If the Canucks don’t pick a defenceman with the seventh overall pick, they’ll have to do so soon after. In the 2017 draft, they picked two forwards in the second round instead of adding a defenceman. While it’s understandable that they went with Kole Lind and Jonah Gadjovich — they likely expected both of them to go much higher in the draft — adding more high-end defencemen prospects needs to be a priority.
Fortunately, you’re more likely to find a top-pairing defenceman outside the first round of the draft than a first-line forward. The list of great defencemen in the NHL that were picked outside the first round or went undrafted is long and includes multiple Norris Trophy winners.
There are multiple reasons why these defencemen didn’t get picked higher, from concerns over size, to playing in an underscouted league, but sometimes a good defenceman can be obscured by playing in the shadow of a great defenceman.
Kris Letang, for example, didn’t get drafted until the third round in 2005. He was playing in the shadow of the more highly regarded Luc Bourdon, who was selected 10th overall by the Vancouver Canucks. The two defencemen played on the same pairing and had literally the exact same points — 13 goals and 32 points in 70 games — but Letang was smaller and simply didn’t get as much hype as Bourdon.
Mattias Ekholm is another example. He was overshadowed by Oliver Ekman-Larsson in his draft year. Ekholm was just a few points behind Ekman-Larsson in the Allsvenskan, and was clearly good enough as a 17-year-old to play a significant role in a men’s league, but it was Ekman-Larsson that shone at international tournaments and got picked sixth overall. Ekholm, meanwhile, slid all the way to the fourth round.
In retrospect, P.K. Subban should obviously have been a first round pick, but slid to the second round instead. Perhaps it was because he was overshadowed by several younger defencemen in the OHL — Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, and Michael Del Zotto — who were still a year away from being eligible for the draft.
So let’s look at some defencemen that should be available outside the first round that are playing in the shadow of the top defencemen in the draft. These are not necessarily players that are completely under the radar, just ones that might be a bit better than they get credit for.
Also, this isn’t to say that these players are as good as the ones that will get picked at the top of the draft — there’s a reason they’re overshadowed — but that they might still end up as top pairing, or at least top-four, defencemen.
Nils Lundkvist
Overshadowed by Rasmus Dahlin
There’s no comparing to Rasmus Dahlin. The consensus number one pick of the draft is at another level. He’s elite on every level: skating, stickhandling, puck-moving, playmaking, and even defending. At 17, he played a full SHL season, averaging 19 minutes per game and scoring 20 points in 41 games.
That dynamic performance definitely overshadowed another Swedish defenceman who spent significant time in the SHL: Nils Lundkvist. While Lundkvist didn’t have the same impact as Dahlin, he still played 28 games in the SHL, tallying two goals and five points. He averaged 16 minutes per game for a pretty good Lulea team that made the playoffs.
Just playing in the SHL as a 17-year-old is a good sign and Lundkvist is on the younger end of the draft, as he doesn’t turn 18 until mid-July. When Lundkvist wasn’t in the SHL, he put up 14 points in 26 Superelit games and was named the Superelit’s best defenceman.
Lundkvist is described as a two-way defenceman who has a physical edge to his game that belies his 5’11” stature. He skates exceptionally well, makes a good first pass out of the defensive zone, and boasts a powerful right-handed shot, but what kept him in an SHL lineup was his hockey sense and defensive reads.
Lundkvist was considered a first-round talent by one draft ranking from Hockey Prospect, but most see him going in the second round. Lundkvist might be the best defenceman for the Canucks to target with the 37th pick.
Honourable mention goes to Adam Ginning, a 6’4” defenceman who also played 28 SHL games this season, but whose skating might hold him back. Still, he might be a good bet in the third or fourth round.
Scott Perunovich
Overshadowed by Quinn Hughes
Just one freshman defenceman had a better points-per-game than Quinn Hughes in the NCAA this past season, and he is also an undersized offensive defencemen. After getting passed over in the draft twice, Scott Perunovich demanded attention with a fantastic season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a solid showing at the World Junior Championship for Team USA.
Perunovich had 11 goals and 36 points in 42 NCAA games and boasts a similar skill set to Hughes, just at a slightly lower level. He’s a great skater, and is dynamic in the transition game, even if he’s not quite as fast or elusive as Hughes. His vision and playmaking are excellent, making him a capable power play quarterback, and he can also put the puck in the back of the net, primarily with his wrist shot.
While he is in his third year of eligibility, as a late August birthday, he’s really only 10 months older than Hughes. That’s still a significant amount of time in terms of development, but even accounting for his age, his NCAA season was spectacular. Perunovich’s skating and skill make this late bloomer worth taking a chance on late in the third round or early in the fourth.
Nicolas Beaudin
Overshadowed by Noah Dobson
Two first-time draft-eligible defencemen had 69 points in the QMJHL this season. One is going to be a top-10 draft pick. The other is unlikely to be picked until late in the second round.
There are some clear reasons why Noah Dobson is one of the top defencemen in the draft, as there are few flaws in his game and he has enormous potential. But Nicolas Beaudin should not be overlooked.
Beaudin scored 12 goals and 69 points in 68 games to led the Drummondville Voltigeurs in scoring. That’s an impressive feat for a defenceman and he continued his strong play in the playoffs, tying for the team-lead with 11 points in 10 games.
One scout described his skating as “effortless” and he boasts excellent vision and passing. “He’ll make passes other defencemen don’t even see,” said a scout in The Hockey News.
Beaudin’s shot is decent and getting better, but prefers to pass on the power play, setting up his teammates in dangerous positions with passes the opposition can’t seeing coming.
Defensively, Beaudin struggles at times because of his lack of size, but has the intelligence and hockey sense to make strides defensively as he adds weight and strength. “Beaudin is one of the smartest defencemen in this draft class,” claims Hockey Prospect, which is one of the few draft rankings to see him as a first-round pick.
It’s more likely that Beaudin is available in the second round. If Lundkvist isn’t available, Beaudin would be an intriguing option at 37th overall.
Axel Andersson
Overshadowed by Adam Boqvist
In some ways, Nils Lundkvist could be considered as being in the shadow of Adam Boqvist. After all, it was Lundkvist that was named the best defenceman in the Superelit, not Boqvist, and he hasn’t been far behind Boqvist at international tournaments.
Instead, let’s look at someone who played all season in the Superelit and outscored Boqvist, albeit in more games: Axel Andersson.
Andersson had 6 goals and 31 points in 42 games this season and made Sweden’s roster for both the Ivan Hlinka, Five Nations, and World Under-18 Championship.
The Swede is a mobile defenceman, who accelerates quickly to escape pressure and has great top speed. His style of play definitely fits the modern NHL, as he uses his skating and a great first pass to quickly transition the puck up ice.
Offensively, he shows impressive confidence, always wanting the puck on his stick. He quarterbacked the power play with his passing, but also has a big right-handed slap shot from the point.
From an analytics perspective, Andersson kept the puck moving in the right direction, but scouts point to some defensive deficiencies. If he can develop the defensive side of his game, he has the skill set to be a top-four defenceman in the NHL.
Judging by the majority of draft rankings, Andersson should be available in the third round. The Canucks have done some excellent scouting in Sweden in the past; it will be intriguing to see if they like the looks of Andersson.
Alec Regula
Overshadowed by Evan Bouchard
There isn’t really anyone in the OHL as a whole that has been overshadowed by Bouchard. For instance, everyone is well aware of Ryan Merkley, who was third in the OHL in scoring among defenceman, and he’s slid down draft rankings because of some serious defensive issues, not because of Bouchard.
Instead, I’m going to look even closer to home for Bouchard: his defence partner.
Alex Regula plays nothing like Evan Bouchard, which is a big reason why the two worked so well together. Regula is a big, steady, defensive defenceman, who provided stability on the back end while Bouchard rushed up ice to create offence.
There’s a lot to like about Regula, starting with his size at 6’4” and 200+ lbs. Scouts suggest that Regula is a good skater for his size, though he still has work to do in that area, and he’s praised for his intelligence, particularly in the defensive zone. His defensive reads are excellent and his size made him a tough opponent. He used his reach to close off options and easily won puck battles along the boards and in front of the net.
Along with his defensive game, however, Regula has an intriguing offensive skill set. Perhaps he didn’t get to use it as much with London’s offence running through Bouchard, but Regula has a good shot and has surprisingly good hands for his size.
Regula’s best offensive attribute, however, is his passing. While he prefers to make the simple play, he was adept at putting the puck right in the wheelhouse for his teammates, with Hockey Prospect noting that Regula regularly set up Bouchard for one-timers. Regula also used that passing ability to start the transition game.
While Regula has 62 points fewer than Bouchard, he was still second among Knights defencemen in scoring with 25 points in 67 games. In addition, he doesn’t turn 18 until August, so is 10 months younger than Bouchard. There’s a lot of room for growth in Regula’s game.
Regula might not project as a top pairing defenceman, but he is still a potential second-pairing defenceman that could play in every situation, and that makes him an intriguing option in the third round.
Calen Addison
Overshadowed by Ty Smith
Ty Smith should likely be getting a lot more attention as one of the best defencemen in this draft. He’s simply not as highly hyped as Quinn Hughes, Adam Boqvist, Noah Dobson, or Evan Bouchard, but he could be just as good as that group. CanucksArmy’s more analytics-influenced rankings have him ahead of Dobson and Boqvist, for example.
Smith was the top-scoring first-time draft-eligible defenceman in the WHL this season, but Calen Addison wasn’t far behind. Addison put up 11 goals and 65 points in 68 games and is a dynamic offensive defenceman.
Addison has also stepped up in big games, leading all Team Canada defencemen with 2 goals and 6 points in 5 games at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, and putting up 7 goals and 19 points in 16 WHL playoff games.
Addison’s skating is his strongest asset, as he boasts excellent acceleration, agility, and top speed. He needs it, as he’s another of the many undersized offensive defencemen in this draft. Addison is 5’10” and a little under 180 lbs.
Addison has a surprisingly heavy shot despite his smaller size, but primarily used his passing on the power play, where he racked up 37 of his 65 points, leading all first-time draft-eligible defencemen in the WHL. His 35 power play assists tied for the league lead among all defencemen.
If you’re looking for a right-hand shot to run your power play, then Addison might be your guy. The issue is on defence, which is where he falls far short of Ty Smith. Scouts point to a tendency to cheat offensively that hurts the defensive side of his game. Combine that with his lack of size and it’s no wonder that he’ll likely be a second-round pick.
Still, that dynamic ability to create offence is awfully tempting. While he wouldn’t be my first pick at 37th overall for the Canucks, there’s a lot of potential for Addison to make teams that pass on him look foolish.
