2004 Draft: Sleepers
These are the guys not enough people are talking about and McKeen's has them covered.
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High School rearguard would be a bit of a gamble if taken in the top two rounds, but offers an intriguing offensive pedigree .. the team that drafts him will have to wait longer than they would with a player like Mark Fistric, but the reward could be ample.
Disappointed at the key u-18 showing, but talks are that he wasn't 100% .. the raw skills are there, including an impressive shooting game .. excellent size sells him well.
There is every reason to believe that he won't last too long on day one as he has size, good mobility and a mean streak .. there is a lot of weaknesses to this package, predominantly his puck skills .. we're not sold on him yet.
Will be pursued by the savvy scouting staffs on the draft weekend .. the good-sized power winger showcases natural scoring instincts and willingness to fight his way through traffic .. not ranked by Central Scouting.
Why is he a sleeper? Well, he's been asleep most of the year - does that count? .. might still be around in the middle rounds.
Great athlete is a raw talent with blooming puck skills, but very coarse understanding of the game .. on his best nights, he shows potential to be a force along the boards .. very intriguing.
If we rated players based on the radiance of their style, Hansen would be in the top 30 .. he is fun to watch; a great skater, an excellent stickhandler and we've seen him score highlight-reel goals .. however, he can't stay purely finesse if he plans to succeed in North America.
Johan Harju LW
One of our favorites .. a big, rangy kid who can skate, score and utilize his frame effectively in traffic .. the problem has been a lack of exposure, otherwise we're sure that most would agree that he's a special player.
Kris Hogg LW
The only real concern here is lack of size, but he finds ways to compensate .. has surprised a lot of people with his shiftiness and ability to be creative with the puck at full speed .. perfect energy guy.
Limited supply of top prospects with scoring upsides will go early on day one, but many teams selecting in the third or fourth round will have this guy's name underscored on their list .. he is an intelligent pivot with soft hands and a knack for finishing.
Trevor Kell RW
Our readers should be pretty familiar with this player, but Kell is hardly a household name .. after playing in the shadows of the likes of Schremp and Bolland all year, he exploded in the playoffs as one of Dale Hunter's favorites.
With the way smaller players have been beating the odds at the NHL level, a team may just be willing to take a flyer on Latendresse earlier than some think .. does everything you can possibly ask of him on offense, but is very, very small.
Big, aggressive kid could be a surprise second-third round selection .. very raw in terms of skating and puck skills, but downright mean and will amass points by driving to the net with sheer abandon.
Great size, raw skills, virtually no recognition, but what's the problem? .. some flags were raised due to rearguard's wildness with the puck in the neutral zone .. most teams would love to draft him in round three.
A couple of concerns here: skating and weight; this guy needs to lose some pounds .. otherwise, a big, stocky kid who is diligent in his own end and loves to take the body.
How long will it be before a team selects the mammoth (6-6, 245) defender who is feisty to boot? .. has rounded his defensive game very well over the course of the season, but has numerous weaknesses .. could go surprisingly high.
True sleeper is getting next to no props .. A chippy, crafty playmaking pivot who makes things happen with every shift .. impossible to ignore when he's on the ice.
A prototypical wildcard because he appears to be going through a late growth, whereby his body has not developed as quickly as for other kids .. tall and lean, but he can skate, shoot and handles the puck quite well .. if you take him, you have to develop him.
A savvy, slippery pivot with excellent stickhandling skills who never backs down from a challenge .. size and lack of scoring upside amount to a package to admire, but not one to bet the mortgage on.
This is a classic case of a guy who has not yet moved up out of mucking duty due to lack of physical strength .. could round out into a special player next year; he's graceful, hard working and creative with the puck.
Pasi Salonen LW
Outside of the first round, this guy will be one of the more exciting options available .. a pure goalscorer, Salonen has more disappearing acts up his sleeve than David Copperfield .. when he's on, he looks like a first round candidate.
He's well known with some of the teams' scouting staffs, but not with others, so he's not a clear sleeper, if you will .. despite an average frame, he's a leader who is strong, physical and adept at moving the puck.
You couldn't tell by the numbers, but Tordjman is coming off a great year, playing for a brutal team .. the skinny goalie is extremely quick, strong at playing the angles and exhibits terrific poise.
Fred Wikner RW
Won't get drafted for his offense, but this kid is one nasty customer ..not big, but tough and surprisingly strong .. showcased decent offensive upside at the u-18's, which should assure of a top-three round selection.