"We talked about with our scouts," said Francis, who is clearly pleased with how both the expansion and entry drafts unfolded this week. "A lot of our guys saw him in person. We thought other teams might be looking at Ryker.
"He's a great skater and at 6-0, 190 pounds, we think he will get bigger [he was 5-3 and 110 pounds just five years ago]. We didn't he was going to make to the third round."
"He had a monster year at Regina," said Robert Kron, director of amateur scouting for the Kraken. "He was playing 30 minutes a game and very productive."
One note about Evans. He is what the NHL calls a "re-entry" draft candidate. If a player isn't drafted in his first eligible (18-year-old) year, he can be picked in Year 2. For Evans and the Kraken, it means he can play at the pro level a year earlier than most 2021 draft choices (barring any of them, especially first-rounder Matty Beniers, making the NHL roster).
The third-round choice, Ontario Hockey League center Ryan Winterton, is actually one of the young players selected over the two days of 32 NHL teams making picks over seven rounds. Winterton is 11 days shy of being too young to be drafted in 2021.
"Ryan was higher on our list [than other NHL teams]," said Francis. "We like his size [6-2, 190 pounds-and remember his younger age]. We like his right-handed shot and think a full season at the OHL level will help his development a great deal."
Winterton was one of 13 forwards selected to play for Team Canada at the U18 World Championships in Texas earlier this year. In a Zoom call with reporters, Winterton said he "learned a lot from my teammates and coaches" and grateful to play on the international stage since the OHL season was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic issues.
An intriguing late choice was Russian juniors goalie Semyon Vyazovoi, who carries a save percentage of .939 over highly competitive turns with the Russian juniors league, KHL and U17/U18/U19 international play. Kron said Vyazovoi says the young goaltender has a "very big upside" and likes that the prospect trains with back-to-back Stanley Cup champion goalie Andrei Vasileskiy's father in Ufa, Russia.
"A lot of our people know about him, including our Russian scout Alex Plyushes," said Kron. "Andrew Allen [goalie scout] and Sasu Hovi (Finland scout and former pro goalie] all have watched him. We all love his numbers and his game."
