E-Mac's 2011 NHL Entry Draft Top 120: Xavier Ouellet #90

90. Xavier Ouellet - “Mr. Chameleon” - D - Canada

Vitals: Size - 6’1”, 177 lb.;Shoots left; Born 29-Jul-93 - Terrebonne, QC
Team: Montréal, QMJHL
2010-11 Stats: 67-8-35-43-44-(+28) + QMJHL playoffs - 10-0-8-8+6-(+5)

Rankings:
48 - ISS list per TSN
57 - Bob MacKenzie's June Poll of Scouts
60 - NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings (76th North American skater)
60 - The Scouting Report's Top 100 Skaters
65 - Cory Pronman's Top 100
66 - The Hockey News list per TSN
71 - Christopher Ralph's Top 210
90 - E-Mac's 2011 NHL Entry Draft Top 120
Draft result:
48 - Detroit Red Wings

I have a great difficulty rating this guy. Some really like him as Central Scouting’s Chris Bordeleau told NHL.com

@ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=554025
. "He's such a fluid skater, with excellent all-round mobility. He's not a physical player by any means because he's not that big (5-foot-11 1/2, 182 pounds), something he'll definitely have to work at, which is my only concern. For the rest, he's an excellent passer, reads the play very well and has an accurate shot that he uses so teammates can deflect in front of the net." Others really skewer him like the report Redline did on their write-up of the Top Prospects game performances

@ http://www.redlinereport.com/

As for myself, I am closer to the Redline Report as in the games I have seen him in he has not been too good defensively, particularly when it comes to physical interaction or good decision making in the defensive zone. So who do you believe, the scouts who are paid to do this work or your own lying eyes (as Groucho Marx used to say). Central Scouting has him mid third round and his strong statistics support that but on draft day we shall see whose eyes are lying.