BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 6: Lucas Raymond

Up next in our 2020 BSH Community Draft Board is one of the more well-rounded players you’ll find in this draft class, and the first on our board from Sweden in Lucas Raymond. The 18-year-old already has a majority of a full season of SHL experience under his belt, and is set to spend all of 2020-21 in the league. So, what makes Raymond this good of a prospect?

BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 6: Lucas Raymond

2019-20 Season:

Team: Frölunda HC, SHL

Statistics: 4 G, 6 A in 33 GP

Pre-draft rankings

No. 4 (EU Skaters/Goalies) by NHL Central Scouting

No. 4 by Future Considerations

No. 5 by ISS Hockey

No. 5 by Wheeler/The Athletic

What’s there to like?

As mentioned above, Raymond is one of the more well-rounded players you’ll find in this draft class. His hockey sense is some of the best I’ve seen from the top prospects in this class. He’s exceptional at finding open spaces on the ice to either make a move, or find the open man. This is especially put on display when on the power play as he’s a legitimate option to quarterback a team’s man advantage. His passing ability is right up there with his skating as his best ability.

Part of what makes Raymond so effective as a power play option is his skating is more than good enough to be an entry option as well as a quarterback. He’s a deceitful skater who knows how to slow the game down and then burst past the defense in one quick step. His incredible passing makes his skating more of a threat and vice versa, with the defenders having to play for both. Speaking of how he makes life miserable for defenders, he’s incredibly quick to capitalize on their mistakes and force mistakes of his own. Once he does that high-level hockey sense kicks in and he’s quick to find an open man for a solid scoring chance.

While his offensive play is incredibly impressive, don’t let that distract you from the fact he’s almost equally as impressive defensively. That hockey sense makes him such a threat defensively along with how well he pressures the puck carrier.

What’s not to like?

Although his defensive game is impressive without this, he is going to need to bulk up a decent bit to really be effective defensively at the NHL level. It’s somewhat the same kind of deal we saw with Joel Farabee this season. We saw the elite hockey sense and the great puck pursuit, but he got bullied way too often along the boards especially in the playoffs.

He’s going to take some time before he’s truly NHL ready, but all the skill is there for him to be an extremely effective player once he bulks up. His top-end speed isn’t the greatest either but I think he’s one of those players who really doesn’t need to have a high top gear to succeed. His footwork makes up for what he lacks in pure speed.

How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?

Much like Maddie described Cole Perfetti yesterday, there isn’t an immediate need for a player like Raymond who does appear to be a few years away. They have quite a few winger prospects or centers who can play wing, but honestly Raymond would fit in any system in my opinion because I think he’s that good. Getting a player with this level of hockey sense is always valuable no matter the depth at said position.

Could the Flyers actually get him?

Much like the majority of these top prospects, probably not. Raymond’s rankings are pretty similar with him going no lower than fifth. It would take a huge trade or an unimaginable fall for the Flyers to get their hands on Raymond.

Here are the next two additions to the poll:

Noel Gunler — RW/LW, Luleå HF (SHL) — 4 G, 9 A in 45 GP

An older skater in this year’s draft class, Gunler exploded onto the Swedish junior scene with one the best DY-1 seasons of all time in 2018-19, where he scored nearly a goal-per-game for Luleå’s J20 team at the SuperElit level. His 27 goals in 31 games that season rank as the best goal-per-game rate in SuperElit history for a player his age, and his points per game (1.48) ranks fourth all-time. Playing primarily bottom-six minutes for Luleå at the pro level this season, Gunler scored a respectable 13 points in 45 games. That 0.29 points-per-game rate ranks similar to draft-eligible seasons from Calle Järnkrok, William Nylander, and Lucas Raymond (all at 0.30).
— On The Forecheck

Yaroslav Askarov — G, SKA-Neva St. Petersburg (VHL) — 2.45 GAA, .920 sv % in 18 GP

The most exciting combination that Askarov brings is his athleticism within his sound technique. He’s a powerful goaltender who uses elite quickness from his lower body to make tough saves look routine, without losing his technical ability. Many goaltenders trade one for the other, tending to overcompensate with athleticism, or being technically sound but lacking explosive movement. The combination of having both at such a high level is rare, and typically leads to a future star goaltending prospect in the making. — Canes Country

2020 BSH Community Draft Board

1. Alexis Lafreniere — LW, Rimouski (QMJHL)
2. Quinton Byfield — C, Sudbury (OHL)
3. Marco Rossi — C, Ottawa (OHL)
4. Tim Stützle — LW/C, Manheim (DEL)
5. Cole Perfetti — LW/C, Saginaw (OHL)
6. Lucas Raymond — RW/LW, Frölunda HC (SHL)
7. ???

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Please use your vote below to answer the following question: If all of the players listed were available when the Flyers were on the clock, who would you want them to pick?

Who should be No. 8 on the 2020 BSH Community Draft Board?