And with the 29th overall pick in the First Round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights select forward Brendan Brisson.
It took an eternity but the Vegas Golden Knights certainly made the wait worthwhile after taking a high-end prospect late in the First Round.
In what was arguably the deepest Draft in recent memory, there were still a plethora of elite offensive talent on the board by the time the Golden Knights went on the clock, including winger Noel Gunler.
With General Manager Kelly McCrimmon previously stating that Vegas would pick the best player available, they stuck to their promising by selecting Brendan Brisson who many experts view as being an absolute steal with the 29th overall pick.
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The son of NHL powerhouse agent Pat, who counts Vegas forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Nicolas Roy as two of his clients, Brendan Brisson was projected to go to the Colorado Avalanche with the 25th overall pick in The Athletic’s final Mock Draft, but he instead fell into the lap of the Golden Knights who add yet another potent weapon to their farm system.
A year removed from hitting the jackpot by drafting forward Peyton Krebs No.17 overall, the Golden Knights have significantly bolstered their pipeline of forwards again.
Brisson was a standout player in the USHL and he put up 59 points (24 G, 35 A) in 45 games for the Chicago Steel in 2019-20, being crowned USHL Rookie of the Year as a direct result.
He was also named to the USHL All-Rookie Team, the USHL First All-Star Team and the WJAC-19 All-Star Team after recording 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in six games.
“The best problem-solving forward in the Draft not named Alexis Lafreniere” according to eliteprospects.com, is a high-end skilled prospect who can beat defensemen one-on-one, make plays for his teammates and can both create and score.
Although not physical, Brisson does boast a high compete level and he possesses excellent puck-handling skills.
However, there are some chinks in Brisson’s armour including the fact that he’s not the best skater and he’s not the most intimidating at 6-foot and 185 lbs, but his skating can be worked on while he has time to fill out a bit and add some muscle.
Outside of a few minor kinks, though, Brisson is a fantastic addition for the Golden Knights and the prospect boasts tremendous upside.
He’ll be able to slot in on the power play and his slap shot could become a lethal weapon in the National Hockey League.
Committed to play hockey for the University of Michigan in 2020-21 as a freshman, Brendan Brisson is an elite playmaker who will look to eventually light up the NHL for the Vegas Golden Knights alongside the likes of Cody Glass, Peyton Krebs and Jack Dugan.
We’ll have more on the Golden Knights’ 29th overall pick, as well as a look ahead to Day Two, on Wednesday across Vegas Hockey Knight.