Top five late-round steals from the 2021 NHL Draft so far

Mar 31, 2025, 14:00 EDT

Top five late-round steals from the 2021 NHL Draft so far

Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

After looking at the best late-round selections from recent draft classes, we’re finally at the point where every player on this list has NHL experience.

The 2021 NHL Draft was perhaps the weirdest of all, with a good portion of the players taken having not played any games in a league that year. For many, especially on Team Canada, their only game action came during the season-ending U-18 World Championship in Texas. One big theme that year: teams were more willing to take chances on older re-entry players. With little to work with, teams were resorting to their previous scouting notes and looked to take a chance on guys they had more experience with.

So, teams had to get creative and truly trust their scouting notes. There was a lot of projecting and hoping their instincts were correct. For four teams on this list (Tampa Bay didn’t draft their guy), their inclinations paid off:

Tyson Kozak, C/LW (Buffalo Sabres)

Drafted: Seventh round, 193rd overall

Kozak has never been a high-end producer in the pro game, but the Sabres like him in a depth role. He has been quite good there, too, putting up decent numbers during a recent stretch with the big club. For Kozak, it’s all about smart play reads and knowing when to spend the extra effort to take space away. He can kill penalties, holds his own physically and does a nice job of getting into scoring lanes to be a disruptor.

The Sabres have plenty of notable offensive drivers in their pipeline, but they need guys who can be a jack-of-all-tradesman. That’s where Kozak comes in. He can play center and the wing and is good enough away from the puck to instill confidence in giving him tougher assignments. Will he be anything more than a bottom-six NHLer? Probably not. But he was also the 193rd player taken in 2021, so there’s that.

Jackson Blake, LW (Carolina Hurricanes)

Drafted: Fourth round, 109th overall

The only player on this draft who could earn some deep-down Calder Trophy consideration, Blake has been absolutely electric for the Hurricanes. He had two outstanding seasons at the University of North Dakota and was even named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the top male college hockey player.

Blake has put up modest numbers for the Hurricanes in his rookie season but has proven he can play anywhere in the lineup with just about anyone. He’s got a good work ethic, moves well and has a decent shot, and it won’t be long until he’s a 20-goal guy in the NHL. Blake comes from good hockey bloodlines, with his father being former NHL forward Jason Blake. Jackson is competitive like his dad and has a similar wrist shot, too. The Hurricanes have shown they can draft well outside of the first round, and Blake already looks like a home run.

Ethan Del Mastro, D (Chicago Blackhawks)

Drafted: Fourth round, 105th overall

Del Mastro is another notable prospect in the Blackhawks’ pipeline, taken just a few picks before Blake. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound defender is easy to notice out there, and he loves to make his presence known every time he hits the ice. The former Mississauga Steelheads captain had a great pro rookie season with Rockford last year, and while he couldn’t find the same offensive success this year, he’s already playing around 20 minutes a night in the NHL. I bet he’d prefer that over putting pucks in the net in Rockford.

Del Mastro was one of the OHLers who got hurt by missing out on the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions. You could see the raw potential, but he had quiet numbers in his OHL rookie season. But from an overall standpoint, this is a guy who should have always gone in the top 60. He didn’t have any glaring weaknesses and was good in many elements of the game. The Blackhawks did their research, and it’s paying off.

Joshua Roy, RW (Montreal Canadiens)

Drafted: Fifth round, 150th overall

Roy’s poor skating in junior didn’t help his draft stock. But ever since, Roy has become a stout AHLer, putting up 33 goals and 67 points in 87 games. His NHL tenure has been a bit more of a mixed bag, but we’ve seen flashes of brilliance on the wing as he has played all throughout the team’s lineup.

Roy is a skilled, smart forward who knows how to use his teammates to his advantage and has a big shot, too. He’s been productive at just about every level, and he can be a play-driver, too. He needs to be more consistent and add some intensity away from the puck, but I think the Canadiens view him as a legit long-term middle-six scoring threat for their club.

Emil Lilleberg, D (Tampa Bay Lightning via Arizona Coyotes)

Drafted: Fourth round, 107th overall

There’s absolutely nothing flashy about Lilleberg’s game, but that’s totally OK. Drafted by Arizona but never signed, the Norwegian built a name for himself as a stout defensive player as a teenager. Still, he wasn’t getting much attention in front of scouts because he was playing in the top league in Norway, which doesn’t get much scouting love. He was taken as an overager in 2021 after a solid showing at the World Championship, where he showed he could be a physically imposing defenseman.

After two years in Sweden, he made his NHL debut in 2023-24 and became a full-time NHLer this season. Lileberg is trending toward a 20-assist season while playing around 15 minutes a night – honestly, that’s not too bad for a guy many scouts wrote off due to a lack of offensive ability. The 24-year-old’s bread and butter is his hockey IQ, but he’s learning how to be physically stronger, too.

Other notables: James Malatesta, LW (Columbus Blue Jackets); Dylan Duke, C (Detroit Red Wings); Shane Lachance, LW (New Jersey Devils via Edmonton Oilers); Niko Huuhtanen, LW (Tampa Bay Lightning); Carl Lindbom, G (Vegas Golden Knights)