TOP 100 PROSPECTS

FINLAND WOULD HAVE been a lot harder to play against at the World Junior Championship had an upper-body injury not felled Lundell before the tournament began. Lundell already has a gold medal from the 2019 WJC, and if talent hawks wanted to see his progression, they could simply watch him and his mature game in the Liiga, where he was stellar. “His game is very advanced in terms of his ability to play with men,” said one scout. “He’s a powerful kid, gets around the ice well, tremendous details to his game, maybe to a fault. At times you see him on the defensive side of the puck more than you’d want. You want him to break out and show off the skill, start driving the net more.” Because of his responsible ways, Lundell is going to be a coach’s favorite and will likely be able to jump into the NHL sooner rather than later, since he can play a bottom-six role to begin with and not be wasted. “Expectations have been high, and he’s delivered,” said another scout. “He’s so smart. He’s a little wide-paced in his skating, but you can do so much in the summer.” ONE OF THE best goaltending prospects in years, Askarov had been ‘The Dreamkiller’ for Team Russia in a variety of international tournaments, knocking off favorites by stealing games. The world juniors were a different matter, however, as he got exposed up high by Sweden in a semifinal game that Russia ultimately won in overtime. Nevertheless, the experts are excited. “He’s the total package, between athleticism, size, compete level, mental approach,” said one scout. “There was some attention on the glove hand at the world juniors, that guys were picking on him, but that’s nitpicking beyond belief. This guy has the potential to be a No. 1 all day long.” It’s also worth noting Askarov is still young enough to play in two more WJC tournaments. Askarov looked stellar in his KHL debut with powerhouse SKASt. Petersburg. “He carries himself as a No. 1 goalie,” said another scout. “He leads by example, and he gives his team a chance to win every time he’s in the net. He has shown he can rise up, play through adversity and bounce back. NHL teams know him well.” ENTERING THIS SEASON, the U.S. NTDP crop paled in comparison to last year’s cavalcade of stars, led by Jack Hughes, Trevor Zegras and Cole Caufield. But Sanderson delivered heavyweight performances in games against international foes and saw his stock soar as the season went on. “Pretty impressive,” said one scout. “He’s one of the top defensemen in the draft. He’s got a good all-around game, and what stands out is he has a presence at both ends of the ice.” The son of ex-NHLer Geoff Sanderson is a rare Montana product, though he played some crucial developmental hockey in Calgary, first with the bantam Flames and then at the sports-centric Edge School. “He’s a high-end kid who has really improved,” said another scout. “I love his ability to jumpstart the rush, his zone exits and zone entries, and the way he shields the puck in the neutral zone. His offensive instincts on the power play have gotten a lot better. He’s a phenomenal skater and a multi-directional threat. High-end kid, high-end ability. He’s someone who’s going to be on a top pairing in the NHL for sure.” GIVE CREDIT TO Ottawa GM James Boyd: he predicted Quinn would be a first-rounder before the season even began. Did he realize Quinn might even push his way into the top 10? That would have been quite the forecast, but Quinn evolved into one of the OHL’s deadliest attackers this year, as one of only two players to hit the 50-goal mark (Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson was the other). “All he does is score, the toughest thing in hockey,” said one scout. “He’s smart, always in the right place at the right time, good shot. We like him. The skating will have to come up.” Playing on a juggernaut 67’s squad, Quinn had to earn his playing time on a roster flush with mature talent. To that end, he contributed offense both on the power play and the penalty kill, with three shorthanded goals. That complete game is highly sought-after. “He’s on the boards, he’s up and down the ice,” said another scout. “He’s not a huge guy, but he’s going to win battles and get pucks. He gives pucks and gets to the next spot to get it back. He’s a highly skilled offensive guy who plays all 200 feet.”

HOLLOWAY RIPPED UP the Alberta Jr. A League last year and easily could have done a victory lap in Okotoks or played more junior in the USHL. Instead, he took his talents to Madison to play against older NCAA competition just weeks after he turned 18. “He’s a great skater,” said one scout. “He can get up and go. It’s hard for a kid that age to be a freshman in the Big Ten. He’s got pretty good hands, but sometimes they let him down in 1-on-1 situations. Maybe he’s trying to do too much. But he put up pretty good numbers for a freshman.” Offensively, Holloway got better by the end of the season, tallying nine of his 17 points in the final 10 games. Although he grew up playing as a center, he was moved over to left wing at Wisconsin. “I don’t know if scouts give enough credit to kids who play college as draft-eligibles,” said another scout. “He has more of a two-way ability than a dynamic offensive game, but he has some upside, no doubt about it.” Holloway’s dad, Bruce, was a minor-leaguer who had a cup of coffee with the Canucks, who drafted him 136th overall in 1981. WALLINDER KICKED OFF his year with an eye-opening performance for Modo at the Junior Club World Cup in Russia, and also helped Sweden take bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup – so he packed a lot in before the real season began. Locally, he was the top-scoring defenseman on a very good Modo junior squad. “He’s a big D-man who skates really well, and that’s always attractive,” said one scout. “He’s a good puck-mover, a smart player with high potential. He’s the type of guy every team wants.” Along with his stellar work for the junior team, Wallinder also saw a good amount of action with Modo’s top squad, which had a real chance of earning promotion from the second-tier Allsvenskan to the SHL, but lost the opportunity when the season was cut short. Wallinder will see even more time with the big squad next year. “He’s got all the attributes to be a really good defenseman,” said another scout. “There’s all sorts of things to like. He just needs to push himself to be the best player out there every game, to not be a passenger but be the guy at the steering wheel and taking charge.” SHOULD YOUR TEAM miss out on Wallinder – or prefer a righty over a lefty – may we interest you in Grans? He played in Sweden’s south instead of Wallinder’s north, but Grans has the same qualities as his countryman. “He’s got the creativity and potential to be solid,” said one scout. “He’s a puck-mover who can sneak up as a fourth forward and find creative solutions. Super-high potential, surefire first-rounder.” Grans split his season between Malmo’s SHL team and its junior squad. While he struggled to find offense against men, he was a point-per-gamer in junior and talent hawks liked how he handled himself in the SHL, points or not. Other outings were a bit rockier. “He’s a really good puckmover,” said another scout. “He can play the power play and did really well in the SHL when he came up. He had a very average tournament at Five Nations, but that can happen sometimes.” Grans comes from a hockey family. His father, Morgan, and two brothers, Henning and Egon, also started playing in the local TrojaLjungby program. BEING SMALL IS no longer the detriment in the NHL that it was a decade ago, but it’s still a big man’s league. So even a player who’s as smart, skilled and agile as Jarvis is going to come with a certain number of red flags. “The best word I can use for him is cagey,” said one scout. “I like Seth, and I like his spirit, and I like the way he plays, but he’s small.” The positive thing about Jarvis is that he uses his smarts to avoid putting himself in a position where he’s going to take a beating, but he does so without being a perimeter player in the WHL. The biggest concern projecting him as an NHL player is how he’s going to adapt to a league where players are bigger and stronger. Some small players find a way, while others struggle. Scouts really liked the way Jarvis came on as the season progressed and were particularly impressed with his second half. “He’s probably the biggest riser for me,” said another scout. “I don’t think anyone would have thought he was a first-round guy in December, but he’s put himself into consideration. He’s really talented, really quick.”