A first-round draft pick is usually two years from making his way onto an National Hockey League (NHL) active roster. Most return to their junior club for a final year of spirited competition before their second training camp. The rare super prospect occasionally makes the jump to the big club in his draft year. Three Ukrainians selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft have followed uniquely distinctive paths into their pro careers. One made the NHL a year after being drafted, a second is spending his first pro year in the AHL (American Hockey League), while the third is finishing his juniors career with a flourish. Here are their profiles.
Curtis Lazar, an Ottawa Senator
Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray was only too happy to use the 17th overall 2013 selection on Edmonton Oil Kings center Curtis Lazar. Described as a super-competitive, hard-nosed scorer, Lazar recorded 61 points (38 goals) in 72 games with Edmonton in 2012-2013 and 76 points (41 goals) in 2013-2014. While his offensive numbers were impressive, he was viewed as a strong all-around forward. He earned a reputation for standing up for his teammates when necessary, as he showed in the 2013 CHL (Canadian Hockey League) Prospects Game when he dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse. His leadership skills came to the forefront from his Team Canada stint at the 2015 World Junior Championships.
Deciding to keep the young Ukrainian (on the paternal side) in Ottawa rather than returning him to the WHL (Western Hockey League) was an easy call for Senators management back in September 2014. He had an outstanding training camp, demonstrating that he can play a two-way game. He showed enthusiasm, ambition, confidence and an ability to kill penalties. For a young player, he was described as being very professional in his approach to the game. There was no doubt his experience with the World Junior Championship and Memorial Cup pressure served him well.
The kid who came into Team Canada’s 2015 camp late, was named captain and provided much of the spark for his Canadian team had completed filling his junior resume with a gold medal when Canada defeated Russia 5-4. His junior hockey trophy case filled up with his gold medal in the World Under-18 Championship and Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The 19-year-old forward returned to Ottawa in early January after a three-week trip to win that gold medal with Team Canada.
The Sens’ fourth-line center began seeing action on the wing, giving new coach Dave Cameron more flexibility and himself more value playing two positions. He scored his first NHL goal on December 15, 2014, against Buffalo; overall, his production was somewhat limited (6-9-15 points in 67 games). In seven games with Canada, he had 5-4-9 points, showing his offensive flair. The Senators saw a bit more offense from Lazar in the last few months of the 2014-2015 season. He was urged to shoot the puck more and it was hoped his time away from the NHL would boost his self-confidence. His swagger restored from some international success, Lazar began to show it can translate to his NHL game. He saw regular ice time (13 minutes per game) in Ottawa’s first round playoff loss to Montreal.
Hunter Shinkaruk, a Utica Comet
Hunter Shinkaruk, ranked fifth among North American skaters by Central Scouting heading into the 2013 draft, fell to No. 24 before being taken by the Vancouver Canucks. He came off a superb season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, tallying 37 goals and 47 points in 64 games. In 2013-2014 he notched 16 points in an injury-plagued season of only 18 games. His one liability and a major factor in his dropping down the draft boards was his height. He’s generously listed at 5-9, but possesses tons of offensive talent and is an effortless skater.
Shinkaruk recognizes the 2014-2015 season he spent with the AHL’s Utica Comets was a fresh start – his opportunity to start a promising professional career. At the tender age of 20, he was finding his game. His numbers through 74 games read 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points. Three of his goals were game-winners. Experience breeds confidence, which should lead to a serious training camp look-see with parent club Vancouver in September. His point totals are expected to rise based on his incredible ability to find the back of the net while playing juniors for Medicine Hat.
In three-plus seasons with the Tigers he racked up 219 points in 193 games, catching the attention of NHL scouts. Pressure comes with being a top draft pick, and Shinkaruk has felt it for over a year. On January 7, 2014, in Vail, Colo., Dr. Marc Philippon (a hip specialist) repaired Hunter’s torn labrum. The 18 games he played in 2013-2014 were very painful. The surgery essentially ended his juniors career. During rehab, Shinkaruk addressed gaining strength, adding 15 pounds in the off-season.
Physically he appeared to be in top shape in Utica. He continues to go about his work under a microscope. He was one of the last cuts at Canucks training camp in 2013, then again last fall. Remaining healthy is the preferred remedy for the young Ukrainian. Back in midgets he broke his right tibia and fibula. At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Shinkaruk seems to be making his way around AHL rinks with the authority of someone with a larger stature.
Each practice and road trip brought this prospect close to being a member of the Vancouver Canucks. When a player comes along with talent and drive like Shinkaruk, it is a matter of when, not if.
Morgan Klimchuk, a Brandon Wheat King
Morgan Klimchuk’s addition to the Calgary Flames organization was a bit sentimental. He is a Calgary product who grew up a Flames fan and ended up being the third of Calgary’s trio of first round picks at the 2013 NHL draft. He had a feeling the Flames were interested, having met with the team at the scouting combine, then a second time at the Scotia Bank Saddledome. He was bombarded with questions about the possibility of being drafted by the Flames. He regularly expressed the desire to play in his hometown, and Calgary obliged him.
As mentioned above, a first-round pick can be under pressure to produce results, particularly if the franchise that drafted you hasn’t had a first-rounder amount to much in several years. So one would presume Klimchuk would be under some considerable stress. For many reasons, this is not the case – Klimchuk is calm and collected, both on and off the ice.
The fifth player taken in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft, selected with Regina’s first pick, Klimchuk made his major-junior debut at the age of 15. At 16 he was a full-timer in the WHL, and by the time he was tapped by the Flames, 28th overall, he had 113 points in 144 games under his belt. It’s easy to be calm when you’ve been in the major-junior pressure cooker for so long. The circumstances of Klimchuk’s selection, coupled with the development since, have minimized the pressure around him.
Calgary selected Sean Monahan sixth overall and Emile Poirier 22nd overall prior to adding Klimchuk. One of the best players in the draft, Monahan made the jump to the NHL and is Calgary’s top center. Poirier turned pro this season and has been on a tear with Adirondack of the AHL. While Klimchuk played four AHL games with the Abbotsford Heat late last season, he will be the last of the 2013 first round trio to turn pro.
Klimchuk, traded from Regina to the Brandon Wheat Kings earlier this season, was met with little fanfare. With his team making a playoff push, the young Ukrainian prospect continued playing his smart 200-foot game. He learned a ton under the tutelage of long-time Brandon coach Kelly McCrimmon, his fourth coach in the past three seasons. The exposure to new coaching perspectives is crucial to growing his game.
Already signed to an entry-level NHL contract, Klimchuk would still be eligible to return to the WHL as an over-age player next year. Based on his consistently strong play at the major-junior level, (57 games played, 30 goals, 44 assists,74 points in 2013-2014 and 60-34-46-80 points in 2014-2015), expectations are he’ll be a pro player next season, probably pushing for a spot in Calgary. Before then Klimchuk was doing everything he could to get the Wheat Kings some hardware and add a championship to his junior resume. They came up just short, losing to Kelowna in the WHL’s finals.