NHL Draft: Top 10 Profiles
1. Patrick Kane RW, London (OHL)
When a prospect continues
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to outproduce everyone else
no matter what level he plays
at, one starts to remove any
lingering doubts that may exist
about his pro potential.
Scouts have been slow to
anoint Kane the class of the
2007 draft due to his diminutive
stature, but his skillset is such
that few remain unconvinced
that he'll be an impact player at
the NHL level.
Mind you it doesn't hurt that
he led the OHL in scoring as a
rookie, produced in the playoffs,
and had a dominating performance
in the WJC which
resulted in a spot on the tournament's
all-star team.
"He's a natural on the puck
with great hands and awareness,
deceptive at every turn
and tough to get a read on as
he telegraphs nothing," said
one scout. "He makes opponents
unsure of what he might
do, too many young guys are
predictable with the puck. He
works hard at getting better in
the d-zone but can stop moving
his feet at times.
Scouts concede that the
"Kane would lead any league
in scoring I suspect, or be in
the thick of it; he's able to manufacture
scoring openings better
than any other OHLer."
Don't be surprised to see
Kane playing in the NHL next
season, especially if as expected
Chicago selects him with
the first overall pick.
2. Kyle Turris C, Burnaby (BCHL)
No other top-end center
rose in the rankings as much
as Turris did last fall thanks to
his breathtaking performance
at the Junior A Challenge,
which included a four-goal
game against the Russians.
It was the third time in the
past year that Turris impressed
scouts on the big stage, the
other times being at the Royal
Bank Cup last spring where he
led his Burnaby Tier II junior
team to the national title, and
the Under 18 tournament in
Czech Republic last August,
where he played as a 16-yearold.
"I think he has the most
upside of any player in the
draft; he's a pretty talented
kid," said one western conference
scout. "The guy's a projection,
but he has tremendous
abilities. There's a real possibility
he'll go ahead of (OHL center
Sam) Gagner."
Turris confirmed his top five
status with a solid, if unspectacular,
Under 18 championship,
offering glimpses of his
tremendous stickhandling,
vision and shot.
"He's a project because
he's so weak. He'll need a
couple years of college I think
before he's fully ready, but he'll
be some kind of player at that
time for the team willing to
wait. He's a step away from
being dominant; just needs the
strength. His skating will be
good."
3. Jakub Voracek RW, Halifax (QMJHL)
Halifax's first round choice,
first overall, in the 2006 CHL
Import Draft, Voracek has lived
up to the billing after an eye
opening rookie season.
By February Voracek was
one of the league's dominant
players on a nightly basis as
he tore up the QMJHL down
the stretch and in the playoffs.
Voracek tallied 24 points in just
12 playoff games.
He has deceptive speed,
which occasionally comes to
the fore when he makes an
end-to-end rush and blows
right by people. Strong in his
upper body for his age, he's
very tough for any QMJHL
defenceman to contain when
he's got a full head of steam.
His passing skills are above
average, but he's also capable
of becoming a goal scorer at
the next level.
What also impressed scouts
was that Voracek came to play
every night, diplaying strong
forechecking skills that created
constant turnovers.
"He's a strong kid, good
character," noted one scout.
"He's pretty gritty from what
I've seen. His upside is top six,
downside is third liner."
Voracek didn't take long to
adjust to North America.
"When he first got here he
couldn't speak a word of
English," said his coach Cam
Russell. "By Christmas he was
conducting his own interviews.
Everyone liked him."
4. Karl Alzner D, Calgary (WHL)
Meet this draft's shoo-in, a
"Steady Eddie" defenceman
that NHL scouts are sure will
earn a regular NHL spot some
day soon.
"Might be the safest pick in
the draft," opined one scout.
"He's smart, very few weaknesses
and makes very few
mistakes, which is remarkable
for a player his age."
Alzner identifies both danger
and opportunity instinctively,
and doesn't lose his head
under pressure. A strong
checker, he's a heads up outlet
passer, which scouts love to
see in a young blueliner.
A downside?
"He needs to shoot more,"
noted one scout. "Not a flashy
stickhandler, but safe and reliable.
I liked him last year; I
like him this year, and it's not
often you say that about a draft
eligible defenceman."
Alzner cracked the
Canadian WJC roster this past
winter, a rarity for draft eligible
defencemen. While he spent
the majority of the tournament
as the club's seventh defenceman,
when he played he didn't
look out of place, only boosting
his status as the top defenceman
in this draft.
"I don't see any defenceman
picked above him," stated one
team's director of player personnel.
"He'll be a top two or
three defenceman for a lot of
years. It will be very tough to
pass on him in the top five."
5. James VanRiemsdyk LW, NTDP (US)
Van Riemsdyk was solid at
the Five Nations Cup, finishing
second in tournament scoring,
and he produced all season
long for the US development
team, but it was his performance
in the Under-18 tournament
that solidified his standing
as a top six prospect.
He took his game to another
level in the second half of the
semi-final game against
Canada, offering glimpses of a
player that is almost impossible
to contain down low when he
uses his strength.
"He's so safe (a pick)," said
one scout. "He really is a good
player, great hands and a bigframed
kid. He's not a speedy
player but he moves the puck
well; he's very aware.
"His strength is his main
asset, he's a horse. His skating
is fine, he's a good skater.
He's an aware kid; a smart kid.
Saw him play four times
now...he's got to be better than
what I've seen. I know it's
there, but he doesn't produce
in any way when I've seen
him."
Van Riemsdyk needs to
work on his first step quickness,
particularly laterally, as
well as his consistency.
"I saw him when he played
well, and not so well," noted
another scout "He has a good
skill and size package, best
player on USNDTP team without
question. I have him in the
top three (overall)."
6. Alexei Cherepanov RW, Avangard (Rus)
A silky-smooth skater
blessed with elite vision and
individual skills, he took some
heat for a lethargic effort at the
Five Nations Cup in February,
which may have served as a
wakeup call according to one
top NHL scout.
"Luckily, Cherepanov realized
by the end of the tournament
that he fell down in ranking
so much after impassionate
performances in almost every
game," noted one scout. "But
it's a concern that he wasn't
willing to show his skills earlier
in front of 130 scouts."
Mind you a couple of
months earlier at the WJC's
Cherepanov was incredible,
leading the tournament in
goals and earning honors as
the Top Forward.
One of the draft's best pure
snipers; he finds the open
spots, and then finishes with a
keen sense for the net. He
has great hands in close to the
net; and can roof the puck from
a foot away.
Scouts were hoping to see
more commitment to his defensive
responsibilities in the U-18
Championship in April, and
while he was better than at the
Five Nations Cup, he still has a
lot to learn in his own zone.
Cherepanov broke Pavel
Bure's rookie goal scoring
record in the Russian Super
League, potting 18 goals and
12 assists in 46 regular season
games.
7. Kevin Shattenkirk D, NTDP (US)
A smart defenceman that
plays in all situations,
Shattenkirk is blessed with
very good overall speed and
can carry the puck up the ice
with poise.
"He keeps his head on a
swivel when he goes in the
corner to retrieve the puck,"
noted a scout. "He is always in
the play, and always making
the smart play when he's moving
with the puck."
There are some concerns
with his defensive play, and
specifically, his reluctance to
skate backward.
"He never skates backwards,"
lamented one scout.
"Normally that would be a
concern, but he plays the
angles so smartly that it really
isn't a big deal. He just knows
how to play the game."
Shattenkirk was the leader
and captain of the U-18 team
all season long, garnering allstar
awards in several tournaments,
and slowly gaining
recognition as a top-ten
prospect for this year's draft.
"He just wants the puck at
all times," noted one scout. I
like the way he controls the
game and he's able to play in
any situation.
"He gets a bit complacent in
front of his own net, inactive,
casual, stops moving his feet,
but he has exceptional recovery
abilities due to his balance
and strong skating. He really
improved in the past year."
8. Ryan McDonagh D, Cretin-Derham (USHS)
McDonagh's stock continued
to rise all season long,
going from second round status
early in the winter to heavy
consideration for a top-ten pick
by May. Many scouts now
rank him as one of the topthree
defencemen available for
the 2007 draft.
His defensive prowess is
what really impressed the
scouts.
"He's nifty with the stick as
he is often able to strip the
puckcarrier, he also uses his
size effectively to tie up the
man. He's very efficient clearing
the puck out of his zone.
"He's a late riser," noted one
scout who liked how
McDonagh performed in the
Under 18's, making the transition
from Minnesota high
school hockey to top-four minutes
on the USNTDP defence
corps.
"(The US coaches) kept
him in check, he didn't try to do
too much," noted the scout,
who thinks McDonagh has
some untapped offensive
potential. "He was really safe,
it's such a jump for him.
"He's a very good skater.
He'll be in there in the top 15."
Voted Mr. Hockey as the top
player in Minnesota high
school, he uses his mobility in
the defensive zone well; he
has the skill and smarts to
develop into an above-average
defenceman if he continues to
develop his tenacity.
9. Sam Gagner RW, London (OHL)
Gagner has come a long
way in the eyes of the scouts
since being cut from the
Under 18 team that competed
in the Czech Republic last
August.
Gagner and linemate
Patrick Kane tore apart the
OHL as rookies, launching
both into the top ten for the
upcoming draft while playing
together all season long.
"He's got tremendous
puckhandling skills," noted a
scout. "It's his number one
asset. His skating will require
attention. He needs to add
power and quickness to his
stride. He'd be in contention
for the top pick if he had
Kane's feet."
Gagner made Canada's
WJC team, but spent most of
the tournament on the bench,
something which doesn't concern
many scouts.
"The WJC was probably a
real eye opener, he realizes
how much stronger he needs
to become. But you have to
be impressed by such a
young player (Gagner doesn't
turn 18 until August) cracking
that squad.
"He glides around like he's
6-3, but he freezes you with
his skills. He's a great junior,
but I just don't know if he projects
to be a first liner at the
top level."
Gagner's superior vision
and playmaking should earn
him a top-ten selection.
10. Logan Couture C, Ottawa (OHL)
If the Ottawa centerman was
a faster skater he'd be a strong
consideration for the top five in
the 2007 draft thanks to his
outstanding all-around game.
Couture lost some ground
to other prospects early in the
season when he was sidelined
with mononucleosis, then he
followed up a quick OHL playoff
exit with a disappointing finish
at the Under 18's.
"His skating is the question,"
said one scout who had
him in his top five early on,
only to drop him from his top
15 by season's end.. "I saw
him early and he struggled, but
he may have been affected by
the mono(nucleosis). He's a
character guy, talented, he
sees the ice really well. But
you really have to be concerned
about the skating. It
may very well hinder him from
becoming a top-two center."
Couture went through a
stretch in March where he was
one of the more dominant players
in the OHL. His smarts
and determination can create
lots of offence at the junior
level, and he has good chemistry
with 2006 draft pick Jamie
McGinn.
"He was playing really well.
Not great skating but not bad.
He tries hard; as long as you
get there, and he does. He's
just so smart, and he's a playmaker,
but his shot is coming
along, he's starting to use it.
He does everything well."