The 2010 Prospect Stock Ticker
In this installment, we’ll highlight the players whose values have gone up and down over the last few weeks in anticipation of the of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. This does take into account the CSB Midterms and Bob MacKenzie’s recent mid season top thirty including personal viewings of the different prospects.
Risers
Nino Niederreiter – (6’1″ , 203lbs) Portland Winterhawks
Niederreiter has rocketed up the charts since the World Juniors. According to Bob McKenzie, he’s a Top Ten pick. CSB has him as the 14th ranked skater in North America. El Nino plays with power. He brings big offence, protects the puck well, pays the price in front of the net. He may simply be the best power forward available in this draft.
Jeff Skinner – (5’10″, 189lbs) Kitchener Rangers
Skinner is a sparkplug. One scout joke, “you just wind him up and watch him go”. McKenzie has him at 23, CSB has him at 47. There may be no player in the OHL with Skinner’s ability to take abuse and keep going. His wrist shot allows him to pick corners really well.
Nick Bjugstad – (6’3.75″, 188lbs), Blaine High School
Bjugstad’s size and skating ability have scouts on the USHS circuit tripping over themselves to extol the virtues of this kid. TSN has him at #14, Central Scouting at 12. For Bjugstad, the spring U-18s (if he gets an invite) and the Draft Combine should give scouts a very good handle on how he projects as a power forward.
Brad Ross – (5’11.25″, 181lbs) Portland Winterhawks
Ross is held in high esteem by scouts for a few reasons. One of which is that he plays with a great edge, he’s an incredible irritant. Then there’s his offensive upside, he was the WHL Player of the Month for December for a reason. I was talking to one scout who had him going early in the second round, much higher than Central Scouting’s rank of 69.
Devante Smith-Pelley – (5’11.5″, 214lbs) Mississauga Majors
Smith-Pelley is having a much better offensive year than anyone expected. But there are certainly reasons for it. He’s a great fore-checker and he has incredible upper body strength, he goes into traffic and comes out with the puck. He wins battles along the boards. His stock is creeping up, expect him to go well before Central Scouting’s 67 ranking.
Fallers
John McFarland – (6’0″, 200lbs) Sudbury Wolves
This isn’t a tale so much of how the mighty have fallen, as much as how the mighty have cratered. John McFarland was a borderline Top 5 pick coming into the year. Now? Well, TSN has him at 17 and falling and Central Scouting remains relatively high on him at 10th among North American skaters. But two scouts told me over the weekend that any price was too high for McFarland.
Vladimir Tarasenko – (5’11″, 200lbs) Novobirsk
There are few problems with Tarasenko, none of which having anything to do with his skill. Some scouts question his drive. They think he’s a bit like Alexei Kovalev, he has all the talent in the world but he takes nights (some times weeks) off. There was also the interview he gave to a Russian periodical earlier this season where he said he’d like to spend three or four more years in the KHL.
Ryan Martindale – (6’3″, 195lbs) Ottawa 67s
Martindale should be much more dominant. Just about every scout has said it. He’s big, he can shoot and he can skate. All of these things should make him an offensive force at the OHL level but he’s persistently underwhelming. Personally, after seeing the kid a dozen times, I’m not sure I see a lot of pro potential there.
Joey Hishon – (5’9.25″, 172lbs) Owen Sound Attack
Hishon had a great Under-18s last spring in Fargo and came into this year as a prohibitive favourite for a top 20 selection. But something seems off with him this year. His injury aside, his hockey sense which had always been a strength, seems to be dropping off. His skating and scoring ability remain unchanged but his playmaking skills have taken a huge hit.
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