Season 2 episode 18 - Justin Robidas, Aatu Raty, Nikita Chibrikov + building a foundation from the back end and looking out for the league

The Stars of tomorrow are discovered here, Every Wednesday former NHL GM, Stanley Cup Champion and Director of Scouting with TSN, Craig Button and I explore prospects for the NHL Draft. From Top Shelf Talent to The Next Wave to Time Machine and more. 

Justin Robidas is a point per game player right now in the QMJHL with Val-d'Or and while he doesn't do anything spectacular he also doesn't have any holes in his game. He thinks the game really well, much like his father Stephane who played almost 1000 games in the NHL. Dultak Scouting Service owns this NFT in the Ultimate Fantasy Hockey League.

Aatu Raty was leading the hype machine at this time last year as the number one pick. That's not the case right now, but don't mistake that for thinking he won't be a very good player. Smart scouts let others discuss the numbers in Liiga or the fact that he was cut from the World Junior team in Finland - Joe Thornton's rookie season and Marty Brodeur not making Canada's WJC say hello - while others rely on his game to game improvements in a pro league. Imagine what he would be doing in junior or college? RubyISS owns this NFT in the Ultimate Fantasy Hockey League.

Nikita Chibrikov is going to be a fun player to watch, whichever team is lucky enough to take him. His ability to change gears and push back defencemen when crossing the blue line is fantastic and then he really goes to work. He's played in 3 different leagues and Craig believes he'll outplay his draft position with a name like Nikita Kucherov coming to mind. Also a nice tip of the hat to some legendary Russian hockey players from the past. Spitfire Scouting owns this NFT in the Ultimate Fantasy Hockey League.

We also chatted about building a foundation with blueliners and looking out for the overall health of the league as opposed to just your team. Long vs short term. 

Craig joins us each week courtesy of the UFFS Hotline, become a scout and track the same players Craig and other scouts do, join up at www.UFFSports.com and get paid for your eagle eye when it comes to future stars. Catch past episodes and individual players at www.TrackingTheDraft.ca and watch episodes on YouTube.