HAWKS NOT FINNISHED ADDING TALENT THROUGH DRAFT
Oct 7, 2019 6:24:48 GMT -5
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Post by Asbjørn Nygård on Oct 7, 2019 6:24:48 GMT -5
HAWKS NOT FINNISHED ADDING TALENT THROUGH DRAFT
by Asbjørn Nygård
St. Roch - The St. Roch Hawks followed up their stunning week one win by making a surprise roster move as they released 2018 5th round pick Kale Clague and used one of their two deferred 2019 draft picks to select Finnish defenseman Ville Heinola.
Clague is a 21-year old prospect who was expected to compete for a spot on the Hawks opening night roster but instead was a disappointment in training camp and was one of the first players assigned to the Atlanta Thrashers of the AHL. The move comes as a surprise to many Hawks fans and certainly to Clague who was awoken by team staff at 3:43am to be informed of the move, told to collect his things and to "get the hell out". When Clague responded by telling the staff that they were in his apartment, not team facilities, the staff huddled together briefly before handing him his release papers and fleeing the scene. Clague said he thought the entire episode was a dream for a while but once he confirmed he was awake and that he was, in fact, released he was outraged and intends to press charges for breaking and entering.
St. Roch North American pro scout Doug Gilmour was asked what it was about Clague's game that made him the choice to be released in order to create room on the roster for Heinola. "We already had five defensemen that we've drafted ahead of Clague on the depth chart - guys like Charlie McAvoy, Eric Cernak, Ryan Merkley, Adam Fox and Victor Soderstrom - plus we have Samuel Girard, a guy we got in a trade but who fits in well with what we're trying to build so it was really just a matter of picking the lowest guy on the list. There's nothing wrong with Kale Clague but he's a 21-year old that has yet to make it into the DHL, he's just ok and he's easily replaced. We think Heinola is a significant upgrade over a guy like Kale, both now and in the future, and besides - who likes Kale?"
As for Heinola the Hawks have added a player who is already what Clague can thus far only dream of being. The 18-year old defenseman is already good enough to play in the DHL and has a variety of strong skills. Simi Valley Kings defenseman Neal Pionk played with Heinola in summer leagues and had this to say about him, "I’ll keep emphasizing his hockey IQ. He sticks with guys and he uses his body really well, his positioning. Despite his size, I think you saw he took on Wayne Simmonds (in the summer league), and he uses body positioning to take care of him. He’s that smart."
Hawks European pro scout Douglas Murray has seen Heinola play numerous times and was instrumental in convincing the team to make this move. Murray had this to say when asked about Heinola's game, "There’s a great amount of confidence, without any arrogance in his game. He just knows when he has time. He knows how to move the puck. He knows how to find the open man. He doesn’t put himself in a deficit to do it.”
The Hawks were stoic when talking to the media about Heinola but it's clear they're very excited about adding this young man to their already impressive stable of prospects. The Hawks 2019 draft class is one that could become the cornerstone of success in St. Roch in the future as Jack Hughes, Roope Hintz, Dylan Cozens, Eric Cernak, Jakob Pelletier, Victor Soderstrom and now Ville Heinola all figure to be key contributors to the team in the near future.
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