Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Note: With the playoffs being the focus of the hockey world right now, there isn't a whole lot of big stories breaking in Leafland these days. As such, I'll be helping out Alec with his "Bits & Pieces" articles, touching briefly on various topics, and providing the occasional draft primer for the Entry Draft this coming June.
This session's topics include the Phoenix Coyotes, Mike Komisarek and 2010 draft prospect Joey Hishon.
This time of year pretty much everyone is doing a mock draft of some sort. So, with one week to go until the Entry Draft, I figure it's time I chip in with my two cents on what may or may not unfold with the top 10 picks come June 26.
Note that the draft projections listed here are made based on current draft positions, and are not reflective of any possible trades involving the top 10 picks.
Scouting service, McKeen's Hockey Prospects released their 2009 Final Rankings, in conjunction with their 2009 Draft Guide which includes exclusive content and scouting reports on the top 90 draft eligible players. Patrick King, of Sportsnet familiarity talked about the draft in a Q and A session.
Following suit with the likes of the Redline Report and ISS, John Tavares was not listed at number one. NHL Central Scouting doesn't release a consolidated rankings, ranks are broken down by North American and International, with Goaltenders ranked independant from Skaters.
Phew. Finally a chance to catch our breath after what was perhaps the best 2nd round of playoff hockey ever played. We were treated to three 7 game series, 9 overtime periods, and an epic showdown between the league's premier young rivals, Crosby and Ovechkin. Perhaps overshadowed by all the intensity and exciting finishes, is a fairly simple underlying theme: Youth.
Add International Scouting Services to the list of scouting organizations that are starting to put together the Matt Duchene bandwagon. In their latest rankings, following a the shocker from Redline report, ISS has followed suit and finally shuffled the top 2 of the draft. Unlike Redline, Tavares remains at #1, but ISS now has Duchene at #2 and Hedman at #3. Looks like the "Big Two" just became the "Big Three". [more…]
International Scouting Services (ISS) has released the March edition of their monthly top 30 rankings for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in June. Much of the names at the top remain unchanged, while a couple new players begin sneaking into the top 30. In Canada, Major Junior playoffs are about to begin, and it's crunch time for draftees as they prepare to make one last impression on NHL scouts. [more…]
