Canadiens select Ryan Poehling 25th overall
The Montreal Canadiens selected forward Ryan Poehling with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Ryan Poehling
Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 183 lbs
Age: 18
Club: St. Cloud State (NCAA)
Nationality: American
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
Poehling's numbers might not jump off the page, but before you judge his game on stats alone, it's important to remember he was just a freshman with St. Cloud State this season.
He also earned a gold medal with Team USA at the World Under-18 Championship, contributing three goals and two assists in seven games, and entered the draft as the 13th-ranked skater in North America, according to NHL Central Scouting.
"I think he has great range," David Gregory of Central Scouting said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kilmelman. "He's got a nice long strong stride. Uses good puck protection, long reach. He can be effective in traffic, out of traffic. I like his vision and where he creates. Really saw him get better from the camp to pick the (Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup) team right through the Hlinka tournament; you can see growth. When he plays with better people he gets better. Really nice upside with this player."
udging from the video below, it's clear that one of Poehling's biggest strengths is his incredible hand-eye coordination; he scored his fair share of beautiful deflection goals. We might have the next Tomas Holmstrom on our hands.