NCAA: Pokulok Oozes Potential

Cornell's tall and skilled rearguard Sasha Pokulok is one of the draft's most intriguing wildcards who could go as high as the first round. Our scouts break down the pros and cons to his game, weighing how his upside balances with his noticeable flaws.

Sasha Pokulok (2005), D, Cornell

There are reservations about him but it's hard to overlook potential home run size/skill/mobility factors .. moves quite gracefully for his size .. nice looking stride .. needs to get stronger and quicker in his turns, stops, cuts .. first step could use more explosiveness .. remarkable maturity for a freshman .. has a great frame for hockey; towering and lean .. good with the puck; strong on the backhand and really zips his passes with excellent wrist strength .. top speed is good, though he never really digs down to find his top gear .. almost appears to be holding back at times .. moves well backwards and has impressive lateral agility, though he is a tad slow pivoting from back to front .. excellent arm/stick agility and skill .. prefers to use his long reach to tie up opponents rather than physically punish .. will get engaged when provoked however .. needs to move his feet more as he has a propensity to get overly casual .. sometimes gets that lost 'deer in the headlights' look to him as he doesn't always sense danger around the crease .. poised, never panics, waits until the last second to make decisions .. takes chances at times holding the puck longer in search of a flashier pass .. would like to see him take the puck and aggressively lead the rush when the opportunity presents itself .. has more to offer but doesn't appear to work as hard as he is capable of sometimes .. can be lackadaisical .. defensive awareness and positioning need lots of work as well .. tends to back in and give up own blueline rather than standing up to the puckcarrier .. doesn't instantly identify physical targets, too often focusing on the puck and ignoring assignments in the slot .. despite the flaws this guy has considerable upside that should be enough to see him go in one of the first two rounds of the draft.

Mike Brennan (2005), D, Boston College

Mature and reliable freshman made a seamless transition to collegiate ranks .. delivers mostly mistake-free hockey and therefore tends to go unnoticed playing behind workhorse underclassmen Andrew Alberts, John Adams and Peter Harrold who hog the lion's share of prime icetime .. undersized by NHL standards, but has strong lower body and excellent mobility .. impressive first-step burst in all directions .. competes hard all the time and gets physical when required .. maintains solid balance on hits and is very proficient at pinning checks against the walls .. smart shotblocker .. handles the puck well and makes good safe outlet passes .. his sense of positioning may be his best attribute as he has a knack for keeping his body between the puck and his own goal .. can be suffocating one-on-one; tough to shake and difficult to fool .. very patient; doesn't fall for the usual tricks .. still, his lack of pro size will likely hurt his draft position.

Joe Fallon (2005), G, Vermont

Smooth butterfly goalie .. plays a poised and economical style, relying on solid positioning and blocking the net with his big frame .. elegant and quick when moving vertically .. possesses fast, supple legs; very swift extensions .. will challenge shooters, but tends to collapse back deep in his net, especially on in-close action .. at times he leaves the upper part of the net exposed as he likes to spread out in paddle-down formation to defend when the puck is behind the net .. doesn't waste movements.

Bryan Lerg (2005), C, Michigan State

Excellent acceleration .. smallish but stocky .. compact, easy-looking stride with good balance and economical movements .. deceptive and disguises intentions exceptionally well .. moved outside on the rush and laid slick backhand flip-pass diagonally in perfect path for a one-timer .. not as effective when he stops moving his feet, which he is apt to do at times .. will stop and watch his linemates work the corners in the O zone .. does little things that go unnoticed; finished check on a blueliner along the boards to create a two-on-one for linemates .. talented passer, quick release, able to make plays at high tempo.

Mike Lesperance (2005), LW, Western Michigan

Rangy skater with very good top speed .. nice long reach; good frame .. gets his body into contact zones; made a nice play taking a hit while clearing the zone one-handed .. powerful stride; able to handle the puck in top gear .. made an excellent rush up the ice, using his speed to get outside of a defender and slipped a nice backhand pass to a linemate who scored .. kept his feet driving until planting on his edges to make a pass .. active physically, though he still lacks the strength to make a major dent .. took a boarding call on the forecheck, aggressively finishing his check but didn't stop when an opponent turned to face the boards .. works hard defensively, willing to sacrifice his body to block shots; however his overall defensive awareness needs attention .. failed to notice a developing two-on-one, reacting too late .. displays good fearlessness but can be a bit thoughtless at times .. dove late to break up a rush and ended up smashing into his own goalie .. really had no chance of breaking up a play .. a potential power forward who needs to add muscle.