THE PIPELINE SHOW: U18’s scouting report + Beckman, Knight, Brink
The Pipeline Show: May 10, 2019
This week on The Pipeline Show we recap the 2019 U18 WJC and the draft eligible players who were on display. We also talk with a trio of potential 1stround draft picks and get to know them better as the big day in June rapidly approaches. Plus, a preview of the USHL’s Clark Cup Final.
2019 World U18 Championship Scouting Report
The 2019 NHL Draft is right around the corner and for those few players who aren’t still playing in the CHL or USHL playoffs, the last chance to showcase themselves is at the World U18s. This year the tournament was held in Sweden and my guest was there. It’s been a while since we were able to convince Ross MacLean to share his insight publicly because of his connection to Hockey Canada but now, as a UFA scout, I had to pounce before some NHL team snaps him up.
We began with a trio of Americans that led the event in scoring although their team failed to achieve its ultimate goal of a gold medal. Cole Caufield, Jack Hughes and Matthew Boldy were outstanding. I also asked MacLean about Alex Turcotte and USA goalie Spencer Knight.
The Canadians we talked about included Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens, Taylor Gauthier and Thomas Harley and why Canada, traditionally, may start slowly at the World U18s.
There were European based players that MacLean profiled as well including Belarussian star defenceman Vlad Kolyachonok, Sweden’s Philip Broberg, Ville Heinola of Finland and a Czech blueliner that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention this year, Martin Hugo Has.
2019 Draft Spotlight: Adam Beckman
Ranked just outside the 1st round by NHL Central Scouting, forward Adam Beckman is coming off of a terrific rookie season in the Western Hockey League. His 62 points in 68 regular season games helped propel the Spokane Chiefs into 2nd place in the U.S. Division.
I started my conversation with Beckman talking about the Chiefs’ playoff run which ended in the conference final against Vancouver. His production didn’t drop at all from the regular season despite what he called, an increased intensity in the playoffs.
We looked back at his path to the WHL including his start in Saskatoon, the WHL Bantam draft and getting a 1-game taste of the The Dub as a 16-year-old.
Of course the conversation turned towards the NHL Draft, the upcoming combine, his ranking by Central Scouting and what his thoughts have been all season about the big event in June.
2019 Draft Spotlight: Bobby Brink
One of the wildcards at the 2019 NHL Draft might be Sioux City Musketeers forward Bobby Brink. There is no questioning his ability or skill set as his 35 goals and 68 points was fourth most in USHL scoring but keep in mind he did so in only 43 games. He also led Team USA in scoring at the World Junior A Challenge and was a big part of USA’s bronze medal finish at the U18 WJC too.
We began our discussion looking at the playoffs and regular season for the Musketeers and for Brink on an individual level. Brink heaped praise on his linemates, Martin Pospisil and Marcus Kallionkieli as big reasons for his scoring prowess this year.
Obviously I picked his brain in regard to the NHL Draft and the marquee showcase events along the way this year starting with the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup which he had to miss because of knee surgery.
Lastly we talked about the choice he has in front of him – whether to continue on the college path and play for the Denver Pioneers, (and when), or detour to the Western Hockey League where the Portland Winterhawks would gladly roll out the red carpet for him.
2019 Draft Spotlight: Spencer Knight
He’s the top ranked goaltender in the entire Class of 2019 and is so highly thought of that expectations are that he will be selected in the 1st round of the NHL Draft next month. Spencer Knight from the US-NTDP was another guest in the Draft Spotlight this week on The Pipeline Showallowing us to get to know the Connecticut native even more.
First we talked about the U18 WJC in Sweden and the disappointment of not winning gold but still being proud of the podium finish. Knight offered up some of the highlights of the past season for he and for the U18 squad as well.
Knight revealed that he didn’t become a full time netminder until around 9 or 10 years old age and that he actually spent a year playing both forward and goalie. He recounted his path to The Program and also looked ahead to his NCAA career at Boston College. We obviously talked about the upcoming draft and how he’s embraced the attention this season surrounded by a deep team that will have several 1st round picks on it.
The well spoken Knight was easily one of the best player interviews on The Pipeline Showthis season.
USHL Clark Cup Preview
The final segment of the episode for this week is a preview of the USHL’s Clark Cup championship series between the Sioux Falls Stampede and the Chicago Steel. The broadcast voice of the Steel is Mark Citron and he is the guest to set the stage as the two teams prepare to collide.
We begin the conversation by looking back at Citron’s memorable goal call of the overtime winner that propelled the Steel into the league final. Gunnarwolfe Fontaine‘s goal led to a passionate description complete with howling wolf impression that Citron delivers in the heat of the moment.
From there we get a sense of what the strengths of both teams are and what, if any, advantages there might be when you put the rosters side by side. Several individual players are talked about including 2019 NHL Draft notables Ryan Johnson, Robert Mastrosimone and the aforementioned Wolfman himself, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine.
Guy Flaming is the host of The Pipeline Show, a year round, 100% prospect orientated podcast now in its 14th season. Since 2006, the mandate of the program has been to introduce the audience to the future of the NHL and that is accomplished every week by speaking with the top players, coaches, general managers, scouts and media that junior and college hockey have to offer. It is free to subscribe to The Pipeline Show and is available via iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, Spreaker, the Podcast App and www.thepipelineshow.com