This is the second part of the Ronin coverage of forwards in the system. This time we review the winger eligible players who hope to skate for Victoria in the future. With the recent major move sending original draft pick Evgeni Kuznetsov to Dayton the prospect depth at wing has improved significantly. Not to be overlooked is the deal with Minnesota involving Carl Soderberg. So the pro club has taken a hit in the talent level and hopes to somehow muddle through the balance of the season and make the playoffs. However, as dim as the current season for the top club looks, the kids appear to be coming and in a big way.
Starting with Dylan Sikura who was a somewhat surprising cut by the Hawks to start this NHL season. He has not lost focus and is a top scorer in the AHL so far this year. With the change of coach in Chicago perhaps we will see Dylan in Chicago sooner rather than later. He is projected to play on the RW which is a major team need.
Left-wing Keiffer Bellows is currently a rookie in the AHL for the Islanders farm team. There appeared to be a bit of an adjustment to start the season for him, but as of late he has found the back of the net which is exactly what the Ronin are hoping for him. His game should continue to improve as he becomes more familiar with the competition at the minor league level before making the jump to the big leagues with Victoria on the west coast of Canada.
Next up is Filip Chytil who seems to have found his game with the NYR with goals in 5 straight games. Having watched most of his games I can tell you that this kid looks to be blossoming into a special player. He is still only 19 years old and now that NY has put him into a top 6 spot, better things should be coming. Drafted as a center, he is currently playing on both wings.
Jonah Gadjovich might not have the name recognition as some of the others on the list but he is a 2nd round pick with Canucks in 2017. Described as a team-first player he is currently a rookie in the AHL and is clearly having some adjustment issues with the club. With good size and speed h,e adds more depth to the LW cupboard for the Ronin.
Maxime Comtois is another promising young left winger who was just sent back to juniors by the Anaheim Ducks. The hope is that he will get a chance to play in the world juniors for Team Canada. He did put up some decent numbers in his short stint with his NHL club. The left winger plays a strong pro game and should be back in the NHL as soon as next season.
Taylor Raddysh projects to right wing or center in the NHL. He is currently playing in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch where he has 7 goals in 15 games played. Like Gadjovich he is also a 2nd round pick by Tampa in 2016. With luck, he might make the big club before the end of the season and Victoria is hoping to see both Taylor and Dylan skating on the right side for them in the near future.
Another 2 right wingers are also in the system both drafted by Edmonton in Ostap Safin and Kirill Maksimov. Safin is probably the lessor known of the two but he is a big body who skates very well and in fact played with Zadina and Chytil in the 2018 worlds for the Czechs. He could surprise to the upside and Victoria would love to plug him onto the 3rd line. Kirill Maksimov can score and is having a fine season for Niagara in the OHL with some luck he could push one of Raddysh or Sikura down the depth chart if the Oilers can actually find a way to properly develop prospects. Until then both of these kids have more of an outside shot at the NHL, but there is always hope.
The last kid on the list is Andrei Svechnikov currently playing for the Hurricanes in the NHL. A left shooting right wing he currently has 5 goals and 11 points in 22 games played. He has boatloads of talent and barring a trade or injury will get some big minutes for the Ronin next season.
So the future looks bright for the team in Victoria. Next up will be a review of the defense.
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