Post-2020 NHL Draft Scout Survey – V1

The 2020 NHL Draft is finally in the books.

At FCHockey, we surveyed our scouts for their thoughts and opinions on one of the most exciting events on the NHL calendar.

This is the first of a three-part series surveying our scouts.

Post-2020 NHL Draft Scout Survey – V2
Post-2020 NHL Draft Scout Survey – V3

Here’s how FCHockey’s scouts answered the first three questions:

What was your favorite pick of the draft?

“My favorite pick was Seth Jarvis to Carolina. Former FC alumni and friend Cody Nickolet getting a guy in his region that they liked before he was scooped up. Couldn’t be happier for the player and the team.” – Western Canada head scout Justin Froese

“Evan Vierling at No. 127 is incredible value. He’s a really solid two-way center who likely tops out at a third line player at the NHL level, but I loved his play in Barrie and he always played a smart competitive game.” – Eastern Canada head scout Dylan Galloway

“There are lots of good choices to pick from here, but I’m going to go with the Nashville Predators taking Iaroslav Askarov at No. 11. I fully expect Askarov to be one of the most impactful players from this draft class, someone who makes a huge difference for his team on a nightly basis, so I believe that the Predators found tremendous value by grabbing him outside of the top 10.” – Head crossover scout Derek Neumeier

“Jan Mysak was a personal favourite of mine in this draft, and I definitely saw him as a first rounder. Seeing him fall not just out of the first round but all the way to the No. 48 pick in the Montreal Canadiens’ lap. I really like the value here. Also, Martin Chromiak all the way down at No. 128 is excellent.” – Eastern Canada and crossover scout Josh Bell

“The San Jose Sharks grabbing Brandon Coe in the fourth Round at No. 98 overall was by far my favorite value pick of the draft. Coe, a personal favorite of mine, I believe has all the potential to be all-situations winger who brings skill, size, and scoring punch, and I believe Coe is going to make the Sharks very happy in a few years at the NHL level.” – Crossover scout Brandon Holmes

What was your least favorite pick of the draft?

“I thought it was bizarre what Columbus did and that they considered their pick at 21 a top-10 talent…(but) it’ll work out because Jarmo is Jarmo. The one I wasn’t a fan of was Kaiden Guhle to Montreal. There’s a lot to like about Guhle but I think the perception he is going to be a Jonas Brodin type player for them is a bit of a reach. The idea of the player outweighs his ceiling in my opinion.” – Froese

“Nothing against the player, but the Ottawa Senators moving up and trading two picks to get Tyler Kleven was less than ideal. Kleven’s a big, somewhat mobile defender with a heavy shot. But there’s limited upside to his game and you can arguably get those types of players much later in the draft.” – Galloway

“I probably don’t even need to say it, since I’m sure everyone else will say the same thing, but the Columbus Blue Jackets taking Yegor Chinakhov at No. 21. I watched him play in the MHL last season and saw him as someone who might be a good gamble in the fifth or sixth round, but I’m really struggling to see why any team would reach that high for him.” – Neumeier

“I think mine has to be Shakir Mukhamadullin at No. 20 to the New Jersey Devils. I know some people like what he brings, but I just haven’t seen it in my views. This one really, really worries me for the Devils. I think I need to mention Chinakhov with the very next pick as well.“ – Bell

“The New Jersey Devils selecting Mukhamadullin, which I believe is far earlier than he should have gone. Mukhamadullin is a legitimate NHL prospect who brings size and decent mobility from the backend, but there are too many red flags in his hockey sense to justify a No. 20 selection, in my humble opinion.” – Holmes

Which pick was the most surprising?

“For me I watched four seasons of Cole Reinhardt as he plays in my backyard and found it odd now was the time to use a pick on him going into his 20-year-old season. He’s grown into a great athlete who is a skill power forward as he’s developed in the WHL but was a guy I thought could’ve been had as a free agent. Draft capital, albeit low value, on a destined system player.” – Froese

“I mean how can you not go with the Columbus Blue Jackets with Chinakhov. I can’t say I’ve heard of or seen this player, so him being taken in the first round was a big shock.” – Galloway

“Chinakhov. It’s probably not fun to read the same answer over and over, so I’ll also say that I didn’t expect Jack Quinn to go as high as he did, even though there were some rumblings that he might.” – Neumeier

“As others have said, this is Chinakhov for sure as the biggest surprise, who I saw at a sixth or seventh rounder at best. Other than him, I was surprised to see Roby Jarventie taken at No. 33 by the Ottawa Senators.“ – Bell

“I would have to go with Chinakhov to the Jackets. With how off the board it was at that spot, it’s hard to go with any other selection – we’ll see if Jarmo Kekalainen proves us all wrong.” – Holmes