NHL Draft: Lewandowski one of two Saskatoon Blades draft prospects
Article content
A pair of Saskatoon Blades hope to hear their names called during this weekend's NHL Entry Draft.
Article content
European import forward David Lewandowski enters the draft after being slotted in at No. 51 for the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.
Article content
Article content
Forward Hayden Harsanyi — who was acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent star defenceman Tanner Molendyk to the Medicine Hat Tigers — had a final Central Scouting ranking of No. 187.
Article content
Article content
Both players were key additions to the Blades this past season.
Article content
Article content
Blades general manager Colin Priestner believes the 6-foot-1, 177-pound Lewandowski, from Dusseldorf, Germany, has a great chance to be selected within the first three rounds.
Article content
Priestner says Lewandowski made the choice to leave his pro team in Europe, at the start of the year, to join the Blades and 'get more offensive opportunities than he was going to get playing men's league in Germany.
'He turned out to be one of our top players from pretty much Day 1,' noted Priestner. 'The sky's the limit for him in terms of what he can be as a player. He's got the size and the skill and the vision to be an NHL player.'
Article content
Lewandowski had 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points in 52 games during the regular season. He added a goal and an assist in four playoff games.
Article content
'The sample size on him is a little smaller for him than some of the other players,' pointed out Priestner. 'He was here for three-quarters of a season instead of two full seasons like a lot of other draft-eligibles. But I know I'm very bullish on him as a prospect. He's got a ton of upside at the next level, just how he thinks the game. I think there's a 90-point season for him ahead next season.
Article content
Article content
'With his size and ability, I feel he will be a high-value prospect for whoever takes him.'
Article content
Article content
Lewandowski also got to show his talents on the world stage, representing Germany at the IIHF world junior hockey championship, where he scored a couple of goals.
Article content
'That never hurts in front of all the scouts,' acknowledged Priestner, adding that Lewandowski was playing against others who were mostly two years older than him in that tournament.
Article content
'It was a great sign that he could play with older players. I think he will be one of the best players, certainly on our team and in the (WHL East) division next year. I think he will (be drafted) somewhere in the second or third round is where I'm hearing.'
Article content
Harsanyi, a 5-foot-9 native of Calgary, had 12 goals and 12 assists in 37 games during the regular season, split between Medicine Hat and Saskatoon.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
42 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Martin St. Louis has options on how to use new Canadien Noah Dobson
Now that the Canadiens have acquired defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders the question is how will they use him? Head coach Martin St. Louis will definitely have some options with a top four on the blue line that now includes Dobson, Lane Hutson , Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle . Dobson is the only one of those four who shoots right. The third pairing — unless more moves are made before the start of next season — will likely have Alexandre Carrier , who shoots right, playing with either Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble , who both shoot left. 'I'd leave that to the coaching staff how they want to do it,' general manager Kent Hughes said after acquiring the 25-year-old Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks at Friday night's NHL Draft, along with 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman. 'But I think you've got an elite puck-moving defenceman with some size (6-foot-4 and 200 pounds) and range in terms of how he defends. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'I may have my own ideas, but they're probably not as relevant as Marty's once you get behind the bench,' Hughes added about how Dobson might be used. 'So I wouldn't want to kind of speak for him. But, obviously, we gave up a lot and signed him for significant money, so we're expecting him to play a pretty big role for us.' Dobson, who could have become a restricted free agent on July 1, agreed to an eight-year, US$76-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$9.5 million. St. Louis could decide to play Dobson with Hutson — another offensive-minded defenceman — or put him with Guhle, who is more of a defensive, physical defenceman. Whatever St. Louis decides, the addition of Dobson should cut down on the ice time Hutson and Matheson logged last season. Matheson led the Canadiens with an average of 25:05 of ice time per game — which ranked seventh in the NHL — while Hutson was second on the team with 22:44. Dobson, a native of Summerside, P.E.I., finished last season with 10-29-39 totals in 71 games to go along with a minus-16, while averaging 23:16 of ice time per game on an Islanders team that was hit hard by injuries. The previous season, he had 10-60-70 totals and was plus-12 with 24 of his points (including one goal) coming on the power play. Hughes said he had been on the phone almost all his waking hours over the last three weeks speaking with general managers from other teams and learned this week Dobson could be available. He spoke with new Islanders GM Mathieu Darche and received permission to speak with Dobson's agent about a new contract. Hughes noted the Canadiens did a lot of homework on Dobson, watching video of him in action and speaking with people about his character and how he would fit in the locker room. Hughes added the Canadiens had been accumulating draft picks over the last three years to put themselves in a position to pay what was needed to get a player like Dobson if he became available. Hughes also pointed out it's not often a player with the skill and experience of Dobson becomes available at age 25 with the ability to sign him through the prime years of his career. 'I wouldn't describe Noah as an overly physical defender,' Hughes said. 'I think he defends with his feet and with his reach and range. 'His ability to retrieve pucks and kind of spring the offence for us was a big piece,' Hughes added. 'We see how Lane's done that for us this year. We're confident … we did a lot of homework on him. (Spoke with) a lot of people that have coached him.' Now it's going to be St. Louis's turn to coach Dobson and he definitely has some interesting options for how to use him.
Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Martin St. Louis has options on how to use new Canadien Noah Dobson
By Now that the Canadiens have acquired defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders the question is how will they use him? Head coach Martin St. Louis will definitely have some options with a top four on the blue line that now includes Dobson, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle. Dobson is the only one of those four who shoots right. The third pairing — unless more moves are made before the start of next season — will likely have Alexandre Carrier, who shoots right, playing with either Arber Xhekaj or Jayden Struble, who both shoot left. 'I'd leave that to the coaching staff how they want to do it,' general manager Kent Hughes said after acquiring the 25-year-old Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for the 16th and 17th overall picks at Friday night's NHL Draft, along with 23-year-old forward Emil Heineman. 'But I think you've got an elite puck-moving defenceman with some size (6-foot-4 and 200 pounds) and range in terms of how he defends. 'I may have my own ideas, but they're probably not as relevant as Marty's once you get behind the bench,' Hughes added about how Dobson might be used. 'So I wouldn't want to kind of speak for him. But, obviously, we gave up a lot and signed him for significant money, so we're expecting him to play a pretty big role for us.' Dobson, who could have become a restricted free agent on July 1, agreed to an eight-year, US$76-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$9.5 million. St. Louis could decide to play Dobson with Hutson — another offensive-minded defenceman — or put him with Guhle, who is more of a defensive, physical defenceman. Whatever St. Louis decides, the addition of Dobson should cut down on the ice time Hutson and Matheson logged last season. Matheson led the Canadiens with an average of 25:05 of ice time per game — which ranked seventh in the NHL — while Hutson was second on the team with 22:44. Dobson, a native of Summerside, P.E.I., finished last season with 10-29-39 totals in 71 games to go along with a minus-16, while averaging 23:16 of ice time per game on an Islanders team that was hit hard by injuries. The previous season, he had 10-60-70 totals and was plus-12 with 24 of his points (including one goal) coming on the power play. Hughes said he had been on the phone almost all his waking hours over the last three weeks speaking with general managers from other teams and learned this week Dobson could be available. He spoke with new Islanders GM Mathieu Darche and received permission to speak with Dobson's agent about a new contract. Hughes noted the Canadiens did a lot of homework on Dobson, watching video of him in action and speaking with people about his character and how he would fit in the locker room. Hughes added the Canadiens had been accumulating draft picks over the last three years to put themselves in a position to pay what was needed to get a player like Dobson if he became available. Hughes also pointed out it's not often a player with the skill and experience of Dobson becomes available at age 25 with the ability to sign him through the prime years of his career. 'I wouldn't describe Noah as an overly physical defender,' Hughes said. 'I think he defends with his feet and with his reach and range. 'His ability to retrieve pucks and kind of spring the offence for us was a big piece,' Hughes added. 'We see how Lane's done that for us this year. We're confident … we did a lot of homework on him. (Spoke with) a lot of people that have coached him.' Now it's going to be St. Louis's turn to coach Dobson and he definitely has some interesting options for how to use him.
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Hockey antics giving the sport a black eye
Article content If the NHL is in any way a mirror reflecting current society, we've become really, really ugly. Article content I grew up an avid hockey fan. Hockey Night in Canada was both a constant and a highlight of each week. Article content Whether accurate or not, athletes like Dave Keon and George Armstrong were held up as models of sportsmanship, character and professionalism. I raise a modest question mark as to the accuracy of that picture as the absence of social media kept athletes of that era safe from the microscope. Article content Article content The perception of the role sports played in developing character, resilience and sportsmanship did not wane as I moved into adulthood. Article content Article content In years working the streets, I often commented how rare it was to see a young person wearing a team jacket arrested for anything save the odd drunken misstep. Sports, which in Canada mostly meant hockey, were considered a prime avenue of developing fine young men. Then, it was rare for women to be in hockey, although today, women are certainly included in the equation. Article content But, after decades of celebrating hockey, I can hardly stand what has come of my treasured sport, especially at the highest levels. Article content The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs were about as disgusting a feature as has been held since the days of the Roman Colosseum. Article content Let me first state that I am an avid Edmonton Oilers fan, so to demonstrate this is not sour grapes, my first illustration will feature an Oiler. Article content Article content Watching Evan Bouchard purposely, intentionally slash at the injured ankle of Dallas Stars player Roope Hintz was repulsive. Hearing 'respected' hockey commentators declare that is how the game is played today and the reason injuries are never disclosed only proves the point. Article content Our sport has grown uglier and uglier. I understand the initial slash that injured his ankle. It occurs multiple times a game and isn't intended to injure. I also understand some vicious plays that occur spontaneously in the heat of the moment when adrenaline soars. Article content But to know someone has an injury and then purposely attack that injury has absolutely nothing to do with sports, sportsmanship or professionalism. It has everything to do with ugly, cowardly self-service.
