#13: C/RW Raphael Lavoie
Expected Ceiling: Top-6 NHL ETA: 1-2 years Player Comparable: Ryan Getzlaf
#33: LW Yegor Afanasyev
Expected Ceiling: 2nd liner NHL ETA: 2-4 years Player Comparable: James van Riemsdyk
#75: G Ilya Konovalov
Expected Ceiling: Starter NHL ETA: 2 years Player Comparable: Semyon Varlamov
#106: C Mikael Hakkarainen
Expected Ceiling: Bottom 6 NHL ETA: 1-2 years Player Comparable: Saku Maenalanen
I put an emphasis on drafting players I thought would be closer to the show. Lavoie is a big powerforward which will suit this league nicely. Afanasyev is the biggest project, committed to Michigan State, he could be there for 2-4 years. However, we felt he was a low risk, medium reward pick. Konovalov dominated the KHL at 20 years old, posting a remarkable 1.89 GAA and a 0.930 save percentage. In 2 world championship starts for team Russia, Ilya had a 1.44 GAA and a 0.917 save percentage. He's dominated at every level he has played, shown by his back-to-back MHL championships, MHL playoffs MVP, and his KHL Aleksei Cherepanov (Best Rookie) Award. Once his contract ends in 2021, we expect teams to be lining up to sign this guy. Lastly, is Hakkarainen. Linemates with Afanasyev in Muskegon, I decided to draft him after he signed an entry level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, who drafted him in the 5th round in 2018. We fully expect him to play the entire year in the AHL, potentially cracking the roster in 2020-21.