SECOND OPPORTUNITY AT THE TABLE: Top 10 Overagers in the NHL Project of 2019

Not all NHLers develop in the same way. Jason Demers, Danton Heinen and Tanner Pearson are some of the most notable examples of players who are recruited after their first year of eligibility. Hell, guys like Roman Cechmanek, Mark Streit and Martin Gerber were not recruited until they were 20 years old. And honestly, why would not you risk an older player if you can? They have an additional year or more of development, and if they have what it takes to do the NHL, they will be closer to that goal.

The teams are willing to take risks on older players who could climb quickly. Maybe the player had to deal with injuries, a difficult situation on the list or, eventually, he became a bigger player, allowing more opportunities. If not, everything clicks on a player's 18-year season, it will not mean that they will not prosper at 19. Therefore, for players who missed in their first year of eligibility, they have a second chance to show what they are doing. have.

The surplus class is impressive once again this year. Many talented Europeans, for example, have spent at least a year and have excelled in their opportunities. For others, last year was an opportunity to have the finer parts of their game and become more complete players. With that, let's look at some of the top candidates for improvement this summer:

Brett Leason, C, 20 (Prince Albert, WHL)

After almost producing triple his 2017-18 rate this season, Leason's 89 points made him one of the best eligible players for the WHL draft and a shoo-in for the first two rounds in June.

Kirill Slepets, RW, 20 (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, KHL)

If the draft status of any player in the Junior World Championship was improved, it was Slepets. With five goals and seven points on Russia's top line, Slepets was tremendously promising as a speeding end that can stay physically despite standing on a slim 5-foot-10, 146 pounds.

Valeri Orekhov, D, 20 (Barys Astana, KHL)

Of the 23 Kazakh players recruited in the NHL since 1998, only four (Nikolai Antropov, Brandon Bochenski, Nigel Dawes and Dustin Boyd) have played at least five seasons in the NHL, and three of them are not from Kazakhstan. Orekhov, however, is looking to become one of the best locally trained players to call his name.

Pyotr Kochetkov, G, 19 (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL)

Kochetkov was off the radars of most teams last season after an OK season at the MHL. Now? Kochetkov is the most promoted goalkeeper in Europe after an explosive season with HK Ryazan of VHL.

Samuel Fagemo, RW, 19 (Frolunda, SHL)

Despite the disappointing youthful effort of the world, Fagemo showed this season that deserves to be selected this time. With 25 points in 42 games with Frolunda in the SHL, Fagemo adapted well to the professional game and often let his tremendous doll show off.

Kristian Tanus, LW, 18 (Jukurit, Liiga)

A dynamic game creator that can play in the wing and in the middle? Register Tanus only had six points in 17 games with Jukurit in the top of the Finnish Liiga, but it was his game with LeKi in the Mestis with 44 points in 33 games that really stood out, breaking the U-20 scoring record.

Luka Burzan, C, 19 (Brandon, WHL)

Once upon a time, there were few prospects as coveted as Burzan was. At Bantam, Burzan finished with 80 goals and 131 points in 62 games for one of the best seasons in PCBHL history.

Jeremy McKenna, RW, 20 (Moncton, QMJHL)

McKenna's rise to prominence is unique. Born in Canmore, Alta., He played his dwarf season in Saskatchewan before joining the Red Bull Hockey Academy in Austria for 2015-16.

Jonathan Yantsis, RW, 20 (Kitchener, OHL)

With 50 goals, 23 assists and 73 points, the Yantsis statistics line is one of the most unbalanced in the project.

Jett Alexander, G, 19 (North York, OJHL)

There is not much more that Alexander could have done in the last season. Alexander, who is still looking for an NCAA commitment, starred in a North York squad that ranks in the top 10 of the CJHL rankings throughout the year.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/second-chance-at-the-table-ten-overagers-to-watch-for-the-2019-nhl-draft