Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have retained their ownership of the Stanley Cup, the focus now shifts to the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, where top prospects from all over will be waiting for their names to be read aloud. Names like Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier are locked to be called early on draft day, but there are other intriguing players, who are not certain to get picked in the first round. Let’s see some of these sleepers below.
Strome isn’t projected that high in many mock draft boards but his surname carries plenty of recognition since he’s the younger brother of two present NHLers, Ryan of the New York Islanders and Dylan of the Arizona Coyotes.
The youngest Strome has ideal size, coming in at 6’3” and 187 pounds. His frame blended with a good hockey IQ that gives him the ability to make things happen on offense not only by putting pucks in the net but also by setting up teammates for perfect scoring opportunities. There are some issues in his defensive game, but those are shortcoming that could definitely still be polished.
Kailer Yamamoto (Right Wing)
Yamamoto made loud noises in the WHL in the 2015-16 season when he paced his team, the Spokane Chiefs, with 71 points in just 57 games.
Despite his offensive prowess though, his small frame has been a hindrance for him to get projected high by experts. Yamamoto is at 5’8” and weighs just 159 pounds. Then again, what he lacks in size, Yamamoto makes up in speed, savvy skating, and delicate stick handling that allow him to cut loose from tight situations and escape defensemen.
Nicolas Hague (Defenseman)
From the smallest sleeper on our list, we head to the tallest in defenseman Nicolas Hague, who stands 6’6”. He’s more than just pure meat on the ice, though. Hague would have barely caught anyone’s attention if it weren’t for a noticeable gradual improvement of his numbers.
After scoring just three goals and posting eight assists in 43 games in the GOJHL back in 2014-15 season, Hague’s numbers jumped to 14 goals and 10 assists in 2015-16, while playing for the Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL. Having said that, many experts don’t rank him in their top 10 of their draft boards but still, Hague is a good bet to get taken off the board before the first round concludes.
Goalie
Stuart Skinner
It’s almost a given that pre-NHL Draft talks mostly revolve around the skaters that even talented goalies get left out in the dark. But go ahead and sleep on Skinner, who has shown big gamer potential.
In his rookie season in the WHL back in 2014-15 season, Skinner finished the campaign with a 3.69 goals against average and a .909 save percentage despite facing around 40 shots per contest across 43 games for the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
He got better the following year, playing 44 games and recording a 2.73 GAA and a .920 SV%. His numbers regressed, however, in 2016-17, when he saw his GAA rise to 3.26 and his SV% go down to .905 in 60 games played. You can’t take away his 6’4” frame, which he’s used efficiently to his advantage thus far in his career.
