2021 NHL entry draft: Full first-round coverage of the Kraken’s first amateur draft

Round 1, Pick 32: Nolan Allan, Chicago Blackhawks

Position: Defenseman

Height, weight: 6-2, 195

Amateur league, team: WHL, Prince Albert

Round 1, Pick 31: Logan Mailloux, Montreal Canadiens

Position: Defenseman

Height, weight: 6-3, 212

Amateur league, team: GOJHL, London

Round 1, Pick 30: Zach Dean, Vegas Golden Knights

Position: Center

Height, weight: 6-0, 176

Amateur league, team: QMJHL, Gatineau

Round 1, Pick 29: Chase Stillman, New Jersey Devils

Position: Right wing

Height, weight: 6-1, 180

Amateur league, team: OHL, Sudbury

Round 1, Pick 28: Oskar Olausson, Colorado Avalanche

Position: Right wing

Height, weight: 6-1, 180

Amateur league, team: Sweden, HV 71

Round 1, Pick 27: Zachary L'Heureux, Nashville Predators

Position: Left wing

Height, weight: 5-11, 196

Amateur league, team: QMJHL, Halifax

Round 1, Pick 26: Carson Lambos, Minnesota Wild

Position: Defenseman

Height, weight: 6-1, 197

Amateur league, team: WHL, Winnipeg

Round 1, Pick 25: Corson Ceulemans, Columbus Blue Jackets

Position: Defenseman

Height, weight: 6-2, 198

Amateur league, team: AJHL, Brooks

Round 1, Pick 24: Mackie Samoskevich, Florida Panthers

Position: Right wing

Height, weight: 5-11, 191

Amateur league, team: USHL, Chicago

Round 1, Pick 22: Wyatt Johnston, Dallas Stars

Position: Center

Height, weight: 6-1, 178

Amateur league, team: OHL, Windsor Spitfires

Round 1, Pick 22: Xavier Bourgault, Edmonton Oilers

Position: Center

Height, weight: 6-0, 172

Amateur league, team: QMJHL, Shawinigan Cataractes

Round 1, Pick 21: Fabian Lysell, Boston Bruins

Position: Right wing

Height, weight: 5-10, 172

Amateur league, team: Sweden, Luleå HF

Round 1, Pick 20: Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

Birthdate: Nov. 14, 2002

Birthplace: Vasteras, Sweden 

Position: Goaltender

Catches: Left

Height, weight: 6-3, 212

Last team: Lulea HF/Swedish Hockey League

Notable: Made senior debut with Lulea HF in the SHL during the 2020-21 season, playing in 22 games. … Had a goals-against average of 2.23 and a save percentage of .908 while adding two shutouts. … Lulea HF went 12-10-0 with Wallstedt in goal. … Appeared in two playoff games during the 2020-21 season, going 0-1-0 with a 3.36 GAA and a .871 SV percentage.

Quotable: “I’ve always trusted myself and believed in myself. I have always known that I can get to where I am right now and get even further. Before this season, I have played three years in the under-20 league. I haven’t hurried up to play men’s hockey. I prepared as well as possible in Lulea to get ready for the SHL team, when at the time I felt that I was ready for it. When I go out there on the ice, it was just about winning the game for the team.” – Wallstedt, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 19: Fedor Svechkov, Nashville Predators

Birthdate: April 5, 2003

Birthplace: Togliatti, Russia 

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-0, 179

Last team: HC Lada Togliatti/Supreme Hockey League (VHL)

Notable: Played 38 games for HC Lada Togliatti in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier hockey league during the 2020-21 season. … Scored five goals and assisted 10 to finish the season with 15 points. … Also played 15 games in the MHL, Russia’s junior league, for HC Ladia Togliatti during the 2020-21 season. … Will move up to the KHL, Russia’s premier hockey league next season with SKA St. Petersburg, where he signed a contract until 2023.

Round 1, Pick 18: Chaz Lucius, Winnipeg Jets

Birthdate: May 2, 2003

Birthplace: Grant, Minnesota

Position: Center

Shoots: Right

Height, weight: 6-1, 185

Last team: U.S. national U-18 team

Notable: Played in 13 games with the U.S. national U-18 team in 2020-21. … Registered 13 goals and seven assists for 20 total points. … Committed to Minnesota for the 2021-22 season but is draft-eligible. … Also spent time during the 2020-21 season with the U.S. national team development program juniors, where he played 12 games, scoring 13 goals and assisting five for 18 points. 

Quotable: “My goal-scoring is definitely the top of the line in this draft, and I know it’s that. “And then I’ve also got puck protection skills. I’m 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and I use that to get down low and get into tight areas to not only score from the top of the circles with my shot but also to score down low. And then with my passing abilities and with my transition game, I can find the open guy.” – Lucius, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 17: Zachary Bolduc, St. Louis Blues

Birthdate: Feb. 24, 2003

Birthplace: Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada  

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-1, 174

Last team: Rimouski Oceanic/Quebec Major Juniors Hockey League

Notable: Appeared in 27 games for Rimouski Oceanic in 2020-21. … Scored 10 goals and added 19 assists for 29 points. … Played in 55 games for Rimouski Oceanic in 2019-20, scoring 30 goals and assisting 22 for 52 points to earn QMJHL Rookie of the Year. … Coming off a lower-body injury which kept him out more than a month and a half this season.

Quotable: "The NHL player that I try to model my game after is Evgeni Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals. The reason why I try to model my game after him is because he can play at center or on the wing. He can skate pretty well, too, and he has a pretty good shot." – Bolduc, to Sportsnet

Round 1, Pick 16: Brennan Othmann, New York Rangers

Birthdate: Jan. 5, 2003

Birthplace: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Position: Left wing

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-0, 174

Last team: EHC Olten/National League

Notable: Played the 2020-21 season with EHC Olten in the Swiss National League on loan from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds. … Made 34 appearances for EHC Olten, racking up seven goals and nine assists for 16 points, also accruing 64 penalty minutes. … Spent the 2019-20 season with the Firebirds, making 55 appearances while scoring 16 and assisting 17. … Son of Gery Othmann and nephew of Robert Othmann, who both played professional hockey in Switzerland. … Eligible to play for Canada and Switzerland at the international level. 

Quotable: “I know it’s going to take hard work and it’s going to be a grind play in a top-six role, but what I learned over in Switzerland is really going to make the transition a lot easier. It was a great decision. I have no regrets going.” -- Othmann, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 15: Sebastian Cossa, Detroit Red Wings

Birthdate: Nov. 21, 2002

Birthplace: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Position: Goaltender

Catches: Left

Height, weight: 6-6, 212

Last team: Edmonton Oil Kings/Western Hockey League

Notable: Played 19 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2020-21. … Had a goals-against average of 1.57, the lowest of his career, and a save percentage of .941, also a career best. … Added four shutouts as the Oil Kings went 17-1-1 in games Cossa played in. … His GAA and save percentage are Oil Kings franchise records. … Made WHL debut during 2019-20 season with the Oil Kings, playing 33 games with a 2.23 GAA and a .921 save percentage, with the Oil Kings going 21-6-3 before the season was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Quotable: “I’m just confident with my game, the work I’ve put in. I don’t see anything stopping me from where I want to be.” – Cossa, to the Edmonton Sun

Round 1, Pick 14: Isak Rosen, Buffalo Sabres

Birthdate: March 15, 2003

Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

Position: Left wing/right wing

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 5-11, 161

Last team: Leksands IF/Swedish Hockey League

Notable: Appeared in 22 games for Leksands IF in 2020-21. … Assisted once. … Played in 12 games for Leksands IF J20, scoring seven and assisting five on his way to 12 points. … During the 2019-20 season playing for Leksands IF J20, he played in 38 games, scoring 21 and assisting 14 goals. … Son of former Swedish hockey player Roger Rosen and nephew of former Swedish hockey player Johan Rosen.

Round 1, Pick 13: Matthew Coronato, Calgary Flames

Birthdate: Nov. 14, 2002

Birthplace: New York

Position: Left wing

Shoots: Right

Height, weight: 5-10, 183

Last team: Chicago Steel/U.S. Hockey League

Notable: Played 51 games with the Chicago Steel during the 2020-21 season. … Scored 48 goals and assisted 37 for 85 points on his way to being named the top forward in the USHL. … Committed to Harvard for 2021-22. … Played in eight playoff games with Chicago during the 2020-21 season, scoring nine and assisting four. 

Quotable: “I think I understand and know that my work ethic is, if not the biggest part of my game, one of them. So going into every game, I’m mentally prepared, I’m mentally focused, as well as physically prepared. I know going into every night I want to be ready to go and ready to work every single shift.” – Coronato, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 12: Cole Sillinger, Columbus Blue Jackets

Birthdate: May 16, 2003

Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-0, 201

Last team: Sioux Falls Stampede/U.S. Hockey League

Notable: Played 34 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2020-21. … Scored 24 goals and registered 22 assists. … Represents Canada at the international level. … Spent the 2019-20 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL, where he played 48 games, scoring 22 and assisting 31 to record 53 points, finishing the season at plus-19. … Son of former NHL player Mike Sillinger, and brothers Lukas and Owen play college hockey at Bemidji State. 

Quotable: “I’d tell you that I would be a professional hockey player someday. I never really tried to look at any other career or anything I wanted to do. The things I do every day are towards that end goal.” – Sillinger, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 10: Tyler Boucher, Ottawa Senators

Birthdate: Jan. 16, 2003

Birthplace: Haddonfield, New Jersey 

Position: Left wing/right wing

Shoots: Right

Height, weight: 6-1, 201

Last team: U.S. national U-18 team

Notable: Appeared 12 times for the U.S. national U-18 Team in 2020-21. … Registered six goals and five assists for 11 points. … Committed to Boston University for the 2021-22 season. … Also spent time with the U.S. national U-17 Team and USNTDP Juniors. … Son of former NHL goaltender Brian Boucher.

Quotable: “I see myself as a guy who can play anywhere in the lineup. That’s what is kind of special about my game. I can play anywhere. I see myself as a top-six guy. I can be a first-line guy, or I can be anywhere in the lineup and still be effective in all spots.” – Boucher, to EP Rinkside

Round 1, Pick 9: Dylan Guenther, Arizona Coyotes

Birthdate: April 10, 2003

Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Position: Left wing/right wing

Shoots: Right

Height, weight: 6-1, 181

Last team: Edmonton Oil Kings/Western Hockey League

Notable: Played 12 games for the Oil Kings in 2020-21. … Scored 12 goals and registered 12 assists for 24 points and finished the season at plus-19. … Spent part of the year on loan with the Sherwood Park Crusaders in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, scoring three and assisting two in four games.

Quotable: "Being a guy who creates offense, that's really my strength and my game, I think it's important to be able to do both. I think if I'm getting a shot off, or I'm shooting, I think being able to find open ice is really a huge part of that. I think when I have the puck on my stick, I'm obviously a threat to shoot and score still, but you can also make plays from that, which is also a big part of my game." – Guenther, to Sports Illustrated

Round 1, Pick 8: Brandt Clarke, Los Angeles Kings

Birthdate: Feb. 9, 2003

Birthplace: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Height, weight: 6-2, 190

Last team: HC Nove Zamky/Slovak Extraliga

Notable: Played 26 games with HC Nove Zamky in Slovakia’s Slovak Extraliga in 2020-21 on loan from Ontario Hockey League team Barrie Colts. … Scored five goals and added 10 assists for HC Nove Zamky. … Played 57 games for the Barrie Colts in the OHL during the 2019-20 season, registering six goals and 32 assists for 38 points. … Also collected 38 penalty minutes during his season with the Colts. … Brother of New Jersey Devils prospect Graeme Clarke and women’s prospect Mackenzie Clarke.

Quotable: “Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been able to move pretty good. In Slovakia I was playing against men, and I was able to get around them, I don’t want to say with ease, but I was able to keep up with them. I could burn some defenseman wide. People say my stride is unorthodox, and maybe it is orthodox, but I’m in the right spot all the time. I think the game ahead of the play. People say I’m on my inside edges a lot, but I feel like that just saves me an extra half-second. I just lift one foot, and I’m already ready to push one way and push the other way.” – Clarke, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 7: William Eklund, San Jose Sharks

Birthdate: Oct. 12, 2002 

Birthplace: Haninge, Sweden

Position: Center/left wing

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 5-10, 172

Last team: Djurgardens IF/Swedish Hockey League

Notable: Played in 40 games for Djurgardens IF in 2020-21. … Registered 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. … Made senior debut in 2019-20 season, playing in 20 games and adding two assists. … Played in three playoff games for Djurgardens IF in 2020-21, contributing a goal and an assist. … Registered just two penalty minutes despite playing in 40 games. … Son of former player Christian Eklund and older brother of future prospect Victor Eklund. 

Quotable: “There’s going to be times when you have injuries and have to work really hard, mentally and be mentally tough. You have to focus on the next thing to get back playing again.” – Eklund, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 6: Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings

Birthdate: Feb. 5, 2003

Birthplace: Onsala, Sweden

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-5, 207

Last team: Frolunda HC/Swedish Hockey League

Notable: Played 10 games for Frolunda HC in 2020-21, making his senior debut this season. … Notched one assist in 10 games for one point. … Played 14 games for the Frolunda HC U-20 team in the J20 Nationell, registering one goal and five assists for six points. … Spent part of the 2020-21 season on loan from Frolunda HC to Vasteras IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second division, where he played 14 games and had five assists. 

Quotable: “I haven’t always had my hands. Whenever I’ve gone through my game to see what I can do to get more ice time since a young age, I’ve known that I’ve needed to be a good puck handler, and then I’ve literally worked on it every day to get comfortable with the puck and be strong at it.” – Edvinsson, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 5: Kent Johnson, Columbus Blue Jackets

Birthdate: Oct. 18, 2002

Birthplace: Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-1, 165

Last team: University of Michigan

Notable: Played 26 games with Michigan in 2020-21. … Scored nine goals and assisted 18 for 27 points to finish plus-16. … Named to Big Ten All-Freshman team and was an All-Big-Ten honorable-mention selection. … Ranked second in rookie scoring in the Big Ten, third nationally in rookie points per game. … Finished as Michigan’s second-highest scorer in 2020-21 season. … Brother Kyle Johnson plays for Yale. 

Quotable: “There was definitely a time I didn’t believe I could be a first-round pick. When I was younger even, you know, other people dream of going first overall, and I guess I was just a little bit different. I guess a bit more realistic. I dreamed more about being the last pick of the seventh round. I believed I could make it to the NHL, I still do, but I didn’t know I’d have a chance to make it happen this quickly.” – Johnson, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 4: Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils

Birthdate: Sep. 9, 2003

Birthplace: Canton, Michigan 

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6 -2, 176

Last team: U.S. national U-18 team

Notable: Played in 38 games with the U.S. national U-18 team in 2020-21. … Registered six goals and 28 assists for 34 points. … Committed to Michigan for the 2021-22 season but is draft-eligible. … Finished the season plus-11. … Earned a silver medal at the 2020 USA World U17 Hockey Challenge but missed the 2021 World Championships due to injury. … Brother of Vancouver Canucks’ Quin Hughes and New Jersey Devils’ Jack Hughes, both first-round picks.

Quotable: “I think (Quinn and Jack) kind of taught me going into the year that you’ve got to be ready for everything, and you’ve got to stay level-minded. You can’t get too high or low going through the year. I think that really applies to me this year because with all the COVID implications and getting shut down and quarantined at numerous times throughout the year, I think you’ve got to stay level-headed. That was one big piece of advice they gave me throughout the draft year.” – Luke Hughes, to The Athletic

Round 1, Pick 3: Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks

Birthdate: Jan. 30, 2003

Birthplace: Zurich, Switzerland

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-2, 207

Last team: EHC Olten/National League

Notable: Spent 2020-21 with EHC Olten in the Swiss National League on loan from Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League. … Played in 13 games for EHC Olten, registering nine goals and two assists for 11 points. … Represents Canada at the International level. … Played 57 games for Peterborough in 2019-20, scoring 29 and assisting 13 for 42 points. … Son of former Canadian player Dale McTavish, brother of CCHL 2 player Darian McTavish 

Quotable: “A lot of the guys were older and stronger than I’m used to, and I knew I had to be on my ‘A’ game. It’s their job at the end of the day. It’s not like junior where you just go to practice, lace them up and go home. If you have a bad practice, they’re not hesitant to just throw you in the stands the next game. It’s tough, but it brings the best out of everybody and I really enjoyed it. I love Switzerland. It’s a great place to play and live. Once you adjust you learn to appreciate it. It was special going over there.” McTavish, to The Athletic

Kraken general manager Ron Francis was known throughout his Hall of Fame career for his unrelenting centerman play at both ends of the ice.

And on Friday the GM selected arguably the best two-way amateur center on the planet in Matthew Beniers, 18, with the No. 2 overall pick in the NHL entry draft. Beniers, a 6-foot-1, 174-pounder from Hingham, Massachusetts, centered the University of Michigan’s top line his recently-completed freshman season. 

He also played for gold-medal-winning Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in January and again against NHL players at the IIHF World Championship in May. Beniers is considered close to NHL-ready, though he has spoken about leaning toward returning to Michigan for another season depending on what the drafting team wanted.

Though the Kraken stunned a few prognosticators with some of its picks in Wednesday’s NHL expansion draft, this time around the team took the player most figured it would go with — especially after the Buffalo Sabres took Beniers’ Michigan teammate and the consensus No. 1 overall choice, defenseman Owen Power.

Read more here.

Round 1, Pick 2: Matthew Beniers, Seattle Kraken

Birthdate: Nov. 5, 2002 

Birthplace: Hingham, Massachusetts

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-1, 174

Last team: University of Michigan

Notable: Played 24 games with Michigan. … Scored 10 goals and assisted on 14 for 24 points in his lone college season. … Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and was an All-Big Ten honorable-mention selection. … Originally committed to Harvard but transferred after the Ivy League announced it would not play the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. … Played in 44 games for the U.S. national U-18 team “A” in the U.S. Development Program, where he registered 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. … Won bronze medal with the U.S. at the 2021 World Championships. … Has indicated he may return to Michigan. 

Quotable: “I would say either my hockey IQ or my ability to play in all situations. Just my ability to play defense, produce offensively, but also and play penalty kill, power play, kind of whatever they need, I can fill that role or whatever role they want me to fill.” – Beniers, to Sound of Hockey

Round 1, Pick 1: Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres

Birthdate: Nov. 22, 2002 

Birthplace: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Height, weight: 6-5, 214

Last team: University of Michigan

Notable: Played in 26 games with Michigan. … Scored three goals and assisted on 13 for 16 points in his lone college season. … Recorded just six penalty minutes despite playing defense. … Spent 2019-20 season with Chicago Steel in USHL, where he won Defenseman of the Year, amassing 40 points in 45 games with 12 goals and 28 assists. … Won gold medal with Canada at the 2021 World Championships. … Named to Big Ten All-Freshman team, and All-Big-Ten second team. … Has indicated he will consider returning to Michigan for one more season.

Quotable: “Once the draft is over, no one really cares when you went in the draft. You have to put in the work to get a spot on the NHL team, then earn the right to be a top player in the NHL.” – Power, to ESPN

The Arizona Coyotes pulled off a blockbuster trade in the hours leading up to the NHL draft, sending captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland to the Vancouver Canucks for the No. 9 selection, a 2022 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-rounder and three veteran forwards.

It was the third major trade made before the first round began Friday night.

Read more here.

The Buffalo Sabres launched their offseason overhaul Friday by trading veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Buffalo acquired fifth-year defenseman Robert Hagg and the Flyers first-round pick, 14th overall, in a trade struck hours before the Sabres were scheduled to select first in the NHL draft. The acquired pick from Philadelphia is actually 13th in the draft order after the NHL stripped the Arizona Coyotes of their first-round pick, 11th overall, for testing players in violation of NHL combine policy.

Buffalo also acquired Philadelphia’s second-round pick in the 2023 draft.

Read more here.

One draft is done, and a more traditional one is upcoming Friday for a Kraken team insisting the NHL players it has already taken won’t impact those amateur ones still to be selected.

With 30 NHL players chosen Wednesday by the Kraken in the expansion draft, the upcoming entry draft of amateur prospects sees general manager Ron Francis and his crew picking No. 2 overall in Friday’s 5 p.m. opening round and third in each of the next six rounds starting at 8 a.m. Saturday. Kraken amateur scouting director Robert Kron said the influx of defensive-oriented players chosen from NHL teams in the expansion draft has little bearing on amateur prospects the club will target.

“I don’t think it affects us at all going into the amateur draft,’’ Kron said. “I don’t think it makes any difference as to what we’re going to do.’’

Most draft pundits feel the Kraken’s first-round decision effectively comes down to two players — consensus No. 1 overall pick Owen Power, a defenseman from the University of Michigan, and his teammate, center Matthew Beniers.

Read more here.