The Next Ones 2013 NHL Draft Preliminary Rankings : The Hockey Writers

The Next Ones 2013 NHL Draft Preliminary Rankings : The Hockey Writers: 

Excerpt:

"2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the NHL Entry Draft. With an immense amount of talent to be had, this installment of hockey’s version of Christmas is shaping up to be one of the finest in the past decade. 

Is it ever too early to think about the NHL’s next entry draft? With the Fail For Nail 2012 NHL draft playing out in June, the focus is now turned to the 2013 class which has the potential to be the best since the revered 2003 draft. Unfortunately for Rangers fans, the team won’t have the opportunity to redeem the gaffe of drafting Hugh Jessiman 12th overall in 2003, with their 1st round pick being traded to Columbus in the Rick Nash deal.

It is also eight years since the historic post-lockout Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes Lottery Draft. The similarities between the upcoming draft and the 2005 edition are downright eerie.

Any rankings completed at this point will evolve and look quite different as the hockey season wears on. Prospects who are not currently so highly regarded will attempt their best impersonations of Hampus Lindholm in an effort to escalate their draft stocks. At the other end of the spectrum, there will be Nick Ebert-like plummets. In a vast majority of preliminary rankings last season, Nick Ebert was highly touted as a potential Top 10 pick. The Los Angeles Kings prospect ended up drafted last overall as 2012’s Mr. Irrelevent.Ebert has plenty of incentive to prove naysayers wrong this season and beyond.

Not Winnin’ For MacKinnon

Sidney Crosby: Let the parallels be drawn with The Next, Next One – Nathan MacKinnon (Icon SMI)

By now, most hockey fans know the story of Nathan MacKinnon and the uncannily similar path shared with Sidney Crosby. The two sub-6’0” ultra-talented, exceptionally explosive, game-breaking centremen both hail from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. They both played at the hockey factory that is Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school. They were both drafted 1^st overall in the QMJHL.

Both Crosby and MacKinnon went into their draft eligible seasons as the favoured number one overall selection.

The season before Crosby’s draft was lost due to a NHL lockout. The current season is in great danger of the same fate.

Will every NHL team have a shot (with weighted odds) at drafting the phenom prospect MacKinnon as they did Crosby? Who will land The Next, Next One?

Keeping Up With The Joneses

Unlike Crosby, MacKinnon faces a colossal challenge for the number one overall draft position. The son of former NBA player, Popeye Jones, Seth Jones has everything you want in a future cornerstone blueliner – size, skill, skating ability, hockey IQ and passion.

Depending on the team holding down the number one overall pick and how the season plays out, Jones has a legitimate chance at supplanting MacKinnon as the top pick in 2013."

Read the full article and see the Top 60 rankings here:

THW Link: http://thehockeywriters.com/the-next-ones-2013-nhl-draft-preliminary-rankings/

The Top 10:

# Pos Players                 DOB Ht Wt S Team
1 C Nathan Mackinnon 9/1/1995  5'11 179 R Halifax Mooseheads
2 D Seth Jones       10/3/1994  6'4 206 R Portland Winterhawks
3 C Sean Monahan     10/12/1994  6'2 193 L Ottawa 67's
4 LW Hunter Shinkaruk  10/13/1994  5'10 175 L Medicine Hat Tigers
5 D Ryan Pulock       10/6/1994  6'01 213 R Brandon Wheat Kings
6 C Alexander Barkov 9/2/1995  6'2 194 L Tappara
7 LW Jonathan Drouin 3/28/1995 5'11 176 L Halifax Mooseheads
8 D Josh Morrissey        3/28/1995  6'0 184 L Prince Albert Raiders
9 C Curtis Lazar          2/2/1995  6'0 198 R Edmonton Oil Kings
10 C Ryan Kujawinski 3/30/1995 6'2 205 L Kingston Frontenacs

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Matt Dumba scores brilliant goal from his knees

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Mathew Dumba, drafted seventh overall by the Minnesota Wild, poses for a portrait during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Minnesota Wild's prospect and Red Deer Rebel, blueliner Mathew Dumba, scores a remarkable goal against the Saskatoon Blades on October 3rd, 2012 in the WHL. Dumba was drafted 7th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft and was rated 2nd overall by my The Next Ones Final Rankings.  

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If Hockey Won't Fight Cancer, Hockey Fans Will : The Hockey Writers

If Hockey Won't Fight Cancer, Hockey Fans Will : The Hockey Writers:




A great cause intiated by my colleague at The Hockey Writers, Ross Bonander who is also a healthcare journalist.

Excerpt:

"The other day I wrote “Who Fights Cancer in a Lockout?” at Overtime, noting that should the lockout cancel games in October, it also cancels the biggest charity initiative of the NHL season, “Hockey Fights Cancer” (HFC). This means that the league, the players, and the fans won’t take part in the league-wide initiative, resulting in about $1 million not going to cancer charities this year.

Well if the NHL won’t do it, and the NHLPA can’t do it, then we the fans should.

To that end, I’ve created a grassroots fundraising team with the Livestrong Foundation entitled “Hockey Fans Fight Cancer.”

100 % of donations go to Livestrong.

100 % of donations go straight to Livestrong, meaning your donation never changes hands except from you to them.

Charity & foundation watchdog CharityWatch ranks Livestrong among the highest cancer charities operating today so you can trust your donation is being put to good use.

The lockout means plenty of leftover hockey-related revenue. All I’m asking is a donation of $1 to $5 per fan.

To visit the team page or to make a donation, click HERE.

The URL is: http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/HFFC

The NHL can afford to act leisurely. Cancer patients cannot. As a cancer care advocate for people diagnosed with blood disorders, and as someone who has lost somebody close to me to cancer, I can vouch for that reality. If you prefer to donate to another charity, like Susan G. Komen or Prostate Cancer Canada or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, please do.

This is a chance to show the world that the bottom-line driven, fan-neglected choices made by NHL ownership don’t define us as a fan base."

Signed,
Ross Bonander, hockey fan

This article was originally published at The Hockey Writers:
http://thehockeywriters.com/if-hockey-wont-fight-cancer-hockey-fans-will/

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NHL 13: IN STORES NOW! 9/10 - GameTrailers

Hayley Wickenheiser This photo from [www.VancityAllie.com]'s blog! You can also follow her on Twitter at [www.twitter.com/VancityAllie] (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NHL 94 seems like a childhood dream. NHL 13 has now hit the shelves like a Scott Stevens massive bone-crunching hit.



In NHL 13, they've added new legends into the mix and have introduced NHL Hall of Famers Doug Gilmour, Jari Kurri, and NHL legend Dominik Hasek to the roster of legends. Accompanying those players will be four-time Olympic Medalists Angela Ruggiero and Hayley Wickenheiser who become the first ever women’s hockey superstars added as playable characters in the EA SPORTS NHL Franchise.

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NHL - 'Together We Can' #NoLockout

Brilliant video compilation by Janne Makkonen if you haven't seen already:

"Published on Aug 31, 2012 by r4ndomduud

NHL - Together We Can - Janne Makkonen
Follow on Twitter - https://twitter.com/JanneMakkonen1
Songs: Maybeshewill-Not for want of trying Maybeshewill-He films the clouds pt2

As we all know, we might not see any NHL hockey next year because of the disagreements with the NHL and NHLPA in terms of economic issues and whatnot. Understandably money is an important thing in the NHL and let alone hockey. But we've come to a point where you have to draw the line. We're in a point where hockey is more a product to make money than a beautiful game, which revolves around big money. Money seeming to be the bigger value than the game itself. Even though it's strongly biased towards the NHLPA, I hope you guys understand the main message and idea of the video even if you were standing in a neutral position."

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Last Man Standing (Goalies) Quick Clip - NHL 13

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 20: Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers poses after being named the EA SPORTS NHL13 cover athlete during the 2012 NHL Awards at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas on June 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

"Software Engineer James Banting gives you a behind the scenes look at goalies in NHL 13. Goalies are powered by the all-new EA SPORTS Hockey IQ and feature goalie anticipation, complete limb movement and enhanced user goalie control. The result is the most realistic goalies ever in a hockey game." - EA Sports

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2012 NHL Draft: The Next Ones Final Rankings | The Hockey Writers

ST PAUL, MN - JUNE 24: First overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers poses for a photo portrait during day one of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center on June 24, 2011 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

2012 NHL Draft: The Next Ones Final Rankings | The Hockey Writers: 


Because every prospect has a story behind the talent...


"Chris’s List:  A common query is how these particular rankings are formulated. There is now an abundance of sources of hockey prospect information. You can check out my blog The Next Ones for your online eNewspaper, linking to the best of the best of these resources. TSN has Craig Button’s Craig’s List, which is a “monthly rankings represent his individual assessment of where players are slotted in the NHL draft. They will be posted in addition to Bob McKenzie’s consensus NHL rankings, which is compiled four times a year. Bob’s rankings represent the consensus NHL team view of where players are slotted in the NHL draft.”


In contrast, The Next Ones rankings take into account many influences. While I obviously cannot reveal all my trade secrets, the following are some of the considerations contemplated when compiling the rankings. First of all, my personal prospect analysis and scouting reports from live player viewings (due to geography restraints mainly limited to WHL and this year’s World Juniors) and video analysis.  Admittedly, there is nothing comparable to live viewings. Secondly, my personal ranking system with influences from contacts whom I consider respected, knowledgeable, passionate hockey people with unique insight from all over this great hockey universe of ours. Many thanks to those who passionately offer up their unequivocal outstanding scouting analysis to me – you know who you are.  Thirdly, I utilize some unique statistical analysis for guidance purposes only. Compiling and merging all of data along with copious amounts of research results in Chris’s List coming to fruition."


Full article of The Next Ones Top 150 Final Rankings at The Hockey Writers:
http://thehockeywriters.com/2012-nhl-draft-the-next-ones-final-rankings/

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