Top Shelf: News from the World of Prospects

Apparently, A.J. Thelen didn't have the same commitment this season that he did last season. Perhaps it was a personality clash with Michigan State head coach Rick Comley? Only the Spartans know for sure.

After being exiled to the pressbox and then informed by Comley that he would be a healthy scratch for the next game as well, Thelen decided to embark on an evening of dinner and drinks with friends. But the underaged sophomore was promptly released from the Spartans' hockey team and will now try to regroup after a calamitous campaign.

At least Thelen has been upfront about the situation. He accepts responsibility for his actions and, after meeting with Wild GM Doug Risebrough, will take some time to decide what the next step will be.

Still eligible to play NCAA Division 1, Thelen could also turn pro next season, though the outside bet is that he will join the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League.

One thing is for certain, Thelen must re-dedicate himself to being the player that the Minnesota Wild selected in the first round of last year's NHL draft.

OF WEISS & MEN

What are the San Antonio Rampage doing?

They recently "loaned" a pair of NHL-caliber players in Jay Bouwmeester and Stephen Weiss to the Chicago Wolves.

This not only skews the league's competitive balance, but also reeks of favouritism as if to send a message to the rest of the players in the organization that they aren't as important.

The Panthers figure that the duo would benefit from playing in the playoffs, however, wouldn't the experience of actually making the playoffs be even more valuable?

Shootouts, shootouts everywhere.

With the NHL discussing the implementation of the shootout tiebreaker and using the AHL as a testing ground, the CHL is now considering the same option.

It seems like at all levels of the game, hockey is trying to create some excitement. At least they are doing something.

OUT OF THE FOG DEVILS

So, the Fog Devils are in. No, they are out. But now they're back in?

The QMJHL expansion outfit from St. John's, New Brunswick endured an acrimonious negotiation with their local stadium and were subsequently suspended by the league for not having a lease in place.

The Fog Devils were reinstated recently after finally coming to an agreement.

The London Knights are poised to meet an old nemesis in the Guelph Storm to open the OHL playoffs. The series promises some intriguing matchups, particularly in net with goalies Ryan McDonald and Adam Dennis, who were traded for each other earlier in the season.

As well, Guelph is only one of five teams to hand the Knights a loss this year, and also have a tie against the CHL's top team.

With the flurry of top prospect signings last September before the expected start of the 2004-05 NHL season (Dion Phaneuf, Braydon Coburn, Mike Egener etc), one team that decided to roll the dice was the Philadelphia Flyers with their 2003 first-rounders' Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.

You have to believe that the NHL will make provisions in order for clubs to retain their top unsigned prospects since they can't be sign without a valid CBA.

Conversely, there are some who feel the players could contest their status and become unrestricted free agents. Personally that doesn't make sense because they will inevitably fall under whatever rookie cap is set out in the new NHL's CBA anyways.

Seems much ado about nothing.

Quietly putting together a solid season in the Swedish Elite League is Yared Hagos. The Dallas Stars' third rounder has all the necessary qualities to become a solid pro. Strong at both ends of the ice, he sits just outside the top ten in scoring in the SEL among players under the age of 25.

MOTHER RUSSIA

Memories of yesteryear when the young Russian prospects stayed home to toil in their homeland in the Russian Super League. Two such players lighting it up are Alexander Perezhogin (Mtl) and Evgeny Malkin (Pit) who are tied for 24th in scoring in the entire RSL with 30 points.

One player not living up to promise is Edmonton Oilers' first-rounder Jesse Niinimaki. After suffering though a major shoulder injury in 2003-04, Niinimaki came to North America and has shown very little in the way of commitment and skill. When his name was called at the 2002 draft, many were shaking their heads. Now, the Oilers' brass have joined the rest of us.

Speaking of Finns, I would like to know why Washington third-rounder Sami Lepisto is outscoring the Finnish first-round trifecta of Petteri Nokelainen, Lauri Korpikoski and Lauri Tukonen.

Vancouver first-rounder Cory Schneider didn't let his forgettable performance at the World Junior Championships ruin his season. The Boston College freshman hasn't lost a game this season going 9-0-4 in relief of Matti Kaltiainen (Bos).

BLACKBURN IMPASSE

New York Rangers' prospect Dan Blackburn may be forced to call it a career this spring. He started his comeback from injury (shoulder nerve damage) with the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL winning 3 of 12 games - not bad considering the Salmon Kings were on a 20 game losing streak when he arrived - but ultimately quit in hopes of finding a better situation.

He may be forced to retire as the condition limits the upward mobility on his catching arm and he now wears a modified blocker with a small catching glove underneath. The problem is that his insurance company will only allow for a short return before Blackburn has to decide whether to continue his comeback or accept what is supposedly a multi-million dollar settlement.

Top 2006 prospect Phil Kessel made the "toughest decision of his life" committing to the Minnesota Golden Gophers over his hometown Wisconsin Badgers. Kessel cited the program and the facilities as the main reasons for moving one state over. However, given his collegiate stay may be a short one, why not join a star-studded recruiting class that features fellow NTDPers Jeff Frazee, Ryan Stoa, Peter Mueller and Erik Johnson.

SNAKE DRAFT

The NHL may use a weighted lottery to decide the draft order for the upcoming draft which, here's hoping, will happen in June. One thing they should consider is making it a snake draft so that the second round reverses order from the first round.

Why reward a team for nothing in every round of the draft?

The CHL's Prospect magazine named Dion Phaneuf as their top player in the CHL for the second straight year. Personally, you can put me down as preferring that number two guy from the Rimouski Oceanic. Even more peculiar is that scoring sensation Corey Perry from the London Knights didn't even crack the top 5.

Is the NHL draft a crapshoot?

Well, consider Bryan Bridges of the Seattle Thunderbirds went undrafted in 2004 and is now the shutout leader in the WHL with 11. Go figure.