Ice pondering next move at import draft

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This article was published 25/06/2019 (2475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Ice general manager Matt Cockell is gearing up for one of the most important off-season dates on the major-junior hockey calender: Thursday’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

Before that, he has important business to attend to that will impact the decisions he makes on draft day.

Cockell would like to fill both import spots on his roster after Slovakian blue-liner Martin Bodak played out his eligibility and Finnish defenceman Valtteri Kakkonen signed with a pro club in his homeland following the 2018-19 WHL season.

The Ice hold the fourth overall and 64th overall picks. The question is what do Cockell and his staff feel is the club’s most pressing need?

“The biggest thing we’re trying to sort through right now is a couple of recruiting conversations that may dictate for us on Thursday, depending on how those shape up, whether it’s two forwards or a forward and a D,” Cockell said Tuesday. “We have a number of players on our (protected) list that have committed to college and we’re talking to and some that are unsigned but think could step in right away and make contributions.

“Those are the things we’ll sort through this week because obviously you want to have room for a guy if we think they can play and they commit to playing in the league. The import draft is a great opportunity to strengthen our lineup but we’ve got to be careful we do in the the right places, where we have a need.”

Cockell would like to add a top-four defenceman to his roster, whether via the import draft or one of the four unsigned college-bound blue-liners on his list. One possibility would be Anaheim Ducks second-round draft choice Jackson LaCombe, a 18-year-old from Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn., who has committed to play for the University of Minnesota.

Another probable target is left-winger Rhett Pitlick, another 18-year-old Minnesota product committed to play for the Gophers. Pitlick was a fifth-round choice of the Montreal Canadiens in last weekend’s NHL Draft.

Cockell and Ice director of scouting and hockey operations Jake Heisinger attended the draft in Vancouver and their fact-finding mission included research on elite import players who are NHL draft picks as well as college-bound players who might decide to alter their career path after being selected by a NHL club.

“It’s really where things start to take shape with what imports, depending on where they’re drafted, and discussions with agents,” explained Cockell. “As much as it’s a draft, it’s also takes a lot of homework to understand who’s wanting to come over and play in North America. Because if it… isn’t something they want to do, there’s no sense of drafting them (in the import draft). We’ve done a lot of homework there and I think we’ve got it to a point where we have five to six really good options.”

Cockell’s confidence is high after he signed No. 1 overall bantam draft pick Matt Savoie earlier this month. The signing of Savoie, who had committed to the University of Denver with his older brother, Carter Savoie (another Ice prospect), and No. 2 overall pick Conor Geekie has added credibility to the club’s recruiting profile.

“Oh, I think people have certainly taken notice,” said Cockell. “Our group that we’re building, we think is really special and people are looking at that a little differently. We think Matt is a player that doesn’t come along very often and Conor Geekie, granted, maybe won’t be on the roster full time for another year but those are real special talents…. I think good players want to play with other good players.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14