Local players ready for NHL draft

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This article was published 19/07/2021 (1551 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A handful of Brandon Wheat Kings and Westman players could hear their names called as the National Hockey League holds its annual entry draft on Friday and Saturday. 

The event, which will be held entirely online, will feature the first round on Friday at 7 p.m., with rounds two through seven Saturday starting at 10 a.m. In total, 224 players will be picked because the Arizona Coyotes forfeited their first-round pick due to illegal pre-draft physical testing of prospects in 2020.

“It’s definitely something that I’ve been looking forward to,” Brandon’s Cole Jordan said. “I’ve obviously been dreaming of this happening since I was a little kid. I’m trying not to think about it too much just because I’m trying to keep an open mind and see how it plays out.”

The six-foot-two, 206-pound defenceman, who skates for the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, is rated 88th among North American skaters by Central Scouting.

Tyson Kozak of Souris is ranked 161st, with five Brandon Wheat Kings on the list, skaters Jake Chiasson (61st), Vincent Iorio (71st), Riley Ginnell (191st) and Nolan Ritchie (197th), plus Ethan Kruger, who is ranked 32nd among North American goalies.

In Central Scoutings final rankings, 57 WHL players were listed.

“There are times when I can’t sleep at night because I’m thinking about it and there are other times when I just try to get it off my mind and just try and go day by day,” admitted Kozak, who plays for the Portland Winterhawks. “When that day comes, hopefully my name is called.”

Since the pandemic has shuttered the annual combine that put players through physical testing and gave them a chance to have in-person meetings with teams, it’s now done via Zoom calls or by phone.

Usually, there are several people listening on the other end of the call.

“They’re pretty interesting,” Chiasson said. “It’s some of the best hockey watchers in the world so I learned a lot about my game through them. Any time you can talk to people with that standard and that high level of hockey, it’s a really cool experience. I’m taking every single call in and learning from it.”

While some teams offer players feedback on their game, others concentrate on getting a sense of the teenager. 

“Teams moreso want to look into the person, not the player,” Iorio said. “They know a lot about the player already but they really want to get some insight and feedback on who you are as a person and your character and your work ethic.”

Here’s a brief look at all seven players and the seasons they had coming into the draft.

 

COLE JORDAN

Jordan was shocked to discover he made Central Scouting’s list initially. The left-handed shot, who was part of the Brandon Wheat Kings team that won the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League title in 2019, has a birthday after the NHL’s Sept. 15 deadline, so he’s entering the draft in his 18-year-old season.

“It’s an honour to be on that list with all the best North American skaters,” Jordan said. “It’s always been my dream since I was a kid to play in the NHL, so seeing that is a pretty big step.”

Jordan, who Moose Jaw listed and later signed after he went undrafted by the WHL, put up three goals and seven assists in 23 games this season in the Regina hub, eclipsing the seven points he earned in 38 games as a rookie.

He said the biggest growth in his game has come by gaining experience.

“I think for sure it’s just confidence,” Jordan said. “Coming in as a 17-year-old rookie, it’s definitely a big jump, a big step from the midget AAA level. My first year I kind of battled some injuries and it was a little bit harder for me to adjust with my confidence level, but this past season was good for me and I think I’ve grown in that area quite a bit and that’s helped me.”

He was pleased with his play as the sixth-place Warriors went 8-13-3-0.

“It was obviously a different year,” Jordan said. “It was more of a development year but I think personally I was pretty happy with my game. I think I made some improvements in some of the areas I wanted to improve in. Focusing more on the defensive side of my game was something I wanted to improve throughout the 24 games, so I was pretty happy with how it went.”

On Saturday, he plans to spend the day with his family instead of sitting inside an arena waiting to hear his name called, but that’s OK.

“It’s different and you’re not getting the actual experience,” Jordan said. “I think it’s really good in some ways, the fact that I’ll be able to be with my family all day. That will be nice.”

 

TYSON KOZAK

The five-foot-11, 165-pound forward injured a hip flexor early in the season, and though he only missed two weeks in late March and early April, it cost him six games in the densely packed schedule.

The left-handed shot finished the season with three goals, eight assists and 13 penalty minutes in 18 games.

“I was pretty happy with the season I had,” Kozak said. “Getting injured in that shortened season was definitely tough, especially when we only had a 24-game season. After coming back from injury, I played pretty well and we had a pretty good team, which will lead into next year. We’ll have a really good team next year too.”

After failing to register a point in his first five games, Kozak became a regular contributor offensively for Portland, chipping in at least a point in eight games and enjoying three two-point games.

The teenager, who is playing in the SouthWest Baseball League this summer with the Wawanesa Brewers because his hometown Cardinals elected to sit out of the shortened season, said he spoke to a lot of teams before the WHL campaign, and has taken calls from eight or nine after, many of whom comment on his strong two-way game and fine defensive play.

He was thrilled his game was being noticed when he first appeared on Central Scouting’s list.

“When I got that news, I think it was my dad who told me,” Kozak said. “I was just shocked. I honestly wasn’t thinking about it too much, and then he told me, and I was just really shocked and surprised.”

He’s understandably excited about the draft, and not too worried about watching it on TV like everybody else. After all, the last time he got good news about the NHL, that also came at home.

“It would definitely be nice to go to the draft just to get that experience but being at home with my friends and family will also be pretty cool too,” Kozak said. “To potentially have my name called and be with them in town would be really awesome.”

 

JAKE CHIASSON

The six-foot-one, 165-pound forward from Abbotsford, B.C., turned a corner this season, and scouts certainly noticed.

In his second season with the Wheat Kings, the right-handed shot became an important contributor on offence, putting up nine goals and 11 assists in 23 games. His goal and assist totals both eclipsed what he earned in 60 games as a 16-year-old rookie.

“I’m an older, more confident player now,” Chiasson said. “There were so many changes coming into Brandon my first year. It was a pretty whirlwind experience. Every day was new for me and I feel it was the same way on the ice. 

“Coming out of the hub, I’m an older guy and I’m being looked at as a bit of a leader on the team and that helped with confidence as well. I knew I had to step up and be at the best of my ability to help the newer, younger guys coming in. I’m excited for my third year.”

The spot he had in the lineup showed the esteem the organization has for the personable youngster. He settled in on Brandon’s top line with Ridly Greig and Ben McCartney, and pushed himself to be better.

“I want to demand a lot out of myself,” Chiasson said. “I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than where I wanted my game to be. I was happy obviously to get to play with Rids and Carts. It was really good for me and good for my game to grow. I felt the three of us gelled well together. It was an experience I’m grateful for.” 

Chiasson works out at home with a group of guys including Winnipeg Ice forward Michael Milne and Spokane Chiefs defenceman Graham Sward, who he credits with helping to push him.

On Saturday, he is going to have a couple of his close friends over to watch the draft with his family.

“I’m just going to have a fun day,” Chiasson said. “I hope obviously that everything goes well. I would be so grateful to land on any team. If everything goes well, I want that experience to be something all my friends and family can enjoy just as much as me because they’ve been just as important as the hockey. They’ve always been there by my side.”

 

VINNY IORIO

Not surprisingly, NHL scouts have enjoyed the chance to visit with the big defenceman, who stands six-foot-three and weighs 204 pounds.

The outgoing right-handed shot from Coquitlam, B.C., has spoken with virtually all the teams.

“A lot of the teams I’ve chatted with have been very happy with my character and my personality,” Iorio said. “They’ve been very happy with how our team played in the bubble so it’s been really good.”

Iorio is the third highly touted Wheat King in the last five years who will enter the draft after three WHL seasons because of a late birthday. The others were Nolan Patrick, who was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers second overall in 2017 — and traded to the Vegas Golden Knights via the Nashville Predators on Saturday — and Braden Schneider, who was selected 19th overall by the New York Rangers in 2020.

Iorio was born on Nov. 14, which means he played two months in the league as a 15-year-old rookie.

“I’ve been (with Brandon) three years now and I’ve had a lot of growth and I’ve learned a lot from different players, especially a player like Braden Schneider,” Iorio said. “Him and I have been very close and I’ve learned a lot from him and I’ve implemented different things into my game that he’s already had. 

“I’m very analytical with everything and I like to grab bits and pieces from different players in the NHL and I look forward to implementing them into my game. I really think I’m more well rounded than I was when I was a little kid as a 15-year-old in the league. It just comes with confidence and growth and getting older.”

If you’ve met his family, it’s no surprise they will share the draft experience on Saturday.  Anything different would be unimaginable.

“We’re an Italian family and we’re very family oriented,” Iorio said. “I think it will be really good just to lay low at home and really just enjoy the experience with my sister and my parents and my grandparents. I know it will be a very special day for everyone but it’s the only beginning of my hockey career. The draft is only the first part and the real hard work comes afterwards. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.” 

 

RILEY GINNELL

The six-foot-three, 185-pound forward from Calgary has shown a steady progression since joining the Wheat Kings at the start of the 2019-20 season after a trade from the Kamloops Blazers.

In the hub, the left-handed shot contributed four goals and five assists in 24 games in a more prominent role with the team in his 18-year-old season. Ginnell was born on Oct. 10, so this is his first year of eligibility for the NHL draft.

 

NOLAN RITCHIE

The feel-good story of the 2021 season for the Wheat Kings was the return of the Brandonite, who suffered a badly broken leg in November 2019. 

In his return to the ice, the five-foot-nine, 178-pound forward led the team in scoring in the early going, and eventually settled for fourth place with 10 goals and 17 assists in 24 games. 

He played the point on the first power play alongside Braden Schneider, and the tandem was deadly, combining for 29 points on the man advantage. Ritchie also contributed three game-winning goals.

Ritchie just completed his 18-year-old season, which means this is his second crack at the draft.

 

ETHAN KRUGER

In his first season as the unquestioned starter following the graduation of all-star netminder Jiri Patera, Kruger was remarkably consistent.

The six-foot-one, 178-pound netminder from Sherwood Park, Alta., posted a 2.30 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage as he shared the crease with Connor Ungar, who was traded after the season. It was Kruger’s third year with the club after backing up Patera for his first two.

Kruger, who has a Sept. 27 birthday, enters the draft following his 19-year-old season after being passed over a year earlier in his first eligibility.

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