Canucks GM Allvin reveals first-round draft philosophy in new video

Canucks.com has always been a league leader in team-generated content, and the in-house producers were back at it last week with a terrific video from Patrik Allvin’s first NHL draft as a general manager.

I say terrific because Allvin revealed his bias for selecting in the first round, and gave marching orders to amateur scouts for future Canucks picks.

He also, somewhat against the grain for people in positions like his, didn’t lavish competitiveness with the primacy it often gets when evaluating young prospects.

“At the end of the day, everybody is competing at the National Hockey League level,” Allvin tells a boardroom of Canucks scouts and executives. “What separates them is the skill level. It’s easy to fall in love with high character, compete players at this level.

“But how can they get to the next level where everybody is competing? You’ve got to be smarter, more skilled. At some point, everybody is going to compete.”

It is entirely fair to say there is a base-level of competitiveness required of NHL players. It is also standard procedure to prioritize skill or hockey sense over work ethic in the first round. That’s where you should find your high-end scorers and top-flight defencemen, as Allvin noted in his presentation.

“I don’t want to have a third-line guy in the first round,” he says. “Those guys, you can find them in free agency. C+ players, you can find them in free agency. What you can’t find is the difference-makers. You can’t buy a difference-maker. It’s too expensive.”

That philosophy certainly shone through with the Canucks using the 15th overall selection on Jonathan Lekkerimäki, a Swedish winger who will compete for his country at the World Juniors in Alberta this week.

He was known as one of the best goal-scorers in the draft, so while winger is not a premium position nor of need to the Canucks, the new regime was delighted to have a player they ranked seventh-best available when they chose.

As for Allvin’s philosophy, most of it is quite wise.

You can buy bottom-six forwards in free agency, albeit third-line shutdown centres still tend to get paid and separate good from bad teams.

I’d also worry that Canucks scouts now go and out and over-rank skilled players who don’t exhibit the requisite competitiveness to make the NHL. Because that is the one thing Allvin doesn’t account for in comments. The player must first make the NHL to demonstrate their skill and smarts.

But all in all, if the Canucks are done taking the likes of Patrick White and Brendan Gaunce in the first round because they’re rolling the dice on higher-end skill level, than count me a supporter and let’s hope most of these kids make it to Rogers Arena to show off their talents.

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