Three First Round Sleepers

(Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

By: Brandon Smith

The NHL draft is the best way for NHL teams to rebuild their roster. While finding players in top picks is expected, teams strive to find the gems of the draft; David Pastrnak at 25th, Claude Giroux at 22nd or Nikita Kucherov at 58th. 

Here are a trio of projected mid-late first-rounders with a high-first round upside:

1. Hendrix Lapierre, F, Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL

6”0 - 181 - L - 19 GP - 2 G - 15 A - 17 P

The former first overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Draft has fallen to the plague of the injury bug as of late, suiting up in only 19 games this season. While his two goals and 15 assists, for 17 points in the QMJHL is nothing of awe, it was his performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup which should capture the eye of NHL scouts. In five games during Canada’s gold medal run, Lapierre recording 11 points ( three goals, eight assists) behind only Cole Perfetti as the tournament’s leading scorer. Lapierre’s high-end playmaking ability also landed him second in points in the tournament’s history.

Projected: 27th

My Rank: 5-10th

2. Seth Jarvis, F, Portland Winterhawks, WHL

    5”10 - 172 - R - 58 GP - 42 G - 56 A - 98 P

A late riser out of the WHL, Jarvis burned defenseman all season long with a combination of speed and skill. He would sprint to the finish in the second half of the season, finding himself second in points in WHL. His 1.68 PPG was only 0.01 behind for first in the dub, and tops for all draft-eligible players. Jarvis’ impressive season was especially notable when compared to former Winterhawks. His PPG was higher than Cody Glass’s draft-eligible season and Glass’ D+1 campaign, who was drafted sixth overall in 2017 by Vegas. Jarvis would end the year with the highest point-producing season for the Winterhawks since Nic Petan put up 120 points in 2013.

Projected: 24th

My Rank: 10-15th

3. Sam Colangelo, RW, Chicago Steel, USHL

• Lead USHL in ppg, 3rd in points, 2nd points for draft-eligible players

As the USHL continues to power out NHL caliber players, Sam Colangelo, a poised goal-scoring winger, is looking to through his hat into the ring. A projected late-second to early third-round pick, Colangelo has the stats that make the case to be taken in the first round. His 1.31 points per game this season, led the U-show in the category, higher than projected mid-first round pick Brendan Brisson. He would finish third in both goals and points playing for an offensive powerhouse Chicago team which lay claim to the league’s top three scorers. What should be noted about Colangelo is how he compared to recent first-round picks from the USHL. With his 1.31 points per game, he owns a higher draft-eligible points average than Nick Schmaltz (1.14) who went 20th, Zegmus Girgensons (1.12) who fell at 14th, Brock Boeser (1.19) who the Canucks grabbed at 22 and Casey Middlestat (1.25) who went 8th. Kyle Connor’s impressive 1.42 points per game saw his go at 17th to Winnipeg. The evidence is compelling; Sam Colangelo has the stats to present himself as a mid-first round pick.

Projected: 63rd

My Rank: 15-20th