Post-2020 NHL Draft Scout Survey – V2

The 2020 NHL Draft may be over but we’re still letting the dust settle on this draft class.

At FCHockey, we’ve been pouring over the team’s selections, how they differed from our rankings, and comparing results.

We reached out to our scouts to give their initial reactions to the highly anticipated draft.

This is the second of a three-part series where we get the feedback of those that put in countless hours of work.

Post-2020 NHL Draft Scout Survey – V1
Post-2020 NHL Draft Scout Survey – V3

Here are their answers to the second wave of questions:

Which pick was the biggest steal?

“Marco Rossi without a doubt. Think the “smol thick” king is not only one of the most pro ready but an elite player in the making who is a franchise altering player for Minnesota. His quads are, anyways. Cole Perfetti a pick later is going to aid a resurgence in Winnipeg, too.” – Western Canada head scout Justin Froese

“Has to be Rossi at No. 9. He was my third-ranked player in this draft and could make the Wild straight out of camp. Smart, skilled and competitive center. He might not play down the middle in the NHL but I would never count him out.” – Eastern Canada head scout Dylan Galloway

“I predict that Jan Mysak is going to make a lot of teams look silly for letting him fall as far as No. 48. Honourable mention here goes to Helge Grans going to Los Angeles at No. 35.” – Head crossover scout Derek Neumeier

“I think Mysak will be a steal after falling out of the first round completely. Other than him, I think we saw quite a few smaller players fall in this draft that have high ceilings. Zion Nybeck, Sean Farrell, and Alexander Pashin were absolute steals in my opinion.” – Eastern Canada and crossover scout Josh Bell

“The Carolina Hurricanes grabbing Nybeck in the fourth round at No. 115. Yes, Nybeck is an undersized forward at around 5-foot-8 and 176 pounds, but the young Swede is packed with skill and offensive upside and I believe should have been in the tail end of the first Round discussion.” – Crossover scout Brandon Holmes

Which pick was the biggest reach?

“Matt Rempe. I saw him a couple times and didn’t really see much out of him besides a gritty work ethic, ok hands and a massive stride. Oh, and he’s 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds. Like the rest of the Rangers draft, a lot of question marks after Lafreniere.” – Froese

“Jack Quinn at No. 8 is the biggest reach for me. Fifty-two goals is definitely hard to pass up but I’m not sure how he’s taken over his 67’s teammate Marco Rossi.” – Galloway

“I have to say Yegor Chinakhov for this one, obviously. But I also didn’t like Roby Jarventie going as early as No. 33, I thought Ottawa passed up on a lot of better options.” – Neumeier

“Chinakhov is the big one, but I expect him to be mentioned a lot so I’ll also say Jack Quinn. I just don’t see him as a top-10 pick, let alone going above teammate Marco Rossi. I think the Buffalo Sabres could regret this one.” – Bell

“The Columbus Blue Jackets selecting Chinakhov at No. 21. Chinakhov is a legit high-end overager that 100 percent deserved to be drafted, but he should have been drafted on Wednesday, not Tuesday. The Russian winger has started the KHL season very hot, but this pick was so off the board that some outlets did not even have Chinakhov ranked.” – Holmes

Which player are you most surprised wasn’t selected?

“I hit on pretty much all the Western guys I personally targeted on my own list, but from what I saw Samuel Hlavaj was a bit shocking. His progression and make up made me think someone would take a chance on the big keeper in his D+1 season. Two of the goalies from the CHL Top prospects game didn’t make the cut, Brock Gould being the other.” – Froese

“Ethan Cardwell. I really liked his drive and constant energy on the ice and his shot is probably one of the best kept secrets in the OHL. I think he’ll come back next season and get a lot more notice playing on the same team as top 2021 draft eligible Brandt Clarke. I think he’ll get a bit more respect in the rankings in his D+1.” – Galloway

“Theo Rochette. I understand that his play slowed down when he got traded to Quebec and that he didn’t look great in the two games that he played in so far this season, but I think he has projectable tools and that he’s going to develop very nicely with the Remparts because he’s going to play a ton of minutes in all situations for that team.” – Neumeier

“One that I was really surprised to not see selected was Ivan Didkovsky. The Russian forward is a highly-skilled player that I saw as one of the better draft-eligibles in the MHL. He even started off the 2020-21 season pretty well. I would expect him to be a key overager in 2021.” – Bell

“James Hardie, a left winger from the Mississauga Steelheads, I was very surprised to not be selected. Hardie is a fantastic goal scoring forward who demonstrates good north-south pace, and I absolutely believe he deserved to be selected on Wednesday.” – Holmes