2021 NHL Draft: Top players not selected in 2020

The 2021 NHL Draft will be held July 23-24. NHL.com is counting down to the draft with profiles and other features. Today, a look at players passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft who could be selected this year. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

First-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects aren't the only players hoping to hear their names called at some point during the 2021 NHL Draft. The first round is scheduled for July 23 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, SN NOW), with rounds 2-7 on July 24 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN NOW).
There are several notable players passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft hoping for another shot.
Josh Doan (6-foot-2, 180 pounds), son of former NHL forward and current Arizona Coyotes chief hockey development officer Shane Doan, is at the top of the list of players expected to be chosen this year after not hearing his name in 2020.
"Watching how hard my dad worked is something I admired in his game," Josh Doan said. "I think I'm a good forward and I have a good hockey IQ. The biggest difference from last year, for me, is my confidence."
The 19-year-old right wing scored 70 points (31 goals, 39 assists) in 53 games this season for Chicago of the United States Hockey League. He ranked fourth in the USHL in goals and third in assists and points.

"He's just got every NHL attribute written on him, just like his dad," NHL Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory said. "He can be physical and overpower you, and then he can outsmart you. He's got a great shot and he makes players around him confident that, 'OK, if I get to the spot, he's going to get me the puck or if I get him the puck he's going to make something happen.'"
Doan, No. 87 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, scored 20 power-play points (nine goals, 11 assists) and was third on Chicago with 1.32 points-per game in his second USHL season. He was No. 181 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2020 draft.
"His game has just taken great strides and it should be interesting to see where he goes because he was kind of an unkept secret," Gregory said. "He didn't get drafted last year when you could have had him whenever you wanted. Now I think teams are going to worry that someone else is going to get him before they do, and it could create an interesting situation at the draft."

Here are six other players passed over in 2020 who could be drafted in 2021 (listed alphabetically):
Florian Elias, C, Adler Mannheim (GER): The 18-year-old had good chemistry on a line with Ottawa Senators rookie Tim Stutzle for sixth-place Germany at the IIHF 2021 World Junior Championship, scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) and averaging 22:48 of ice time in five games. Elias (5-foot-8, 170 pounds), No. 39 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, was named rookie of the year in Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany's top professional men's league, after scoring eight points (three goals, five assist) in 34 games this season with Adler Mannheim.
Simon Knak, LW, Portland (WHL):Ranked No. 86 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, Knak scored 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 24 Western Hockey League games during his second season with Portland, and was second in the WHL with three shorthanded goals. In 25 games on loan with HC Davos in the National League, Switzerland's top professional men's league, he scored eight points (three goals, five assists). The 19-year-old (6-1, 194) scored 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 49 WHL games in 2019-20 and was ranked No. 81 by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters for the 2020 draft.
Alexei Kolosov, G, Dinamo Minsk (KHL): The youngest goalie (18) in Minsk history to record a shutout on Oct. 28, 2020, Kolosov (6-1, 185) went 3-5-1 with a 2.69 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and one shutout in Kontinental Hockey League games. The 19-year-old had an .886 save percentage in four games for Belarus at the 2021 IIHF World Championship and was 2-1 with a 1.49 GAA and .930 save percentage in three games for third-place Belarus in the 2020 Division 1-A World Junior Championship.
Landon Kosior, D, Prince Albert (WHL): The right-handed shot (5-11, 190) is No. 168 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. The 18-year-old scored four goals in 21 games in his second season with Prince Albert and scored six points (one goal, five assists) in six games on loan with Melville of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Kosior was No. 98 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters for the 2020 draft.
Ruben Rafkin, D, TPS (FIN): The 19-year-old (5-11, 190), No. 70 in Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, has good compete and hockey sense. He scored 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) and was a plus-10 in 48 games averaging 17:23 of ice time in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league. The right-handed shot was No. 84 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters for the 2020 draft.
Miguel Tourigny, D, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL):Tourigny (5-8, 165), No. 157 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, is an offensive defenseman, possessing good passing, compete and skating ability. The 19-year-old scored 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists), including 15 power-play points (four goals, 11 assists) in 32 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League games this season. The right-handed shot was No. 183 on Central Scouting's final ranking for the 2020 draft.
Photo/video credits: Chicago Steel (USHL)
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