OPEN WIDE FOR SOME HOCKEY!

Michigan released its 2019-2020 freshman class last Friday.  There are no surprises. Notable additions are John Beecher and Cam York, both first round picks in this past June's NHL Draft.  A further rundown of the class is coming soon, but with The World Junior Summer Showcase happening recently here are some notes on the players committed to Michigan who attended.

The WJSS is the unofficial start to the hockey calendar each year, and it was held in Plymouth from July 26th to August 3rd.  The aforementioned Beecher and York participated for the United States and 2020 recruit Erik Portillo represented Sweden.  This is essentially a tryout camp for the World Junior Championships that begins each year on December 26th, and features USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. I was able to get multiple viewings of York and Beecher, and catch Portillo’s start on Saturday vs Finland.

John Beecher (1st round, #30, Boston)

Beecher had a good week overall for an underager.  He showed great straight away speed and scoring touch early in the week. While Beecher is physically impressive, there are areas for improvement in his game, especially at the WJC level. It is easy to see both how he was drafted 30th overall and projected at the bottom of the 2nd round. A phenomenal skater for a big man and quite fast, the Bruins likely drafted based on that as they are a team that values “heavy” play. To advance to the next level, he needs some refinement with the puck in the transition game and was not a primary play driver at the camp.

As far as a transition to NCAA hockey, I think Beecher will develop into a standout player and have an immediate impact.  The size/speed translates really well to NCAA. I do think Beecher will need a play driver on the wing to start his career. He was paired with Arthur Kaliyev all week, and Kaliyev did all the heavy lifting. This isn’t a negative on Beecher, in pure talent and production alone Kaliyev was a top 10 prospect this year so the usage makes sense. If Michigan can pair him with Will Lockwood he can be really effective as a bowling ball/disruptor and finisher until he gains his footing and rounds out his game.

It is unclear if Michigan will put him on a scoring line or on a checking line (Josh Norris was a killer 3rd line center his freshman year, so it would not be the worst thing to have Beecher there) but he can be effective on either in the right spot. He also could be put into a position where he can look bad though if he’s not deployed with good puck movers. Beecher also excels below the goal line so there are some possibilities to how Mel Pearson could utilize him.

Despite standing out earlier in the week, when USA needed 2 goals in the 3rd Friday he played one 5v5 shift.  He also was not in the lineup Saturday vs. Canada, which is a dress rehearsal for the WJC. I would think he will either make it as an extra player or not make the team this season.

Given the Bruins status as a contender and their prospect pool I think he has a good chance to be here 2/3 years and will be very effective at the NCAA level, where players don’t need great puck skills to rack up points. It might take some time for him to develop into someone that projects as a scoring liner in the NHL, which is actually better for UM, as he may be allowed more time in school.

[After THE JUMP: York, possibly a Tudor]

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Cam York (1st Round, #14, Philadelphia)

Cam York was the second youngest defensemen at the WJSS for USA.  As an underager he will likely be a 3rd pair defenseman and a specialist on this WJC team. On the week he did not stand out at 5v5 and struggled on some basic transitional stuff, a few passes in feet and taking too long to make decisions.

On the plus side, he has great vision in the offensive zone and is a very good passer. He did briefly play some wing on the PP1 in one game (USA sometimes plays kind of a positionless power play so once the puck dropped he moved between the point and half boards) and was pretty good. Comparisons to Quinn Hughes should just stop, though.  He will not back fill Hughes and their games are totally different. You can see the potential, however, as he has all the tools to improve into a good NHL D. The skating, passing, and shot are there and he has enough to become effective defensively after an adjustment period. I do think he will take some time to get his game at the NCAA level (possibly until midseason or so, depending on who his partner is) but I think he will stand out in his sophomore and junior years.  There could be some debate about the value of his selection at 14 (Thomas Harley and the collection of Swedish defensemen drafted after him all looked very good) this evaluation isn’t about his NHL prospects, I think he will be pretty good in college once he gets up to speed.

York did look better on Saturday's game vs Canada, where he dressed as a 3rd pair but was deployed in soft minutes. I don't remember many D zone starts, but he looked great in the O-Zone, and on this WJC team that will likely be his role. His offensive game is pretty refined for that level even as an underager. Had an assist on a PP goal in Saturday's game, and was the QB of one of the USA units (they didn't really have 1/2, as both units were devastating and used evenly).

It should be noted that the skill level and speed at this camp surpass college, almost all the players are serious NHL prospects so struggling this week isn't terrible, especially for an underager.  If Kaliyev doesn't make the Kings next year I would love to see Beecher paired with him for a first line at 2021 WJC. I would also expect York to be a first pair defenseman for the USA at next year’s event.

Erik Portillo (2020 Recruit - 3rd Round, #67, Buffalo)

While Portillo is not coming in this year, he was in Plymouth representing Sweden. My viewing on Portillo was brief, but he definitely looked like an NHL prospect. While he needs some work from that perspective as his puck tracking was shaky and he fought pucks but he has the speed and size.

I think he would be a really good college goalie now. It is not very common for a USHL/NCAA path for a goalie drafted that high as a re-entrant, so I think Michigan got lucky that the Sabres did not put him in the CHL or keep him overseas.

Portillo moves around the crease very well for a big goalie and played well on the posts. He is also an exceptional puck handler, and a goalie who handles the puck as well as Portillo does is an asset at preventing dump-ins and breaking the puck out.

From some brief research, goalies who have gone from Europe to NCAA like this have either been so good (and old) that they go pro after 1-2 seasons or so mediocre that it doesn't matter that they stay for 4. No real in-between on the comps, so I would expect Portillo to be the same, a very high ceiling type whose floor is meh starter.

Bonus! Jeff Cox reports that Kris Mayotte is hired to replace Brian Wiseman

This came up on Twitter recently, but it has not yet been officially announced by Michigan. Mayotte has coached Providence for the last five seasons, joining the season they won the National Title in 2014-15.  His specialties appear to be penalty kill and goaltending, but with Steve Shields already working with the Wolverines it has yet to be determined Mayotte’s role will be, or if Shields will not be back.

Mayotte’s track record is impressive - he has coached Jon Gillies, Nick Ellis, and Hayden Hawkey all with excellent results.

Prior to his stint at Providence Mayotte was at St Lawrence in the same capacity. He has also coached for the USA World Junior team on multiple occasions.  He was Union’s starting goalie from 2002-2006.  Young and rising, Mayotte seems to be a strong hire.

Other Tidbits from the WJSS:

• Wisconsin is going to have a very high ceiling this season.  K'Andre Miller probably should not play NCAA this year.  They also have Ty Emberson returning and he looked great at the camp. Cole Caulfield, Alex Turcotte, and Owen Lindmark are going to be terrific and are part of one of the better incoming freshmen classes in history.  If they get the goaltending they could be like Minnesota-Duluth was where they blazed through the 2nd half once their freshmen get their footing in 2017-18 on the way to the National Title.  Wisconsin's ceiling is National Title.
• Sampo Raanta from Minnesota was one of Finland’s strongest players for the week.  He was also 2nd amongst all players in points for the week.
• Trevor Janicke, who will be a freshman at Notre Dame, had a very strong camp as a 4th liner for USA. He should be a very good college player.