2007 NHL Draft: Taking A Tumble
What originally looked like a bumper crop of first-round talent from the WHL is being tempered somewhat by disappointing performances.
No better example can be found than in Colton Gillies. Entering this season the hulking Saskatoon Blades' center was a top-ten prospect on virtually everyone's list, but he has been so unproductive through the first half of the season that he's now a longshot to ever return to the top ten.
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"He can't score," said one scout who is not a big fan. "He was a star at the under 18's, but he has (five goals after half a season). A great skater, a big kid, but if you don't score in junior, what are you going to do in the NHL? There's a lack of hockey sense."
Seattle defenceman' Thomas Hickey and Vancouver' right winger Michal Repik are other former top 15 prospects from the WHL who have dropped out of the first round, while Zach Hamill, who was ranked 11th overall in early November, is barely clinging to a spot in the first round following a disappointing first half of the season. Although he's been producing offensively, more has been expected from the fourth-year Everett Silvertips' winger in terms of his willingness to compete physically.
Strong performances at the World Junior A Challenge in Yorkton, Saskatchewan this past November helped vault Sergei Korostin and Kyle Turris into McKeen's top ten, and solid performances in recent competitions put Alexei Cherepanov on the radar screen as a top 20 prospect on the rise. Others climbing the rankings include Everett' defenceman Eric Doyle, Prince George' winger Dana Tyrell, USNDTP' blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk and Swiss center Luca Cunti after his sterling performance at the Four Nations Cup last month.
While Quebec Remparts' center Angelo Esposito boasts the number one position in the rankings for now, it's a tenuous hold at best. Some scouts don't even consider Esposito to be the top prospect in the QMJHL, bestowing that honour to Halifax Mooseheads' winger Jakub Voracek. The only consensus on the top ten is that there is no consensus. Prospects ranked tenth or lower still have a legitimate chance of being ranked first overall by season's end.
"There's no clear cut top five," noted one eastern conference head scout recently, who also conceded that this year's top ten isn't looking as strong as last year's group. "Everyone's got question marks."
One of the players with few liabilities is Karl Alzner, a 6-2, 210 defenceman with the Calgary Hitmen who is impressing scouts with his steady defensive play. Alzner, who recently made Canada's WJC team, is ranked second overall by McKeen's.
"He's a solid stay-at-home defenceman," noted one scout. "He's a safe pick. He knows how to play away from the puck, he's a strong positional defenceman with a good point shot."