Five players the Canucks could draft with the 15th overall pick

With the Vancouver Canucks now in the offseason, one focus is the draft.

Unlike the past two years, the Canucks will actually have their first-round pick this year. Last week, it was revealed that the Canucks would pick 15th at the NHL Draft lottery. This will be the first time the Canucks will draft outside of the top ten of the first round since 2015. That year they took Brock Boeser 23rd overall.

The draft will also be held in a normal setting this year as it was virtual the past two years. Montreal will host the draft on July 7 and 8 and they have the first overall pick. Shane Wright is most likely to first overall.

The Canucks also need to strengthen their prospect pool. Bryon Bader of HockeyProspecting.Com ranked Vancouver’s prospect pool the fourth-worst in the NHL.

That isn’t good.

After spending a couple of days watching Youtube highlights and reading scouting reports from various websites, here are five players I think the Canucks could select with the 15th overall pick.

But when the Canucks are on the clock in Montreal, they need to select the best player available.

#1: Conor Geekie: C

Conor Geekie plays for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. He is 6’4″ and 205 pounds. Elite Prospects ranks Geekie at 15th overall.

He is ranked fifth among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting while TSN’s Bob McKenzie ranks him tenth and DobberProspects ranks him 21st. If his name sounds familiar, it is because Geekie’s older brother Morgan plays for the Seattle Kraken.

With the Ice this past season, he scored 24 times and notched 46 assists for 70 points in 63 games.

The Canucks may want to boost the centre depth and Geekie could be their guy.

Geekie displays great puck handling and hockey IQ. He is constantly winning the board battles and seems like he is always at the right place to get scoring chances and knows how to find his teammates in the right areas for passes.

Geekie also can score plenty of goals as his release is fantastic.

However, there are concerns with Geekie. One of these is his physicality. Despite his size, he isn’t a physical player.

Another concern and perhaps the biggest one is his skating. Geekie’s stride isn’t that good and is seen as an average skater by scouts. Skating could make or break Geekie’s chances of becoming a top-six player in the NHL.

Here is what Matthew Somma of Smaht Scouting had to say about Geekie:

“If I were an NHL team with a top 20 pick, I would hesitate to draft Geekie. It’s easy to be enamored with the size and skill, but under the surface, you have a player that’s going to take a long time to get to a top-six role at the NHL level. Geekie could easily peak as a third-line player in the NHL, which, in this scout’s opinion, is not worth a top 20 pick. Again, the upside is there, but there are a lot of holes in Geekie’s game that could limit his effectiveness at the NHL level.”

Geekie has the tools to be an effective NHL player but his skating needs to be improved.

#2 Marco Kaspar: C

Marco Kaspar plays for Rögle BK in the SHL, which is Nils Höglander’s old stomping grounds.

Kaspar is 6’1″ and 187 pounds. He is also currently playing for Austria at the World Championships.

Like a lot of prospects in this year’s draft, Kaspar’s ranking varies. EliteProspects has him at 27, SmahtScouting has him at 25, Sportsnet has him at 14 and McKeen’s Hockey ranks him at 15.

Kasper looks to be the fourth Austrian to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft after Thomas Vanek (drafted fifth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003) Michael Grabner, (taken 14th overall by the Canucks in 2006) and Marco Rossi. (Went ninth overall in 2020 to the Minnesota Wild.)

Kasper split time between Rögle’s under 20 team and the first team this season. With the under 20s, he scored six goals and got seven assists for 13 points in 12 games. In 46 games with the big club, he scored seven times and managed four assists for 11 points.

Unlike Geekie, skating is one of Kasper’s strengths. He displays great acceleration and stride.

Kasper is also a smart two-way centre. He is very good at breaking up passes with his stick and is constantly intercepting the puck. Kasper also isn’t afraid to throw out a big hit.

Kasper likes to hover around in the slot or front of the net. There he looks for an open teammate to pass to or uses his size to provide net-front presence.

The offensive production is something he needs to work on and scouts say that may hold him back from being a top-six NHLer. The shot also isn’t that powerful either.

Here is what Scott Wheeler of The Athletic had to say about Kasper back in February. (Paywalled)

“He’s an advanced 200-foot centre who has fit in playing a regular shift in the SHL and has played well during Rögle’s Champions Hockey League segments. I don’t see game-breaking skill or finishing, per se, but he’s a strong skater who plays with pro pace, plays on the interior, and makes plays all over the ice. He projects as a contributing NHL player.”

The Canucks may want Kasper to strengthen the centre depth. He does a lot of things right but there needs to be more from him and he has a lot of time to increase his production.

#3: Isaac Howard, LW

If the Canucks want a winger, Isaac Howard is a good option.

Howard will attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth next season. He spent the last couple of years with the US National Development program. This past season, he played 60 games with the US National under-18 team and managed 33 goals and 49 assists for 82 points. Howard also played with the USNDP Juniors and scored 11 goals and got 26 assists for 37 points in 27 games.

Howard is ranked as high as tenth by Dobber Prospects and as low as 38th by FC Hockey. But McKenzie has Howard at 15th overall.

Howard is a goal scorer, plain and simple. The 5’10’ 183-pound winger has an excellent release. He usually scores his goals in the slot. The wrist shot is just so accurate.

https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1517952720254259201

“Isaac Howard is one of my favorite prospects in the 2022 class,” said Austin Broad of FC Hockey. “He’s a pure goalscoring talent on the wing that can deceive goalies with his release, but he’s shown that he can be more of a playmaker early on this season, making him a multi-tooled offensive weapon.”

The part about Howard being a playmaker is very true. He knows how to find teammates easily and his passes are very accurate.

When it comes to skating, Howard does well. His stride looks very quick.

In the defensive zone, Howard is often seen trying to get the puck away from opponents. However, his abilities in the transitions haven’t created much offensively.

Howard’s size may also be a concern but he looks like a complete offensive player and one that could be a potential steal for the Canucks.

#4: Denton Mateychuk, D

If the Canucks want to take a defenceman, Denton Mateychuk is an option.

Mateychuk plays for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL. This past season, he scored 13 goals and tallied 51 assists for 64 points in 65 games.

“He’s always up in the play, and when he gets the puck, few defensemen create more opportunities,” said Mitch Brown of Elite Prospects Rinkside. “He’s a confident, aggressive defender too.”

Mateychuk is a puck-moving defenceman and that is what he is very good at it. His excellent skating makes him enter the offensive zone with ease.

The left-handed defenceman is a leader and makes things happen whether that’s on the rush or at the blue line. Mateychuk’s vision allows him to make clean, crisp and accurate passes and his shot has a solid release.

However, as good as Mateychuk is on the rush and on the blue line, he can make risky plays and is prone to turnovers. Mateychuk also can struggle defensively at times and that could be due to his size. (5’11”, 187 pounds.)

If the Canucks want another puck-moving defenceman, Mateychuk could be their guy if he’s available.