DEER LODGE, MT (October 7, 2020) - The Vegas Golden Knights made seven selections on the second and final day of the of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The team made their selections from the Vegas Golden Knights NHL Draft Command Center at Rock Creek Cattle Company in Deer Lodge, Montana because the draft was being held virtually.
Below is a list of Golden Knights' draft selections in rounds 2-7 with quotes from select players.
VGK Select Five Players In Rounds 2-7 Of The 2020 NHL Entry Draft
The team made their selections from the VGK NHL Draft Command Center at Rock Creek Cattle Company in Deer Lodge, Montana
3rd Round, Pick 68
Lukas Cormier,Defenseman
Birthplace: Ste-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick
Height: 5-10
Weight: 176 lbs.
Age: 18
Drafted from: Charlottetown (QMJHL)
Shoots: Left
Notes:
- Played in 44 games for the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders in the 2019-20 season, notching 36 points (6 G, 30 A) to go with 28 penalty minutes
- Won the Hlinka Gretzky Cup Silver Medal with Team Canada in 2019-20
- Was named the NBPEIMMHL Rookie of the Year and recorded the most points by a defenseman in the league in 2017-18
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2020 DRAFT PICK LUKAS CORMIER
Thoughts on what draft day was like…
I had a lot of family and friends over. It was a little bit long at the start, but it was great to hear my name called. It was fun for everyone to be here and enjoy the time with the family.
Thoughts on what your game is like…
I think I'm an offensive defenseman. I like to join the play and I think I'm an offensive player who like to take care of the D-zone as well. I'm a great skater with great hockey IQ.
Thoughts on defensemen you model your game after…
I think I model my game after Sam Gerard or Tory Krug. I think I'm an offensive defenseman. I can see the puck, I can play well and I'm a great skater.
Thoughts on the Vegas Golden Knights organization…
It's a great city, a great organization for the small time that they've been in the league. I'm just extremely excited to join Vegas. It's a huge honor and to hear my name called was a huge relief. I was proud that it was with Vegas.
Thoughts on how exciting this experience has been…
It's been extremely exciting. All the community has been reaching out to me. I think it's been good to get support from everyone, the family and the friends and all of the community. Even in Charlottetown, my billets were here as well. It was just a fun day all around.
Thoughts on the Golden Knights new gold jersey…
Yeah, they look great. I was on the bus when I first saw them and some of my teammates said they didn't look as good, but I thought they were great right away.
3rd Round, Pick 91
Jackson Hallum,Forward
Birthplace: Eagan, Minnesota
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170 lbs.
Age: 18
Draft from: St. Thomas Academy (Minnesota)
Shoots: Left
Notes:
- Appeared in 18 games with Team MAP South Hockey in the 2019-2020 season tallying 26 points (12 G, 14 A) to go with 16 PIMs.
- Played for St. Thomas Academy in the 2019-2020 season totaling 25 points (18 G, 17 A) along with 32 PIM through 25 games.
- Through 25 games with St. Thomas Academy in the 2018-2019 season, accumulated 21 points (8 G, 13 A) with 10 PIM.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2020 DRAFT PICK JACKSON HALLUM
Thoughts on what this day has meant to you…
Thank you for having me on, I'm actually in school right now. As you can see, I'm still in my uniform. I didn't think I was going to go as high as I did. I was going to my next class, I was going to my economics class and I got a text from one of my coaches and he said it's Vegas, it's awesome, it's a great place, great fans and I was just stunned. All my friends congratulated me, and I was just speechless. It was just a really good moment to experience with all my friends, it was really cool and I couldn't be happier with the organization.
How many hockey players from your school have been drafted to the NHL…
I know Jordan Schroeder was drafted to Vancouver. I think and Tommy Novak was also drafted to the Nashville Predators. I've talked to them a lot about the draft and it's just a really unreal experience. I'm just so thankful I got to be a part of it.
Thoughts on if you would be playing for Green Bay in the USHL next season…
Yes, as of right now that is correct. It's kind of up in the air with the all high school stuff. As for many people it's kind of hard times but I'm just trying to make the right decision for me. I guess we will just see when all this stuff comes out about Minnesota high school leagues. So, that is kind of up in the air but I think Green Bay is going to be the route for me.
Thoughts on you as a player and what can Golden Knights fan expect to see from you…
I'm a really fast skater, that's my main aspect is that I'm really fast, pretty flashy, gritty, hard backcheck, beating defensemen up and down the ice.
Thoughts on what sold you to play for the University of Michigan for college…
The process was pretty long. Michigan came in about middle of the pack, when they came in, they were always the number one school in my mind. Just the tradition there, all the NHL players they have put through the next level. Just everything about Michigan is such a good fit for me and I couldn't be any happier with that decision. It's just a really remarkable day for me.
Thoughts on first round draft pick Brendan Brisson going to Michigan…
I knew of him committing to Michigan. My friends that knew him pretty well said that he is going there and that he is pretty good. I didn't talk with him or anything, but today after I got drafted by Vegas, he texted me and said congratulations and that's awesome. I said congrats to you as well, so I think we will build a good relationship now. I hope to see him in the future.
Thoughts on when you thought you would be drafted…
I thought I would go lower in the fourth. I wasn't on central scouting or anything, so I was kind of a low-profile player. So, I didn't have much clue where I was going, but my advisor and my coaches said I would for sure getting drafted. Vegas was always a team talking with me and communicating with me and at my games a lot, so in the back of my mind I kind of thought it would be Vegas. I'm really happy. I wouldn't change one thing. I'm just really thankful that they drafted me.
Thoughts on how much contact you had with VGK before the draft…
Not earlier today. There was nothing today, but in the past as my games and stuff they kind of talked to me. Keith Henderson, a really good guy. He always talked to me. He was an amateur scout in the Midwest, so he was kind of the guy that would always talk to me after games. So, nothing today, but they have talked to me before.
Thoughts on who you model your game by…
Connor McDavid is probably the player that I model my game the most. I think I play a lot like him. The speed, the hands and the agility are three aspects that relate to his game.
5th Round, Pick 125
Jesper Vikman,Goaltender
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Height: 6-3
Weight: 176 lbs.
Age: 18
Drafted from: AIK Jr. (Sweden-Jr)
Catches: Left
Notes:
- Appeared in 24 games for AIK in the J20 SuperElit League with 3.06 goals-against-average and .902 save percentage during the 2019-20 season
- Played three games in Sweden's second highest hockey league (HockeyAllsvenskan) recording a 3.35 goals-against-average and a .901 save percentage in 2019-2020
- Awarded the TV-Pucken Best Save Percentage (.953) for the 2017-18 season
6th Round, Pick 184
Noah Ellis,Defenseman
Birthplace: Urbandale, Iowa
Height: 6-2
Weight: 192 lbs.
Age: 18
Draft: Des Moines (USHL)
Shoots: Right
Notes:
- Committed to the University of Massachusetts for the 2021-22 season
- Appeared in 47 games with Des Moines Buccaneers in the 2019-2020 season tallying 11 points (5 G, 6 A) to go with 22 PIMs.
- Played 7 games for Omaha AAA Hockey Club 18U in the 2018-19 season totaling 4 points (1 G, 3 A) along with 4 PIM.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2020 DRAFT PICK NOAH ELLIS
Thoughts the drawing of Fleury you used to shoot pucks at as a kid…
It was before I had a net, so I started playing when I was about seven and I originally shot in a little recycling bin and eventually we got this dry erase board. I was a huge fan of Pittsburgh at the time, so I just drew Fleury on there, I put his name down and put a jersey on and everything so I used to shoot at that.
Thoughts on how you would describe your game…
I'm a big two-way defenseman. I like to utilize my skating. It's something I work on every summer for numerous hours a day. I like to shoot the puck when I get the chance, whether it's a quick one off the wall or a one-timer. Anything that'll get through.
Thoughts on being one of the few guys from Iowa to make the NHL…
I started when I was about seven and we've had numerous AHL teams come in and out of Des Moines. At the time it was the Iowa Chops, which was the Anaheim Ducks minor league team. We just went to a game with some neighbors from up the street who had a son that was about my age that was a huge hockey fan. He played hockey as well and we would go to those games and I would just stand the entire time. I was just so amazed. My parents put me into hockey and I fell in love with it.
Thoughts on NHL defensemen you model your game after…
I'd like to say Shea Theodore. He's one of my favorite defensemen. I like how he sees the ice, the way he moves with the puck and how smooth he is.
Thoughts on getting drafted by Vegas…
It was pretty crazy. My family and I actually took a trip to Vegas this summer. We wanted to take a vacation and that was somewhere my sister and I wanted to go. We had never been and I thought it was definitely a very cool spot. I kind of fell in love with the city and it's really exciting.
Thoughts on what your draft party was like…
I was just sitting with a teammate, we live together, down in the basement. We had just got home from the gym and we were kind of just hanging out. It was actually during commercial when it was announced, so when it came back it was on the screen. My future college coach, Ben Barr over at UMass, was actually calling me at the same time so it was pretty overwhelming and really exciting.
7th Round, Pick 215
Maxim Marushev,Forward
Birthplace: Saratov, Russia
Height: 6-1
Weight: 170 lbs.
Age: 21
Draft from: Bars Kazan (VHL)
Shoots: Right
Notes:
- Appeared in 35 games for Bars Kazan in the VHL and notched 40 points (23 G, 17 A) to go with 14 PIM in the 2019-20 season
- Has played 109 VHL games, reaching 75 points (42 G, 33 A) in three seasons
- Collected a Bronze Medal in the U18 World Junior Cup
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL BOB LOWES
Thoughts on entering the draft and the end result …
You always going into the draft hoping you added some talent and assets to your stable, and I think we were picking a little later in each round for the most part until the third. I thought we did a really good job. I think we were patient in the first round and got a player that we were really excited about getting in Brandon Brisson. I think he will be full value for us. I think we did a really good job at identifying guys that would be available there that we liked and being able to pick them. Our strategy to get a goalie, I think we did a really good job. Kelly was able to get us a pick in the fifth round, and we were able to identify a goalie that we really liked in collaboration with Mike Rosati. We were excited about that pick. We had two later picks, the 6th and 7th, and in the 6th we picked the highest guy on our board. We are really excited about him as a player and his development path, Noah Ellis. Then picking the Russian, Maxim, in the 7th round. It's just an old Russian player that we believe is wanting to come to North America and has some real upside.
Thoughts on how often the VGK picked above the current number…
That is a hard one to say because the numbers are kind of skewed. We have different layers in our draft, and we kind of look at certain layers that we would like to take players in that round. I can honestly say we were able to get players within the layers and quite high in the layers that we took them. That's pretty exciting, because you have identified players that you are excited about in each round.
Thoughts on Jesper Vikman…
Well I think you put your list together, and our collaboration with Mike Rosati and our scouting staff. We really liked his size. He is 6-3. He still isn't physically developed yet in that he's only 180 pounds. He has some growth there. What we liked about him is that he has a really good development path. He was picked by Portland in the Western League, which mean he is not coming over this year. He will stay and play junior, then he will come over the following year. We just like the development path. His athleticism. His ability to move. His size.
Thoughts on Jackson Hallum…
Well Jackson is a unique player in that he is a Minnesota high school player that really didn't have the notoriety in that state. Our scouts were on him. We had everybody see him on a crossover. We really liked his development thought out last year. What happened last year was that St. Thomas is a smaller school that wasn't supposed to be in the state tournament, and he just took his team into the tournament and they beat an undefeated team, I think the semifinals. We were able to get a window in his development this year. He leads the elite league in scoring. We are pretty excited about his upside. He is a very fast player. He can play fast. He is still developing physically. He is going back to high school, I believe, for the rest of this year. Possibly will play a little in the USHL. He has a very good school to go to in Michigan. So, there is a lot to like about Jackson and his upside.
Thoughts on the development paths for some of these players in the late rounds…
First, you look to see if they have the potential, and what they may become and what your rating is. Then you look and see if they have the probability of that, which is the competitiveness and character. Then the development path, and where they are at. In major junior you have a little shorter time. I think it is very important on what program you are in, who you are playing with, and who you are being coached by. If they are a US player, per say, we look at where they are going to play the following year, if its college or junior and then what college they are going on to. If we look at a European player, what program are they in and are they willing to come over to the CHL, so there are all those factors that come into play with all different types of players.
Thoughts on Noah Ellis…
He is 6-2. He is an athletic person. He has played other sports. He has a very good shot. His skills are continuing to development in his defensive game. We like that he has two-way game that is very raw, and he is still just scratching the service on what he can become.
Thoughts on how the staff handled the break and scouting…
Any task that you put in front of them - they are a tremendous group. They work tremendously hard. They are very team oriented, which is not always easy in the scouting business. We are really proud of the team we have. I think if you talk to any of the scouts we have, they will tell you how well we get along and how well we work together. When faced with this challenge, we just ask them to dig in a little harder. We did meetings with players. Interviews online. We asked them to step up and coordinate those, as well as be involved. We were able to involve them a little bit more than in the past, and when we asked them to be involved in that process, they were very productive and helped us overall in putting our lists together.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS GENERAL MANAGER KELLY McCRIMMON
Opening Remarks
A few things about our signings today, a little bit about our draft before moving on to questions. We have signed Chandler Stephenson to a four-year contract extension with the Golden Knights with an AAV of $2,750,000. Chandler was a really good fit upon joining our team. Great utility in terms of his ability to play throughout the lineup, a great dimension of speed and a player that we really think is going to be an important part of our team over the next four years. We're pleased about that signing. We've also signed Gage Quinney who will be in a call up role, mostly in our organization playing in Henderson. He did get into NHL games this season. He was a member of our taxi squad throughout playoffs when we were in the bubble in Edmonton, as you would be aware a Las Vegas native and a guy we're really happy to have in our organization. We sent qualifying offers to Reid Duke, Keegan Kolesar, Jimmy Schult. We did not extend qualifying offers to Brett Lernout and Nick Cousins. With respect to the draft we had five selections today as well as last night's selection of Brendan Brisson. So, today in the third round Lukas Cormier, from the Quebec Junior Hockey League. A really talented offensive defenseman. Jackson Hallum who plays at St. Thomas Academy. He will be in Michigan a year from now. Jesper Vikman was selected in the fifth round. We traded to get that pick, we had no fifth-round pick and one of the things we have talked about before the draft began when we were doing our planning was to see if we can acquire a pick to take this exact goalie. This is what we were trying to do. So, we were able to make that trade with the idea of taking Jesper Vikman. So, we took him with our first pick in the fifth round. Noah Ellis a defenseman from Des Moines, Iowa who plays for the Des Moines in the United States Hockey League. The final selection in the seventh round Maxim Marushev who plays in Russia's VHL. Those are the selections again as I mentioned with Brendan Brisson last night. That's the class of 2020. I'd like to recognize and thank Bob Lowes and Scott Luce, our entire amateur staff, our operations people who assist them and their preparations. It was a real challenging year and a lot of respect to them as they did the work and we are extremely pleased with all the work that they did. The Golden Knight fans should be really comfortable with the guys who are in charge of finding our players for the entry draft. I believe we have a tremendous staff and thank you to all of those people for their work throughout the year and the last two days.
Thoughts on how happy you are with the results of the draft…
Our preparation was really good, I knew that it would be. I think from there the strategy piece of it in terms of where players might go, and where players might go that maybe we didn't have ranked as highly which in turn would have effectively move up the list. The decision to find a draft pick in the fifth round, to be able to take the goalie really rounded out our draft class nicely. We wanted to take a goaltender if possible. Last night I talked about Brisson and his skill level, his offensive abilities which was a good start and today we drafted some realty good hockey players. The organization got better over the last two days, these are two of the more important days of the year. Maybe the most important days of the year for any of the NHL teams. I was really pleased that we were able to come away with the players that we did.
Thoughts on this condensed schedule and what you expect from Friday onwards…
Hard to say but we will definitely be doing the work. It's different then past years, where the draft is on a Friday to Saturday. Free agency might start on a Wednesday and Thursday maybe even as late a Friday. So there is a lot more time before free agency. So many of our discussions have already happened. We will be able to get through it, in terms of what we expect on Friday, I think that's the question that everybody is asking. I think what you see today, probably a few more players that didn't receive qualifying offers around the league so that puts some players into the mix that maybe wouldn't have been on an ordinary year. That's a real good question, we are curious to see what Friday is like as well.
Thoughts on what developmental camp might look like this season…
Yeah, we haven't heard anything about it. I would expect that we will have a developmental camp. It's interesting just how different it is depending on what area you draft a player from. We had one of our players tonight, Jackson Hallum, we couldn't contact because he was playing hockey. We talked to Lukas Cormier, he plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey league. They have been playing for a month. We talked to Noah Ellis, plays in the USHL. They are hoping to get going on early November, so travel, and being able to get in people from other countries. Just all of the risks, challenges that are associated with bringing the group together. You wouldn't want to bring players in off of their teams that they are playing to have them in the developmental camp. So, unfortunately, it's going to be one of things that goes into the wayside for this particular year. Which is really unfortunate because traditionally Saturdays are the final day of the draft and camp starts on Monday and you get a chance to meet all the players you have selected, you get a chance to monitor the progress of players drafted in the previous one year, two years. So, it's a real valuable piece of our business that won't be possible this year. We are no different than anyone else, there is a lot of things that are different right now. We're not going to complain about it. We are going to try to make the best of the situation.
Thoughts on a scout that went above and beyond this year, who may have discovered a player who wasn't on the radar…
We do things very collaboratively. I couldn't. Bob Lowe is the director, but the teamwork of that staff is really impressive, a lot of value gained by their process. It was the fourth year together now for our staff with this year's draft, but it takes everyone. Some years, some players get selected from a certain person's region, other years they don't. Some years we might be a pick away from taking a player from someone's region, the guy gets picked and you go to a different area. It's not ever a case where individuals are looking for credit. Everyone here is appreciated and does real good work.
Thoughts on not extending Nick Cousin and would he be an option for free agency…
He would be an option. I think it's no different from what you saw around the league. He's an example of one of those players. Played well enough that you would have easily been able to justify qualifying him. We weren't at that point. We like Nick, thought he contributed during his time here but in terms of making a decision for tomorrow that was the way that we went.
Thoughts on behind the decision to move up to 125 to draft Jesper Vikman…
We had the two picks in the third round but then didn't pick in the fourth and fifth. So, different things that we talked about in the third round was if we got to pick 91, which was our second third round pick. We were prepared to move down from that pick so we would move that pick down and add a pick with the fourth or fifth round. That was one of the things that we talked about leading up to the draft, that we would use that pick then to take a goaltender because we really wanted Vikman. We thought that would be the range that he would come on the board and then when we got to 91 and Jackson Hallum was still available. He was a player we had ranked considerably higher so we did not want to move down at that point and lose that player. So, that just led to some discussions with teams, probably five or six different calls with teams to try and find someone who would trade a pick in 2022, which is what we did for a pick now. So when you look at some of the teams that had multiple picks in the case of Montreal they had four picks in the fourth round so that helps you manage your draft grid a little bit. Usually if you're trading picks two years in the future it's not as easy to do but it helped them manage their grid a little bit and it worked for us. We got the first pick in the fifth round and that gave us the confidence that we were pretty sure that Vikman would be there. That is how that deal came together, that kind of bridged the draft for us because like I said we had the two thirds, no four and no fives and then a sixth and seventh. That pulled the draft together for us.
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