1.  RD Adam Larsson | Skelleftea (Elisterien)

Height: 6.03 | Weight: 220 | Birthdate: 11/12/92 | Nationality: Swedish

Heading into the 2010/2011 season it’s clear to see that the top spot will be Adam Larsson’s to lose. While there was a prevailing notion that Victor Hedman was the top Swedish defensive prospect possibly ever, only two years later it looks like Larsson will poised to take that mantle. Larsson is an imposing figure with tremendous size, but his game extends well beyond that. He’s very calm with the puck and has great poise and vision. He’s very capable offensively and it looks like his offensive play will continue to grow as he matures. His skating is likely the primary concern if you’re looking for one, as his acceleration and quickness aren’t great, but he will have time to work on that aspect. You could also consider that his foot speed might improve if he adjusts his playing weight to the 210-215 range.

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2. LC Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Red Deer (WHL)

Height: 6.00 | Weight: 160 | Birthdate: 04/12/93 | Nationality: Canadian

Nugent-Hopkins probably isn’t the consensus #2 among most right now, but he’s a player that we feel is just on the cusp of his ability. Coming off a fine first season in the WHL where he walked away as the league’s rookie of the year, Nugent-Hopkins was Canada’s most productive player in their Gold Medal run at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. He skates tremendously well and is a very creative playmaker with great vision. Not only does he make those around him better, he’s also an adept scorer and as he puts on weight, he will be a very tough player to contain. After leading a very mediocre team last year, Nugent-Hopkins will be poised for a big year this season and it wouldn’t be out of the realm for him to approach the 100 point mark as well as a potential spot on the Canadian Under 20 team. While Couturier might be the better player today, Nugent-Hopkins might have the highest ceiling of any player in this draft.

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3. LW Sean Couturier | Drummondville (QMJHL)

Height: 6.03 | Weight: 192 | Birthdate: 12/07/92 | Nationality: Canadian

Couturier struggled to adapt to the QMJHL as a 16 year old as his awkward skating style limited his offensive output along with being on a very deep Drummondville team that went all the way to the Memorial Cup. Oh how a year can make a difference. Last season, Couturier took the league by storm, easily establishing himself as the most dominant player in the league. His combination of size and skill are very hard to come by and his game has drawn a lot of comparisons to Vincent Lecavalier, and rightfully so. His skating improved tremendously last season but will still need to be a focus of improvement for him. With another big season this year, Couturier should cement himself as a Top 3 player in this draft and will stay in contention for what could shape up to be another battle for first overall.

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4. LD David Musil | Vancouver (WHL)

Height: 6.03 | Weight: 190 | Birthdate: 04/09/93 | Nationality: Czech

David Musil had an interesting road to the WHL last season. After the WHL amended some rules to allow a European to join the league as a 16 year old (Musil’s family has ties to North America and moved to Vancouver last summer), the Kooteney Ice acquired his rights in a waiver draft. He was then dealt to Vancouver after requesting a trade to live with his family for a 1st and 5th round picks in the WHL Bantam Draft. Musil proceeded to have a very strong rookie year with the Giants. His game is laced with pro qualities and he has all the traits of a shut-down defenseman that can play important minutes. While his offensive numbers were very good last year, they don’t really reflect his style of play and he’ll have to take a few more chances if he wants to be that type of player at the NHL level.

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5. LW Brandon Saad | Saginaw (OHL)

Height: 6.01 | Weight: 196 | Birthdate: 10/27/92 | Nationality: American

Saad has developed considerably after being a very raw AAA player in Pittsburgh only three years ago. After spending a couple of productive seasons with the US Development Team, Saad will be making to the move to Saginaw this year after they’ve waited patiently since taking him in the first round back in 2008. Saad should be able to make a seamless transition to the Major Junior game. He’s got a pro style frame, and his style of play matches it. Saad is a good skater with a good scoring touch. He competes hard and battles in the tough areas on the ice and is the type of player that coaches love to have in their lineup as he brings a very solid physical element to his game. His offensive upside at the NHL level probably will be as a 30/30 type player, but like Niederreiter in 2010, he’s a guy that has a lot of versatility and is the type of player that will help you win big games.

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6. RW (LS) Gabriel Landeskog | Kitchener (OHL)

Height: 6.00 | Weight: 201 | Birthdate: 11/23/92 | Nationality: Swedish

There were high expectations for Gabriel Landeskog last season and after having some early difficulty adjusting to the North American game, by the end of the year he became a player that was dominating OHL games at the age of 17. Landeskog’s style of play is anything but what you’d expect from the prototypical European style. He relishes the opportunity to compete and loves getting involved physically. He’s great on the cycle and can make life very tough for opposing defensemen. He’s got a solid scoring touch, although his offensive awareness could be considered fairly average. Even still, he does a good enough job of putting himself into positions where he can score goals. Like Saad, don’t expect Landeskog to set the world on fire offensively at the NHL level, but he’s a safe bet to be another one of those Brendan Morrow types of players who can play in your Top 6 and add a different dynamic to your team that seems to be so rare these days.

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7. LW Matt Puempel | Peterborough (OHL)

Height: 6.00 | Weight: 190 | Birthdate: 01/24/93 | Nationality: Canadian

Coming off a very impressive rookie season where he was awarded the CHL Rookie of the Year, Puempel is one of the top pure goal scorers available in this crop. When you see him, he may go through lulls where you might not notice him very much on the ice, but he’s always dangerous in the offensive zone. He does a good job of finding seams in the defense and his shot power and release are both pro quality. Overall, his game is a little ho-hum, but his drive to improve and goal scoring prowess both indicate that at the NHL level, he should be a potent goal scorer in the NHL.

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8. RD Ryan Murphy | Kitchener (OHL)

Height: 5.10 | Weight: 165 | Birthdate: 03/31/93 | Nationality: Canadian

Murphy is a very unique prospect that doesn’t come around that often. While his slender build and lack of defensive polish are pretty big concerns, you can’t ignore the sheer offensive potential he has. Murphy is a tremendous skater with great poise and the ability to make highly skilled moves at top speed. He’s got great agility and is a very good puck distributor. On the powerplay he sees the ice very well and while his shot lacks great power, he does a good job of getting it through and on target. He showed signs that his defensive game is getting better, but that will be a big point of interest for scouts this year as that could really make or break his game at the next level.

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9. LW Seth Ambroz | Omaha (USHL)

Height: 6.03 | Weight: 198 | Birthdate: 04/01/93 | Nationality: American

One of the more highly touted American prospects in recent memory, Ambroz started his USHL career as a 15 year old with Omaha and tried to fast track his way to the NCAA this year at the University of Minnesota. However, Ambroz was informed that there would not be room for him on the team with a significant number of returnees, and as a result he will be back in the USHL, probably for the better as he will see considerably more ice time in Omaha. His skating is an issue as he does lack some quickness, but his ability to shield the puck and play a physical game do compensate a bit. He’s not a natural scorer but he is pretty clutch and is a player who is always working hard and rarely disappears on the ice.

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10. LC Victor Rask | Leksand (Allsvenskan)

Height: 6.02 | Weight: 194 | Birthdate: 03/01/93 | Nationality: Swedish

After a bit of an underwhelming showing at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, Rask will need to have a quick start to the 2010/2011 season as it looks like he’ll be starting in the Allsvenskan this year. He’s a big guy who is very mobile and has high end puck skills. He’s pretty crafty, has good vision and is a dangerous goal scorer as well. With a good season he should cement himself in the 8-12 range as he is a good prospect heading into the year.

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11. LD Duncan Siemens | Saskatoon (WHL)

Height: 6.03 | Weight: 194 | Birthdate: 09/11/93 | Nationality: Canadian

Siemens had a few growing pains last year and perhaps didn’t meet some of the lofty expectations, but there’s a lot to like about him and he’s a guy that could definitely be a riser this year. He’s a steady type of player that’s good in his own end, but is also very effective transitionally and does have some offensive skill. He’ll have a bigger role with the Blades this year and there will be plenty of opportunity for him to play in all different types of situations where he can really show off what type of player he can develop into.

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12. LC Vladislav Namestnikov | London (OHL)

Height: 6.00 | Weight: 163 | Birthdate: 11/22/92 | Nationality: Russian

Namestnikov could very well be the 2011 version of Alexander Burmistrov as there are some parallels to be drawn between their games. Namestnikov is a good skater who has the prototypical Russian skill set. He’s great with the puck and is a threat any time he has the puck either through passing or as a finisher. He capitalizes well on any opportunity and can find holes in the defense. He’ll need to add some strength as that will be a concern, but playing in London this year shouldn’t be a problem as the rigors of the OHL schedule are still manageable.

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13. LW Lucas Lessio | Oshawa (OHL)

Height: 6.01 | Weight: 187 | Birthdate: 01/23/93 | Nationality: Canadian

Lessio doesn’t have a wow factor, but he’s a blue-collar guy that works hard and gets rewarded for it. He’s not overly physical, but he doesn’t shy away from contact and is very good on the boards. He can play with highly skilled players and be effective and he’s good around the net. With his skill set, he compliments any line well but definitely has the offensive ability to be featured on the top couple of lines. His style of play projects well to the NHL and moving to the OHL this year will certainly provide him with a much greater competition level then he encountered in the CCHL a year ago.

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14. RW Shane McColgan | Kelowna (WHL)

Height: 5.11 | Weight: 170 | Birthdate: 01/01/93 | Nationality: American

McColgan was one of the big revelations in the WHL last year as he exploded offensively to be a very reliable point producer as a 16 year old. His offensive skill can’t be denied but you really have to wonder how much his skating and lack of size will impede him at the NHL level. His defensive zone play is pretty questionable and he’s essentially a one dimensional player as of now, so barring an absolutely huge offensive season, scouts will really want to see him work on his complete game this year.

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15. LC Boone Jenner | Oshawa (OHL)

Height: 6.01 | Weight: 192 | Birthdate: 06/15/93 | Nationality: Canadian

Rounding out the Top 15 is Boone Jenner who is a bit of a wild-card at this point. Last season Jenner looked like he began to show signs of wearing down as the year progressed and his lack of discipline in some games was an issue. Aside from that, his willingness to battle for the puck and sacrifice his body are major stigmas of his game. He’s an effective offensive player with good hands and makes things happen when he gets the puck. His skating still needs a lot of work as he has a real choppy wide stride, not so unlike a former General, John Tavares. While his rookie season was a positive one, this year he’ll need to establish some consistency and show signs of progression.

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I had a chance to check out my first USHL action of the season last Saturday in a couple of games that featured a lot of high quality USHL talent on display. The first game was a highly anticipated matinee matchup between league powerhouses, the Indiana Ice and Omaha Lancers. After heading to the first intermission tied at two goals apiece, the rest of the game was a tight defensive affair until Indiana’s Antti Roppo broke the deadlock midway through the third period, with Max Cook icing the game with a late empty netter. In a game featuring arguably two of the most talented teams in the league, several players will be on the NHL’s radar moving forward. Here’s the boxscore from the game:

http://www.pointstreak.com/stats/pro/boxscore.html?gameid=1048919

Brian Ferlin (Indiana) | 1992 | 6’1″ | 196lbs | 22GP 4G 3A 7P +3 4 PIM

It was an unspectacular game for the 2010 Draft Eligible. He moves well on the ice, but his skating needs a bit of refinement in regards to his technique. His offensive skills are raw, but there is room for growth, and he looked like a guy that could generate some later round consideration.

Nick Mattson (Indiana) | 1991L | 6’1″ | 190lbs | 17GP 2G 4A 6P -1 8PIM

Given the amount of hype Mattson received during his time with the NTDP, I was extremely underwhelmed with his game on Saturday. Despite showing some good puck handling skills, Mattson didn’t really present anything that indicates that he has the high end skill to make him a Top 50 pick. Unless his offensive game starts to come around, his lack of a true identity to his game could hurt his stock. I’ll likely check in on another Indiana game later in the season to see how hes’ progressing, as he’s definitely an intriguing prospect.

John Parker (Indiana) | 1992 | 5’11″ | 180lbs | 17GP 2G 5A 7P -4 12PIM

After being pretty highly regarded coming out of U16 AAA in Pittsburgh, it looks like Parker’s transition to Junior Hockey has been a bit of a bumpy ride. Despite having some good overall skills, it appears as though he’s struggled to adapt to the physicality of junior hockey and his offensive production has been hurt because of it. I’m not really sure what his draft stock is looking like, but if he could maintain a .50 PPG average, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if somebody took a shot on him in one of the late rounds.

Seth Ambroz (Omaha) | 1993 | 6’3″ | 205lbs | 19GP 8G 10A 18P +11 31PIM

Definitely the player that I was most excited to see in this game, Ambroz showed me a lot of good things, but he also looks very raw. He has great size and he has a very high compete level which are major positives. He has a hard shot and was determined to drive the net and work the corners which were also positives that indicate he has a lot of potential to be a high pick in 2011. However, I’m pretty concerned with his skating. His stride is long and choppy and from what I saw, is probably the one aspect that’s going to hold him back the most so far. Right now he seems very comparable to a player like Sean Couturier, another 2011 eligible, and it will be very interesting to see how the 2011 Draft shapes up over the next 18 months.

Erik Haula (Omaha) | 1991 | 6’0″ | 175lbs | 21GP 12G 23A 35P +19 16PIM

A seventh round pick of the Wild in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Haula has started his USHL career with a bang this season. Despite being held off the scoresheet, he was arguably the best player on the ice, and showed a lot of offensive creativity. He has good vision in the offensive zone, and is definitely a playmaker first type player. He got into trouble when he neglected his teammates and tried to do to much with the puck, however. He’ll need to work on his strength a lot in the NCAA, but he’s definitely progressed a lot thus far.


The second game I had a chance to check in on featured the Green Bay Gamblers taking to the road to face the hometown Waterloo Black Hawks. One of the main reasons I wanted to see this game was to get a look at Waterloo’s pair of 1994′s, Nick Ebert and Brady Vail, who will both be eligible for the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. The game itself was a very back and forth affair, with a lot more offensive chances than the Indiana/Omaha game. After Waterloo jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second, Green Bay responded with three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Vail tied the game up for the Black Hawks early in the third on his first USHL goal, but Reed Seckel iced the game for the Gamblers late in the third as Green Bay hung on for a 4-3 win. Here’s the boxscore for the game:

http://www.pointstreak.com/stats/pro/boxscore.html?gameid=1048921

Anders Lee (Green Bay) | 1990 | 6’2″ | 216lbs | 22GP 13G 11A 24P +13 24PIM

Lee was a sixth round draft pick by the Islanders last season after putting up strong numbers alongside Nashville second rounder, Zach Budish. Lee has good size which is something that he utilizes a lot in his game. He was pretty dangerous in the offensive zone and created a lot of strong chances for the Gamblers and could have had a lot more then just one assist. Like Haula, Lee is a player who looks to be a pretty good value selection for the sixth round and adds some quality depth to the Islanders prospect pool.

Nick Ebert (Waterloo) | 1994 | 6’1″ | 185lbs | 15GP 1G 5A 6P |

I was pretty impressed with the 15 year old defenseman in this game, and he did a lot to show me that he should be one of the first players taken in the OHL draft next year. Ebert has very good size and plays a real solid game on the backend. He competes hard and is effective positionally. Transitionally, he moves the puck well and has some untapped offensive potential. His skating needs some work moving forward and he could stand to utilize his teammates quicker when he headman’s the puck, but there’s a lot to like about Ebert’s game.

Brady Vail (Waterloo) | 1994 | 6’1″ | 190lbs | 10GP 1G 0A -6 6PIM

Unlike Ebert, Vail appears set on the NCAA route, so he’s likely not going to be selected very high in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection. In this game, the Michigan native notched his first USHL point, a goal, which tied the game up in the third period. Vail looked to have a lot of good physical skills, but I’m not sure how much offensive potential he has. Once he adds some more strength to his frame, he should be a solid USHL player, but I’m interested to see how his offensive production grows moving forward.

With that being said, it was nice to get an opportunity to check out a couple of USHL  games on an off-day for the Wolves. I was impressed to see that the quality of play in the league is continuing to get better, and the speed is especially something that has improved a lot. I’ll be certain to make sure I have an opportunity to catch a few more games throughout the year as well.

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Often considered the weakest link out of the three CHL leagues, the QMJHL took some of the national spotlight from the WHL and OHL this summer with some big news of its own. Leading the way has been the ongoing dilemma with Russian phenom Kirill Kabanov and where he will indeed play the 2009/10 season. After indicating that he wanted to play in the CHL in early 2009, Kabanov’s intentions seemed to change when his rights were traded from his previous KHL club Spartak Moscow, to KHL powerhouse Salavat UFA. However, the terms of Kabanov’s contract have apparently changed as he will no longer have an NHL escape clause until his mid to late 20’s which has once again caused the 17 year old Moscow native to apparently switch his intentions to playing in the CHL.

Luckily for the Moncton Wildcats, this means that they are now one step closer to landing a player who many feel could contend for top honours in the 2010 draft class. After selecting Kabanov with the 7^th overall pick in this summer’s CHL Import Draft, Kabanov is now in New Brunswick as he looks to obtain a transfer from the IIHF to allow him to play in the QMJHL this season. While Salavat is disputing this heavily, and rightfully so, if Kabanov does land in the QMJHL, he will likely be one of the most followed players in the league since Sidney Crosby’s reign ended in 2005.

The Kabanov impasse has overshadowed another Russian’s arrival to the QMJHL as well. After a tough season last year, the St. John Sea Dogs were able to add two major components to their rebuild after they were able to nab fellow 2010 eligible Stanislav Galiev with the 1^st pick in the Import Draft, and supplemented that with flashy Slovakian Tomas Jurco with the 4^th pick. While Jurco is not eligible until the 2011 Entry Draft, both players look like they will be impact players this season and will definitely be worth keeping an eye on throughout the season.

How can you top the notion that your league has produced the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft for the last three years? Easy, you do it again. With the resurgence of the OHL kicked into high gear, the 2010 draft crop will definitely be one of the biggest storylines to follow in the league this season. Two Windsor Spitfires, Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler, will be top contenders for the first pick in the draft, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Kane (2007), Stamkos (2008) and Tavares (2009) in continuing the OHL dominance at the top of the draft. As if having these two guys wasn’t enough, when you look around the league and see some of the other players available, the 2010 NHL Entry Draft’s first round will surely be littered with upwards of 10 OHL players.

One of the big teams to follow this season will be the Kitchener Rangers, who have done a nice job rebuilding over the past season after hosting the Memorial Cup in 2008. After adding a trio of Americans with Columbus first rounder John Moore, Atlanta second rounder Jeremy Morin and Colorado goaltending prospect Brandon Maxwell, the team has done a nice job of adding some high end talent to the team. Adding in third overall pick Ryan Murphy and one of the top prospects for the 2011 Entry Draft in Gabriel Landeskog, there is certainly a lot to be excited about. Oh, and don’t forget about guys like Jeff Skinner, Jason Akeson and Chris MacKinnon and this team has the potential to be one of the better teams in the league with a roster that is littered with several NHL calibre prospects as well.

After producing some solid high end players in 2009, the 2010 NHL Entry Draft doesn’t look as promising for the WHL. While Brett Connolly will surely be a Top 10 pick and Mark Pysyk could break into the Top 15, the draft crop from the WHL lacks the high end talent it normally produces. While 2010 will probably be considered a bit of an off year for the league, there is a gem that is waiting to be uncovered yet, the 2011 crop.

Many scouts have been quick to label the 2011 Draft as one of the worst in the past decade, when you look closer at some of the players that will be eligible, that opinion seems to be on the contrary. Although the draft may lack some of the high end impact prospects from other drafts, there is no doubting that there is a considerable amount of quality depth in this draft, especially from the WHL in particular.

Leading the way is Red Deer’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a slick forward who has extremely good offensive instincts. Two other players who are at a similar level are Shane McColgan of Kelowna and Colin Jacobs of Seattle. All three of these players saw some time in the WHL last season as 15 year olds, and despite their young age, each of them showed that they could already be impact players in the league despite their inexperience. However it doesn’t stop there as several other players like Ty Rattie, Duncan Siemens and Michael St. Croix will all be interesting players to follow this season.  All in all, the 1993’s in the WHL will be an intriguing age group to watch as they appear poised to break a reign of OHL dominance in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft.

There will always be people who are often quick to simply write off the United States’ top calibre of junior hockey despite the fact that the league continues to take steps towards becoming a better league. This year, they’ve done that by bringing on the USNTDP program into their league for a second stint. There will always be advocates and critics of how the program is operated and whether it is ultimately beneficial or not, but one thing cannot be disputed, and that is the fact that many of the top 16 and 17 year old American players continue to call this program home during their first two years of junior eligibility. With the NTDP joining the regular league schedule this season, they will help bolster the quality of play in the league and should attract plenty of attention from the NHL scouting community which will only help create more exposure for the growing league.

One USHL player of particular intrigue will be Omaha’s Seth Ambroz, a 6’3” forward who played 61 games with the team as a 15 year old where he registered a very impressive 14 goals and 31 points. He has been generating a lot of hype with his combination of size and skill and scouts will be following his progress a lot this season to get a gauge on just how good Ambroz might be able to be.

Suffice to say, with junior hockey across the continent surging in popularity, there is plenty to be excited about once again in 2009/2010. Across the CHL and the USHL, many of the top young players in the world will once again be on display and it will be very interesting to see who will surprise and who will disappoint.

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