2007 NHL Draft Update: Espo Falls

The dramatic drop of Quebec Remparts' Angelo Esposito in McKeen's February's draft rankings illustrates the dilemma scouts are facing in evaluating this year's crop - there is little consensus on the top ten prospects.

"I saw him twice recently, and this guy's really pissing me off," said one Quebec area scout. "(Esposito) has some issues (mentally). He plays a selfish game; doesn't want to pay the price. I dropped him from first to tenth on on my list."

That scout was not alone in penalizing Esposito for his lacklustre play since being cut from Canada's world junior team in December.

Two months ago Esposito was considered by many to be the top prospect for the draft. A month later he had dropped some, but was still in most people's top five - this month he's not even in McKeen's top ten.

One of the reasons for Espo's marked descension is the stellar play of other prospects, including Kyle Turris, James vanRiemsdyk and Brandon Sutter.

VanRiemsdyk, the top prospect on the USNDTP Under-18 team, was solid at the recent 5 Nations Cup Under-18 tournament in the Czech Republic, finishing second overall in scoring. "JVR" moved from 13th on McKeen's January list to 6th overall thanks in part to his steady offensive contributions.

"He's so safe," says one scout. "He really is a good player, great hands and a big-framed kid. He's not a speedy player but he moves the puck well; he's very aware. His strength is his main asset, skating is fine, he's a good skater. He's an aware kid; a smart kid."

Sutter, the son of former NHLer Brent Sutter, has enjoyed a steady rise over the past two months, rising from 12th overall in December to tenth in January and fifth in February.

His smarts and anticipation are what set him apart from most prospects. Mind you, it doesn't hurt that he's grown to almost 6-3, and is averaging close to a point per game, with 53 points in 61 WHL games.

Turris (please see article in Feb. Draft Digest) has been impressing scouts since leading his Junior A team to the Royal Bank Cup championship last spring, and as talent evaluators have made the trip to Burnaby to see him dominate the BCHL once again this season, they've only reconfirmed that he's one of the elite talents available in this draft.

"I think he has the most upside of any player in this draft," said one scout. "He's a pretty talented kid."