Vancouver Canucks: Three NHL prospects if they pick 11 to 20th

Arthur Kaliyev, winger

6″2′, 190lbs, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)

HockeyProspects.com Not ranked in Top 31

McKeen’s Hockey #17

Corey Pronman of TheAthletic.com #25

Arthur Kaliyev is a purebred sniper, playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL, arguably the best Major Junior league in the CHL.

Kaliyev possesses one of the best shots in the juniors; his one-timer from the right slot is elite, and he can run the bumper position on the power play. Kaliyev is a big and strong winger who can rip it like no other. His ability to find the back of the net from any angle at the junior level is an incredible sight to see, though we all know that not every OHL star can translate their game to the NHL level.

One of his main strengths aside from his shooting is his offensive awareness. He has an amazing ability to move away from defenders and find open ice where he would find soft spots in the defence and score easy tap in goals with his quick release.

The passing ability of Kaliyev is also something to see. His game really shines on the power play unit, where he has 15 goals.

15 of his 36 goals this season have come on the man advantage. Though he does score a lot on the power play, he does still produce at a very high level in five-on-five play as well. He looks like a man amongt boys when getting more open ice, in four-on-four action.

The rankings show that Kaliyev is one of the most controversial players in the 2019 draft, according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic. “I’ve had scouts argue to me that I’m crazy if I don’t have him in my first round, and others say I’m crazy if I do (have him in my first round)”.

Arthur Kaliyev looks like he’s not giving a full effort at times, he can be caught leaving the zone early in certain situations, trying to create an odd man rush or a breakaway for himself. He quietly has been the best draft eligible scorer in Major Junior hockey, even outscoring Brett Leason of the Prince Albert Raiders in the WHL. In goals that is, Leason out-points Kaliyev 73-71, but this Raiders team is absolutely stacked.

That’s what brings me to the teammates of Kaliyev, aside from Matthew Strome, there is not real standout players on this Bulldogs team, which results in the being 12th in the OHL with a record of 23-23-4.

Kaliyev had a great rookie season with the Bulldogs last year, when they were competing for a Memorial Cup, he had 30 goals in that rookie year and that was the most by any 16-year-old OHL player since Alex Galchenyuk scored 31 for Sarnia in 2010-11.

Obviously, the Canucks could benefit from Kaliyev in the bumper spot on the power play, and his ability to find open zones in the offensive zone could sneak him into many NHL teams top six. The biggest question is his overall drive, he isn’t super physical when it comes to laying hits. But he does shelter the puck well against big defencemen. Of course, they get a lot bigger when you jump in both the AHL or NHL.

Kaliyev will be one of the most talked about prospects that we’ll hear about once we get closer to the draft. If he can translate his scoring ability to the NHL, he will be a steal if a team grabs him in the second half of the first round.

We could even have a “Why isn’t anybody taking Arthur Kaliyev?” sound bite if he were to fall into the second round.