McKeens Draft Update: April

Our draft coverage is finally close to its climax – question marks and ambiguities are dissolving with the CHL playoffs on the verge of completion and the Under-18 World Juniors now behind us.

We are almost shocked ourselves to see both Rob Schremp and Wojtek Wolski drop out of the top 10, yet they yield the way for the likes of Lauri Tukonen, A.J. Thelen and Alexander Radulov who stole the headlines this spring.

It is time to give Johan Fransson some props after our Swedish scout lobbied for his rise in the rankings. And, indeed, we gave him a considerable bump after a season that had scouts and coaches applauding his poise and maturity. Check out our latest thoughts on him.

Blake Wheeler is this season’s wildcard d'année and we reveal our thoughts and impressions. The high-schooler is quickly climbing the charts in the manner similar to Brian Boyle last year.

Roman Voloshenko-Mikhail Yunkov-Alexander Radulov might be the most successful Russian junior line since those kids Bure, Fedorov and Mogilny played together… you might remember them. And should NHL scouts be concerned about Radulov’s fiery personality? We have a take on that as well.

Don’t be shocked to see Russians go 1-2-3 in this year’s draft. Evgeni Malkin has done nothing in Minsk to discourage the Pens from selecting him second and, who knows, the Blackhawks might want to provide Igor Radulov with his brother’s company with the third pick.

David Shantz and Justin Peters are the cornerstones of Battle Royale in the OHL semi-finals between the Mississauga IceDogs and the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors. Both goalies have already posted a shutout and the series should go right down to the wire. And, no surprise, we have them both in the top 50. Our die-hard readers will recall that we had both youngsters on our radar right from the start.

Keith Yandle, Shawn Weller, Kevin Porter, Billy Ryan and R.J. Anderson are the hottest current names coming from the United States. We have them covered.

Also in this month’s newsletter, we spotlight Mike Green and analyze his spectacular campaign despite a tumultuous season for his Saskatoon Blades.