A top-line playmaking center who also boasts a plus shot to score from distances beyond the faceoff dots, Thomas Bordeleau led the under-18 NTDP in scoring and his team-best 136 shots were 37 more than his closest teammate. He also averaged over a point per game at both U18 Five Nations tournaments. Bordeleau is committed to the University of Michigan.
Two-way center Landon Slaggert is an energetic forward who also can play wing and is used in all situations. He spent a good portion of the season on the NTDP’s top line and finished fifth on the squad with 13 goals. Slaggert is a South Bend, IN native who is committed to the University of Notre Dame.
A quick center with a strong compete level and deadly shot, Swiss-born Theo Rochette had an up-and-down draft year in the QMJHL after dealing with an illness and being traded midseason from Chicoutimi to Quebec.
An in-your-face forward with an excellent shot and strong all-around puck skills, Oshawa forward Ty Tullio is one of the top performers for the Generals. He spent a good portion of his draft year on Oshawa’s top six and had instant chemistry with 2019 first-round pick Phil Tomasino. Tullio is expected to be a picked in either the 2nd or 3rd round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Ross Martin provides scouting reports and video highlights in the most extensive look into Russia’s top junior league prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft.
A preseason favorite to become a top-10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, playmaker extraordinaire Hendrix Lapierre suffered a pair of concussions in a 30-day period that sidelined him for the rest of his draft year. He’s since been given a clean bill of health and could still be selected in the first round.
The leading goal scorer among QMJHL defenseman with 20 tallies in 64 games, Saint John’s blueliner and power-play quarterback Jeremie Poirier is one of the top prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft.
A gifted offensive defenseman who missed most of the first half with an injury, Anton Johannesson went on to crush the J20 Superelit’s Top-10 in defense scoring with 20 points in 17 games.
The leading scorer in Sweden’s J20 Superelit and a mainstay on the under-18 national team, right wing Zion Nybeck is one of the most gifted forwards available for the 2020 NHL Draft. Listed at only 5-foot-6, Nybeck makes up for his lack of size with excellent skating abilities and impressive playmaking and finishing skills.
The leading figure on defense for Sweden’s under-18 national team, Emil Andrae is a team-first leader who enjoyed individual success at both the club and international level. He lived up to his billing as a premier puck rusher and power-play quarterback by leading all J20 Superelit rearguards in scoring with 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in 40 combined games. He is expected to be picked in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
A high-flying winger who plays physical but also has impressive puck skills to make a consistent impact in the offensive zone, Emil Heineman was the top scorer in the J20 Superelit’s North Division in not only goals (21) and points (35), but also with an absurd 31.8 shooting percentage.
Russian netminder Artur Akhtyamov was one of the top under-18 goaltenders in the MHL and ranked among the league leaders with seven shutouts and a .931 save percentage.
Yaroslav Askarov is the top goalie prospect for the 2020 NHL Draft and could go high in the first round. In addition to being one of the most decorated teenage goalies to ever grace the international stage, the 17-year-old backstop was the youngest goalie in VHL history to appear in more than nine games and finished with an impressive 12-3-3 mark.
Since the debate for first overall in the 2020 NHL Draft stopped being a debate several months ago, it’s time to shift our attention to a pair of defenseman who could both be picked in the top five.