Seventh Round Sleepers

I identified a sleeper as a player who was not ranked in the HockeyProspect.com’s Black Book top 210 ranked players. The players below are expected to be available in the 7^th round and are worth taking a chance on.  

The “strength” area is why I think the player should be drafted and the “flaw” is why he’s likely available in the seventh round.

Nikolas Brouillard LD

Strength – Offensive defencemen playing for the Drummondville Voltigeurs has had back to back great seasons in the QMJHL, registering a ppg of 0.84 and 0.9.

Flaw – Is 5’10 and in his second draft eligible season.    

Anthony DeLuca LW

Strength – Point per game player for the Rimouski Oceanic; 78 points in 67 games. Has magic hands and some great dekes.    

Flaw – Second draft eligible season. Poor skating and is 5’8

Brandon Fortunato LD

Strength – Playing for the US-Under18 team Fortunato put up 37 points in 61 games (0.61ppg). 0.6 was the scoring rate that predicted NHL success for the U-18 d-men. Is a very smart player with a high hockey IQ, and is a good skater.

Flaw – Size, is 5’11 and doesn’t play very physical as he only weighs 148 pounds.

Conner Garland RW

Strength – Over a point per game player in the QMJHL, putting up 54 points in 51 games. Has good quickness, agility and puck control.

Flaw – Played on a line with Ivan Barbashev, Garland was clearly the passenger on that line. Size; he is 5’8 and struggles in his own zone.  

Joe Hicketts LD

Strength – Put up 24 points in 36 games (0.67) for the Victoria Royals. Quick agile skater with good puck control. High skill level

Flaw – Skill set is there and would be ranked much higher if he was bigger, he is 5’8. Struggled with injuries this season.

Michael Joly RW

Strength – Over a point per game player for the Rimouski Oceanic; 74 points in 64 games. Is an excellent stick handler.

Flaw – Is 5’10. Skating is below average. In his second draft eligible season.

Ivan Nikolishin C

Strength – Solid season for the Everett Silvertips finishing second on the team in scoring with 59 points in 72 games. Is a great playmaker attributed to his 41 assists this past season. Is a magician with the puck and has strong puck protection skills.

Flaw – Is Russian which can scare teams off. Size; is only 5’9. Not a physical player and has to improve his skating and speed.

Denis Orlovich-Grudkov RW

Strength – Highest scoring draft eligible player in the Russian Junior league, the MHL. Put up 52 points in 51 games. Good vision and passing abilities.

Flaw –  The Russian factor. Playing in the MHL, he may never come over to North America. Doesn’t have the typical skill set of a Russian player.

Very clear that size is a major factor is why these players are not ranked in the Black Book. I have made it very clear that I don’t care about size I want skill, and each of these players has skill. I hope to see these players get taken as they will all likely be available in the seventh round and could possibly be the steal of the draft.

All scouting tidbits and stats from HockeyProspects.com 2014 NHL Draft Black Book.