It was a relatively slow news day in the National Hockey League, but we still had some updates on a few prospects. Two Czech players are loaned to European clubs, the Edmonton Oilers loan one of their top prospects and a 15-year old Russian phenom stars in the MHL.
Oilers Loan Bouchard to Sweden
On Tuesday, the Edmonton Oilers announced that they loaned blue-chip defensive prospect, Evan Bouchard, to Sodertalje SK of the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan. He’ll join up with the Swedish side until the beginning of the 2020-21 NHL season. THW’s Jim Parsons covered the move in his recent Oilers’ New & Rumors post.
Drafted 10th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Bouchard spent the 2019-20 season in the American Hockey League with the Bakersfield Condors. He recorded 7 goals and 36 points in 54 games played. The Oakville native is a product of the infamous London Knights system in the Ontario Hockey League.
Bruins and Rangers Loan Czech Defenders
Two young Czech defenders were loaned to HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga by their NHL clubs. Jakub Zboril was selected by the Boston Bruins 13th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He was born in Brno, Czech Republic, so it’s a return to his hometown until the upcoming NHL season. He spent the 2019-20 season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, posting 19 points in 58 games played.
The New York Rangers also loaned defenseman Libor Hajek to HC Kometa Brno, a club he’s extremely familiar with. He spent his U16, U18 and U20 seasons with the team from 2010 to 2015. Hajek was acquired by the Rangers in the trade that sent J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played in 28 games for New York during the 2019-20 season, amassing five points.
Michkov Shines In MHL Debut
A highly touted prospect for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Matvei Michkov has made the jump to Russia’s Junior Hockey League after playing at the U16 level last season. Even at only 15 years of age, it’s no surprise he’s jumped a few levels into the MHL after posting an outrageous 70 goals and 109 points in 26 games during the 2019-20 season.
Michkov registered his first MHL goal last Saturday and followed it up with a beautiful display of skill on Wednesday.
He’s one to remember, and if he keeps pulling off plays like this, then he’s making a good case to go No. 1 overall in 2023. He currently has two goals in his first three games with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg.
Prospect of the Day – Donovan Sebrango
For today’s prospect, we are heading to the Ontario Hockey League to take a look at Kitchener Rangers defenseman Donovan Sebrango. NHL Central Scouting has Sebrango ranked as the 59th-best North American skater. In his final rankings, THW’s Larry Fisher has him ranked 142nd among all players.
Sebrango had an impressive sophomore season with the Kitchener Rangers, amassing six goals and 30 points in 56 games played. He was tied for second on the team in scoring among defensemen.
Related: Our Free NHL Draft Guide
Dependability is the name of the game for Sebrango. He was used heavily in key situations for the Rangers and rarely made mistakes. Despite not being the biggest defenseman at 6-foot, 184 pounds, his smart decision-making skills get him out of trouble and allow him to be an effective player at both ends of the ice.
THW’s own Mark Scheig feels that Sebrango could be an effective NHL player thanks to his impressive skating ability.
Sebrango’s biggest weapon is his skating. He uses it to his advantage at both ends of the ice. On defense, he can close the gap on just about anyone. On offense, he can lead the rush and start in transition. Then he uses his decision-making and passing ability to make the correct read.
Sebrango is a target for the mid-to-late rounds of the draft. He has the tools to make it at the NHL level, but it’ll take some time for him to develop and reach that level. He’ll need to add some size and strength and work on utilizing his shot better, but an NHL team is bound to take a chance on him due to his superb skating ability.