RC Mark Scheifele | 6.03 | 175 lbs | 03/15/93

2009/10 (Kitchener Jr.B) - 51GP 18G 37A 55P 20PIM

After being a 7th Round Pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection, Scheifele spent a year playing Jr. B last year in his hometown. He was extremely productive, leading the team in scoring as a 16 year old and was committed towards an NCAA career at Cornell. That all changed when his rights where dealt by the Spirit to the Barrie Colts in a deal that saw Mavric Parks go the other way. Barrie managed to convince him to take the OHL route, and this year could be a big one for Scheifele. With the departure of almost every key forward, he’ll be getting top line minutes with the Colts and has already looked good in pre-season. He’s a rangy center with good puck skills and a quick release. He does well in traffic and goes to the dirty areas on the ice as well. His strength is a big concern as he’s been getting knocked around quite a bit, but there is certainly a lot of potential in his game and he should definitely be on the NHL radar.

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LD Steven Strong | 5.11 | 195 lbs | 02/16/93

2009/10 (Belleville OHL) - 65GP 1G 5A 6P -11 52PIM

Strong had a fine rookie season patrolling the defense of a team that was the youngest in the OHL and finished the season in second last place in the Ontario Hockey League. This pre-season he’s really elevated his game to another level as he has also showed signs that his offensive game has developed. Strong is a reliable, gritty two-way defender. He is a great player to have in the dressing room and was the captain of the Toronto Marlboros and could even wear a letter with the Bulls this year. While his skill won’t blow you away, his competitiveness is exceptional and he will be a key piece of the Bulls this year.

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RW Matt MacLeod | 6.02 | 181 lbs | 07/13/93

2009/10 (Brampton OHL) - 57GP 6G 10A 16P +7 13PIM

MacLeod quietly enjoyed a productive season with the Battalion, tying for the team lead in the +/- category. While he showed flashes of strong play last year, his minutes were mostly limited and he didn’t see a lot of ice-time on the special teams. With the departure of a couple of veterans, this year offers a chance for MacLeod to embrace some more ice-time and really improve his offensive game from a season ago. He’s not a flashy player, but he has good hockey sense and has a good finishing touch in the offensive zone. If he can find some consistency, he will find a lot more attention coming his way this year.

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G Franky Palazzese | 6.01 | 155 lbs | 03/28/93

2009/10 (Markham Jr.A) - 29GP 16-8-2-1 2.81GAA .905SV% 2SO

In what looks like a pretty weak draft year for goaltending from the OHL, Palazzese could be a bit of a wildcard. He struggled to adapt to the OHL in the few games he saw action in last year, but he was pretty good playing in Tier Two. He’s a wiry goalie that has good technical skills, but he’ll need to show improvements in positioning and overall refinement. This year he’ll be the backup to Phillip Grubauer, but should see some action especially when Grubauer leaves for the German U20 team at Christmas.

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LD Stuart Percy | 6.01 | 186 lbs | 05/18/93

2009/10 (Mississauga OHL) - 52GP 3G 15A 18P -5 40PIM

By now it seems like most people are in on the Stuart Percy secret, and he’s likely considered to be a consensus Top 50 player at this point. However, with the Majors roster lacking 2011 players, Percy is probably the only player on the team to really be considered as much of an NHL prospect at this point. He doesn’t have any overwhelming qualities, but he’s just such a steady all-around defenseman that can play in all situations. He’s great at moving the puck, has tremendous patience and will likely be a much better powerplay player this year as well. He represented Canada at the Under 18′s and will play a big role on the Mississauga blue-line this year as he looks to contend for a late first round selection.

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RW Ryan Strome | 6.01 | 183 lbs | 07/11/93

2009/10 (Niagara/Barrie OHL) - 61GP 8G 19A 27P +5 61PIM

I think if there’s one guy that could make a ton of noise this year, it’s going to be Ryan Strome. The 8th Overall Pick from 2009, Strome really didn’t see very much ice-time playing in a loaded Barrie Colts lineup. Things changed quickly as he was dealt to the Niagara Ice Dogs as the principle component of the Alex Pietrangelo trade, and Strome started to see considerably more ice-time. His game a year ago was plauged by a lack of physical strength, but after growing a bit and bulking up, things should be different this year. Strome is a great offensive talent, he’s creative with the puck and has very good vision but also is an adept scorer. He’s already been on fire this pre-season including notching a hat trick, and I think he’ll be the 2011 version of Greg McKegg.

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RD Colin Suellentrop | 6.02 | 192 lbs | 06/10/93

2009/10 (Oshawa OHL) - 54GP 1G 5A 6P -37 74PIM

With a trio of highly touted forwards in Lucas Lessio, Boone Jenner and Nicklas Jensen up front, Suellentrop could be a promising defender on the backend for the rebuilding Generals. While last season was a struggle at times, Suellentrop did have stretches of strong play and handled a lot of minutes for a bad hockey team. He played for the United States at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, and with a year under his belt, the Generals will hope that Suellentrop can take a big leap forward in his game this year. He has good size and puck instincts, but he’ll need to be better positionally and display more polish in his transitional game this year.

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LW Shane Prince | 5.10 | 185 lbs | 11/16/92

2009/10 (Ottawa/Kitchener OHL) - 65GP 15G 15A 30P -2 45PIM

A bit of an intriguing prospect, Prince is undersized but competes very hard for a player of his stature. He ran out of opportunity in Kitchener, which prompted a move to the 67′s last year, where he enjoyed a fairly productive sophomore season. His NHL potential is questionable, but if he can put together a good offensive season around 60 points, he likely could be an NHL pick. Ottawa also has a plethora of 17 year olds who will all be worth watching this year including Steven Janes, Tyler Graovac and Remy Giftopolous who are all capable of gaining some NHL interest.

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RW Luke Hietkamp | 6.02 | 190 lbs | 08/15/93

2009/10 (Peterborough OHL) - 54GP 4G 2A 6P -9 16PIM

The Petes have had some exceptional first round OHL picks go on to NHL draft glory in recent years. Outside of the first round, however, has been a bit of an issue as the team has seen several second and third rounders struggle to forge out successful OHL careers. The trend could buck this year, though, as Luke Hietkamp could be a player that is capable of a little more. He’s a big body who’s very mobile and has good puck skills. He does well protecting the puck and has pretty good offensive hockey sense. I saw him last night in London and he looked a lot better then last year and it looks like his game has improved a lot.

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RD Frankie Corrado | 6.01 | 190 lbs | 03/26/93

2009/10 (Sudbury OHL) - 63GP 1G 8A 9P -16 46PIM

Corrado is a player who could also make some noise in the NHL Draft this year as his game has really taken some positive strides forward this year. Corrado has put on a lot of size and his game is laced with more confidence and puck poise. He’s a very good skater with great acceleration and has good offensive tools. His defensive game is improving, but positioning is still an area of concern. He could also stand to do a better job of moving the puck, but his decision making is improving. His shot has gained a lot of power and will be utilized with more powerplay ice-time. Corrado could be capable of 40+ points this year and likely could find himself in the late 2nd-3rd round range if he lives up to potential this year.

Tags: 2011 nhl draft, 2011 nhl draft prospects, Colin Suellentrop, Frankie Corrado, Franky Palazzese, Luke Hietkamp, Mark Scheifele, Matt MacLeod, Ryan Strome, Shane Prince, Steven Strong, Stuart Percy

About the Author: Scott Campbell

Scott, 23, is the Managing Editor for TSR after helping to found the site in 2009. A 2010 graduate from Laurentian University's Sports Administration program, Scott currently attends Indiana State University as a graduate student majoring in Sports Management.