EVERETT — The draft stock of three Silvertips players rose in the final rankings released by NHL Central Scouting Monday.
Defenseman Gianni Fairbrother rose from 85th to 50th amongst North American skaters, Dustin Wolf improved from 17th to 12th amongst North American goaltenders and Bryce Kindopp debuted on the rankings at 170th.
The 2019 NHL Draft is on June 21 and June 22 at Rogers Arena, the home of the Vancouver Canucks.
“It’s definitely pretty cool to see it, but I think it’s a testament to what the coaches do here with every one of our players,” Fairbrother said. “Everyone in our lineup had positive seasons and developed in a positive direction.”
Fairbrother, a 2000-born defenseman from North Vancouver, British Columbia, took a big leap forward after compiling five points in 33 games as a rookie last season, recording 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists) in 64 games. He also chipped in four assists in 10 playoff games this season.
Fairbrother’s offensive development was apparent and an important factor in his success this season.
“Definitely earlier in the season (carrying the puck) wasn’t maybe as much of a part of my game, but it’s something I knew I needed to work on and wanted to work on. Before and after practice, working on some things like that, definitely helped a lot,” he said.
Wolf was named the Western Conference goaltender of the year this season after leading the league in goals against average (1.69), save percentage (.914) and minutes played (3,615) over the regular season and passed two WHL goalies, Kelowna’s Roman Basran and Red Deer’s Ethan Anders, in the final installment of the scouting rankings.
Kindopp blossomed into a point-per-game player and led the Silvertips in goals this season with 39 in his third season of draft eligibility. He also posted the second highest +/- rating in franchise history.
Sutter assigned to AHL
The Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Washington Capitals, announced on Monday that Riley Sutter has been assigned to the team’s roster. The Bears begin the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs with a first-round series against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Sutter was en route to Hershey following the Silvertips’ exit meetings on Monday, but said he wasn’t sure if he’d play in any playoff games.
“I’m just going to go in there, see what’s going on, and go from there,” Sutter said.
The 19-year-old center missed a significant chunk of the season with a lower-body injury, but still finished fifth on the Silvertips with 41 points in 38 games. He returned for Game 3 of the Silvertips’ second-round playoff series loss to the Chiefs, recording an assist in three games.
The Capitals third-round pick in 2018 will reunite with former Silvertips forward Garrett Pilon, who was recently named Hershey’s rookie of the year.
#CapsProspect Garrett Pilon wins The Bears Jack Gingrich Rookie of the Year Award. Congratulations @gpilon41 ! pic.twitter.com/0WaoeF4aCx
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) April 14, 2019
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