NHL 2013 Draft War Room: Combination of NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings

Guest post by Eldon MacDonald

Max Domi: NHL Central Scouting has curious ranked Tie’s son as the 23rd rated North American skater (Terry Wilson/OHL Images.)

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.

The Top 5 Too Highs:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 23 – Shea Theodore: Has the skills but for me the defense is missing.
4. 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.
5. 45 – Zach Nastasiuk: Has been on a roll and mostly downhill; did not have a great Top Prospects game.

The Top 5 Too Low:

1. 31 – Max Domi: Tie is not going to be happy with this ranking for sure; for me, Max is a first rounder.
2. 42 – Nikita Zadarov: I guess CS and I watched different games.
3. 70 – Keaton Thompson: 2^nd round, I can buy; 3^rd round, not so much.
4. 93 – Ryan Kujawinski: I am not sold on this guy either but 4^th round seems a bit rough.
5. 105 – Samuel Morin: Raw but he is 6’7, can be a bit mean, can skate fairly well, has reasonable skills – 2^nd 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 article was originally published at The Hockey Writers.

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2013 NHL Draft War Room Rankings Top 90 (Part 3: 21-30)

2013 NHL Draft War Room Rankings Top 90 (Part 3: 21-30):

Guest post by Eldon MacDonald

Part 3: 21 to 30

Kerby Rychel has surely shown that he does not need to use his last name to woo admirers. His talents have been demonstrated on several occasions since he has been in the OHL and they will surely help him be a first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. (Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

This is the third 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 21-30 category:

a – There is a lot of fluidity in the rankings and not much difference in the possibilities for the players in the 21 to 45 range in terms of where they get selected in Newark, New Jersey come next June. In the next couple of posts you will see that the rankings are all over the map for this group of players.

b – This 21-30 range is a group I usually fail at, if you consider failure to be that the NHL did not draft your selection in the 1^st round. However, if you consider success as who will be the best NHL player in the long-term, then the results can reveal a different story. Go ahead, you be the judge: here is the list of players I ranked in the first round for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft that the NHL drafted in the 2^ndround. If you click on the player’s name, you will get the original article I wrote about them for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (my ranking and where they were drafted are noted below).

(i)            Kucherov, Nikita – Me = 23; NHL = 58 to Tampa Bay; 2012-13 stats: Rouyn-NorandaQMJHL– 7-6-6-12-0(+6). I still think Stevie Y got away with one here. And yes, he is on the preliminary roster of Russia for the 2012 U20 tournament.

(ii)          Khokhlachev, Alexander – Me = 25; NHL = 40 to Boston; 2012-13 stats: Moscow Spartak KHL – 23-2-3-5-18-(-1). The jury is still out on this guy but I still like his chances.

(iii)         Saad, Brandon – Me = 25; NHL = 43 to Chicago: 2012-13 stats: Rockford AHL – 15-5-4-9-2. This guy will be in Chicago this year if we have NHL hockey this year.

(iv)         Grimaldi, Rocco – Me = 27; NHL = 33 to Florida: 12-13 stats: University of North Dakota– 14-5-6-11-6. Hasn’t played much since the draft due to injury but I still believe this guy has what it takes to be an NHLer. He is on Team USA’s preliminary roster for the 2012 U20 tournament so I am sure we will be seeing a lot of him just after Christmas.

(v)          Jenner, Boone – Me = 29; NHL = 37 to Columbus; 12-13 stats: Oshawa 30-27-19-46-28-(+13) – Much improved since the draft, a player who will look good in a Team Canada uniform if the NHL doesn’t start up. Columbus is going to be real happy with this guy.

(vi)         Ritchie, Brett – Me = 30; NHL = 44 to Dallas; 12-13 stats: Niagara Falls 32-27-23-50-25-(+28). Ditto to what I said about Boone Jenner. One of my personal favourite prospects; Dallas has a real steal here.

c – I thought this was going to be easy but it just seems to get harder and harder to satisfy yourself that you have the rankings correct, or at least in the ball park. The two biggest question marks I had in the 21 to 30 group were Artturi Lehkonen and Valentin Zykov. With Artturi, the question came down to size as he certainly has the skills and results to be 1^st round material. However, the combination of a solid body, not being a perimeter player and the fact that he has not yet completed the gym work to add weight and strength in his draft year (unlike most North American players) leads me to believe that the best is yet to come from Artturi and we will see Artturi’s name called on Day One of the 2013 NHL draft. For Valentin, the question was one of consistency. He certainly has the size and skills for round one but has shown too much disparity between his best games and his average games.  However, an improved consistently of late enticed me to count him as a 1^st rounder.

Background

1. 16 to 30 has 76% success rate: This means 2 to 3 of the players below are not going to make it to the show.
2. Vitals: The vitals reading left to right are:
   1. Shoots
   2. Position
   3. Height and weight
   4. Birth date
   5. Citizenship
   6. League
   7. Team and player number
   8. 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:
      • NHL – NHL Central Scouting – North American and International Preliminary Rankings
      • CR-THW – The Hockey Writers, Christopher Ralph’s The Next Ones Top 60 – Oct-12
      • FC – Future Considerations – Nov-12
      • HP – HockeyProspect.com – Nov-12
      • ISS – ISS – Nov-12
      • McK - McKeen’s – Nov-12
      • THG – The Hockey Guys - Nov-12
      • THN – The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy) – Nov-12
      • TSN – The Sports Network’s Craig Button – Dec-12
      • OHL – OHL Prospects blogspot of Brock Otten – Nov-12

Round 1 – 21 to 30 – Historical success rate of about 76%

21. Dickinson, Jason

a – Vitals: L – C/W – 6’2, 176 – 4-Jul-95 – CAN – OHL – Guelph #11

b – Rank: NHL–OHL-6; CR-THW–33; HP-16; ISS-14; McK-16; THG-22; THN-25; TSN-17; OHL-OHL-5

c – Commentary: The Promise – This is a player who has shown the promise of much greater results. Tall at 6’2, slick hands with a compact stride, excellent vision, good in traffic, and can be one of those difference-maker type players. Show us the consistency and intensity, Jason, and top 10 is not out of reach.

d – Twitter: jdickinson_11

22. Lehkonen, Artturi

a – Vitals: L – LW – 5’10, 163 – 4-Jul-95 – FIN – FIN-1 – KalPa #62

b – Rank: NHL–FIN-3; CR-THW–27; HP-20; ISS-13; THG-24; THN-16; TSN-19

c – Commentary: Mr. I Score Goals – Fast, furious, loves to score goals but makes those delicious passes as well, great puck skills, small but not weak, hard-worker, and having considerable success in top Finnish men’s league at 17. Oh yeah, and his vision is elite. Top goal tournament goal scorer at the 2012 World U18 Championship and he is on Team Finland’s preliminary 2012 U20 roster.

d – Twitter: @arsilehkonen

23. Rychel, Kerby

a – Vitals: L – LW – 6’1, 200 – 7-Oct-94 – CAN – OHL – Windsor #16

b – Rank: NHL–OHL-3; CR-THW–18; FC-25; HP-24; ISS-20; McK-24; THG-17; THN-29; TSN-22; OHL-OHL-6

c – Commentary: The Very Good Son – Goal scorer (41 in his pre-NHL Draft eligible year), good down-low, nice hands and can play the gritty, hands-dirty game too. Started slow this year but after his line mate, Josh Ho Sang, a potential Top 10 pick in 2014, scored his first goal, the line sort of took off. How high he will go is a story yet to be told. He is the son of former NHL enforcer and Windsor Spitfire GM, Warren Rychel. Kerby was a gold medal winner on Team Canada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

d – Twitter: @Krychs

24. Compher, JT

a – Vitals: R – C – 6’0, 165 – 8-Apr-95 – USA – USHL – USA U18 #7

b – Rank: NHL-USA-1; CR-THW–19; FC-22; ISS-29; McK-22; THG-27; THN-20; TSN-21

c – Commentary: Mr. Energy – Drive hard, play hard, create energy, hit the corners, put up some offense, play shutdown hockey, play a good defense, be a pest – that’s JT Compher in a nutshell. JT projects as a two-way forward with a solid NHL future after he adds a little more weight and strength. Gold medal winner with Team USA at the 2012 U18 World Tournament.

d – Twitter: @Jcomph7

25. Zykov, Valentin:

a – Vitals: R – RW – 6’1, 215 – 15-May-95 – RUS – QMJHL – Baie Comeau #73

b – Rank: NHL–QMJHL-3; TSN-28

c – Commentary: The Russian High Note – When he is on a roll, he plays at such a high note that Everest and K2 seem possible – size, skating, shot, drive to the net, more irritating than black flies in Labrador, a one-man wrecking crew, and top 10 material. Unfortunately, Valentin does not always play on such a high note. Not that he is bad or disappears at other times; it is just that there is such a high level of disparity in his level of play. Lately, he has playing with greater consistency which is why I have him ranked in the top 30. However, it is those high notes which would even make Celine Dion proud that causes the excitement around this guy.

26. Thompson, Keaton  

a – Vitals: L – D – 6’1, 165 – 14-Sep-95 – USA – USHL – USA U18 #6

b – Rank: NHL-USA-5; CR-THW–41; FC-17; ISS-22; TSN-24

c – Commentary: Mr. Impressive – The smooth and easy of defense; fluid, consistent, calm under pressure, one and out passes, can join the rush, and not afraid of the rough stuff. A player who has been increasingly impressive so far with hints of what he can develop into. Go ahead, Keaton, add some weight and strength and see where this game can take you.

d – Twitter: KThomps48

27. Fasching, Hudson

a – Vitals: R – RW – 6’2, 214 – 28-Jul-95 – USA – USHL – USA U18 #22

b – Rank: NHL–USA-3; CR-THR–21; ISS-24; McK-25; THN-19; TSN-69

c – Commentary: Mr. Special – Power forward in the making with excellent size, good skating and decent hands, makes this player special. Go ahead, Hudson, add some every game consistency and drive, and you can turn that special into extra special.

d – Twitter: @Hfasching22

28. Carrier, William

a – Vitals: L – LW – 6’2, 198 – 20-Dec-94 – CAN – QMJHL – Cape Breton #28

b – Rank: NHL-QMJHL-7; CR-THW-23; McK-27; TSN-44

c – Commentary: Mr. Turn and Burn – Power forward who likes to burn through defenses who has a solid physique, is solid on his skates, loves to drive the net, plays good defense, is solid no matter who the opponent may be and has that every game consistency and drive. Top of the line player on not so stellar a team (two GMs fired already this year and it isn’t even Christmas).

29. Bowey, Madison:

a – Vitals: R – D – 6’1, 194 – 22-Apr-95 – CAN – WHL – Kelowna #4

b – Rank: NHL–WHL-10; CR-THW–29; FC-26; HP-22; THG-29; TSN-40

c – Commentary: The Next One – Skating, vision, good in all zones, likes to join the rush, strong upper-body strength and plays on a good team which is known for developing high-end defensemen such as Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Tyler Myers, Luke Schenn amongst others.

d – Twitter: @m_bows4

30. Santini, Steve

a – Vitals: R – D – 6’2, 205 – 7-Mar-95 – USA – USHL – USA U18 #16

b – Rank: NHL-USA-4; CR-THW–56; FC-23; HP-18; ISS-16; THG-23; THN-24; TSN-33

c – Commentary: Mr. Impact – The big hitter; Steve can play down and gritty or up on the power play. Santini is a very good skater with excellent hockey sense; the combination of size and skating make this guy a player to watch.

*This post was originally published at The Hockey Writers (THW).

Next Up:

Part 4: 31 to 40

Previous:

Part 1: The Top 10

Part 2: 11 to 20

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NHL 2013 Draft War Room Top 90 December Rankings (Part 1: Top 10)

10 Year Logo Flashback: 2002 NHL Entry Draft (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NHL 2013 Draft War Room Top 90 December Rankings (Part 1: Top 10):

Guest post by Eldon MacDonald

This is the second in a series of nine postings of the top 90 prospects for the 2013 NHL draft.

Max Domi (Terry Wilson/OHL Images.)

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

1. 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.
2. Vitals: The vitals reading left to right are:
   1. Shoots
   2. Position
   3. Height and weight
   4. Birth date
   5. Citizenship
   6. League
   7. Team and player number
3. Rankings: Check out some of the web sites listed below if you want a different perspective on the rankings:

• NHL – NHL Central Scouting – North American and International Preliminary Rankings
• CR-THW – The Hockey Writers, Christopher Ralph’s The Next Ones Top 60 – Oct-12
• FC – Future Considerations – Nov-12
• HP – HockeyProspect.com – Nov-12
• ISS – ISS – Nov-12
• McK - McKeen’s – Nov-12
• THG – The Hockey Guys - Nov-12
• THN – The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy) – Nov-12
• TSN – The Sports Network’s Craig Button – Oct-12
• OHL – OHL Prospects blogspot of Brock Otten – Nov-12

Round 1 – 11 to 20 – Historical success rate of about 79%

11. Burakovsky, André

a – Vitals: L – LW – 6’1, 176 – 9-Feb-95 – AUT – SWE-2 – Malmo #55

b – 12-13 Stats: 19 1 3 4 6 +2

c – Rank: NHL–SWE-2; CR-THW–16; FC-13; HP-8; ISS-11; McK-18; THG-15; THN-17; TSN-21

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

b – 12-13 Stats: 27 2 9 11 26 +20

c – Rank: NHL–OHL-7; CR-THW–22; FC-18; ISS-19; McK-13; THG-19; THN-15; TSN-7; OHL-OHL-7

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

b – 12-13 Stats: 28 5 14 19 33 +9

c – Rank: NHL–WHL-6; CR-THW–8; FC-14; HP-10; ISS-25; McK-12; THG-16; THN-13; TSN-8

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.

e – Twitter: @Morrissey_10

15. Erne, Adam

a – Vitals: L – RW – 6’1, 198 – 20-Apr-95 – USA – QMJHL – Quebec #73

b – 12-13 Stats: 27 16 19 35 26 +7

c – Rank: NHL-QMJHL-5; CR-THW–14; FC-24; HP-11; ISS-18; McK-21; THG-12; THN-11; TSN-20

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

b – 12-13 Stats: 22 8 11 19 18 +6

c – Rank: NHL-SWE-4; CR-THW–13; FC-15; HP-23; ISS-17; McK-14; THG-21; THN-10; TSN-HM

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.

e – Twitter: @Robbanhagg

17. Gauthier, Frédérik

a – Vitals: L – C – 6’4, 1219 – 26-Apr-95 – CAN – QMJHL – Rimouski #23

b – 12-13 Stats: 23 11 13 24 14 +15

c – Rank: NHL-QMJHL-4; CR-THW–35; FC-20; HP-12; ISS-26; McK-17; THN-22; TSN-15

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”.

e – Twitter: @FredGauthier95 (not used to date)

18. Duclair, Anthony

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

b – 12-13 Stats: 28 14 24 38 30 +18

c – Rank: NHL-OHL-4; CR-THW–15; FC-16; HP-15; McK-20; THG-11; THN-28; TSN-12; OHL-OHL-4

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

b – 12-13 Stats: 27 8 9 17 14 +5

c – Rank: NHL-WHL-8; CR-THW–9; FC-11; HP-17; ISS-6; McK-11; THG-9; THN-6; TSN-10

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.

e – Twitter: @CurtisLazar95

Previous:

Part 1: The Top 10

*This article was previously published at The Hockey Writers.  

Next Up:

Part 3: 21 to 30

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NHL 2013 Draft War Room Top 90 December Rankings (Part 1: Top 10)

2011 NHL Entry Draft (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NHL 2013 Draft War Room Top 90 December Rankings (Part 1: Top 10):

Guest post by Eldon MacDonald

This is the first in a series of nine articles ranking the top 90 prospects for the 2013 NHL draft. This series are the musings of one hockey fan, for other hockey fans, with the intention of making them memorable enough to enable even the casual reader to remember the prospect’s name when it comes up at the draft next June.

Some will prove successful; ultimately some will not. I am hoping to achieve a better success rate than the 19% chance the NHL teams currently have in selecting an NHL player in the fourth round.

NHL Entry Draft Historical Success Rate

In looking back at the 2003 to 2005 entry drafts, it is interesting to note the success rate for each of the rounds. By my calculations (players that are NHL regulars, for the most part; your list could be slightly different), here are the figures:

01-15: 82% (03-93%; 04-73%; 05-80%)
16-30: 76% (03-93%; 04-67%; 05-67%)
31-45: 33% (03-33%; 04- 7%; 05-60%)
46-60: 24% (03-33%; 04-33%; 05- 7%)
61-90: 24% (03-33%; 04-20%; 05-20%)
91-120: 19% (03-10%; 04-30%; 05-17%)
120-150: 11% (03-10%; 04-13%; 05-10%)
151-180: 9% (03-13%; 04-13%; 05- 0%)
181-210: 10% (03-17%; 04- 3%; 05-10%)
Over 210: 12% (03-13%; 04-10%; 05-15%)
Overall: 23% (03-25%; 04-20%; 05-23%) 

The 2013 Draft

In looking over the 2013 draft, there a number of things that stand out:

1. This is a good draft class – especially for forwards. Where were all the good forwards for the 2012 draft; they were still in the womb, holding out 2013 draft eligibility.
2. This is a QMJHL-heavy draft – This year the Dub has their usual plethora of defensemen but it is the “Q” which is producing quality talent at an astonishing rate. Usually the scrub of the draft, this year the QMJHL is likely to put anywhere from 7 to 10 prospects in the 1^st round and still have some left over for rounds two and three. The OHL, however, is having an off-year. While it still is producing a large quantity of prospects, the league does not dominate the high-end part of the draft like it usually does. As for US players, most of the high-end ones are in the CHL (Jones, Erne), but there are a number of Team USA and USHL players who have a chance of crowding the end of round one. As for Europe, Sweden is producing at their usual high rate of late. Finland could produce up to 3 first rounders (Barkov, Ristolainen Lehkonen). Russia is generally having an off year (other than Nicushkin) unless you include their countrymen playing in the CHL (Zadorov, Zykov).
3. The goalies – Last year two goalies were selected in the first round. This year there are three goalies at this point who have a chance of being first rounders – Fucale, Comrie and Martin. More may emerge in the second half of the season. However, I have not included any of them in my first round rankings. This should not be considered a reflection on the abilities of these three goalies, but more a consideration that there is a glut of goalies of NHL caliber in the pipeline at the moment. Teams who have two or more first rounders make good candidates for taking a goalie in the first round. Thus, we should not discount the possibility of goalies being selected come the Friday night of the draft.

The Top 10 in 2013

1. Top 15 has 82% success rate: At an 82% success rate, 1 to 2 players on the list below are not likely to ever become regular NHL players. I wonder which players will not be on the 82% side.
2. Vitals: The vitals reading left to right are:
   • Shoots
   • Position
   • Height and weight
   • Birth date
   • Citizenship
   • League
   • Team and player number
3. Rankings: You should check out some of the web sites listed below if you want a different perspective on the rankings:

• NHL – NHL Central Scouting – North American and International Preliminary Rankings
• CR-THW – The Hockey Writers, Christopher Ralph’s The Next Ones Top 60 – Oct-12
• FC – Future Considerations – Nov-12
• HP – HockeyProspect.com – Nov-12
• ISS – ISS – Nov-12
• McK - McKeen’s – Nov-12
• THG – The Hockey Guys - Nov-12
• THN – The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy) – Nov-12
• TSN – The Sports Network’s Craig Button – Oct-12
• OHL – OHL Prospects blog of Brock Otten – Nov-12

Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin: The dynamic 2013 NHL draft eligible duo from the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL (Photo: Mike Dembeck)

Round 1: 1 to 10 – Historical success rate = 82%

1. MacKinnon, Nathan

a – Vitals: L – C – 6’0, 182 – 1-Sep-95 – CDN – QMJHL – Halifax #22

b – 2012-13 Stats: 26 22 34 46 33 +26

c – Rank: NHL–QMJHL-1; CR-THW–1; FC-1; HP-1; ISS-1; McK-1; THG-1; THN-1; TSN-2

d – Commentary: Mr. MacMoney – Generational talent; clutch scorer; able to elevate his game at key times; and an intensity like “The Rocket”, Maurice Richard.

e – Twitter: @Mackinnon9

2. Jones, Seth

a – Vitals: R – D – 6’4, 206 – 3-Oct-94 – USA – WHL – Portland #3

b – 2012-13 Stats: 25 7 12 19 21 +20

c – Rank: NHL–WHL-1; CR-THW–2; FC-2; HP-2; ISS-2; McK-2; THG-2; THN-2; TSN-1

d – Commentary: The Bear Back There – Don’t roil him or you will pay. Franchise blueliner with bear-like size who can take over a game. Son of Popeye Jones, former long-time NBA player.

e – Twitter: @seth_jones04

3. Monahan, Sean

a – Vitals: L – C – 6’2, 193 – 12-Oct-94 – CAN – OHL – Ottawa #20

b – 2012-13 Stats: 24 12 24 36 8 -3

c – Rank: NHL–ONT-1; CR-THW–3; FC-5; HP-3; ISS-5; McK-5; THG-4; THN-5; TSN-6; OHL–OHL-1

d – Commentary: Mr. Everything – All around centre who can do everything and has the size and leadership that teams are so desperate for.

e – Twitter: @Monahan20

4. Drouin, Jonathan

a – Vitals: L – LW – 5’11, 190 – 28-Mar-95 – CDN – QMJHL – Halifax #27

b – 2012-13 Stats: 20 15 16 41 14 +19

c – Rank: NHL–QMJHL-2; CR-THW–7; FC-6; HP-4; ISS-4; McK-9; THG-5; THN-7; TSN-13

d – Commentary: Mr. Smooth and Easy – Vision, passing, stick-handling are sublime; makes everyone around him better, even the dynamo named Nathan MacKinnon.

e – Twitter: @jodrouin27

5. Barkov, Alexander

a – Vitals: L – C – 6’2, 205 – 2-Sep-95 – FIN – FIN-1 – Tappara #16

b – 2012-13 Stats: 27 13 14 27 4 +9

c – Rank: NHL–FIN-1; CR-THW–6; FC-3; HP-5; ISS-3; McK-4; THG-3; THN-3; TSN-3

d – Commentary: Big Finnish centre who can skate, pass, shoot and score; having considerable success in top Finnish men’s league, the SM-liiga.

e – Twitter: @Barkovsasha95

6. Lindholm, Elias

a – Vitals: R – C – 6’0, 192 – 2-Dec-94 – SWE – SWE-1 – Brynas #28

b – 2012-13 Stats: 28 5 12 17 2 -2

c – Rank: NHL-SWE-1; CR-THW–11; FC-4; HP-6; ISS-10; McK-3; THG-6; THN-4; TSN-5

d – Commentary: Calle Järnkrok’s cousin has the size, smarts and defensive acumen to be one of the most sought after players in this draft.

e – Twitter: @lindholmelias

7. Shinkaruk, Hunter

a – Vitals: L – LW – 5’11, 175 – 13-Oct-94 – CDN – WHL – Medicine Hat #9

b – 2012-13 Stats: 25 17 21 38 8 +3

c – Rank: NHL–WHL-2; CR-THW–4; FC-8; HP-13; ISS-7; McK-7; THG-7; THN-9; TSN-11

d – Commentary: Mr. Fast and Furious – A go-to scorer with elusive speed.

e – Twitter: @H_S_9

8. Ristolainen, Rasmus

a – Vitals: R – D – 6’3, 203 – 27-Oct-94 – FIN – FIN-1 – TPS #55

b – 2012-13 Stats: 24 2 5 7 18 -5

c – Rank: NHL–FIN-2; CR-THW–12; FC-7; HP-7; ISS-8; McK-6; THG-8; THN-8; TSN-19

d – Commentary: Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting, told NHL.com:

“He’s a mobile, strong, offensive-minded defenseman with very good puck-handling and passing skills. He’s young, but he knows how to use his size and strength. He’s one of the best young defensemen in Europe in his age group. He’s a leader on the ice and plays with confidence”.

9. Pulock, Ryan

a – Vitals: R – D – 6’1, 211 – 6-Oct-94 – CAN – WHL – Brandon #2

b – 2012-13 Stats: 24 9 16 25 12 +14

c – Rank: NHL–WHL-3; CR-THW–5; FC-9; HP-14; ISS-15; McK-8; THG-10; THN-14; TSN-9

d – Commentary: The Captain – Elite defenseman with NHL shot and vision. Shows leadership and yes, he is the Captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

e – Twitter: @rpulock2

10. Nurse, Darnell

a – Vitals: R – D – 6’5, 184 – 4-Feb-95 – CAN – OHL – Sault Ste. Marie #25

b – 2012-13 Stats: 28 5 15 20 64 +9

c – Rank: NHL–OHL-2; CR-THW–24; FC-12; HP-19; ISS-9; McK-23; THG-14; THN-12; TSN-23; OHL-OHL-2

d – Commentary: Dr. Defense - Prongeresque like blueliner with like-minded size, skating and in the process of developing like-minded temperament. Father (Richard) played football for the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the CFL and uncle (Donovan McNabb) for the Washington Redskins of the NFL.

e – Twitter: @drtwofive

*This article was originally published at The Hockey Writers.  

Next Up:

Part 2: 11 to 20

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