Vancouver Canucks: Grades for every 2019 draft selection

Round 6: Arturs Silovs (156th overall)

I like the player, but I don’t think the Canucks should have gone goalie here. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko will take care of the crease next season, and top goalie prospect Michael DiPietro could be an NHL starter in a few years. But at the end of the day, you can never have enough netminders in the system.

Grade: C

Karl Plasek (175th overall)

The Canucks are really just taking educated guesses here, but Plasek has some upside here. The Czech forward played 10 games for HC Kometa Brno U19 and had 10 goals and five points. Can’t complain about a quality scoring winger here.

Grade: B-

Jack Malone (180th overall)

No complaints here. Malone is a versatile forward with a strong frame (6-foot-1, 192 pounds), who put up 59 points in 57 games for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. He’s got a decent chance of turning into an NHL regular.

Grade: C+

Aidan Mcdonough (195th overall)

Another American forward here with plenty of offensive upside. Mcdonough had a big year for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL, with 21 goals and 42 points in 50 games. He’s another big winger (6-foot-3, 190 pounds). The Canucks haven’t found many late round gems over the years, and again, they’re just taking a shot in the dark at this point in the draft. May as well take a chance on a guy of Mcdonough’s skill level.

Grade: B

Round 7: Arvid Costmar (215th overall)

With their final pick, the Canucks took Swedish forward Arvid Costmar. It’s a smart choice. He’s a quality playmaker with good hands and a dangerous release on his shot. Costmar had 13 goals and 38 points in 44 games for Linköping HC J20 of the SuperElit league.

Grade C+

Conclusion

Final grade: B

The Canucks surprised just about everybody by not taking a defenceman here. But with Quinn Hughes arriving and Jett Woo and Olli Juolevi waiting in the wings, Benning is obviously confident with what he has in the system. It’s also likely that he adds a defenceman or two via trade and/or free agency in the coming days.

The Miller trade comes with some risk, but I have little doubting the Canucks will be a playoff team in 2021, so I’m not worried about Benning giving up a potential lottery pick here. He had a very solid draft and made a big move for a potential first liner. Giving up the draft picks for a 26-year-old forward in his prime was worth it.

Overall, I like this draft for the Canucks. Podkolzin might be the final piece the Canucks need in their quest to build up a championship team. Höglander should be a solid future second or third-liner, while the other picks all carry lots of potential. I wouldn’t be surprised if five of these guys turned into NHL regulars.