NHL Draft Day 2 recap

With the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in the books and the Canucks having added Quinn Hughes with the 7thoverall selection, the organization turned their eyes to the rounds 2-7.

Starting the day with five picks, there were plenty of teams moving up and down the draft board and one such deal saw the Canucks add a pick for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
They eagerly waited to make their first choice and with the 37thoverall pick, the Canucks selected Moose Jaws Warriors defender Jett Woo. The right-handed defender posted nine goals and sixteen assists in forty-four games this past season. That number may not jump off the page, but Woo started the season really hot, before suffering a shoulder injury. He returned to the line-up and was asked to play a defensive role and thus didn't post as many points in the second half.
The 6-foot and 200-pound defender is a smooth skating puck mover who shuts down his opponents in the neutral zone and then quickly turns the puck back towards offence. He isn't afraid to make a hit or be physical when needed. Woo is a player who doesn't give up on a play and will assume any role to help his team. With a larger role next season in the WHL, Woo could see those offensive numbers improve.
Early in the third round, the organization selected centre Tyler Madden from the Tri-City Storm in the USHL. The son of former NHLer John Madden, Tyler is a speedy centre who is known for his leadership qualities, soft hands, and playmaking abilities. He plays the game with pace and showed extremely well at USHL Top Prospect Game with a two goal performance that saw him named the events' MVP. Madden is committed to Northeastern University next season and should be given a big opportunity to showcase that speed and offensive game in the NCAA.
After not having a pick in the 4thround, the scouting staff opted for Finnish defenceman Toni Utunen with the 130thoverall selection. The 5-foot-11 and 170-pound rearguard, who moves the puck well, is strong on his skates. Utunen is particularly adept in his own zone by using his long reach and gap control to direct his opponents into the low danger situations and then just taking the puck away. The Kokkola born defender saw 11 games in the top Finnish league, Liiga, and also appeared in 28 games in the second division Mestis. He was the captain of the Finnish team at the U18 World Juniors, leading them to a gold medal.
To start the day, the Canucks possessed the 161stoverall pick, but decided to trade with Washington down to the 186th overall pick and acquire a 2019 6thround pick to do so. With the newly acquired 186th overall selection, the Canucks selected Russian winger Artyom Manukyan from Avangard Omsk in the KHL. Manukyan played in 24 games at the KHL level, where he had one goal and one assist. The 5-foot-7 winger spent some time in the MHL, the junior league in Russia, that saw him post a point-per-game pace in 12 games this season. He was passed over in two previous draft years, but posted 39 goals and 66 assists in 60 games in the MHL last season and is the only player to ever to break 100 points in that league's history. He is a small, but is a dynamic and electrifying scorer that represented Russia at the U20 World Juniors this past winter.
With their final selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Canucks added goaltender Matthew Thiessen from the Steinbach Pistons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He had a great season posting 2.06 GAA and 0.923 SV% in 34 regular season games and then followed that up with a 1.60 GAA and 0.943 SV% in 14 playoff games. He will be heading back to the MJHL for the 2018-19 season and then head to the University of Maine for 2019-20.
It's clear that the organization was looking to improve their defensive prospect pipeline and have done so with the additions of Hughes, Woo and Utonen. They were able to add a speedy centre in Madden, a prolific scorer in Manukyan and further added to the goaltending pipeline in Thiessen. Some of these players may take a few years to make their mark at the professional levels but offer some intriguing upside.
Day two is where scouts work from the past year comes to fruition and the Canucks were able to select some intriguing players that will be fun to follow for fans this upcoming season.