By admin and Russ Cohen
Russ Cohen and Jason Bukala talk about their picks.
Russ: And Jason, Malte, Gustafsson, big defenseman. I really liked him. He was one of my favorite guys because I just feel like we’re looking at the beginning of him. I feel like there’s a lot of ceiling there. He’s 6’4. You know, he’s he’s going to put on more, you know, muscle and bulk. But I like his stick. I like his positioning. I think his edges are good. His one-timer’s good. Seems to think the game fast too.
Jason: Malte is interesting. He’s a defenseman coming out of that Swedish national team that was very, very good and one goal at the World Championships; he plays right deep, but he’s a left shot, and that’s intriguing in itself, you know, because anytime you can have a guy that can play his opposite side is a benefit. It’s a bonus, if you will. He’s always left me, Russ, with the impression that there should be more offense than he actually produces because I watch him and he skates the puck out of pressure very well. He can make an outlet pass, and with his legs, he can join as an extra layer, for example, or even sometimes on the offensive blue line. So at the U18 Worlds, he had a goal in 4 assists. He was used in all situations and played a ton. But he’s not going to be a power-play guy as a pro. I think he’s going to be a two-way player. I’m hoping for more offense. So, I’m banking on two-way depth offense, maybe secondary offense. We’ll see. The islanders have a potential top 4 defensemen here on their hands.
photo by Sportsology
Russ: Lincoln Kuehne, 4th rounder. I remember him with the NTDP. . He’s going to ASU, big guy, right-shot defenseman. He’s not super big. He’s 6’2″, but big enough. Yeah, he is heavy. I’ve seen him play the top pairing, and because you know how the NTDP will roll guys through. I’ve seen him in other pairings. He seems like a bottom pairing guy to me, but he is a good passer. I like his 1st pass. I think his speed is another big key for him. And his positioning is pretty good.
Jason: So Lincoln is one of those players who played the majority of his games this year. Well, 30 games played at Arizona State this year as a defenseman. You know, he’s a right-shot D, 6-1, 210 pounds. So he’s heavy-set. He probably shouldn’t get any heavier than this. His body type might change as he starts to track towards being a pro. You know, they might change up some of his conditioning program too, so his body changes in a certain direction. But here’s what he does. He pushes back physically. He’s not afraid to engage; when he was at the US program previously, he proved that out. He has the look, the way you describe him, of a bottom pairing guy. He looks like a guy that’s just going to keep things relatively simple. He’s going to try, and he’ll play defensively. Going to push back adequately, physically, and then he might pitch in with a little bit of offense here and there, but don’t bank on it. It’s not something that’s going to be his primary element. He’s got he’s got room to continue to evolve at the college level. Most of his ice time came at even strength. There were some nights that he played more than others, but towards the end of the year when they were, you know, in the playoffs, It was over 16 minutes a night at even strength. To me, that just reeks of a guy who’s going to be playing those bottom-pairing minutes, and that’s how I picture him going forward.
Russ: Vladimir Dravecky, 5th rounder. If you spoke to him at the combine, you would swear he was a 1st rounder with the kind of personality. He’s got a big personality. He’s loaded with confidence. I’m not even sure he’s 6 feet. He’s listed at six, maybe on a good day. But I’ll say this. He kind of knows what he is as a player. Good with the puck on the power play for sure. Seems to be able to find the open seam to get guys. Definitely offensive. Maybe a power-play 2 guy with secondary points.
Jason: So, you know, playing in Branford last year. First of all, the Branford Bulldogs, they were loaded. Like they were they were loaded and prepared to go on a deep run, and they did, but they were prepared to win the Ontario Hockey League and be a Memorial Cup contending outfit, and it didn’t transpire that way. But having said that, because they had a ton of, like, high-end players- Jake O’Brien, Van Acker, Jett Luchenko on their team, you know, even Adam Bennick, and of course, Caleb Maholtra, who went to Vancouver. 3rd overall. He could be a 2nd-unit PP guy. I see that. That was kind of his role there in Bradford. He didn’t kill penalties. He definitely produced better than secondary offense. If you look at it, you know, he had 28 points in 58 games. He was a +24. He was buttoned up adequately defensively there, and they scored a lot of goals. You know, teams were def- generally chasing them. But I never left the game necessarily thinking that he was terrible defensively, but I also didn’t leave the game thinking he was totally dialed in. So, there’s that swagger. I think you talked about it in his personality. I think this kid believes in his game, that he can be more like a 1st-unit power-play type of guy, and time will tell. He’ll play for Czechia at the World Juniors again this year, and he’ll play a larger role than he did last year. He’s a late 2007 birthday and, um, it’s going to be interesting to see what his trajectory is like. I mean, we’re going to give or take an inch here, but he’s heavy-set at 193 pounds. He’s put together. I think we said, like, right-handed shot, like, you know, if you can get a right-handed shot and he’s going to play for you, you get them in the 5th round, you’re probably feeling pretty good about it.
