UNH Commits Stiven Sardaryan & Alex Gagne Selected in 2021 NHL Entry Draft

Stiven Sardaryan 2022 UNH Commit

Alex Gagne Incoming UNH Freshman

2021 NHL Draft Results

In an article posted the day before the 2021 NHL Draft, I guestimated that UNH commit Stiven Sardaryan would be selected in the 5th or 6th Round and incoming UNH freshman Alex Gagne would get picked in the 7th Round. The actual results were even better. Sardaryan, a 6'1", 154 lbs., left-shot forward from St. Petersburg, Russia, was selected in the 3rd Round (88th Overall) by the Buffalo Sabres. That's the highest NHL pick of an UNH commit since defenseman Max Gildon was chosen 66th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2017.

Bedford, New Hampshire native Alex Gagne, a 6'3", 207 lbs., left-shot defenseman, was selected in the 6th Round (192nd Overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning. In last year's NHL Draft, UNH defenseman Luke Reid and forward Filip Engarås were also drafted in the 6th Round.

Post-Draft Analysis

Stiven Sardaryan DOB: February 7, 2003. 18 years, 5 months 2020-21 Team: Red Army Moskow (MHL) 2021-22 Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) Made committment to UNH in May, 2021 at Age 18 years, 3 months.

Jerry Forton, Director of Amateur Scouting, Buffalo Sabres
"Stiven Sardaryan is coming over to play in Youngstown in the USHL this year and is committed to the University of New Hampshire. There were numerous schools that were trying to get him over here. He was a player I think the second half of the MHL season and in the playoffs, really emerged, got a little more comfortable playing in the hard areas, being a lighter body himself.

A very talented player who just needs to get a little bit bigger and stronger. A couple years away, obviously, but he's got a good path with a year in the USHL and hopefully, two or three years at the University of New Hampshire."

Ian Moran, Director of Neutral Zone NHL
"It's interesting because he's (Sardaryan) going to UNH, he's super light. Maybe he's getting the advice that he knows he's too light to play in the KHL or VHL. So he's getting the advice to come on over and train and work out and next thing you know, all of a sudden, he's 6'1", 185 lbs. He gets strong as hell on the puck and doesn't lose any speed and turns himself into a real legit NHL prospect. I think he's a kid who will do well at UNH, with his skill level and the big sheet they have there."

Alex Gagne DOB: August 12, 2002. 18 years, 9 months
2020-21 Team: Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
2021-22 Team: University of New Hampshire (Hockey East)
Made commitment to UNH in May, 2019 at Age 16 years, 9 months.

Ian Moran, Director of Neutral Zone NHL
"He's another kid I thought should have been taken last year. He's out of New Hampshire, he's going to UNH. I think he's a real athletic kid. He's got a good stick, he's got good size. He's patient, he doesn't rush anything. He has a nice, tight gap-stick on the ice and he forces poor decisions.

He's able to put up points but I don't think he's a true offensive guy who's going to run the power play but he's going to be a top 4 guy at UNH next season. When I talked about him last year, going into the USHL, he wasn't playing at the highest level but he just adjusted and did well, and just kept getting better and better.

He's an athletic kid who's got nothing but upside that's going to UNH and going to be playing against all the "beautiful babies" that have been top round picks. He's going to be getting key minutes. I think it's a great get. Honestly, I'm a big fan of how this kid plays. I think he’s got a real chance to play in the NHL and do well."

Michael Wax, The Bolt Report: Tampa Bay Lightning
"The Lightning have so many good defensive defenseman - Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak, David Savard - those guys have been great and they've added a little bit of offense to their game to make it more well-rounded. Now Gagne, if he's not going to produce offensively, at the end of the day that's fine. Not all 6th-rounders are going to improve that way.

I think he's got a leg up on a lot of the Syracuse (Crunch/USHL) and Orlando (Solar Bears/ECHL) because he's defensively responsible, he's positionally accurate most of the time, and he's a good skater. Like he can get back into position, which is something we have not said about the majority of these draft picks so far.

I think this could be a really, really good pick for the Lightning. I would say that Dylan Duke is the biggest home run of this draft but Gagne is right up there."

Will UNH Commit(s) Be Selected in 2021 NHL Entry Draft?

Stiven Sardaryan

Damien Carfagna

Alex Gagne

Jed Baliotti

2021 NHL Entry Draft

This Friday and Saturday, the 32 NHL teams will conduct the 59th Annual Entry Draft. For the second consecutive year, the NHL Draft will use a remote, videoconferencing format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round is scheduled for 8 PM on Friday with rounds 2-7 beginning at 11 AM on Saturday.

Four young players who have committed to play for the University of New Hampshire are hoping to hear their names called. Two of these players - defensemen Alex Gagne (8/12/02) and Damien Carfagna (12/12/02) - have already signed a National Letter of Intent and Gagne is part of the incoming freshman class. UNH's newest commit, Stiven Sardaryan (2/7/03), and goalie Jed Baliotti (2/7/02) have verbally committed and plan to enroll in Fall, 2022, along with Carfagna.

STIVEN SARDARYAN

Stiven Sardaryan Forward, 6'1", 154 lbs. Shoots Left Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia DOB: February 7, 2003. 18 years, 5 months 2020-21 Team: Red Army Moskow (MHL) 2021-22 Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) Committed to UNH: May, 2021 at Age 18 years, 3 months.

Final Draft Rankings
~ NHL Central Scouting Service (May 27, 2021) - #73 among 150 European Skaters.
~ The Draft Analyst (May 26, 2021) - #119 Overall.

Scouting Reports

Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst, May, 2021
"An underrated prospect who started to gain notoriety after Central Scouting added him to their updated Watch List, Sardaryan is a strong-skating wing who plays like a pass-first center; mostly because of his clean zone entries that allow him to exploit the tiniest of gaps in opposing coverage. He’s shown impressive vision and pass accuracy over long distances regardless of how much pressure he’s under. Although Krasnaya Armiya was a deep, talented squad, it was Sardaryan who consistently drew attention for his creativity and puck control."

Neutral Zone, July, 2021
"Sardaryan is an intriguing prospect who we had ranked late on our draft board but he’s the type of player who could go much higher given his size, athleticism and puck skill. He hasn’t even begun to grow into his frame yet at 6’1” 155lbs yet he still has straight line speed, he can get in on the forecheck and pressure defenders and has a long reach to break up passes and disrupt. He has a clever stick along the boards, he’s skilled off the cycle and can create offense both off the rush and in zone.

He plays high on the power play, able to feed passes into the slot and to the backdoor and also work the give and go with his points or the low man and has a powerful one-timer he can score from the top circles. He handles the puck well with his head up looking to make a play and he has the dual ability to protect pucks and burrell his way to the net or make a slick move 1v1 and get around defenders. Talented prospect who has long term potential and just scratching the surface; he was drafted in the second round of the USHL Entry Draft with the plan to play University hockey in the states."

My Best Guess -> Selection in 5th or 6th Round
Pros:
~ Dual threat to score or assist (see video highlights).
~ Prototypical NHL height with time to bulk up.
~ Taking established route to North American pros: USHL->NCAA->NHL.
Cons:
~ Very recent recognition of pro potential by scouting community.
~ Moscow junior hockey during pandemic meant limited viewing opportunities.

DAMIEN CARFAGNA

Damien Carfagna Defenseman, 5'11", 168 lbs. Shoots Left Hometown: Wood Ridge, New Jersey DOB: December 12, 2002. 18 years, 7 months 2020-21 Team: Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) 2021-22 Team: Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) Committed to UNH: January, 2020 at Age 17 years, 1 month.

Final Draft Ranking
~ Elite Prospects (June, 2021) - #105 Overall.

Scouting Reports

Elite Prospects, June, 2021
"At first glance, Damien Carfagna’s profile doesn’t scream NHL prospect. His 18 points in 50 games hardly register as a blip on the production radar, and he’s a December 2002. Dig a little closer, and there are reasons to be excited about his NHL odds. Defense is Carfagna’s dimension, ensuring attackers have no room to breathe when he’s on the ice. Non-stop scanning and on-the-hip positioning allows him to outright eliminate players. In transition, he keeps his gaps tight, drives plays to the perimeter, then swings across and gets the break up. With physicality and communication, he’s a relatively complete defender in the USHL.

Carfagna’s NHL odds depend on skill improvement. At the very least, he has to get close to NHL average as a skater. With skill development, perhaps he becomes a bottom-pairing defender."

Neutral Zone, March 26, 2021
"Carfagna is a first year junior player out of New England prep and looks to be taking his game to another level here. The late ‘02 is light and agile on his feet, he can move quick in every direction and has savvy passing ability. He thinks the game at pace, he can make quick decisions under pressure and has slick hands to make every pass. He was aggressive at the offensive blue line pinching down to keep pucks in and activating from the line to join the offense. He can walk opponents and get shots to the net and has a deceptively powerful release given his size/frame.

Carfagna stretched the ice a few times with precise passes through the neutral zone to spring odd man rushes and is a skilled, witty puck mover. He was a breakout machine which isn’t easy given the speed of the Steel roster and he’s patient with the puck not forcing or rushing his progressions. Wouldn’t shock us if he’s on some NHL teams radar this season especially if he gets stronger and improves his defensive zone game."

My Best Guess -> Possible Late 7th Round Pick
Pros:
~ Made successful jump from New England prep to USHL.
~ One scouting agency - Elite Prospects - ranked him a 3rd Round pick.
Cons:
~ Relatively undersized for an NHL defenseman prospect.
~ Only one scouting agency ranked him as potential draft pick.
~ May need one more season to demonstrate excellence.

ALEX GAGNE

Alex Gagne Defenseman, 6'3", 207 lbs. Shoots Left Hometown: Bedford, New Hampshire DOB: August 12, 2002. 18 years, 9 months 2020-21 Team: Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) 2021-22 Team: University of New Hampshire (Hockey East) Committed to UNH: May, 2019 at Age 16 years, 9 months.

Final Draft Ranking
~ McKeen's Hockey (June, 2021) - #204 Overall.

Scouting Reports

McKeen's Hockey, June, 2021
"Speaking of the USHL’s most improved players, look no further than Alex Gagne of Muskegon. The 6’3, 200lbs defender tripled his offensive output from a year ago when he was not even on the draft radar as one of the younger players available (as an August birthday). If there is one thing that NHL scouts love it is significant progression from players in their draft +1 year (more so than their draft +2 years). The New Hampshire commit led the USHL in +/- (+35) this year among defenders and should be highly coveted in July."

Neutral Zone, March 26, 2021
"Tall, long, athletic defender who came to Muskegon from Cedar Rapids who couldn’t field a team this season because of COVID. He (Gagne) is stronger this year and tougher to play against defensively and showed nice defensive zone awareness picking up bodies in the net front and protecting the backdoor. He doesn’t get lost watching the puck carrier and takes care of his space and can shadow opponents and stay on them around the net. He used his reach to his advantage keeping a puck in the zone and breaking up a pass into the slot.

He showed some poise on the breakout when pressured to wait the extra second to make a pass but he did throw a few pucks away and missed a pass in the neutral zone which just showed he’s still a bit raw but ceiling is high. A more rounded defender, Gagne looks to be on the right path and has major late bloomer potential."

My Best Guess -> Selection in 7th Round
Pros:
~ In 2nd year of NHL Draft eligibility, became a top USHL defenseman.
~ Has offensive upside (see video highlights).
~ Prototypical NHL defenseman body.
Cons:
~ Only two scouting agencies - McKeen's Hockey, Neutral Zone - acknowledge draft potential.

JED BALIOTTI

Jed Baliotti Goalie, 6'3", 185 lbs. Catches Left Hometown: New Canaan, Connecticut DOB: Februrary 2, 2002. 19 years, 5 months 2020-21 Team: Northern Cyclones (NCDC) 2021-22 Team: TBD Committed to UNH: April, 2020 at Age 18 years, 2 months.

Final Draft Rankings
~ NHL Central Scouting Service (May 27, 2021) - #24 among 32 North American Goalies.

Scouting Reports

Neutral Zone, February, 2021
"Jed was great in his second game with the Cyclones notching his first victory. The UNH commit had excellent rebound control limiting the chances for the Thunder. Jed is a big goaltender that takes away a lot of the net for shooters. He moves extremely well always staying compact and never appearing to be out of position. Both of the goals he gave up came through traffic in the high slot. Jed made some big stops late in the game securing the victory for the Cyclones.

My Best Guess -> Possible Late 7th Round Pick
Pros:
~ Prototypical NHL goalie frame.
~ Nearly identical NHL CSS ranking as Ty Taylor (#25), a 7th Round pick in 2018.
Cons:
~ Average performance in 2020-21.
~ Only one scouting agency - NHL CSS - ranked him as potential draft pick.
~ May need one more season to demonstrate excellence.