Welcome to OilersNation’s 2021 Draft Countdown, powered by FCHockey.
Over the next few weeks leading up to the draft, we’ll be rounding up scouting reports, quotes, and videos about the Top-100 prospects available. Here are aggregated profiles on Wyatt Johnston, Matvei Petrov, Vincent Iorio, Danila Klimovich, and William Stromgren.
No. 50: Wyatt Johnston
Date of Birth: May 14, 2003
Nation: Canada
Position: Centre
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 178 lbs
“Johnston had a decent rookie season, with plenty of inconsistency in his role but some periods of outstanding play later in the year before the OHL shutdown. Johnston’s skating stands out immediately, as he gets up to top speed relatively quickly and loves to carry the puck through the neutral zone. He has solid foot speed and his acceleration and agility help him win puck races in the offensive zone. He could get better extension and power in his strides to raise his top-end speed, but that could come with increased lower-body endurance and strength. Shows decent puck control when moving at high speed, but his handling in tight spaces and under physical pressure is lacking at times. Shows good patience and vision with the puck, using his feet to get to open ice and finding tough passing lanes without much trouble. His shot is still relatively weak, as his first option is usually to look pass and he doesn’t get great power on his release without setting his feet under him. He gets to good spots for his teammates to find him on offense, but he could be more aggressive penetrating the high-danger areas of the zone rather than deferring to the perimeter. Shows good awareness away from the puck despite bouncing from center to wing at times, supporting his defenders low in his own end for a passing outlet and making good coverage reads on the back check. Johnston doesn’t shy from physical play but gets moved in puck battles a little too easily at times, an issue that could impact his ability to remain a center long-term.” – Joseph Aleong
No. 49: Matvei Petrov
Date of Birth: March 12, 2003
Nation: Russia
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 163 lbs
“Petrov was aggressive in the offensive zone all game for Russia. He was engaged physically all night and made sure to throw a body check every time the Team USA defense had possession of the puck below their own goal line. When he wasn’t being a thorn in the side of his opponent, Petrov was getting into shooting locations and using his shot to test the United States goalie. He had numerous shot attempts and was able to generate offense at both 5-on-5 and on the power play. Petrov picked up a secondary assist on a Russian power play, he had the puck on the wall and fed a pass back to his defenseman before Matvei Michkov scored on the man advantage. Defensively, Petrov was consistently in position and aware of his assignment. His only real negative moment came on a Team USA goal. The Americans started the transition from their defensive zone and went up the ice and scored off the rush, Petrov and the rest of his line were slow on the backcheck leading to the odd-man rush. His skill and his willingness to engage physically make him an appealing prospect and if the rest of his tournament mirrors this performance it will be a successful event for the Russian winger.” – Austin Broad
No. 48: Vincent Iorio
Date of Birth: November 14, 2002
Nation: Canada
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 191 lbs
“Iorio has long been one of my personal favourites in this draft class and is one of the more complete defenders available out of the West. There is very little to pick apart in his game. He has a long and lanky frame and covers a lot of ground laterally. He maintains strong balance over his feet and his smooth transitions allow him to take engagements early without fear of being caught flat footed. He could add even more extension when skating forward however his overall mobility has seen a lot of growth and presents as an average to above average skill at higher levels. Defensively, Iorio blends his skating and size in a very cerebral manner. He has honed his timing and positioning when approaching a puck carrier and it allows him to be aggressive in defending the blue line without selling out the team’s defensive structure. He plays with a level of defensive focus that can be rare in his age group. He also does the little things when playing man to man coverage. He is always sure to tie of the stick of his mark while maintaining body position to box them out of dangerous areas.” – Donesh Mazloum
No. 47: Danila Klimovich
Date of Birth: January 9, 2003
Nation: Belarus
Position: Centre
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 187 lbs
“This was an excellent showing from Klimovich in Belarus’ game against Sweden, as the team’s top-line left wing was buzzing in the offensive zone throughout the duration of the game. Klimovich is a tremendously skilled forward who dazzled with the puck on his stick on nearly every shift, showcasing fantastic one-on-one finesse and the ability to weave through Sweden’s checking with quick cuts and flashy stick handling. More often than not, Klimovich was decisive with the puck on his stick, able to identify attacking lanes as they opened, and was on several occasions able to find his way into high danger scoring areas for scoring opportunities. Throughout the game, and especially on the power play, Klimovich maintained a shooting mentality, passing up very few opportunities to put pucks towards the net with 13 total shot attempts throughout the game, 10 of which made their way on goal. Klimovich’s shot release is quick and was more often than not able to get the puck off his stick and on goal in a hurry, though his effectiveness at generating full power on his shot did waver at times, although that did not seem to make a difference as he put home Belarus’ only goal of the game off a one-timer that he didn’t quite get all of.” – Brandon Holmes
No. 46: William Stromgren
Date of Birth: June 7, 2003
Nation: Sweden
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 175 lbs
“Stromgren was one of two to three players on Sweden that could leave this game with an okay grade. He is a player that has good speed and agility in his skating. It seems that he also has worked hard on his balance and he is difficult to contain for opponents when he gains speed through the neutral zone. Stromgren likes to come down low in his own zone to be playable for his defenders around the circles and then transport the puck forward or find teammates with good passes. He tries to be creative and stickhandle when he got the opportunity and succeeded from time to time even though it was not his best game. He often seems to use his balance and press his way around opponents and covers the puck well at the same time which I really like. At the end of the second period, he made a fantastic backhand pass to his teammate in the slot that resulted in a prime scoring chance. This game was not Sweden’s at all, but Stromgren kept working hard at both ends of the ice. He goes for rebounds and deflections when his teammates shoot. He forechecked well and got his hands on some loose pucks. He also backchecked and completed hits when he got a chance. I must say that Stromgren and his line was the one that kept going even if the goals did not come for them this night. He showed good attitude throughout the whole game.” Frederik Haak