For the Canucks, picking a defenceman with the seventh overall pick makes a lot of sense. Not only is it the area of biggest need in the Canucks’ system, the top of the 2018 draft features a number of fantastic prospects on defence.
There’s a possibility, however, that the best player available when it’s the Canucks’ turn at the podium won’t be a defenceman at all. Should the Canucks eschew a defenceman at seventh overall and pick forward Oliver Wahlstrom instead?
While defence is certainly the Canucks’ biggest need, it’s far from their only need. The Canucks badly need top-six forwards as well, particularly of the goal-scoring variety, and those are harder to come by later in the draft, whereas top defencemen frequently get picked outside the first round.
If the Canucks want a potential first-line forward, who could develop into a perpetual 30-goal winger in the NHL, Wahlstrom should be their guy.
Wahlstrom has been compared to Brock Boeser, and for good reason. Wahlstrom is a sniper with arguably the best shot in the entire draft, and he’s a right-handed shot to boot. What’s key for Wahlstrom is that he’s not dependent on any one kind of shot. He has a lethal one-timer, a quick-release snap shot, and a deadly-accurate wrist shot.
“He can shoot with guys hanging off him, he can shoot at speed, he can shoot from awkward angles,” said one scout in The Hockey News. “He can turn a corner on a guy and shoot while he’s putting his hip out.”
It’s that ability to get his shot off in any situation that makes scouts believe that his goal-scoring ability will translate to the NHL. You can try to shut one aspect of Wahlstrom’s scoring down, but you can’t tackle all of them at once.
TSN’s Craig Button goes so far as to compare Wahlstrom to Mike Bossy. Yes, comparing a 17-year-old kid to one of the greatest goalscorers of all time is entirely unfair, but he said it repeatedly. I’m just passing along information.
Wahlstrom was unstoppable in the USHL this past season, leading all skaters in goals-per-game and finishing second behind only 16-year-old wunderkind Jack Hughes in points-per-game. He had 22 goals and 45 points in 26 USHL games, which was, for the record, well ahead of Boeser’s draft year in goals and points per game.
Wahlstrom was also fantastic with the US National Team Development Program, scoring 48 goals and 94 points in 62 games to lead the U-18 team, though he was again behind Hughes in points per game. At the World Under-18 Championship, Wahlstrom scored 7 goals in 7 games and added a couple assists.
Where Wahlstrom separates himself from Boeser, and is the reason he’s expected to be a top-ten pick rather than go late in the first round, is all the other aspects of his game.
International Scouting Services ranks his shot first in the draft class, but also ranks him first in stickhandling, as he has quick, soft hands that he uses to evade pokechecks, cut around defenders into scoring areas, or undress a goaltender. Combined with his ability to protect the puck with his strength and size — he’s already over 200 lbs — Wahlstrom is a nightmare for opposing defenders, as it sometimes seems impossible to get the puck off his stick.
When the puck does leave his stick, it’s usually a tape-to-tape pass to a teammate in a dangerous scoring area. He’s just as adept at setting up his teammates for scoring chances as he is creating them for himself, thanks to his excellent vision and high hockey IQ.
On top of that, Wahlstrom is a great skater. While he may not be at the level of the top skaters in the draft, he has great top speed and can create space for himself with his agility and stickhandling.
The lone knocks on Wahlstrom are in regards to his consistency and defensive game, but multiple scouting reports suggest those are also the aspects of his game that have seen the biggest growth this season.
“He’s the kind of player who puts his body on the line and can hustle back to bottleneck opposing scoring chances,” says the scouting report from Future Considerations. “He uses his speed effectively on the backcheck and, when needed, he can use his body to separate an opponent from the puck.”
With all of those attributes, you might wonder why Wahlstrom isn’t ranked in the same tier as the likes of Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina. No major draft ranking has him higher than fifth overall, though none have him lower than tenth. He’s wondered the same thing.
“I feel I'm right up with those guys," said Wahlstrom to NHL.com. "If you look at how I produced this year I am right up with them.”
"I think my game is [being] a big, strong power forward with a lot of skill and creativity but I think my shot is my biggest asset," he added. "Humbly, I believe I have the best shot in this draft. I work on it every day."
Essentially, Wahlstrom is a can't-miss prospect. It's hard to imagine him as anything less than a second-line forward in the NHL and it's equally hard to put a ceiling on his potential.
There is, perhaps, a reason for concern in terms of how much Wahlstrom is like Boeser. Wahlstrom’s preferred position on the power play is at the left faceoff circle, where he can best use his shot. He also projects as a first-line right winger, even if some publications list him at centre.
The counterpoint is simple: you can never have enough good players. Having a first-line talent on your second line isn’t really an issue. Wingers frequently play both sides of the ice, so surely one of Boeser or Wahlstrom could play left wing. And power play formations can be adjusted and adapted to the players available: Wahlstrom could easily play in the slot or down low, or both power play units could feature a right-shot sniper at the left faceoff circle.
There's also the outside chance that Wahlstrom shifts back to centre when he plays at Harvard next season, as he'll no longer be linemates with natural centre Jack Hughes. If he's versatile enough to play at both centre and on the wing, he should be a fit almost anywhere in the lineup.
All of this is just spitballing, of course, and it depends on Wahlstrom continuing to develop from his current promising position. I’m just making the point that if your argument against picking a prospect is that he’s too much like the best player on your team, you don’t have a good argument.
Is it worth taking Wahlstrom ahead of the defencemen who might be available at seventh overall? Perhaps. Personally, I would take Quinton Hughes ahead of Wahlstrom, but I would rank him ahead of Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard, and Adam Boqvist.
Aside from the defencemen, it might be interesting if both Brady Tkachuk and Wahlstrom are available at seventh overall. Do you take the gritty, playmaking centre or the sniper with more finesse? That’s a much tougher question to answer.
