13 CHL Players Poised to Start Season in NHL
By Paul Krotz/CHL
As we inch closer to the start of the 2011-12 NHL regular season, it appears as though several NHL teams will have some young CHL talent on their rosters when the puck drops on Thursday.
Up to 13 CHL players could be in NHL lineups to start the season including seven players selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and six from 2010.
Among the players set to make the jump in their first year is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who has impressed Oilers brass and his new teammates with six points in as many preseason games since being selected first overall from the Red Deer Rebels.
“I can’t let my emotions get the best of me, but I’m very happy with the way things have gone,” Nugent-Hopkins told the Edmonton Journal.
Nugent-Hopkins has been able to relate to the youthful Oilers squad that includes CHL grads Jordan Eberle and 2010 first overall pick Taylor Hall with the trio forming a dynamic offensive line when the Oilers open the season Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It’s not for me to decide, but he’s done a lot of good things,” said Hall, who hopes his new teammate can play the entire season in the pros. “If he does what he does best, he’ll put in a good showing.”
Joining Nugent-Hopkins from the 2011 draft class is Drummondville Voltigeurs star and fellow captain from the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game (pictured) Sean Couturier who was selected eighth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that has not had an 18-year-old play a full season since fellow QMJHL graduate Simon Gagne in 1999-2000.
“Since Day One, I’ve gotten better and better and gave a good impression,” Couturier told the Delaware County Times. “I just needed to play my game, be strong on pucks and play good, solid hockey. I tried to stay within myself and play my game and show that I’m mature enough to stick around.”
Other 18-year-olds ready to make their NHL debut include second overall pick Gabriel Landeskog (Kitchener/Colorado), fifth overall pick Ryan Strome (Niagara/New York Islanders), seventh overall pick Mark Scheifele (Barrie/Winnipeg), 12th overall pick Ryan Murphy (Kitchener/Carolina), and Brandon Saad (Saginaw/Chicago) who is the only second round pick on this list chosen 43rd overall by the Blackhawks.
“It will be pretty exciting to be here on Friday,” Saad told Chicago media Tuesday afternoon after signing his entry-level contract. “I’ve always wanted to work to make the NHL, I wanted to come in with the right attitude and work hard. I didn’t expect to make the team but this is nice to have.”
The seven CHL players along with Swedish picked Adam Larsson (New Jersey) and Mika Zibanejad (Ottawa), makes for nine players from the 2011 draft that could play on opening night which would be the highest total since 10 players from the 2008 draft began the season in the NHL.
2010 picks Erik Gudbranson (Kingston/Florida), Ryan Johansen (Portland/Columbus), Nino Niederreiter (Portland/New York Islanders), Brett Connolly (Prince George/Tampa Bay), Devante Smith-Pelly (Mississauga/Anaheim), and Brett Bulmer (Kelowna/Minnesota), are all eligible to return to their CHL clubs this season but will start the year in the NHL following their second pro camps.
CHL clubs and fans will wait with anticipation throughout the early weeks of the NHL season as these first year players are permitted to dress in up to nine games before using up the first year of their entry-level contracts, or else be returned to their CHL teams.