Canucks: The odd lottery, the circus and the draft-day miss on Matthew Tkachuk (2024)

In advance of the National Hockey League lottery Monday setting the picking order for the draft on June 28-29 in Nashville, we’re taking a trip down memory lane.

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Every team has draft skeletons in the closet, but some are still rattling.

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In concert with the 2016 draft held in Buffalo, the Vancouver Canucks hosted a watch party in the lower bowl of Rogers Arena. It was a way to move the hype meter in late June to increase interest and season-ticket sales.

The drama actually started in the April 30 lottery — three draws to select the top-three spots for Toronto, Winnipeg and Columbus — and the odd process saw the Canucks slip from third to fifth overall and a sure shot at landing coveted centre Pierre-Luc Dubois.

The drama would then play out in memorable fashion June 25 at the KeyBank Center.

When the Canucks were about to announce their first-round selection, this reporter was convinced that the pick was going to be Matthew Tkachuk.

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I tweeted it out from the media room and ventured out to the floor of Rogers Arena to gauge what I thought would be a raucous reaction of landing a true power forward with a strong family hockey lineage.

Instead of cheers, it was crickets.

The Canucks opted for Finnish defenceman Olli Juolevi, who had a strong 42-point (9-33) season with the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights. He had amassed seven assists in four games for the Memorial Cup-winning Knights and added nine assists in seven games as Finland captured the world junior hockey championship.

However, a tournament is seldom a true test of professional adaptability and longevity.

Maybe the Canucks thought they had a budding power forward in 2014 first-round pick Jake Virtanen. Maybe they just couldn’t pass on a player they projected as a first-pairing defenceman.

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We all know what has occurred in the interim.

Injuries to Juolevi’s body and confidence were so crippling he had to be traded. By comparison, Tkachuk’s game didn’t have to be tailored to adapt to The Show. His transition was so seamless that passing on the dominant winger has proved a great draft gaffe.

Tkachuk, who went sixth-overall to Calgary in 2016, has had monster 104-point and 109-point seasons with the Flames and Florida respectfully.

Juolevi was ranked fifth by the organization and draft day started with the hope that Dubois might slip to No. 5, starting an eventual succession plan to replace Henrik Sedin. And Tkachuk could do the same for Daniel Sedin.

However, the Blue Jackets took Dubois third, the Oilers snapped up hulking Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi fourth and then came Juolevi. The Canucks were so sold on Juolevi, they passed on defencemen Mikhail Sergachev (No. 9), Jake Bean (No. 13), Charlie McAvoy (No. 14) and Jakob Chychrun (No. 15).

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Former Canucks general manager Jim Benning compared Juolevi to legendary Nicklas Lidstrom in his pre-draft assessment.

“He’s a safe and steady player,” Benning told Postmedia. “He plays a little bit like Lidstrom. He reads the game so well. He has a good stick. He moves the puck well. He just plays a quiet, well-rounded game.”

At the Draft Combine, Benning was impressed by the manner in how Tkachuk answered questions with conviction and poise. His game spoke for itself with 107 points (30-77) in his final OHL season.

“From the top of the circle in, he has real good offensive instincts,” Benning said at the time.

So, what was the draft-day consensus? Postmedia was told there was some debate, but an agreement on Juolevi, who addressed a greater positional need.

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“I had a meeting with them (Canucks) at the combine and it never seemed like they were that interested,” Tkachuk told this reporter before a Dec. 23, 2016 game in Calgary. “I knew once Dubois went third, that I was going to Calgary.

“If you ask them (Canucks), they’re probably pretty happy with their pick. And, they should be. I played with him (Juolevi). You saw what he did for our team in London and world juniors.”

Centre or defenceman in 2023 draft?

The Canucks have a 79.9 per cent chance of picking at No. 11. Here’s a look atoptions:

Dalibor Dvorsky, C, left shot, 6-foot-1, 201 lbs., Svolen, Slovakia.

The stats: AIK (Sweden, Allsvenskan), GP: 38, G: 6, A: 8, Pts: 14; Skelleftea AIK (Sweden, Junior), GP: 10, G: 10, A: 11, Pts: 21

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The skinny: At the 2023 World Under-18 championship, he amassed 13 points (8-5) for Slovakia to help solidify his draft stock as a centre of attention. Passing along with shooting and playmaking are elite, but his heavy and accurate release sets him apart. Skating was an issue, but has improved his first few strides. A similar situation to what Bo Horvat endured as an 18-year-old prospect before gaining strength.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, right shot, 5-foot-11, 181 lbs., Gallivare, Sweden.

The stats: Skelleftea AIK (Sweden-Junior), GP: 31, G: 16, A: 20, Pts: 36; Skelleftea AIK (SHL), GP: 22, G: 2, A: 3, Pts: 5.

The skinny: A dynamic puck-moving defender, who got a taste of the pro game this season, and will return to the SHL. Projects as a No. 3 blueliner, but his skill level ensures that he will run one of the club’s power plays.

David Reinbacher, D, right shot, 6-foot-2, 187 lbs., Hohenems, Austria.

The stats: Kloten HC (Swiss-A), GP: 46, G: 3, A: 19, Pts: 22

The skinny: Dependable two-way defender considered a good “glue guy” to insulate the back end after the top pairing. You put him out there when things are going badly. He can settle everybody down.

bkuzma@postmedia.com
twitter.com/benkuzma

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