Nine New England natives were selected in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft that took place June 22-23 at American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Stars.
Oliver Wahlstrom was the first player from the region selected, going to the New York Islanders at 11th overall.
“It’s a dream come true. To be in New York, that city is awesome. That organization has been a powerhouse organization for a while,” said Wahlstrom, who was born in Quincy, Mass., but grew up in Yarmouth, Maine.
Wahlstrom was one of the best pure shooters in the draft. A right wing who played for USA Hockey’s NTDP, he can fire a shot with zip and accuracy. He can get off a one-timer from anywhere, regardless of whether or not the pass came in his wheelhouse.
“I’m a big, strong power forward with lots of skill and creativity. My biggest asset is my shot. I can get it off from anywhere. Scoring goals has been my specialty since I’ve been a little kid,” said Wahlstrom, who is committed to playing college hockey at Boston College.
Jay O’Brien grabbed headlines when the Philadelphia Flyers selected him with the 19th overall pick in the first round. The former Thayer Academy standout center was pegged as a late first-rounder or early second-rounder by most prognosticators.
Despite the significant leap into the first round, O’Brien said he wasn’t too surprised that the Flyers took him so high. “I had a great meeting with Philly. It was a place I wanted to play. It’s a historic franchise. I couldn’t be happier to be a Flyer,” said the Hingham, Mass., native.
O’Brien, a versatile, two-way center, is known for his tremendous hockey IQ, his skating and ability to play a complete game. He put up nearly three points per game in prep last season but also shined bright on a bigger stage when he was called up to play with the NTDP.
“I play the same way everywhere I go. After playing with the U.S. team in some USHL games and some college games, I think that’s why I got picked where I got picked,” said O’Brien.
Committed to Providence College, O’Brien is looking forward to learning under head coach Nate Leaman.
“He was the reason I went to Providence. I’m so excited to play under him. I think he’s the best coach in college hockey — the way he develops his players and his attention to detail,” O’Brien explained. “We have similar mindsets. We’re competitive guys who just want to win hockey games.”
While Wahlstrom and O’Brien were the only New England natives drafted in the first round, there were two other players taken with significant ties to the region. Boston University left wing Brady Tkachuk, whose father, Keith Tkachuk, grew up in Medford, Mass., before starring at BU and in the NHL, was selected fourth overall by the Ottawa Senators.
“Brady has great hockey sense,” said Albie O’Connell (Watertown, Mass.), who was promoted to head coach at BU on June 5.
“He’s a true competitor. His game is still getting refined right now, but when he’s 22-23, he’s going to be a hard guy to deal with in the corners and in front of the net. Plus, he can make plays, he can score and he can do a little bit of everything.”
BU commit Joel Farabee, who played prep hockey at Selects Academy at South Kent, was selected 14th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.
The second round was void of any New Englanders, but the third round saw two selected in a span of three picks. First, Boston University recruit Jake Wise of North Andover, Mass., went to the Chicago Blackhawks with the 69th pick.
“Chicago is the team I talked to the most. (Chicago Blackhawks head U.S. scout) Mike (Doneghey) and I became pretty close. To go to the Chicago Blackhawks is a dream of mine. It’s an unbelievable organization,” said Wise.
Wise missed significant time with injury in the first half of the season but bounced back with a solid second half as the NTDP U-18 team’s second-line center.
“Jake is a great center. He’s a really good two-way player. He makes other guys better. He had a tough break with the shoulder injury,” O’Connell said.
Two picks later, the Montreal Canadiens plucked Kimball Union star defenseman Jordan Harris, a Northeastern commit from Haverhill, Mass.
“It’s a whirlwind right now. It’s a tremendous honor to be drafted by a team like Montreal with its past. I’m extremely grateful,” said Harris, who admitted he’ll probably catch grief from some of his friends who are Bruins fans.
Also selected in the third round in Dallas was Boston College right wing Logan Hutsko, the 2017-18 Hockey East Rookie of the Year after leading the Eagles in scoring. A native of Tampa, Fla., he was selected by the Florida Panthers with the 89th overall pick.
Furthering what a great story it was to get picked by a team from his home state, Hutsko had to come back from two serious injuries — a broken neck and a knee issue — prior to BC.
“It’s so surreal. I never thought I’d be here after the last two years. To be here and be drafted by the Panthers and going back home is really special,” said Hutsko.
The Arizona Coyotes took former Roxbury Latin star Michael Callahan in the fifth round with the 142nd overall pick. The Providence commit, a stay-at-home defenseman, split time between the Central Illinois Flying Aces and the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL last season.
Two locals were taken in the sixth round. The Edmonton Oilers, with the 164th overall pick, drafted New Hampton defenseman Michael Kesselring. The big, athletic defender will play a year in the USHL with the Des Moines Buccaneers before deciding on a college destination after de-committing from Merrimack last month. Oilers scout Scott Harlow (East Bridgewater, Mass.), a former player at BC, was instrumental in convincing his organization to take Kesselring, whose father, Casey, starred at Merrimack from 1994 to 1998.
In somewhat of a surprise, the Pittsburgh Penguins took St. Sebastian’s center Liam Gorman with the 177th overall pick. The Arlington, Mass., native and Boston University commit is raw and still needs to work on his offensive skill-set and hockey sense, but he’s a big, athletic player who can do the little things like win faceoffs and power his way to the dirty areas. Penguins scout Frank Golden and Penguins director of player development Scott Young both would have seen Gorman quite a bit in the prep circuit.
“Liam has very good size and strength. He’s competitive and has no hesitation to be in tough areas. He has a great stick, a scoring touch and a nose for the net,” said St. Sebastian’s coach Sean McCann, a former player and coach at Harvard.
“He has good awareness. He was raw with tools. He’s using those tools more recently. He’s clicking with linemates and filling lanes and finding holes. All aspects of his game are developing and his tools are coming to the forefront,” McCann added.
One of the biggest surprises of the draft was one of the last New England players selected. The San Jose Sharks chose John Leonard in the sixth round with the 182nd overall pick.
"It was a tremendous honor to be picked by them. It’s a high-class organization from what I’ve heard. I was surprised at the time. I was speechless when I first found out,” said Leonard, who never had a formal interview or discussion with Sharks scouts.
It’s not as if the Amherst, Mass., native was some completely unknown commodity. He was invited to USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp in 2014 after starring at Springfield Cathedral. He spent two seasons in the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers.
However, it was his freshman season at UMass Amherst that finally put him over the hump. This was his third and final chance to get drafted. What happened this year in a Minutemen uniform that was so different?
Leonard led the team in scoring with 13 goals and 15 assists, despite missing a few games with an injury. But what finally earned him a call from a NHL organization was his play away from the puck.
“John getting drafted is a huge statement about how far he came as an individual this year,” said UMass coach Greg Carvel. “He had a tremendous skill-set, but never had good habits without the puck. We thought he developed without the puck and he got stronger and stronger offensively. He has tremendous potential. His offensive ability is easy to see.”
“The biggest room for improvement is playing without the puck and my ‘D’ zone play. The coaches and I had a lot of video sessions. They helped me a lot. There’s still a long way to go,” Leonard explained, also citing assistant coaches Ben Barr and Jared DeMichiel.
What exactly is playing without the puck? It can mean a variety of different things, but in this case, it’s about defending and getting the puck back quickly when it’s not on your stick.
“The coaches really worked with me on staying above my guy on the backcheck and being in the right spots in the ‘D’ zone,” Leonard said.
“We’re teaching him how to get the puck back when you don’t have it. Getting above the puck and keeping your feet moving,” Carvel added. “Being committed is a measure of a teammate. He hadn’t had a lot of guidance. Ben Barr spent a lot of time with him. It was a case of him realizing how important it was to be a good teammate and how to be a good hockey player. He’s just realizing that.”
Leonard, whose dad was a former assistant basketball coach at UMass, played some of his best hockey in the Hockey East tournament, potting three goals and adding two assists.
“He was dominant in the playoffs for us. He’s a powerful skater and physically very strong,” Carvel complimented.
The last New England native taken was Riley Hughes, the second to last pick in the draft. The New York Rangers selected the St. Sebastian’s right wing from Westwood, Mass. Committed to Northeastern, Hughes still needs to work on getting into the dirty areas and playing less on the perimeter, but his size, shooting, passing and skating are all intriguing tools.
“He has a great skill-set, great hands, makes nice moves and can really rip the puck,” said McCann, who added he thinks Hughes is getting better about going into the tough areas of the ice. “He took the puck to the net more this year. There was improvement in those areas. He has a lot of passion for the game and he will continue to improve.”
