Draft was bittersweet for IceDogs
Team had hoped three to four players would be picked along with Akil Thomas
Texas lived up to its name as the Lone Star State as far as the Niagara IceDogs are concerned.
The Ontario Hockey League team was disappointed only one its players was picked at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft that wrapped up Saturday in Dallas.
IceDogs head coach Billy
Burke had hoped that in addition to centre Akil Thomas, three or four other players on the team would be picked. He said forward Andrew Bruder, defencemen Drew Hunter and Justin McPherson, and goaltender Stephen Dhillon all had a “real legit shot” of getting drafted.
“It definitely was a little disappointing that we weren’t able to get a couple of other guys selected,” Burke said.
He isn’t worried that any letdown over not being picked will linger and adversely affect the players going forward.
“They’ll use it as motivation, it’s a long road,” the coach said. “There were guys who were passed over last year that were top picks this year.
“Just because you weren’t drafted, it certainly isn’t the end of the road.
“These guys know that it really is a marathon to get to where you want to go.”
Bruder had been invited to development camps, while Hunter had been invited to camps by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the past.
“I’m sure next year them and Dhillon and a couple of other players will be getting some invites as well,” Burke said.
Thomas came into the draft as a highly touted playmaker ranked 15th among the North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.
While that’s a drop of five spots from 10th in the mid-term rankings, he was still expected to go in the first round. Instead he waited until well into the second round before hearing the Los Angeles King selecting him 51st overall.
The IceDogs coach was surprised
“I think Akil is going to make a lot of NHL scouts look silly one day, when he turns out to be the player that we all know he is.”
BILLY BURKE
Niagara IceDogs head coach
Thomas fell so low.
“It was one of those weirder drafts that we’ve ever really seen: very defence-heavy, Sweden had a great draft, setting the record for the most Swedish picks,” Burke said.
“I certainly would never in a million years have thought that Akil would have fallen to the second round, but you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the L.A. Kings, they’re proven to be one of the top franchises in the NHL because they are able to get highvalue picks like they did with Akil.”
Had it not been for all those defencemen that were picked before him — 14 in the first round, nine in the second — Thomas would have been taken in the opening round.
“Absolutely,” Burke said. “Even some of the forwards that went ahead of him, I just shake my head.
“I think Akil is going to make a lot of NHL scouts look silly one day, when he turns out to be the player that we all know he is.”
Burke suggested “overscouting” contributed to Thomas’s stock falling heading into the draft.
“Instead of appreciating everything he did — 59 assists, 22 goals, 81 points, a leader, wears a letter, on a good team — that none of these other guys did, but since he played so much for us, and gets so much ice time in such a big part, he was really picked apart and overscouted,” Burke said.
The IceDogs are confident that Thomas won’t let the lower-thanprojected draft position affect him any.
“It certainly was a weird one,” Burke said of the draft. “But I know that Akil is just thrilled to have his name picked.
“He’s not one of those kids who has an ego and will be crushed by the fact that he fell in the draft.
“He’s going to use it as motivation. I can’t wait to get back working with him, because I know he’s going to rip this league up next year.”