Calgary Flames first round pick Jakob Pelletier gets a decent number of comparisons to Boston Bruins megapest Brad Marchand. Maybe not so much on the dirty play and/or licking people levels, but more so on the small but high energy side of things. It’s meant to be a positive.
Maybe it was accidental, maybe it was on purpose, but the Flames’ next pick was spent on Ilya Nikolayev, a player who draws comparisons to Marchand’s pal, Patrice Bergeron. Highly praised for his two-way play and his hockey intelligence, the 6’0″ left shooting centre hopes to become a top six forward in the National Hockey League in short order.