McKeens Draft Update: March
The biggest riser on the McKeen's Top 100 list this month is none other than Calgary
Hitmen star and Maple Ridge, B.C. native Andrew Ladd.
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Barely a blip on the first-round radar for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft following
a respectable showing in 2002-03 with the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL, Ladd
has steadily vaulted up the charts, culminating in this month's rise to the
No. 5 spot.
"Aside from Alexander Ovechkin, Ladd may be the most NHL-ready prospect
among the `04 class that we've seen this year," says Ron Jones, co-publisher
and chief western scout for McKeen's Hockey, an independent prospect rating
subscription service.
"He's big, strong, skates extremely well, and contributes in all aspects
of the game. When all the cylinders are firing, he seems to be involved in every
play. His defensive posturing and remarkable body control have sparked comparisons
from our staff to a young Adam Graves."
"He has tremendous puck-pursuit powers and knows how to separate people
from the puck. And his finesse skills, particularly his playmaking, have impressed
us more and more. He just gets things done."
Other big movers this month include Michigan State freshman star A.J. Thelen,
who rises eleven spots to the No. 11 ranking, and massive six-foot-five winger
Blake Wheeler, a powerful goal-scorer from the Breck School in Golden
Valley, Minnesota.
A number of Russians also made significant gains. Little-known Samara defender
Alexei Emelin makes his debut in the Top 100, while skilled forwards Roman
Voloshenko, Mikhail Yunkov, Denis Parshin, and Alexander
Radulov each advanced based on standout performances at the recent Under-18
Five Nations tournament in Finland.
Finnish winger Lauri Korpikoski, Kelowna's Blake Comeau, Moncton
giant Bruce Graham, Miami-Ohio scoring phenomenon Matt Christie,
and Geoff Paukovich of the U.S. National Team Development Program round
out this month's major shakers.
In this month's newsletter, we also compare the styles of Evgeni Malkin versus
Rostislav Olesz, check in with prized WHL prospect Kyle Chipchura as well as
unheralded Finnish winger Miikka Tuomainen, and take some scouting notes on
Grand Rapids' star blueliner Alex Goligoski.
