Will UNH Commit(s) Be Selected in 2021 NHL Entry Draft?
|
|
|
|
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. |
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.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.
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."
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. |
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.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.
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."
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. |
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.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.
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."
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. |
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.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home