Taking a pick-by-pick look at Calgary’s 2021 draft

Coronato is an offensive threat every time he steps onto the ice. He’s an all-situations player that shows strong puck skill and great transition. He needs to improve his explosiveness and decision-making at times.

Strömgren is a is a speedy winger with excellent hands. He can get himself into dangerous positions, but needs to improve his positioning ability. His effort can be inconsistent and his defensive positioning needs improvement.

Huckins is a big forward who can play center or wing and has some intriguing skill, but also some inconsistencies to work out with his game. While he can show flashes of good top-end speed and puck control, he can also be a rollercoaster with his decision- making and overall competitiveness on and off the puck. He is at his best with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, corralling it before looking for chances to shoot or make plays, though there are times when his puck-handling isn’t quite fluid enough. Recovers pucks with his size and reach and tries taking them to the net. He is especially dangerous when he has the extra time and space allocated with the man-advantage.

He reads plays well and can get the puck to open ice and streaking teammates. You’d like to see him handle the puck more often at 5-on-5 because he does seem to be able to provide more than he shows. On the defensive side, he displays competitiveness and smart positioning. He does an excellent job of closing the gap and driving attackers to the outside with body positioning and a long stick. Generally, when an opponent is coming down on him he is able to angle them to the wall and behind the net. He will definitely need to hit the gym as he lacks the power to truly be a physical force and separate players from pucks.

Jordan’s game is based around his efficient skating ability, intelligence, and subtle platform skills which can fly under the radar but will allow him to carrying his game forward by adding ancillary skills. He isn’t flashy but is effective in facilitating play. He’s quick and clean on his feet, showing effectiveness in speed changes and angling with strong edgework.

Jack Beck is the kind of player you wish had better physical tools because the rest of the package is very solid. As an OHL rookie with the Ottawa 67’s, Beck did everything asked of him by the coaching staff. His processing ability and anticipation in the offensive end is among the highest in this draft class. However, with average size and average skating ability, projecting him as an NHL player becomes more difficult, especially without any viewings to go off of this season. Did he improve in any areas?

Ciona presents as a meat-and-potatoes, straightline forward, however there is an understated intelligence in his game that allows him to always be in the right spots on the ice. Skating ability is a knock, as he struggles to make plays through weight shifts and his edges kill momentum. Still, he is hard on the forecheck and uses his size and strength to separate the opposition from possession.

While this year’s crop of goalies in the USHL was largely unimpressive, the NAHL delivers a few netminders of note, starting with Sergeyev, who put up easily the best numbers of any draft eligible tender in the league. The Russia native in his second year in North America plays an athletic, aggressive style, jumping to the lip of the blue paint, reading the play well. He combines excellent lateral mobility with ideal size. The next step in his development will be playing against better competition, likely starting with USHL Tri-City, which made him a top pick in the recent USHL Entry Draft.