Shortly after 1:00pm CST, on Saturday, June 24, 2017, the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins selected William Reilly, a defenseman from RPI as the 217th player selected, bringing the 2017 Entry Draft to an end. With a few days of hindsight between me and the bowels of the United Center, the urge to spew out hot takes flushed away, it is time to analyze the strategies and selections employed by the league’s 31 teams.
The analysis will focus on the first five rounds, as it is clear to most long-time observers that the final two rounds are often taken up with long-shots, favours to regional scouts, among other reasons. I will, of course, call out some astute late picks, but will not judge a team for the names called in the final hour. The apocryphal story of Pekka Rinne, drafted as an eighth round after-thought in 2004 based mostly on his play in game warm-ups. Few other scouts would have seen him at all, and he has had a very good career, which is not yet over. For the most part, though, those picks have little statistical likelihood of having NHL careers and teams should not be judged there.
Each draft class will be graded using the 20-80 scale that we use in our player specific scouting reports throughout the site. In this context, a 50 is essentially an average grade in light of the picks the team had on draft day. A 20 would mean the draft is an unmitigated disaster while an 80 would be the best draft class of all time. As those things can only be truly seen in retrospect, most classes will trend towards 50 at this point, so pay attention to those we see as outliers.
Finally, all grades are incomplete. Actual winners and losers in this draft class will not be known until 2023 at the earliest, after those who will have “made it” will have played out their entry-level contracts. What I am looking at here is whether, knowing what we know now, the drafting team got good value.
| RD | # | CS | MCK | PLAYER | P | AGE | HT/WT | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | 20-E | 97 | Robin SALO | D | 18 | 6-1/190 | Sport (Fin) |
| 3 | 77 | 63-N | 81 | Ben MIRAGEAS | D | 18 | 6-1/180 | Blm-Chi (USHL) |
| 5 | 139 | E-48 | Sebastian AHO | D | 21 | 5-10/175 | Skelleftea AIK (Swe) | |
| 6 | 165 | 177-N | Arnaud DURANDEAU | LW | 18 | 5-11/185 | Halifax (QMJHL) | |
| 7 | 201 | 214-N | Logan COCKERILL | LW | 18 | 5-8/165 | USA (NTDP-18) |
| RD | # | PLAYER | P | TEAM | GP (W) | G (L) | A (T) | PTS (GA) | PIM (Sv%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | Robin SALO | D | Sport (Fin) | 54 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
| 3 | 77 | Ben MIRAGEAS | D | Blm-Chi (USHL) | 59 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 22 |
| 5 | 139 | Sebastian AHO | D | Skelleftea AIK (Swe) | 50 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 10 |
| 6 | 165 | Arnaud DURANDEAU | LW | Halifax (QMJHL) | 64 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 70 |
| 7 | 201 | Logan COCKERILL | LW | USA (NTDP-18) | 52 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 16 |
New York Islanders – Draft Grade: 40
Robin Salo (Photo by Matt Zambonin/HHOF-IIHF Images)
For once, all is quiet in Brooklyn. The Islanders sent their first round pick to Vegas in an Expansion Draft side deal and also were without a fourth rounder. Although we were not among them, there were some who pegged their top pick, Finnish defender Robin Salo as good value in the second round. To his credit, Salo has spent over a full season already playing amongst adults in Liiga. He has a very strong point shot, shows signs of an above average game processing ability and surprising physicality for his size.
We were personally more intrigued by their next selection, Ben Mirageas, another high IQ defender who began to show more offensive promise after a mid-season trade to eventual USHL champion Chicago. The third defenseman was the most curious of the lot. After going undrafted for the past two drafts, the Islanders finally gave “the other Sebastian Aho” some NHL love. This one is actually older than the one who had a strong rookie season last year with Carolina. Like the original, this Sebastian Aho is small and offensively inclined. What got him drafted this time was an offensive eruption that saw him go from 16 points in 39 games, to 30 points in 50 games. After three and a half seasons in the SHL, it is time for North America to get to know “the other Sebastian Aho.” A kind is also forthcoming for seventh rounder Logan Cockerill, who is undersized and lacking in much offensive upside, but is quick and smart. He was an energy line pest and penalty killer with the USNTDP and may be able to show more given a bigger role.
Best value: Benjamin Mirageas, D, Chicago (3/77): The Mirageas of the first half of the season, playing with Bloomington, was worthy of a third round flyer, as a solid skater with a nice transition game. In the second half, in a more demanding role with Chicago, he showed much more, particularly the ability to be a defense-breaking from the blueline.
Biggest head-scratcher: Robin Salo, D, Sport (2/46): He is reliable with a solid two-way game, but Salo has slow feet and he can be beat cleanly with a quick burst. He needs a lot of work on his first few steps.