALL GO NO. 1'
“Those guys would probably all go No. 1 in some of the past drafts, but just because this year is so deep, they’ll be in the Top 4,” Seidel said.
The top local pick is expected to be Sudbury Wolves forward Quentin Musty. Projected to be a late first-round pick, Musty is a former No. 1 OHL pick. He has 69 points in 46 games this season with the Wolves. (Supplied)The top local pick is expected to be Sudbury Wolves forward Quentin Musty. Projected to be a late first-round pick, Musty is a former No. 1 OHL pick. He has 69 points in 46 games this season with the Wolves.
Musty is described by scouts as a “creative forward” with a “pass-first mentality.”
“I’m a northern guy,” Seidel said.
“You want to see him do well. I think fans in the north have a lot to watch in the next month.”
This year’s draft is scheduled for June 28.
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