Day two of the NHL Draft was today and, as expected, it featured a ton of BCHL talent. After Alex Newhook was selected 16th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1 yesterday, seven more players from the league were chosen today in rounds two to seven.
The eight players were the most selected since the NHL went from nine to seven rounds in the draft in 2005.
On top of the eight players drafted from the league, there were five more drafted that are committed to BCHL teams in 2019-20, bringing the total of current and future players selected to 13.
Here’s a recap of the seven players taken on day two of the NHL Draft.
Alexander Campbell (Victoria Grizzlies) – Round 3 (65th overall), Nashville Predators
Campbell was the second BCHL player to be taken after his teammate Alex Newhook went in the first round yesterday. The Chateauguay, Que. native will join an organization that already features BCHL alum Dante Fabbro.
Campbell, the BCHL Rookie of the Year, is eager to join a team that already has so many good pieces in place.
“They’ve got a hell of an organization,” he said. “A great group of forwards, defencemen and great goaltending, obviously. They’ve got a lot of good prospects coming up as well.”
Reflecting on his time with the Grizzlies, he recognizes the quality of the program they are running and how it helped raise his draft stock.
“Going into the year, I wasn’t on anyone’s lists, so I didn’t really have any expectations,” he said. “I had an amazing year [in Victoria]. I definitely don’t regret going there at all.”
Campbell is committed to Clarkson University.
Layton Ahac (Prince George Spruce Kings) – Round 3 (86th overall), Vegas Golden Knights
Ahac was another player who saw his draft stock rise after a successful season in the BCHL. The two-year veteran of the league played his best hockey during the 2018-19 playoffs where he had 17 points in 17 games and led the Spruce Kings to a league title.
Being a local kid from North Vancouver, he was happy to have plenty of friends and family in the building cheering him on.
“My whole family is out,” he said. “I’ve also got tons of friends and past coaches who live locally. Their support has just been tremendous.”
After he heard his name called, he explained his decision to go the BCHL route and how his relationship with Prince George head coach Adam Maglio exceled his development.
“I went with my gut feeling. I went to Prince George and I fell in love with it there. I thought, ‘I want to play here and I want to play for this guy.’
“[Maglio] is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had and I got to have him for two full years. He saw something in me that maybe others didn’t see. He always pushed me to be my best and I’m super grateful for him.”
Ahac will make the jump to the NCAA next season with Ohio State University.
Carter Berger (Victoria Grizzlies) – Round 4 (106th overall), Florida Panthers
In his third season in the league, Berger led all BCHL defencemen with 27 goals and was named a First-Team All-Star.
Another North Vancouver product, Berger got to experience being drafted in his hometown, which was extra satisfying after he was passed over in last year’s draft.
“It’s pretty special,” he said. “It’s always in the back of your mind, all season long, playing with a bit of a chip on your shoulder.”
With the college route to the pros generally allowing for more time to develop, Berger thought all along that this was the best option for himself and his game.
“I’m a late bloomer,” he said. “The college route offers you so much time to develop. You obviously want to make that step to pro hockey as soon as possible, but at the same time you don’t want to rush it. The college path is perfect for that.”
Berger credits his own self-belief as well as playing with talented players as the main reasons why he was able to excel offensively this season.
“It’s just confidence,” he said. “It also helps when you have such a skilled team. I’m the third guy from our team getting drafted this year. That’s pretty rare, especially for a BCHL team.”
Despite going undrafted last year, Berger was invited to Anaheim Ducks rookie camp last June. Heading into this year’s camp with Florida, he will hope to draw on his experience with Anaheim.
“Last year, going in, I was a little bit nervous and jittery,” he said. “This will be my second time around, so I know what to expect and I’ll be a lot more comfortable.”
Berger will head to the University of Connecticut in 2019-20.
Harrison Blaisdell (Chilliwack Chiefs) – Round 5 (134th overall), Winnipeg Jets
Blaisdell led the Chiefs in goals last season with 33 and finished the year with 58 points in 51 games.
After two years in Chilliwack and with a national championship under his belt from 2018, Blaisdell explained why choosing the BCHL was the perfect fit for him on his path to the NCAA.
“It was a good jump for me coming out of midget,” he said. “It’s an older league and there’s a lot of skilled players and it moves fast…Just getting prepared for North Dakota next year and playing that faster hockey was really good for me.”
His father Mike played nine seasons in the NHL and went through the draft himself back in 1980 when he was selected 10th overall by the Detroit Red Wings, so Harrison was able to lean on his dad’s experience during this stressful time.
“He’s been super supportive,” said Harrison. “He’s super calm and has taught me how to deal with this kind of stuff. It’s been really helpful to have him around.”
Blaisdell will play for the University of North Dakota next season.
Logan Neaton (Prince George Spruce Kings) – Round 5 (144th overall), Winnipeg Jets
The Jets took back-to-back BCHL players with their two fifth-round picks, taking Neaton at 144 overall after taking Blaisdell earlier in the round. The Brighton, Mich. native wasn’t on any draft rankings heading into the draft, but the selection is well desereved as Neaton finished the regular season with the seventh-best goals-against average in BCHL history at 1.92. He was even better in the playoffs where he went 16-1 with a 1.46 goals-against and a .940 save percentage, leading the SpruceKings to a Fred Page Cup title.
“It’s such an honour to be drafted by the Winnipeg Jets,” he said via Twitter. “Thank you to my friends, family, teammates and coaches for all the support along the way. I’m excited for what the future holds.”
Neaton is committed to UMass-Lowell.
Kevin Wall (Chilliwack Chiefs) – Round 6 (181st overall), Carolina Hurricanes
Another player who wasn’t on many people’s radar heading into the season, Wall, from Fairport, N.Y., immediately impressed teammates, fans and scouts with his goal-scoring ability this season.
He led all BCHL rookies with 31 goals and was named a First-Team All-Star and a member of the All-Rookie Team.
In November, he earned a scholarship to Penn State University where he will play the 2019-20 season.
Massimo Rizzo (Penticton Vees) – Round 7 (216th overall), Carolina Hurricanes
Rizzo was the second BCHL player chosen by Carolina after they selected Wall the previous round.
After missing the first two months of the season, the Burnaby, B.C. native had eight assists in his first seven games back in the Penticton lineup. Shortly after that, he found his goal-scoring touch and ended the season at over a point a game with 40 in 37 contests.
Rizzo is committed to the University of North Dakota for 2019-20.
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There were also several players selected who are committed to BCHL teams in 2019-20, including:
- Jayden Struble (Victoria Grizzlies) – Round 2 (46th overall), Montreal Canadiens
- Cade Webber (Penticton Vees) – Round 4 (99th overall), Carolina Hurricanes
- Cooper Moore (Chilliwack Chiefs) – Round 5 (128th overall), Detroit Red Wings
- Nikita Nesterenko (Chilliwack Chiefs) – Round 6 (172nd overall), Minnesota Wild
- Keiran Ruscheinski (Salmon Arm Silverbacks) – Round 7 (206th overall), Montreal Canadiens
Two former BCHL players were also taken in the draft:
- Max Crozier (former Nanaimo Clipper) – Round 4 (120th overall), Tampa Bay Lightning
- Henrik Rybinski (former Coquitlam Express) – Round 5 (136th overall), Florida Panthers
Quick hitters:
- The highest number of BCHL players chosen in a single NHL Draft was in 2004 when 12 were taken.
- Three Victoria Grizzlies players were selected in the 2019 draft, marking the first time that’s happened since 2004 when the Salmon Arm Silverbacks had four players chosen.
- Three of the eight BCHL players selected are from B.C. and six of eight are from Canada
