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New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jackets delight in their fortune, add four more on NHL draft's second day
COLUMBUS, Ohio — NHL general managers and scouts have been known to make grandiose comments when draft weekend is complete and a new batch of prospects has landed in their pool. That sixth-round draft pick? He was way higher on their board. That seventh-round pick? Yeah, he reminds them of (insert generational talent here) … yeah, Patrice Bergeron! Advertisement That's why Don Waddell's comments on Saturday afternoon demanded confirmation. Did the Blue Jackets GM just say that? Yes. Yes, he did. The Blue Jackets drafted highly touted defenseman Jackson Smith with the No. 14 pick on Friday, surprising exactly nobody. They selected goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov at No. 20, surprising many, as Andreyanov was predicted to go late in the second round or early in the third. On Saturday, the Blue Jackets traded back into the third round to select Swedish defenseman Malte Vass with the No. 76 overall pick. And then Waddell said … 'We drafted right, identically, as our list was laid out,' he said. 'The first three guys (Smith, Andreyanov, and Vass) were all in the top 14 on our list.' Come again? 'Correct. That is correct,' Waddell said. 'I can say, probably, it's never happened in my history (in hockey). It's our board, so we'll see in a few years if we're right or not. Our guys put a lot of work into it. We had mid-season meetings, end-of-season meetings, and meetings this week, and the list was unanimous. When you're sitting there at 76 and you're able to get a guy who is still on your top 15 list, there's only one decision to make and that's what we did.' We got exactly who we wanted! Don Waddell says we were able to get 3 of our top 14 players. Hear more from him after selecting 6 new players in this year's draft! 📺 | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 28, 2025 The Blue Jackets bolstered their forward corps with a trade with Colorado on Friday for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood, but so far this offseason their defense and goaltending have not been improved. On Friday, the Blue Jackets were deep in trade talks with the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson, but they backed out when the asking price, in Waddell's opinion, got too steep. On Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks traded goaltender John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Peter Mrazek and two draft picks. The Blue Jackets, according to sources, were not involved in trade talks with Anaheim for Gibson. Advertisement The Blue Jackets did make two trades: a fourth-round pick this year (No. 109) and a fourth-round pick next year to the Red Wings to move up to No. 76 and draft Vass, and two seventh-round picks (Nos. 205, 218) to the Seattle Kraken to move up higher in the round (No. 198). They had other trade offers, too, Waddell said, but they were only pick-for-pick trades, not offers involving players that could boost a roster immediately. By now, you should probably realize Waddell is going to follow his scouts' advice and his own eyes — he saw his share of these amateur players — without caring if that matches 'conventional' wisdom or a wide array of mock drafts. Vass, a highly physical defensive defenseman, was projected by most to be a third-round pick, which is exactly where the Blue Jackets drafted him. But Waddell confirmed he would have taken Vass with the 20th pick in the first round if all other players on the Jackets' master list were taken. 'In Vass' case, when he starts to fall, you say, 'OK, let's think about teams we could make a deal with,'' Waddell said. 'We had already started down that road and made a deal (to get back into the third round). 'I read a lot of stuff — and heard a lot of stuff — about 'Oh, we took a goalie early.' But we wanted to take a goalie and we thought (Andreyanov) was the best goalie. We just felt that, instead of taking a chance — yeah, maybe I could have moved back a few spots — but the worst case scenario is somebody takes him in front of you and you're saying, 'What kind of strategy was that?' I'm a huge believer that if you really like a guy and your number is up, just take the player.' Malte Vass delar ut en tackling #HlinkaGretzkyCup #fbkse — SwehockeyGIFs (@swehockeygifs) August 9, 2024 Vass (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) is headed to Boston University next season. He spent most of last season (40 games) playing for Färjestad in Sweden's second league, but did draw in for five games with the top club. Fifth round, No. 160: C Owen Griffin — A smallish center (5-foot-10, 160 pounds), Griffin played his way into greater prominence in the second half of his season, especially in the playoffs. He had 22-29-51 in 62 games for Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League, but led the entire OHL in playoff goals (16) and was sixth in points (29). The Blue Jackets saw him play extensively this season, in part because they were checking in defenseman Luca Marrelli, a third-rounder from last year's draft. Advertisement Sixth round, No. 173: LHD Victor Hedin Raftheim — He doesn't turn 18 until August, so Raftheim (already 6-foot-3, 181 pounds) has some filling out to do. In 34 games with Brynäs in Sweden's under-20 league, he had 1-3-4 and 22 penalty minutes. Seventh round, No. 198: C Jeremy Loranger — The Blue Jackets like Loranger enough to trade two later seventh-round picks to move up the board and grab him. He's a small center — 5-foot-9, 161 pounds — but he lit up the British Columbia Hockey League for Sherwood Park with 40-65-105 in only 54 games. He's committed to play at the University of Nebraska-Omaha next season. The Blue Jackets expect all six players drafted this weekend, among others including last year's No. 4 overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, to attend their summer development camp, which runs July 2-5 in the practice rink attached to Nationwide Arena. 'We're happy with the haul we had here,' Blue Jackets assistant director of amateur scouting Trevor Timmins said. 'Now, these are prospects. I mean, we hand them over now to our development team, our development coaches, to help them develop. 'They're young men. They're prospects. Hopefully, they become NHL players for the Blue Jackets.' (Photo of Malte Vass: Leila Devlin / Getty Images)
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Simon Wang goes 33rd overall to Sharks, making history as highest-drafted player born in China
Simon Wang became the highest-drafted player born in China when the San Jose Sharks selected him with the first pick of the second round of the NHL draft on Saturday. Wang's family moved from Beijing to Toronto when he was 12. The 6ft 5in defenceman surged forward in his development over the past year, showing more than enough potential to entice the Sharks with the 33rd overall selection. 'It's an unreal moment for my family, for hockey in China,' Wang said. 'Just a really surreal moment, a dream-come-true moment … I hope I've inspired a lot of kids back home.' His real name is Wang Haoxi, but said he planned to go by Simon during his hockey career because 'it's simpler for North Americans'. Wang is only the third Chinese-born player drafted by the NHL, but he knows he won't be the last. Kevin He was drafted 109th overall by the Winnipeg Jets last year, and Andong Song was chosen 172nd by the New York Islanders in 2015. Simon Wang poses with his mother on the red carpet before the NHL draft in Los Angeles. Photo: AP 'Hopefully one day my record will get broken again,' Wang said. 'Someone will go in the first round, even top 10. I think there will definitely be someone that's going to make a huge impact on the game.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oilers focus on skill, competitiveness in late rounds of NHL draft
When you are picking 83rd, 117, 131, 191 and 223 in the NHL draft, the burning question is probably whether captain Connor McDavid, GM Stan Bowman and head of hockey ops Jeff Jackson will still be here in Edmonton when any or all of the kids the Oilers selected Saturday are anywhere near the NHL in, say, 2030. Nothing against WHL forwards Tommy Lafreniere or David Lewandowski, their first two picks, or Ashir Barnett, Finnish goalie Daniel Salonen and California-born centre Aidan Park, who went later, but we're not going to see them in a while. Not with the Oilers current lot in life in their win-now mode with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their prime, 'Gets challenging when you have to wait 82 selections,' admitted Oilers head of amateur scouting Rick Pracey, who took sitting as part of doing business. 'Going without picks is just the cycle of our team. We were super excited to be playing for the Cup. Getting through the first day (Friday) there was a lot of highlighting going on but then you get some time to breathe and reset.' With no first- or second-round picks, the Oilers finally got to call out a name at No. 83 on Saturday, deep into Round 3, keeping it close to home by taking Kamloops Blazers right-winger Lafreniere, who has lots of drive to his game. The Quebec-born Lafreniere has come a long ways after he was an eighth-round pick in the WHL bantam draft. He's small at 172 pounds but had 24 goals in his first full WHL season for the rebuilding Blazers. 'We like Lafreniere's path, he's had to take the long way. He was part of our efficiency model of a first-year player in the CHL. We like his production and he's worked his way up the lineup. We think he'll take off offensively,' said Pracey. 'Sense, skill and compete were non-negotiable at 83.' And they chose the German-born winger Lewandowski, who played his first WHL season for the Saskatoon Blades this past season, with their second choice at 117 in the draft. Lewandowski, who is from Dusseldorf, played for Germany at last winter's U20 world junior with a couple of goals. He had 39 points in 52 Blades games. 'His skating has to come a touch but he makes good plays in small areas much like Tommy … both good off the cycle and can extend time' with the puck, said Pracey. 'We feel we got real lucky at 117.' Staying with North American-based players, the Oilers traded a fifth-round 2026 selection to Nashville for a fifth-rounder (131) Saturday and took U.S. Development Team defenceman Barnett, who is going to U of Michigan. The captain of the U.S. U18 world championship team this past spring has a history with Oilers GM Stan Bowman, growing up in Chicago. 'Yeah, he's a friend of my son. He's been over to our house. I've followed him for a long time and now he's off to a good college,' said Bowman. Their other picks in rounds six and seven were the right-catching Salonen, 19 — the fourth straight year, after Finn Eemil Vinni, Nathaniel Day and Samuel Jonsson, and 10th time in the last 12 drafts the Oilers have taken a goalie and with their second-last pick of the draft — and the centre Park. His uncle Richard played 738 NHL games. Salonen was goalie of the year and top player in the U20 junior league in Finland with a .933 save percentage and a 24-1 record for Rauman Lukko this past season. He was also 9-2 in the playoffs. Park, 19, who is from Hermosa Beach, about 40 minutes from the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles where the draft was held, was actually in the seats wearing a hoodie and shorts when his name was called, and got a loud cheer when the Oilers called his name. He once played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, and last season was with Green Bay in the USHL, notching 33 goals and 66 points in 55 games, and later with the Calgary Hitmen for three playoff games. He's also going to U of Michigan in the fall. 'He's been a big scorer going back to when he was at Shattuck (St. Mary's prep). I've known about him for a while. For whatever reason, he's been passed over, but we feel he's got a lot of game. Later in the draft, you're looking for guys with a lot of upside,' said Bowman. Apart from the Oilers picks, the junior Oil Kings' best player, defenceman Blake Fiddler, was Seattle's first selection in Round 2. The Kraken traded with Philadelphia to move from 38 to 36 to take the former NHL winger Vern Fiddler's son. Fiddler was projected to be a late first-rounder but sat through five hours at Peacock Theatre in L.A. without his name called. It was a nervous time but Fiddler shrugged off the rejection Friday. 'Me and my dad always say the draft doesn't matter. He was undrafted. It doesn't matter where you go, it's the work you put in after,' said the 6-foot-5, 220-pound 17-year-old, who played for USA at the U18 worlds this spring. Vern played 877 NHL games. Why did the right-shot, big-body Fiddler get through the first round? 'I think teams maybe want to see a little more bite to his game,' said Oil Kings GM Kirt Hill, who chatted with the Kraken before Round 2 started and had a feeling they would try to trade and move up to take Fiddler. Can you teach aggressiveness? Or is inside a player? Fiddler will figure it out. 'I think not going in the first round might be motivation,' said Hill. This 'n that: The Oilers hope to get Lewandowski over from Germany, and maybe Salonen from Finland for Monday's development camp … Good move by Vancouver, taking Sherwood Park's Braeden Cootes with the 15th overall pick. Cootes was captain of Seattle Thunderbirds. 'An all-around guy who can play in all situations,' said Hill of the 18-year-old centre … Former Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff's son Will, who plays at University of Michigan, went 24th overall to Pittsburgh. You're entitled to say 'Horc has a son old enough for the draft?' Yup, Shawn is 46. The scouting book on Will Horcoff is big kid, nice hands, but has to work on his feet. They said the same thing about Shawn's footspeed, of course. Shawn, the assistant GM in Detroit, played 1,008 NHL games with a through-the-roof work ethic … Fort Saskatchewan's Kale Dach, who had 87 points in 54 games for Sherwood Park Crusaders this past season, was drafted by Pittsburgh in Round 7. He is not related to Kirby Dach. Oilers GM addresses future of McDavid, Bouchard, coaches and goalies Oilers come away empty-handed from Day One of cringe-worthy NHL draft
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Draft picks Sorber and Barnhizer embrace Thunder culture
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City draft picks Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer sounded like Thunder veterans during their introductory press conference on Saturday. Sorber mentioned several times that he looks forward to learning from his new teammates and Barnhizer talked about stacking days. Both are hallmarks of the messaging that comes from general manager Sam Presti and coach Mark Daigneault.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marcus Semien's walk-off single in extras
Portland Winterhawks Max Pšenička Drafted 46th Overall By The Utah Mammoth The Utah Mammoth have selected Max Pšenička 46th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old was the 12th WHLer picked and third of the second round. Listed at 6'5", 185 lbs, Pšenička came over to the WHL mid-season after competing in Czechia's U20 and pro league. 1:12 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
