NHL Draft: OHL Prospects Review – Kane is Able

The OHL had another strong showing this year at the annual NHL entry draft. A total of 35 players were selected from the league including three in the top ten. Patrick Kane became the first London Knight to be selected first overall since Rick Nash accomplished the feat back in 2002. In the first of a five part series, McKeen's reviews the first seven OHL players selected at the draft and the future contributions they will have for their respected NHL teams.

Patrick Kane, (Chi), RW - 1st Overall

It is a testament to how much the game has changed, as Patrick Kane becomes the smallest and most undersized player in league history to be selected first overall. It is also the first time in franchise history that the Chicago Blackhawks have had the first overall selection. With the emphasis on skill over size, the brain trust of the Blackhawks envision the diminutive Kane, as a player who can and will produce at the NHL level. He has elite agility, sensational hands and tremendous vision to compensate for his lack of size. The decision to join the OHL was clearly a healthy one and his ability to produce at an alarming rate in both the regular and postseason, scorched any notions that he was too small to compete. Kane put on a clinic in every tournament he played in prior to the entry draft, most notably the WJC where he was named top scorer and tournament All-Star. He struggled slightly in the playoffs, as the excessive pounding of the eventual champion Plymouth Whalers took its toll. Nevertheless, he produced admirably in the series despite being targeted and constantly bullied. While the jury is still out on whether he can make the team next season, every opportunity will be made available to him. However, another year of Junior would not cripple his development, as he still has many things left to prove on the junior stage. It will be essential for him to add some weight to his generously listed 5-foot-9 frame.

Sam Gagner, (Edm), C - 6th Overall

Gagner will not have to worry about filing any working papers because the London-born centre was the first selection by a Canadian-based team in the 2007 entry draft. Blessed with an exceptional sense and feel for the game, Gagner was an offensive dynamo in both the regular and postseason for the Knights. Gagner put forth a solid effort in the playoffs and exhibited a strong two-way game that Edmonton management found very endearing. The Oilers have been doing a good job of accumulating solid prospects at the centre position, a luxury you have when you fail to make the playoffs three-of-the-past four seasons. Gagner is the lowest pick for the Oilers since 1996 when they choose Boyd Devereaux (6th overall). Gagner will need to focus on his skating this season and improve most importantly on his explosiveness. A member of the gold medal-winning Canadian WJC team, Gagner should be able to assume a greater role on the team next season. Do not expect Oilers management to rush the 5-foot-11, 190-pound forward, as they have many players under contract and he simply is not ready.

Logan Couture, (SJ), C - 9th Overall

After finding considerable success in players like Jamie McGinn and Derek Joslin last season, the Doug Wilson/Brian Kilrea connection struck again, as another Ottawa 67 player was drafted into the San Jose program. This year it was Lucan-born Logan Couture! So high was the play of Couture that the Sharks traded up in the draft to put themselves in a position to draft him. The versatile two-way centre is a throwback and plays the game with intensity and passion. Although he suffered with a bout of mono early in the season, which slowed him down throughout the year, his draft stock was not affected due to a strong second half, where he showed signs as an emerging scoring threat. He managed to post better offensive totals this season despite playing 11 less games. His remarkable play in the playoffs forced the hand of GM Doug Wilson to essentially trade away a legitimate backup goalie in Vesa Toskala and ironically enough a former Ottawa 67 scoring star in Mark Bell, to put themselves in a spot to consider Couture as an option. Couture should rebound nicely and rival for a spot on the WJC team, thus improving his all around game by competing on an international stage, oddly enough, playing for team Canada is something Couture has yet to do.

Brett MacLean, (Phx), LW - 32nd Overall

The concern many had with MacLean coming into the draft was how good he was without John Tavares. Strangely enough, riding shotgun to JT hurt his draft stock as much as it helped it. While some may argue and contend that Tavares was a big reason he enjoyed the statistical season he did, others will argue that Tavares benefited just as much. In his first season with the Generals, the thick and strong, Port Elgin native made himself quite comfortable on a line with the aforementioned Tavares and Minnesota Wild draftee Cal Clutterbuck. He scored at will registering 100 points on the strength of 47 goals in the regular season. Success is usually determined by how one performs in the postseason and prior to MacLean's complete brain cramp (in the second round against Belleville), which resulted in him being suspended for the duration of the playoffs, he recorded five multiple-point games in the seven games he dressed for. MacLean, like most big power forwards will need to address his skating however, his hand skills make him such an intriguing prospect. His game has versatility, which he proved playing along two of the better talents in the league. Possesses all the traits an organization covets in a prospect but will have to make slight upgrades along the way and continue to produce consistent efforts.

Josh Godfrey, (Wsh), D - 35th Overall

Passed over in last year's draft, Godfrey's performance certainly had him high on many NHL draft lists. After leading the league in goals for a defenseman, it was his domination in the playoffs leading to a first round upset over the heavily favoured Saginaw Spirit. He registered four consecutive multiple-point games in the opening round and led his team in goals scored, en route to a heartbreaking, seven-game series loss to the London Knights. His blistering shot and ability to find the net in PP situations makes him lethal. Godfrey should be able to build on his point totals as the Greyhounds are short quality offensive defenseman and the added PP time should raise his confidence as the points continue to pile up. The Capitals have managed to accumulate many defenseman prospects in recent drafts, a position you can never be too strong in. Godfrey's improved play has him already being invited to participate in the upcoming Canada/Russia challenge taking part in September. Playing at such an elite level should help to improve his overall game.

Stefan Legein, (CBJ), RW - 37th Overall

Under new management, Columbus helped to create an identity with their second round pick, Stefan Legein. Legein, who is wiry yet physically strong and athletic, soared up the draft charts by tying a Mississauga Ice Dogs franchise record for goals in a season (shared with Patrick O'Sullivan) with 43. Considered by many as the straw that stirred the drink, his improved play also had a direct result on team success, as the Ice Dogs improved by 22 wins and 31 points from the previous season. Legein has a sensationally quick release and coupled with his lateral movement and overall speed, he does a good job of getting open to take advantage of it. Legein has all the tools to be a successful role player in the league and could even bring a scoring dimension in his later years, not unlike the career path of Todd Marchant. His willingness to compete and desire to improve could be his best intangibles. The relocation of the franchise should play into both Legein and the solid nucleus of returning players favour and expect his confidence to be sky high and possibly establish new franchise scoring records.

Eric Tangradi, (Ana), LW – 42nd Overall

No player improved his ranking more than Tangradi based on his dominating play in the postseason. Originally considered a fringe player to be selected in the later rounds, Tangradi found himself being selected by the Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Ducks, a team that has had considerable success drafting players out of the OHL. A bigger player with exceptional puck skills and finishing abilities, the Philadelphia-born Tangradi got hot and carried his momentum deep into the third round before the Belleville Bulls succumbed to the Sudbury Wolves in six games in the Conference Final. An absolute wrecking ball against the Oshawa Generals, he scored in every game of the series. To put that in contrast to his season, he scored more in the second round playoff series than he did in his first four months of the season. With the recent success of players like Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Penner, Tangradi's size and skating skill fits the mold of the Ducks scouting philosophy of drafting big players who can dominate and skate. Tangradi should see his icetime increase next season with the graduation of Andrew Gibbons and OHL overage Player-of-the-Year Tyler Donati.