Preseason Top 30 for the 2027 NHL Draft
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WHL Top 2013 Draft Prospects Year End Rankings
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*1. Seth Jones D Portland* - Seth Jones got off to a slow start early on
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If you are like me, you are always slightly annoyed when NHL Central Scouting puts one four separate rankings for one draft. Thus, each year I take on the cumbersome task of combining the lists.
It takes about an hour to combine the lists, but two days to add the stats and other pertinent information.
For the first round I took the average of four separate December/January draft rankings and inserted the player from the European or Goalie rankings where the average ranking suggested.
For the remaining rounds, I simply inserted 5 European skaters and 3 goalies per round based on the average for the 2011 and 2012 drafts.
Outliers:
It is a little early to say who is right and who is wrong with their rankings so I will just list those prospects who I was surprised to see how high they were on Central Scouting’s lists and also those I was just as surprised to see how low they were on the lists.
10 – Frederik Gauthier: I don’t dislike this ranking but I am kind of surprised that NHL CS has him this high, so early, when he still has so much to work on and you are uncertain as to how much of that vast promise that he will be able to deliver.
17 – Mirco Mueller: Again, it is not so much that I disagree with this ranking; it is more that I would like to see this guy deliver the promise he showed at the U20’s to the Dub on a consistent basis before I jump all-in like CS.
23 – Shea Theodore: Has the skills but for me the defense is missing.
39 – Jimmy Lodge: I have watched this guy a few times; he has some offensive skills but the complete game is not there for me.
45 – Zach Nastasiuk: Has been on a roll and mostly downhill; did not have a great Top Prospects game.
The Top 5 Too Low:
31 – Max Domi: Tie is not going to be happy with this ranking for sure; for me, Max is a first rounder.
42 – Nikita Zadarov: I guess CS and I watched different games.
70 – Keaton Thompson: 2nd round, I can buy; 3rd round, not so much.
93 – Ryan Kujawinski: I am not sold on this guy either but 4th round seems a bit rough.
105 – Samuel Morin: Raw but he is 6’7, can be a bit mean, can skate fairly well, has reasonable skills – 2nd round for sure for me.
Peruse the combined rankings below and comment on some of your projected outliers.
NHL 2013 Draft War Room: Combination of NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings
Legend:
# = Prospect ranking
CS# = NHL Central Scouting Ranking
NAS = North American Skater
NAG = North American Goalie
EUS = European Skater
EUG = European Goalie
Pos = Position
Nat = Nationality
S = Shoots (Left or Right)
Notes:
The table display approximately 30 of the prospects at a time; simply scroll down to view the other prospects.
Only a portion of the table displays by default; you can scroll over to see the rest of the player demographics and stats or select “View full-size workbook” option, which is the icon in the bottom right hand corner, to view the full table.
This is the fourth in a series of nine postings of the top 90 prospects for the 2013 NHL draft.
There are a few things that you should be aware of in the 31-40 category:
a – As I mentioned in post 1 (1 to 10), there are a number of good goalies this year, four of which I have in round 2 (Fucale, Comrie, Martin and McAdam). I have not included any in round one due to the glut of NHL quality goalies around, but that does not mean they don’t have first round skills. It is possible that one or more could get their name called on Day 1 of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft – most likely by a team with more than one 1st round pick.
b – I have also not included any Russian born players who remain in Russia in the first round due to the Russian factor, even though they may have 1st round skills – such as Valeri Nichushkin.
c – As I previously mentioned in post 3 (21 to 30), this 31 to 40 group are almost interchangeable with the 21 to 30 group as to the likelihood as to where they will end up on the draft board in June 2013. Their future play will determine the outcomes.
Tri City’s Eric Comrie challenging Zach Fucal for top goalie in the 2013 NHL Draft (Photo: WHL.ca)
Background
Historically, players selected in the range of 31 to 45 have only a 33% success rate: This means that in a normal year 6 to 7 of the players below are not going to make it as an NHL regular. However, since this is a good year I believe that number will reduce substantially. This still means that there are likely to be 3 to 4 players in the group below who do not make it to the big league.
Vitals: The vitals reading left to right are:
Shoots
Position
Height and weight
Birth date
Citizenship
League
Team and player number
Rankings: I have listed some alternative rankings to give you some more information so you can make your own rankings, should you wish. You should check out some of the web sites listed below if you want a different perspective on the rankings:
c – Commentary: Dr. Cool-Tender – Calm, efficient, self-effacing netminder who makes those in front of him feel confident that he will look after his end of the game every time out. Plays every game; a student of the game like every goalie should be; set QMJHL record for most wins by a 16 year old goalie; won gold medal with Team Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament – with a shutout in the gold medal game to boot. Top rated goalie in the draft on most of the rankings.
d – Twitter: @Fucale31
e – YouTube video:
32. Nichushkin, Valeri:
a – Vitals: L – L/C – 6’3, 176 – 4-Mar-95 – RUS – MHL – Chelyabinsk #43
c – Commentary: Mr. Game Breaker – Tantalizing package of skating, game-breaking abilities and has drawn comparisons to Evgeni Malkin – you would think I would have in the top 10 and maybe I should. However, he signed a 3-year contract to stay in Russia so it would take an awfully brave GMto take him in the top 10. However, clubs such as Washington, Tampa Bay, Detroit and St.Louis (and others on occasion) have been known to snag some Russians bargains in the draft. Nichushkin is one the true wildcards of the 2013 draft class.
e – YouTube video: love how he blows by defensemen.
33. Horvat, Bo:
a – Vitals: L – LW/C – 6’0, 203 – 5-Apr-95 – CAN – OHL – London #53
b – Rank: NHL–OHL-5; CR-THW-26; HP-21; McK-29; THG-26; TSN-36; OHL-OHL-8
c – Commentary: Mr. Shutdown – Shutdown centre with offensive skills – skating, shot, hands, face-offs and good work ethic – has not received the offensive minutes to date to put up the points he is capable of. He won gold medal with Team Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
d – Twitter: @BoHorvat
e – Youtube video: CTVLondon. Mark Hunter says he is going to set Bo up front on the power play so maybe he is going to get those offensive minutes yet. With Corey Perry mentoring him, who knows what good things might happen.
34. De La Rose, Jacob
a – Vitals: L – C/LW – 6’2, 183 – 20-May-95 – SWE – SWE-1 – Leksand #9
b – Rank: NHL–SWE-3; CR-THW–30; ISS-21; McK-26; THG-30; THN-18; TSN-45
c – Commentary: Mr. Everything – Goran Stubb, NHL European Director of NHL Central Scouting told NHL.com, “He’s speedy and plays a strong two-way game. He can pass and shoot at top speed and is always on the puck. He’s a strong finesse-type player”. On Team Sweden’s preliminary roster for U20 Worlds; was Captain of the Swedish U18 Team at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
d – Twitter: @Jacobdelarose
e – Video: Gangnam style with Filip Forsberg, a must see. I can see a trip to the White House coming like the Korean rapper Psy.
35. Bailey, Justin
a – Vitals: R – C/RW – 6’3, 190 – 1-Jul-95 – USA – OHL – Kitchener #95
b – Rank: NHL-OHL-9; CR-THW–39; TSN-43; OHL-OHL-15
c – Commentary: Mr. Elegance – Just oozes that tall, stately elegance that Jean Beliveaupossessed. Excellent skater, long reach, can score those breath-taking goals. Needs to put it all together as we have only seen glimpses of his potential to date but, oh, those glimpses were wonderful.
d – Twitter: @justinbailey95
e – YouTube video: Courtesy of NHLVideo. It sure didn’t hurt Sidney Crosby to live with Mario Lemieux so I am sure it didn’t hurt Justin Bailey to live with Pat Lafontaine.
36. Wennberg, Alexander
a – Vitals: L – C – 6’1, 174 – 22-Sep-94 – SWE – SWE-2 – Djurgården #10
b – Rank: NHL-SWE-5; TSN-25
c – Commentary: Mr. Stealth – Really good center flying under the radar; feet, hands, vision; game. On the preliminary roster for Team Sweden for the U20 Worlds at Christmas.
a – Vitals: L – D – 6’3, 207 – 5-Aug-95 – USA – USHL – Waterloo #3
b – Rank: NHL-USHL-2; CR-THW–28; ISS-30; TSN-42
c – Commentary: McShutdown – NHL sized body who plays a steady defensive game at the back-end and works on the power play. Should make his money as a solid shutdown defenseman who works on the PK and makes quality outlet passes.
a – Vitals: L – G – 6’1, 170 – 9-Jul-95 – CAN – WHL – Tri-City #1
b – Rank: NHL–WHL-Goal-1 ISS-Goal-3; McK-30; THN-30; TSN-32
c – Commentary: The Brick Stop – Another student of the game, Eric has great anticipation and vision, great lateral movement and the reflexes required to be a number one goalie. Eric is in the running to be the number one goalie selected along with Zach Fucale and Spencer Martin. When you have NHL brothers who have been shooting the puck at you since you were 4 or 5, you’ve got to be good just to make it home to the dinner table every night. And yes, his brother is the recently retired Mike Comrie; another brother is Paul Comrie, who had a short NHL career due to injury; his sister-in-law is Hilary Duff; his father (Bill) and uncles (Fred and John) founded The Brick, a major retailer of furniture, mattresses, appliances, electronics and computers in Canada.
a – Vitals: L – C – 6’2, 205 – 30-Mar-95 – CAN – OHL – Kingston #17
b – Rank: NHL–OHL-12; CR-THW–10; ISS-23; THG-20; TSN-35; OHL-OHL-3
c – Commentary: Mr. Down Low – Size, skating, puck possession skills, good down low, great wrist shot; needs to work on his defense and utilize his size more effectively. Big things were expected of him this year as he was the 4th overall pick in the 2011 OHL draft. Started the season well with OHL Player of the Week honors but has not been able to sustain that high level of play. If he starts to pick it up again, he could be considered a potential 1st rounder; if not –well, there is no such thing as the status quo with draft rankings this early in the season.
a – Vitals: L – D – 6’2, 182 – 3-Aug-95 – CAN – WHL – Seattle #17
b – Rank: NHL-WHL-32; CR-THW-27; ISS-28; McK-28; TSN-46
c – Commentary: Mr. Motion – Size, skating, vision, those precise outlet passes, can carry the puck, good shot, shows excellent power-play skills; needs to work on his defense, upper body strength and overall physicality. Shea won gold medal with Team Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
The biggest problem I had in the 11 to 20 category was whether or not to include Anthony Mantha. He certainly has the size, the skills and certainly the results to be included in this category. However, he has consistency issues: sometimes he plays like Superman and at other times, The Invisible Man. Since he has been playing with a little more consistency lately I have included him in this category at #13. Go ahead, Anthony, make us all proud.
Background
Players drafted 1 to 15 have an 82% success rate; 16 to 30 have 76%: Therefore, if you average the two numbers, players drafted 11th to 20th have about a 79% success rate. This means 2 to 3 of the players below are not going to make it.
Vitals: The vitals reading left to right are:
Shoots
Position
Height and weight
Birth date
Citizenship
League
Team and player number
Rankings: Check out some of the web sites listed below if you want a different perspective on the rankings:
d – Commentary: Mr. Clutch – Speed, hands, offense, puck protection; just needs to fill out a bit. His dad, Robert, played 23 games for the Ottawa Senators.
12. Zadorov, Nikita
a – Vitals: L – D – 6’5, 230 – 15-Apr-95 – RUS – OHL – London #65
d – Commentary: Mr. Awesome – Imposing size and wing span, great stick work, excellent mobility, good on the man-to-man, tough to play against. Shows you what Hal Gill might look like if he could skate.
e – Twitter: @zadorov61
13. Mantha, Anthony
a – Vitals: L – RW – 6’3, 200 – 16-Sep-94 – CAN – QMJHL – Val D’Or #8
b – 12-13 Stats: 26 25 19 44 30 +15
c – Rank: NHL–QMJHL-6; CR-THW–57; FC-19; HP-30; McK-15; THN-17; TSN-HM
d – Commentary: The Invisible Man – Amazing skills, amazing reach, fantastic results; big guy who just seems to appear out of nowhere all the time (like Paul Bunyan lurking in the weeds) – just needs to be more consistent.
14. Morrissey, Josh
a – Vitals: L – D – 6’0, 184 – 28-Mar-95 – CAN – WHL – Prince Albert #10
d – Commentary: The Cog – Elite skating defenseman who is equally effective at both ends of the ice; a key cog behind his team’s success as he plays in all situations.
d – Commentary: Mr. Heartbeat – He possesses a tantalizing combination of size and speed that you just can’t overlook. Plus, he seems to be get better and better each time you see him.
e – Twitter: @Adamerne73
16. Hägg, Robert
a – Vitals: L – D – 6’2, 201 – 8-Feb-95 – SWE – SWE J20 – MODO J20 #14
d – Commentary: The Game Pacer – Has the tools, size, shot, pass, spacing and the hockey sense to use those tools to his best advantage. Can elevate his game to the situation, something teams love to see. The Captain of his team.
d – Commentary: Mr. Not Just Anybody – Huge, excellent skater for a big guy; strong on defense for a rookie. Needs to initiate more plays and find just how intimidating his imposing size can be in physical encounters – when that happens and it will, watch out for “la magie”.
a – Vitals: L – LW – 5’11, 182 – 26-Jul-95 – CDN – QMJHL – Quebec #94
b – 12-13 Stats: 14 7 13 20 4 +14
c – Rank: NHL-QMJHL-8; CR-THW–17; HP-29; TSN-25
d – Commentary: Mr. Electric – Enough speed to electrify the Colisée Pepsi, fantastic plus-minus since his line seems to have the puck all the time, exceptional puck control at high speed, a shot that goes boom-boom and a winner to boot.
e – Twitter: @aduclair10
19. Domi, Max
a – Vitals: L – C – 5’10, 194 – 2-Mar-95 – CAN – OHL – London #16
d – Commentary: McThrill – “He’s highly skilled. He makes plays. He scores goals. He can play with an edge but I would much rather it be a Mark Messier type edge than my type of edge. I just want him to live his dream and be himself. He doesn’t need to fight tough guys to do that”, Max’s Dad, long-time Maple Leaf enforcer, Tie Domi, to The Toronto Star.
e – Twitter: @max_domi
20. Lazar, Curtis
a – Vitals: R – C/RW – 6’0, 198 – 2-Feb-95 – CAN – WHL – Edmonton #27
d – Commentary: Mr. Detail – Kid has already gone to the Memorial Cup and won a gold medal on Team Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka with Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin as his linemates. He is the detail man on every team he plays for; he does all the little things right; he is the guy every coach wants on their team. Could go higher if he picks up his scoring pace a little bit.
While I'm tirelessly striving to finalize The Hockey Spy's NHL 2012 Draft Rankings, NHL Central Scouting released their final rankings at a curious time - the World Juniors U18s are playing out and the CHL playoffs in full force.
"It should come as no surprise that right wing Nail Yakupov of the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting has been tabbed the top North American skater eligible for 2012 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting.
Yakupov, 18, was the top prospect on Central Scouting's preliminary list of the top 25 skaters from the OHL in November and was regarded as the No. 1 North American skater on January's mid-term report.
Yakupov has done nothing to disappoint the scouts this season.
"His first step and ability to control bouncing pucks, knock them down and make a play are the best of any of the guys in the draft," said Central Scouting's Chris Edwards. "He really gets up to top speed very quickly and his hands are outstanding. Like Pavel Bure, Yakupov is dangerous every shift. He may not have been dominant on every shift like Bure was, but he created something every shift … you have to be aware where he is on the ice all the time.""
