Welcome to the Oilersnation Draft Countdown. Over the next week leading into the draft, we’ll be aggregating content about the top 100 players who will be available in Vancouver on June 21st and 22nd. Here are profiles for Nicholas Porco, Yegor Serdyuk, Jackson LaCombe, Tuukka Tieksola, Alex Beaucage, Colten Ellis, Nikola Pasic, John Beecher, Cole Moberg, Jamieson Rees.
Date of Birth: March 12th, 2001 (Age 18)
Nation: Canada
Place of Birth: Sault Ste. Marie, QC
Position: LW Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0″ Weight: 176 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Saginaw Spirit
Profile: An offensively-gifted player, whose speed is his greatest asset.
“Nicholas is a one of the best wingers in this age group. He is explosive off the mark and has top-end speed that many have trouble keeping up with. He uses his edges very well and is hard to contain in the corners. Nicholas has a very good skill set that allows him to create numerous chances each game. He is not an overly physical player, but he won’t shy away from a battle in the corner or in front of the net. Nicholas has all the tools to be an impact player in the OHL.” -OHL Central Scouting
“Porco is truly a gifted skater with excellent first strides and top end speed and has a separation gear. And he has some offensive talent. Just how much is the question since he was buried on a Spirit team that had an abundance of top end talent up front.” -Dominic Tiano, The OHL Writers
Date of Birth: June 3rd, 2001 (Age 18)
Nation: Russia
Place of Birth: Novosibirsk, RUS
Position: RW Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11” Weight: 165 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
Profile: Slightly undersized, but is a goal-scorer who slips through opposing defenders to find the high danger scoring areas.
“Under the radar import who has gotten little buzz but quietly averaged over a point a game. Not six foot or over 170 lbs., but nonetheless drives the play with his feet, reads the ice and uses his talents to be very creative and a difference maker. Moves fluidly through the traffic and able to beat defenders one on one.” -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
“Serdyuk: can’t deny that he can put that puck in the net, but the overall level of his athleticism seems subpar to me.” -Cam Robinson, dobberprospect.com
Date of Birth: January 9th, 2001 (Age 18)
Nation: USA
Place of Birth: Eden Prairie, MN
Position: D Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 172 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Shattuck St. Mary’s Midget Prep (USHS-Prep)
Profile: Controls the play whenever the puck is on his stick, with excellent edge-work and offensive instincts. Committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2019-20 season.
“An intriguing high school who has made the transition for being a forward to a rushing defenseman. After a growth spurt, he has now good size, wheels and offensive instincts that helped him amass 20 goals and 81 points in his 50 game season in his sophomore year of high school. A terrific skater with great stop/starts, good edge work, with good vision and up-ice mobility. A power play quarterback who reads and creates in all phases of the attack. His lack of experience at his position seems a mute point as he he shows solid understanding of defensive zone positioning and his responsibilities as a defender.” -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
Date of Birth: 22 June 2001 (Age 17)
Nation: Finland
Place of Birth: Jaali, FIN
Position: RW Shoots: Right
Height: 5’10” Weight: 157 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Karpat U20 (Jr. A SM-Liiga)
Profile: Very slight in frame, but offensive-gifted with sublime passing skills.
“… At 5-foot-10, Tieksola is slightly undersized but what makes things worse for him is that he’s very slim. He needs to add a lot of muscle to his frame before playing in the NHL. But he owns great offensive tools which give him high upside. He’s a great skater who combines high speed with amazing agility. He’s also very talented with the puck on his stick, and he can make plays at top speed. He has amazing vision and passing skills which allow him to make passes that seem impossible to most players. His shot isn’t great but that will likely improve once he gains some weight. He competes well but obviously his lack of strength creates issues in some puck-battles. Tieksola needs multiple years of development before playing in the NHL but if you want offensive upside after the first couple of rounds of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he’s one to keep an eye on.” -Jokke Nevalainen, dobberprospects.com
Date of Birth: July 25th, 2001 (Age 17)
Nation: Canada
Place of Birth: Trois Rivieres, QC
Position: RW/LW Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2″ Weight: 192 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
Profile: Goal-scorer with an ideal frame for the pro level; uses his impressive edge work to get into quality scoring areas.
“Has become a nice sized winger with his growth spurt and with it he has grown into a nice prospect flows with the games tempo all 200 feet. Quickly gets to open ice and displays light edging and makes himself available for receptions, and can gain inside position and cut hard to the net. Blocks shots. Has room to put more weight on his frame and he can get quicker as get comfortable with his taller / larger size. A finisher who was third on his team in scoring with 39 Goals, 79 Assist in 68 games. Handles the puck well at top gear and reads the ice well, usually anticipating a step ahead of the play. A longer term developmental guy whose needle is pointing upward.” -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
Date of Birth: October 5th, 2000 (Age 18)
Nation: Canada
Place of Birth: River Denys, NS
Position: G Catches: Left
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 183 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Profile: Though on the smaller side for the pro level, possess lighting-quick reflexes and excellent flexibility, which allows him to make up for his lack of size.
“Technically sound goaler who plays calm and collected and excellent flexibility. Smooth handles his movements up and down and sideways with control. Absorbs shots, and re-sets quickly. Rebound control and redirection is a work in progress. Thrives on being the man in big games. His behind the [net] puck handling is an area he will work to improve on.” -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
“His athleticism allows him to make saves that other goaltenders can’t make, simply based on the flexibility that he possesses. He has quick lateral movements, but there are times where he loses track of the puck and over-commits. Both of those are aspects that can be improved upon as he continues to develop.” -Josh Bell, The Hockey Writers
Date of Birth: October 16th, 2000 (Age 18)
Nation: Sweden
Place of Birth: Gislaved, SWE
Position: C/LW Shoots: Left
Height: 5’10” Weight: 181 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Linkoping HC J20 (SuperElit)
Profile: An all-situations winger, who’s shot and tenacity make him a threat whenever he’s on the ice.
“Smaller wing with a nice skill set ability to control the action in tight spaces and dangle with the best of them. Can get his shot releases in closed quarters. He has little interest in the corners, and doesn’t always come to play each night or shift. There is skill there… -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
“… Costmar and Pasic have shown great chemistry between the two and they go well together both on the penalty kill and on the powerplay, they are excellent forecheckers and often win the puck already in the offensive zone and are very draining to play against with their intensive and hard-working style.” -Christoffer Hedlund, EP Rinkside
Date of Birth: April 5th, 2001 (Age 18)
Nation: USA
Place of Birth: Elmira, NY
Position: C Shoots: Left
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 209 lbs.
2018-19 Team: U.S. National U18 Team (USDP)
Profile: An pro-level ready frame with blazing speed to go with it; still finding his scoring touch. Ranked as high as early-second round. Committed to the University of Michigan for the 2019-20 season.
“Elmira-New York native with excellent size, physicality, competitiveness and good jump and feet. A North-South skater who can get wide and go to the net or be a heavy rugged force in the high traffic areas, along the wall, and in the cycle. Besides being a handful for opposing defenseman, he has good hands as a scoring threat. He will a (sic) player who sets up between the circles near the blue paint and puts rebounds in the back of the net. A big centre who may project to wing has a really nice stride, first step quickness, and a smattering of skill. Refinement of his defensive zone commitment is in order, but you can’y (sic) overlook his pro caliber release, or how well he protects the puck…” -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
“… Speed is the name of the game in the NHL right now and Beecher has the size to go with it. He’s been compared to Ryan Kesler — as a two-way force and both wearing No. 17 — but Beecher also reminds me of another Ryan in Ryan McLeod, who fell to Edmonton in the second round last year (40th in 2018)… I had concerns over Beecher’s offensive upside… but he alleviated those concerns by scoring a few nice goals in [the U20] tourney and displaying good offensive instincts. I think the offence — the numbers — will come for him in time and with increased opportunity. I was torn on Beecher for much of the draft year, but I’ve decided I like the player. He’s going to be a player.” -Larry Fisher, The Hockey Writers
Date of Birth: October 17th, 2000 (Age 18)
Nation: Canada
Place of Birth: North Vancouver, BC
Position: D/F Shoots: Right
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 198 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Profile: Saw time as both a forward and defenceman during the 2018-19 season. Has a goal-scorers touch with a quick-release wrister and heavy slapshot from the point.
“Jumped on my radar at an early February game in Kelowna where he showed great assertiveness from the back end. That viewing happened to coincide with his hottest streak of the year, where he put up 15 points in Prince George’s final 15 games. Born in October of 2000, he is somewhat of a late bloomer. A good skater with some size (6-foot-2, 185 pounds), he showed great maturity in his game by playing a boatload of minutes on a rebuilding Cougars team. There’s definitely some offensive upside to be developed.” -Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet.ca
“Everything clicked in his second season with the team. As one of the older players on the young Cougars, he had an increased role and gained the trust of coach Richard Matvichuk. All those factors gave the teenage defenseman a huge boost of confidence, which translated onto the score sheet: 13 goals, 27 assists, 40 points, in 61 games. Moberg also has experience playing forward, which draws some comparisons to Dustin Byfuglien. They’re not terribly far off, either. Moberg is 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds, has a booming, right-handed shot and has comparable stat lines. In 2003, Byfuglien had 39 points in 56 games with the Cougars and Brandon Wheat Kings… Although currently ranked near the end of the draft, he could develop into a powerful offensive defenseman. After all, Byfuglien was taken in the 8th round.” -Dayton Reimer, The Hockey Writers
Date of Birth: February 26th, 2001 (Age 18)
Nation: Canada
Place of Birth: Hamilton, ON
Position: C Shoots: Left
Height: 5’10” Weight: 172 lbs.
2018-19 Team: Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Profile: Plays with a tremendous amount of energy and speed, coupled with play-making abilities that create scoring chances both for himself and teammates. Ranked as high as mid-second round.
“Rocketing up the draft charts after missing the initial two months to a lacerated kidney, this undersized fireball has first step quickness, and will open up his stride [to] make moves that launch him past defenders, popping off his edges or will stutter step, and get the goaler to commit and drop to make more open net high. A two-way player who never stops working at both ends, and is also able to caress the puck while in ascending to top speed in pass receptions or while he is splitting the defenders. Dynamic under-sided junior player that could see time at pivot. Reads coverage/positioning and capitalizes where the entrance points are and finds the seams to open ice, gets to the nest and for rebounds. At top speed can feather the puck to teammates. Has a quick snap shot. Relentless two way forward who will work hard to get the puck back.” -Bill Placzek, draftsite.com
“… he’s got a motor that never stops running, he’s got speed to burn, and he’s got decent finishing ability to boot… Rees is certainly a quality prospect in the making who should be capable of playing up or down the lineup for an NHL team someday.” -Larry Fisher, The Hockey Writers
“Jamieson… is a skilled centre that is dangerous every time he has the puck on his stick. He is a good skater with deceptive speed and always manages to win races to loose pucks. He is dangerous off the rush with his speed, elusive one-on-one moves and creative vision. Jamieson makes all the players around him better. He has great vision and is a creative playmaker. He shoots the puck very well with a quick release and very good accuracy.” -Dominic Tiano, OHLwriters.me
Odds Shark, your one-stop shop for picks, odds, betting news and trends – a resource for fans, bettors and media outlets looking for wagering info on all the sports and pop culture events you could want. Odds Shark is a proven powerhouse in the sports betting industry. We have odds from around the globe, giving you the opportunity to seek out the best sports betting information along with our recommendations for the best online sportsbooks on the planet. Fans and media outlets alike have access to decades of stats and trends from our easily accessible databases.
