The New England region had a relatively quiet day two of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, with five local players selected between rounds 2-7.
The first player off the board was UMass freshman defender Scott Morrow (Darien, Conn.), who was the 40th overall selection by the Carolina Hurricanes out of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School.
“I think it all starts with me being a good skater and I have a lot of skill with the puck,” Morrow said after being selected. “I try to be offensive, but I think I’m a 200-foot player, and I play to win. So, that’s what I will bring to the Carolina Hurricanes.”
“He’s got a lot of offensive skill and sees the ice well,” said one Eastern Conference NHL scout. “He gets on pucks quickly and can move them with ease. The defense is an issue, but with his big body and natural hockey sense, he can get there.”
After Morrow came off the board early in the day, it was a long wait before the next local player heard their name called, nearly 140 picks later.
In the sixth round, the Minnesota Wild tabbed Mount St. Charles captain Nate Benoit (Bow, N.H.) with the 182nd overall selection. The smart two-way defender will play in the USHL in western Nebraska this season with the Tri-City Storm, but he gets high marks for his size (6-foot-1, 181 pounds), skating, defensive play and ability to join the rush and help the transition game. Wild GM Bill Guerin (Wilbraham, Mass.) and his staff got nice value from this pick, as Benoit was someone who could have gone as early as the fourth round.
“What you see is what you get with Benoit,” another NHL scout told New England Hockey Journal after the draft. “He moves well, has good size and range, and plays the game the right way. He doesn’t have any one exceptional carry tool, but he’s got leadership and character and is the kind of guy you win with.”
Benoit’s selection kicked off a run of New Englanders, as a pair of players came off the board in the next nine selections.
Left winger Shane Lachance went 186th overall to the Edmonton Oilers, late in the sixth round. From Andover, Mass., the Tabor Academy and Junior Bruins (NCDC) product is a raw but powerful forward with good hands around the net to make plays and score goals. His skating is not pro-caliber yet, but with added mass and power to his lower trunk and leg drive, he should be able to adjust to the faster speed and pace of juniors and the college game. The Boston University recruit has NHL bloodlines and plenty of room to develop and grow.
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The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning took a big defenseman from the Granite State in Alex Gagne, who went with the final selection of the sixth round, 192nd overall. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound native of Bedford, N.H., is headed to the University of New Hampshire this fall. After two seasons in the USHL with Cedar Rapids and Muskegon, he’s more of a defensively sound player who uses his size and reach to keep opponents away from his net. He keeps things simple with the puck and likely will improve his all-around game in Durham.
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To close out the group of regional players selected in 2021, Tampa went back to New Hampshire with Auburn’s Cooper Flinton in the seventh round. A St. Paul’s prep standout with time to develop before he's ready for pro hockey, the 211th overall pick has some intriguing long-term potential. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, the Dartmouth recruit brings a two-way presence to the ice and works hard as an athletic forward with room to fill out his frame. He moves well for a big man and has an underrated offensive dimension to his game.
"I'm honored to be a part of the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning organization and committed to doing everything I can to fulfill their belief in me," Flinton told New England Hockey Journal. "It's truly a dream come true. While I've worked hard to get to this point, I know I need to take my training and game to another level."
Before he goes to Dartmouth, Flinton plans to play the 2021-22 season with the USHL's Cedar Rapids Roughriders.
"Coach Dan Murphy at St. Paul's has helped me develop not only as an athlete but as a person over the last three years," he said. "I can't thank him enough."
With that, the book is closed on the NHL draft. We’ll start looking ahead to 2022 soon enough, but for the seven locals selected over the past two days, their hard work and sacrifices made by them and their families have resulted in a first major step toward fulfilling their hockey dreams.
