Draft Report - Hot/Cold List
On the Rise
Jeff Carter - A
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tall, lanky player who has turned up the jets after a slow start to his season.
Smart, defensively responsible, but occasionally lazy, as he tends to go into
lengthy cold stretches. When motivated and willing, Carter plays like a potential
top 10 pick in this draft. An excellent skater, shooter and passer.
Petr Horava - An intelligent blueliner with Kladno Juniors who stands
out for his skating abilities. Excellent at skating backwards and solid positionally.
Sees the ice well and can thread the needle with his passes. On the downside,
he lacks toughness and will have to improve his shooting.
Jordan McLaughlin - The Vancouver Giants goalie has made great strides
this year. Looked shaky early on, but positioning has improved dramatically
with time. Has good reflexes and works hard on his deficiencies.
Leksand's winger has been on the scouting radar for a couple of years. After
a disappointing 2001/2002 campaign, where Nilsson saw very little playing time
at the Senior level, Robert has gotten regular shifts after Mike Stapleton was
bought out of his contract. A personal highlight this season was a breakout
4-point game. A great skater with breathtaking puck skills, Nilsson is dogged
by the same deficiency as his dad - his defensive play. His father, former NHL
great Kent Nilsson, notes that his son's maturity has improved since last year,
where Robert would spend much of his time playing computer games. Conversely,
Robert has learned to focus his energy towards hockey practices.
Michal Pesek - The Sparta Praha Juniors forward is not a prospect who
necessarily stands out for his skills, but is a warrior with a huge heart. A
hard-working all-around player with excellent determination, a needed element
of toughness and willingness to battle in the corners. Good size and vision.
Dmitri Pestunov - A smallish centre, Pestunov is already a Superleaguer
(Magnitogorsk) due to his hockey sense and good bulk. Weighing at 200 lbs, the
5-10 forward is a 'little tank', capable of playing strong in traffic. Possesses
excellent speed and is a creative playmaker.
Thomas Vanek - Blossoming in his first season at the University of Minnesota
program, Vanek has the makings of being an electrifying player. Possesses a
snapshot that is very difficult to handle with a quick release and great hands.
Has stock his risen as Thomas has gotten used to the NCAA game and grown more
comfortable on the ice. Has power forward's qualities.
Petr Vrana - The Halifax Mooseheads newcomer has one visible downside
- his size (measured at 5 feet, 10 inches). But do not be fooled by his smallish
frame, Vrana is a scoring centre who works hard along the boards for the puck.
Got off to a disappointing start to his year with just 4 points in the first
14 games, but has upped the ante amassing 41 points in 23 games thereafter.
Taking a Dive
Arseniy Bondarev - A good-sized Russian winger with superb skating skills
and good speed. Aside from that, Arsenyi is a raw talent with questionable decision-making
abilities. A defensive liability with average hands and little aggressiveness.
Looks pretty on the ice, but we're not sure he has the intelligence to be anything
special.
Rookie goalie was supposed to take the OHL's London Knights to the next level
this year, but has been nothing but a huge disappointment. An agile netminder
with excellent pure reflexes, Gerald has struggled positionally and has shown
the tendency to give up too many rebounds. Vulnerable up high and has focus
problems, but possesses the size and quickness to eventually turn things around.
Patrick Eaves - The Boston College forward is creative, strong on his
skates and possesses impressive general quickness. The chemistry on his line
(with his brother Ben and Tony Voce) has been absent and a recent neck injury
has impeded his progress this season. It will keep him out of action for at
least 6 weeks.
Johan Fransson - The Luleå defender has been hampered by a possibly
chronic groin problem. Has made a return to the ice this December, but failed
to crack the Eliteserien roster. Has great size and skills and had drawn comparisons
to Mattias Öhlund prior to the season. The comparisons are worthy, but he will
have to overcome these injury problems in order to live up to them.
Danick Jasmin-Riel - The Rimouski winger started off the season with
tremendous expectations. Has good speed and has earned a reputation as a competitive
player, but has failed to produce. The second overall selection in the 2001
QMJHL Midget draft, Danick has only 10 points in 27 games with Montreal and
Rimouski.
Martin Krayzel - Not big (5-10, 175), but a hard-worker with willingness
to mix it up physically. Krayzel possesses good speed, but his drawbacks include
average vision and decision making, as well as mediocre stick-handling skills.
Failed to win a spot on the strong Vitkovice Jr. team and was assigned to the
weaker Havirov Jrs, where has had the chance to play on the top 3 lines.
Corey Perry - Was
expected to step up in London with the departure of Rick Nash, but he hasn't
been the player that the Knights expected. Physically passive and does not shoot
the puck nearly enough. Has good wheels and an excellent playmaker, but does
not go to the net nearly enough - has a lot of work ahead of him. No longer
a good bet to go in the first round.
Lukas Pulpan - A smallish (5-8) blueliner with good hockey smarts and
puck skills. His lack of size is an immediate problem, but injuries have been
are seriously slowing down his progress. Having trouble winning a regular spot
on the Plzen Juniors.
A blueliner with tremendous pure offensive skills. Possesses excellent speed
and tremendous puck carrying ability. Has struggled to maintain consistency
- his decision-making abilities are suspect, as Sharrow is extremely turnover
prone. Defensively, he will have to get more involved, otherwise his stock will
take a considerable dive.
Keep an Eye on:
Paul Brown - Kamloops Blazers' right winger opted out of last year's
draft after a poor season. Although he is not as highly touted as before, Brown
has showed improved maturity this year. A solid hitter, a willing fighter and
capable on contributing on both the PP and the PK. Good stickhandler and passer.
Dan Fritsche's linemate in Sarnia, Carcillo has been a pleasant surprise. A
feisty player with good all-around awareness, Carcillo does not avoid playing
in traffic and likes to go to the net. Up until now, he has been virtually ignored
by scouts, but has not let up after a hot start. Has a good shot and impressive
speed. Puck skills will require more work.
Tobias Enstrom - Puckmoving d-man fom MoDo with good hockey sense. Has
a great first pass and tremendous vision. Pound-for-pound, he is one of the
better offensive-minded European blueliners. Will suffer in the rankings because
of his lack of size.
Radim Hruska - A big playmaking forward with soft hands and good hockey
sense. Hruska is a hard working player, who is aware of his defensive duties
and can play tough and in traffic. Unfortunately, his skating is average and
he will need work on his finish. An unpolished talent, but a player who will
rise up the rankings quickly, if he continues to impress.
Dan Knapp - Has played in the shadow of highly-touted teammate Ryan
Kesler in Ohio state. This centreman is a revelation and has been the offensive
catalyst for his team. Possesses great vision and playmaking abilities with
a sniper's touch to finish plays. Works hard in the defensive zone, but will
gradually improve in that area once he gains more bulk. Very strong on faceoffs.
Maxim Lapierre - Came out of nowhere to develop into one of the top
forwards on a weak Montreal Rocket squad. Has good size, which he can use, and
a good pair of hands. Still raw, but keep an eye out on him.
Kevin Romy - Swiss wildcard impressed the scouting community after scoring
9 times in 8 games at the Under-18 tournament in Slovakia. Has good wheels,
an impressive pair of hands and an accurate wrist shot. Sits comfortably behind
the impressive Tim Ramholt among Swiss draft-eligibles.
Dmitri Samarin - Defenseman - Good-sized (6-2, 175) defenseman, Samarin
has the necessary frame, but not the bulk to be a physical presence. His strength
is his intelligence - Dmitri is a smart player positionally who makes good decisions
at the right time. Samarin is an excellent passer and has the upside to develop
into a premier puck handling blueliner. A raw talent with a high ceiling.