Tag: riley damiani

KITCHENER, ON –  Riley Damiani is used to being overlooked.

Opponents and scouts have underestimated the Kitchener Rangers centre at every level of hockey.

“I feel like I’m one of those guys that flies under the radar,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been one of those guys my whole life.”

And because of it, the Mississauga native may be a steal at this year’s NHL draft, which runs next Friday and Saturday in Dallas.

Damiani is one of a handful of Rangers up for the draft.

Defenceman Giovanni Vallati leads the pack and is rated 57th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

Team scoring leader Adam Mascherin is re-entering the mix after failing to reach a deal with the Florida Panthers, who drafted him in the second round two years back, while imports Rickard Hugg and Adam Liska are considered long shots.

DALLAS, TX – There is plenty of value available in this year’s NHL Draft.

Although it’s critical to hit on your early picks, it’s just as important to find the hidden gems. The player who scored the winning goal in last season’s Stanley Cup Final was the very last pick of the draft. He’s also turned in a solid career. If Patric Hornqvist can go last, every pick matters.

We’re going to start a series here at the Hockey Writers going from league to league and country to country. We’re not looking for the obvious names. We’re looking for those who have the chance to surprise us and eventually turn into good NHL players. We’ll start out with the OHL.

I have identified five players who aren’t getting the attention I think they deserve. These are players who should get drafted but probably will later than they should. I’ll also give my rationale. In this case, I have seen these five players live. These are notes I’ve collected on them and will share with you now.