Under The Radar

Joe Fallon - G (Vermont)

The big Bemidji, Minnesota native is enjoying a stellar freshman debut and spearheading the Catamounts' turnaround season. "His stand up style may scared off some people," according to one scout. "A goalie with his size (6-foot-3) who stops a lot of pucks on his feet is not that common anymore. His focus is beyond his years - he just doesn't get rattled. He sees the ice well and has been rock-solid positionally which for a goalie his size is an essential trait. He has very quick feet which allow him to keep his balance and provide an economical quality to his game. Great glove hand and lateral movement. Fallon is the kind of kid who requires multiple viewings because he's never flashy and won't wow you out of your seat. But you never see him do too much wrong either."

Richard Gynge - LW (Hammarby)

Our Swedish scout is baffled by the constant national team snubs Gynge has gotten. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound winger is skilled, rangy and is having a productive first half in junior (six goals, 17 points in 13 games - tops amongst under-18 scorers). "I wish I could get inside the head of team Sweden's coach. Big guys like this are a rare breed and should be properly developed. He skates very well for his size and loves to drive the net. He's crafty with soft hands and a nifty shot. The only area of some concern that I see is that he doesn't use his size as much as he should be. He is still raw and needs to work on getting in better shape, however he should get drafted."

Kevin Henderson - RW (Kitchener)

Tall, strong winger was signed on by the Rangers from Thornhill of the OPJHL and had a loud debut with two points in major junior. Our scout says: "My eyes were definitely fixed on him because he is big and a good skater. You can tell though that he is not really used to his linemates and the overall speed of the game. I like the way he uses his size and he has the hands to score some goals. He definitely benefited from playing on a line with Evan McGrath and used his frame smartly to clear space for the Kitchener sniper. Henderson seems to be going through a common stage for gifted guys who make this big jump up in mid-season, making some noise early and then slowing down. He needs to make adjustments and do the little things for Peter DeBoer to get better icetime."

Jack Hillen - D (Colorado College)

Listed as a "limited viewing" on Central Scouting's preliminary rankings, Hillen was certainly worth the journey out west. With Richard Petiot out of a recent match with a minor injury, Hillen shone on special teams and scored his first NCAA marker. According to our scout, "Hillen was a catalyst. He created two goals from the blueline in what was a coming-out performance. He sacrifices his body to block shots and, though not a big kid, plays a fearless game. An excellent outlet passer, his hands are quick and his feeds are crisp. He's also a fluid skater and keeps his feet moving. I was especially impressed with his anticipation with the puck - he always seems to make the right play. He also has the presence of mind and quickness to wheel away from bigger, less-agile pursuers. Very balanced with a great sense of danger. Underrated."

Tim Kunes - D (New England Jr Falcons)

Well-rounded Boston College recruit and one of the more sought-after Division 1 prospects, Kunes has impressed this season due to his skating, vision and hands. Our scouts says: "This kid just puts it all together. He's a skilled, strong-skating rearguard who thinks the game well at both ends. He moves the puck crispy with a sharp first-step burst - very agile in all directions. He is polished and well-rounded in the way he moves his body and where he positions the puck with his feeds and clearing plays. Has very few holes, consistently makes good decisions. While not a flashy guy his teammates know that the puck is safe when it's on his stick, which is the kind of calming quality only the top blueline prospects have. He is still lean and needs to pack on more upper-body muscle though."

Anton Krysanov - RW (Lada Togliatti)

Lada had to delve into their farm system to call up Krysanov when blueliners Dmitri Vorobiev

and Grigori Panin headed to team Russia's World Junior camp. Krysanov has already spent most of the regular season in Lada's reserve, regularly practicing with the professional club. He has skated on a line with the Sevostyanov brothers (Sergei and Mikhail) and played significant minutes in two of three contests. According to our Russian scout: "Krysanov has a lot of tools. He has great size, good puckhandling and playmaking skills and he's impressed with his defensive awareness. He does have to improve his skating in order to become a dangerous player at the Superleague level. That said, he is definitely ahead of the likes of Alexander Bumagin and Anton Skorykh on Lada's depth chart."

Tyrell Mason - D (Salmon Arm)

Clarkson property is not this year's version of Travis Zajac, but the BC native has size, speed and puckmoving upside. A sophomore in the BCHL he is the club's leading blueline point-getter and is averaging over a point-per-game. Mason skates with good agility and quickness and has crisp outlet passing sills. The competitive rearguard shows good vision in special teams' situations and should develop into a quarterback at a higher level. He is still pretty lean for his size and would benefit by adding pounds of bulk to his 6-foot-2 frame.

Justin Mercier - LW (USNTDP-18)

Clutch winger was on top of the World on November 12, scoring the game-winning (and only) goal in the final of the Four Nations cup against Sweden. "He's played very well in recent viewings," says a scout. "Mercier is hard working with good speed and an excellent slap shot. He sees the ice well and buzzes to all territories to the dismay of opposing defensemen. He works his tail off in all zones. I do find his passing game to be a little bit inconsistent - he can be clutch if he learns to control his wildness. Not a top-end talent but he makes you take notice."

Dean Ouellet - C (Cape Breton)

New Brunswick native is feisty and creative. Our QMJHL scout says while Ouellet has not had a lot of goals this season (three in 37 games), he has very good all-around tools. "This kid has caught my eye mostly for his hard work as well as his surprising strength despite a modest-sized frame. He plays with character and determination though he is not more than an average skater. I like the way he takes the body, delivers strong hits and mucks along the boards. He is a good playmaker; the goals are not there but he's gotten his helpers. He's still only 17 - he has plenty of time to bulk up further and become a solid player for the Screaming Eagles."

Tyler Plante - G (Brandon)

The 17-year old rookie appears to have won the starting duties for the hometown Wheaties, beating out 18-year old Mike Nichol. He is putting up excellent numbers (2.38 gaa, .918 sv% through dec. 23) and is top-10 in the league in wins. Plante is an economical goalie with excellent poise and vision of the ice. His early season success can be attributed to his cool demeanor and the ability to make difficult saves look easy due to his exceptional balance. Plante plays very square to the shooter and is not afraid to challenge out of the crease. His glove hand is very good but he still needs to refine his rebound control although he recovers very well.

Sasha Pokulok - D (Cornell)

Massive Cornell freshman may be this year's Jeff Schultz. A native of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec who skated with the Notre Dame Hounds of the SJHL last season, Pokulok has been sinking jaws with his offensive panache but, like Schultz, needs work on his skating. "He is a talented outlet passer and handles the puck exceptionally well for a 6-foot-5, 220-pound teenager," according to our scout. "He also has a strong sense for the offensive part of the game, particularly on the power play which he already quarterbacks. His quickness and footwork need to improve though, as he can appear sluggish and unstable at times. He must also learn how to use that gigantic frame. His physical play is still raw at this stage. Despite the drawbacks, however, there's plenty to develop here. A worthy project who could conceivably challenge for a spot in the top two rounds with a strong second half."

Sergei Shirokov - LW (CSKA Moscow)

After he made our top 100 list for the draft last year Shirokov went on to star in the CHL-Russia challenge and cracked Russia's World Junior roster. He was surprisingly passed up in last year's draft most likely due to his modest size. "I don't see how NHL teams can ignore him this time," says a Russian scout. "Shirokov is a mobile sniper who is relentless with the puck and stronger on his feet than he looks. He also supports the defense well - he'll score the highlight goal but also be there to backcheck. I love his hands - he has a deft touch in front of the net and gets to loose rebounds. I would hold off on calling him a rising prospect until I see how he does at the World Juniors. He won't play a big role but could step in and make some noise and not just for that swagger of his."

Andreas Vlassopoulos - RW (USNTDP-18)

Undersized Californian has shown much improvement from his days with the LA Stars last year. While not a likely candidate to go on day one of the draft due to his average skating skills, Vlassopoulos is a puck wizard and has a natural scoring touch. Our scout says: "This kid can really dangle and his decision making is improving. This year he also seems to be playing with more of a purpose than in previous viewings when he just flashed and dashed. He is involved on offense, drives the net, plays in traffic and he compensates for his so-so speed with an excellent first step, so he'll be okay. I was also very impressed with his defensive awareness - he has such quick hands that he picks off a slew of passes game in and game out. If he can improve on his strength I can see him being an Andreas Dackell-type of player."