Brock
Registered User
As you guys know, I've been putting this together for the past couple weeks. As you can tell, it contains a Top 50 Prospect list, Organizational Rankings, and a top 10 prospect list for each team.
Here's a breakdown of how each was accumulated:
1. Top 50 List
I had worked on a couple of these lists for HF in my time as a writer for them. I used the same method HF did. Basically I received lists from Sean K, Claudio, Tony, Matt Kowalchuk, Hasnain, and myself (Mucho gracias guys!). Every player had their ranking averaged out. Players NOT receiving a ranking from a particular list would receive a ranking of 51 as part of their average from that list. To break ties, preference was given to the player who had received the highest individual ranking from a list.
Ok, as per what constitutes a prospect, the following criteria was used:
1) Player must be 25 years OR younger as per December 31, 2007 (meaning 1982 and up born players are eligible).
2) Skaters cannot have played more than 41 games of NHL action previous to the 2007-08 NHL season. Goalies cannot have played more than 20 games. This means that current NHL rookies (ala Patrick Kane) are still eligible!
3) Players can be on teams prospect lists or rosters. It does not matter. This is to allow any player eligible under the above criteria to be included, regardless of whether they have been signed as undraftees or depth(for example Teddy Purcell).
Their was a total of 85 players who received a ranking, with obviously 35 of those players not making the final list. They are listed as Honorable Mentions on your teams top 10.
2. The Organizational Rankings
This list was compiled completely by myself and thus it is strictly my opinion on the matter. Their were a lot of close calls, especially between the middle of the pack (~12-19).
3. Top 10 Prospects by Team
Again these lists waere compiled by accord of my own opinion, except for in the instance of players appearing on the top 50 list. They were obviously ranked accordingly. Sean K gave me some input on some of these lists as well and I thank him for that.
Obviously, similar to the top 50 list, the same prospect criteria were used.
Without further delay, here is the finished product!
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HFNHL Top 50 Prospects
1. Carey Price
2. Jonathan Toews
3. Erik Johnson
4. Patrick Kane
5. Kyle Turris
6. Jack Johnson
7. James Van Riemsdyk
8. Peter Mueller
9. Marc Staal
10. Jonathan Bernier
11. Niklas Backstrom
12. Sam Gagner
13. Tuukka Rask
14. Jakub Voracek
15. Martin Hanzal
16. Karl Alzner
17. Kyle Okposo
18. Kris Letang
19. Derrick Brassard
20. Drew Stafford
21. Josh Harding
22. Andrew Cogliano
23. Alexei Cherepanov
24. Bobby Ryan
25. David Perron
26. Al Montoya
27. T.J. Oshie
28. Cam Barker
29. James Sheppard
30. Bryan Little
31. Claude Giroux
32. Michael Frolik
33. Devin Setoguchi
34. Tobias Enstrom
35. Andrei Kostitsyn
36. Cody Franson
37. Jiri Tlusty
38. Marek Schwarz
39. Leland Irving
40. Bobby Sanguinetti
41. Steve Mason
42. Ondrej Pavelec
43. Matt Niskanen
44. Thomas Hickey
45. Logan Couture
46. Kris Russell
47. Steve Downie
48. Dustin Byfuglien
49. Ryan Parent
50. Luc Bourdon
Honorable Mentions:
T.J. Hensick
Alex Edler
Brandon Sutter
Matt Lashoff
Angelo Esposito
Lars Eller
Oscar Moller
James Howard
Benoit Pouliot
Kyle Chipchura
Cory Schneider
Karri Ramo
Brett Maclean
Jakub Kindl
Nick Foligno
Patrik Berglund
Chris Stewart
Mark Stuart
Anton Stralman
Jonathon Blum
Brian Lee
Niklas Bergfors
David Krejci
Shawn Matthias
Jeff Schultz
Eric Fehr
Nikolai Kulemin
Rob Schremp
Justin Pogge
Brian Boyle
Sergei Kostitsyn
Ryan Mcdonagh
Dustin Boyd
Tom Gilbert
Keaton Ellerby
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HFNHL Organizational Rankings
1. New York Islanders:
Strengths: The Islanders have an unbelievable collection of goaltending prospects. Tuukka Rask, Josh Harding, Justin Pogge and even Jonas Hillier would be the goalies of the future for many other HFNHL franchises. The Islanders also have a wealth of NHL first rounders, 9 in total. General Manager Hasnain Jessa and his scouting staff have managed to put together a very well balanced prospect list. To go with quality goaltenders, they’ve got nearly every angle covered. This includes stay at home and puck moving defenseman; power forwards, gritty two way forwards, and dynamic scorers. All this and they have a total of 4 first rounders upcoming in the 2008 draft. This team is set for the future.
Weaknesses: In reality, even with nitpicking, this evaluator can not find a weakness in the Isles farm system.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Marc Staal (#9)
2. Tuukka Rask (#13)
3. Josh Harding (#21)
4. Alexei Cherepanov (#23)
5. Cody Franson (#36)
6. Matt Lashoff (HM)
7. Brandon Sutter (HM)
8. Chris Stewart (HM)
9. Angelo Esposito (HM)
10. Justin Pogge (HM)
2. Montreal Canadiens
Strengths: The Canadiens have a very balanced crop of prospects, similar to the Islanders. The Habs have the best group of blueliners, balanced by offensive defenseman like Bobby Sanguinetti, Anton Stralman, Keith Yandle and Ivan Vishnevski, and defensive defenseman like Daniel Girardi, Taylor Chorney and Keaton Ellerby. The forward group has many high quality, dynamic offensive players like David Perron, Rob Schremp, Eric Fehr, and Ilya Zubov. In goal, Ondrej Pavelec holds down the fort in net as a quality option for the future of the franchise.
Weaknesses: While one would have to nitpick to find a real weakness in the system, many of the team’s top prospects have high boom or bust potentials. In a perfect world, players like Sanguinetti, Schremp, Fehr, and Ellerby would become mainstays in the Montreal lineup. However, Sanguinetti and Schremp have issues defensively, Fehr has injury issues, and Ellerby is wildly inconsistent. The likelihood that all four of these players develop into HFNHL contributors is similar to the likelihood that all four fail to reach the HFNHL.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. David Perron (#25)
2. Bobby Sanguinetti (#40)
3. Ondrej Pavelec (#42)
4. Anton Stralman (HM)
5. Daniel Girardi
6. Rob Schremp (HM)
7. Torrey Mitchell
8. Eric Fehr (HM)
9. Taylor Chorney
10. Keith Yandle
3. Colorado Avalanche
Strengths: The Avalanche have outstanding top end talent, with as many as 7 players receiving nomination for the top 50. Forwards Niklas Backstrom and Bobby Ryan have the potential to be elite point producers, while Nick Foligno and Logan Couture are solid character forwards with offensive potential. The Avs have an terrific group of defensive prospects that include Kris Russell, Brian Lee, Ryan Parent, Mike Lundin, Kevin Marshall, and Nigel Williams.
Weaknesses: The one weakness of the Avalanche organization is the lack of any solid goaltending prospects. While current Avalanche goaltender J.S. Giguere is still in the prime of his career, General Manager Ville Isopaa is likely to address this issue at the 2008 entry draft.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Niklas Backstrom (#11)
2. Bobby Ryan (#24)
3. Kris Russell (#46)
4. Logan Couture (#45)
5. Ryan Parent (#49)
6. Brian Lee (HM)
7. Nick Foligno (HM)
8. Mike Lundin
9. Peter Regin
10. Dick Axelsson
4. Los Angeles Kings
Strengths: The Kings have the best forward prospects in the HFNHL, led by Patrick Kane. This group also includes the likes Derrick Brassard, and Jack Skille. This collection of forwards is very well balanced, similar to the number one ranked Islanders. They’ve got dynamic scorers in Kane, Zagrapan and Oscar Moller; playmakers in Brassard and Kostitsyn, and power forwards in Jake Skille and Troy Brouwer.
Weaknesses: While the Kings have a wealth of strong forward prospects, their cupboard of defenseman and goaltenders is not nearly as deep. Defenseman Alex Goligoski and Mark Fistric lead the pack of blueliners, with little solid depth behind them. Karri Ramo is the only legitimate goaltending prospect.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Patrick Kane (#4)
2. Derrick Brassard (#19)
3. Jake Skille
4. Marek Zagrapan
5. Oscar Moller (HM)
6. Sergei Kostitsyn (HM)
7. Troy Brouwer
8. Mark Fistric
9. Bill Sweatt
10. Brad Marchand
5. St. Louis Blues
Strengths: The Blues have outstanding balance and depth. Their list 1 through 20 is unrivaled in the HFNHL. This truly is a testament to the Blues scouting staff who continue to be a powerhouse in the Western Conference, yet also continue to build one of the best prospect lists. This stable of prospects includes solid goaltending prospects (Montoya, Enroth), defensive prospects (Byfuglien, Cole, Summers, Brennan, Lapoint, Persson), and forward prospects (Cogliano, Purcell, Bolland, Eller, Maxwell).
Weaknesses: If one was to select a weakness of the Blues prospect pool, it would be the lack of a true “difference maker.†While their depth is unrivaled, the lack of a franchise skater is evident. Players like Cogliano, Byfuglien and Purcell are going to be NHL players, but are they going to be NHL stars?
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Andrew Cogliano (#22)
2. Alvaro Montoya (#26)
3. Dustin Byfuglien (#48)
4. Teddy Purcell
5. David Bolland
6. Jhonas Enroth
7. Ian Cole
8. Chris Summers
9. T.J. Brennan
10. Lars Eller (HM)
6. Calgary Flames
Strengths: The European invasion! Well traveled Flames General Manager Matt Kershaw has built his prospect pool with international intentions. Among the Flames top ten prospects are 2 Canadians, 1 American, 1 Russian, 2 Swedes, 1 Fin, 2 Czechs, and 1 Slovak. This shows that the Flames scouting staff is not afraid to take the best player available to him, irregardless of where that player calls home. This strategy has worked and has helped to give the Flames one of the best collections of forward prospects in the HFNHL. Among this group are 6 first rounders (Downie, Setoguchi, Backlund, Berglund, Korpikoski and Kaspar).
Weaknesses: While the Flames may have a top 3 forward crop, their defensive and goaltending crops are suffering. On defense, Andrej Sekera is really the only remotely solid prospect. In goal, the Flames have a small collection of decent netminders in Joe Palmer, James Reimer and Dmitri Patzold, but no real star. While the defensive situation is disheartening, the goaltending may be of most concern to Flames management, with no current franchise netminder in sight.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Devin Setoguchi (#33)
2. Steve Downie (#47)
3. Patrik Berglund (HM)
4. Mikael Backlund
5. Artem Anisimov
6. Michal Repik
7. Andrej Sekera
8. Lauri Korpikoski
9. Eric Tangradi
10. David Kveton
7. Nashville Predators
Strengths: The strength of the Predators organization lies within Erik Johnson and Kyle Turris. Two players inside the top 10 is an impressive feat. Behind Johnson and Turris, the Predators have solid depth especially at forward with the likes of Andreas Nodl, Colton Gillies, and Dustin Jeffrey. This depth at forward is very well balanced, similar to the teams ahead of them in the rankings. The team also boasts two solid goaltending prospects in Semen Varalmov and Thomas Greiss behind young established starter Kari Lehtonen.
Weaknesses: While Erik Johnson is one heck of a prospect, the Predators true weakness lies on the blueline. Logan Pyett, Mark Fraser, John Negrin, and Alex Biega are solid prospects, but the team really lacks another top end blueliner. With 4 picks in the first two rounds of the 2008 entry draft, expect Tony Kay to draft a couple defenseman for the purpose of increasing his defensive stable.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Erik Johnson (#3)
2. Kyle Turris (#5)
3. Andreas Nodl
4. Colton Gillies
5. Semen Varalmov
6. Logan Pyett
7. Dustin Jeffrey
8. Victor Alexandrov
9. Rhett Rakhshani
10. Jonathan Matsumoto
8. Anaheim Ducks
Strengths: The Ducks have an outstanding group of defensive prospects lead by top 10 prospect Jack Johnson. This group also includes Thomas Hickey, Ty Wishart, David Fischer, P.K. Subban, and Matt Hunwick. This solid group of puck movers ensures the Ducks powerplay will be lethal for years to come. At forward, the Ducks have three solid European forwards in Michael Grabner, Petteri Nokelainen and Perrtu Lindgren.
Weaknesses: While the Ducks group of defensive prospects has great star power and depth, the team lacks a real stay at home, physical presence. Also at forward, the teams depth is not very strong, with little to be excited about outside the top 10.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jack Johnson (#6)
2. Thomas Hickey (#44)
3. Michael Grabner
4. Ty Wishart
5. Petteri Nokelainen
6. Kevin Porter
7. David Fischer
8. Pekka Rinne
9. Perttu Lindgren
10. P.K. Subban
9. Columbus Blue Jackets
Strengths: The Jackets have a very well balanced prospect pool. They don’t have one particular strength, nor do they have any glaring weaknesses. The Jackets have a star goalie in Leland Irving, solid forwards in Nikolai Kulemin, and Max Pacioretty, solid defenseman in Ryan Mcdonagh and Brendan Smith, and a solid “utility†player in Brian Boyle.
Weaknesses: If you really want to get down to it, the Jackets depth at forward may be a tad weak. Outside those who appear as part of the top 10, Columbus really lacks depth up front. The Jackets do have 2 first rounders in the upcoming draft meaning that GM Doug Emerson can hope to increase his forward strength.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Leland Irving (#39)
2. Nikolai Kulemin (HM)
3. Brian Boyle (HM)
4. Ryan Mcdonagh (HM)
5. Max Pacioretty
6. Brendan Smith
7. Logan Macmillan
8. Morten Madsen
9. Blake Geoffrion
10. Nathan Davis
10. Vancouver Canucks
Strengths: The strength of the Canucks prospect list is having the world’s best hockey prospect in goaltender Carey Price. They get 2 other prospects on the top 50 list and have a lot of top end NHL talent. They have solid depth on defense with Letang, Greene, Quincey, and Welch, all of whom have NHL experience already.
Weaknesses: The Canucks lack the depth that some of the other teams around them possess. They’d have a real tough time creating a top 20 prospect list. The Canucks depth is especially hurting at forward. One other thing to note about the Vancouver prospect pool, is that pretty much all the prospects on this top 10 list are close to graduating as prospects, with all but Zatkoff being at the same place in development. Once these players graduate, will the Canucks have anyone left to fill the gaps? With no selection in the first three rounds of the 2008 draft, General manager Sean K will likely have to look elsewhere should he decide to redefine his prospect pool.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Carey Price (#1)
2. Kris Letang (#18)
3. Drew Stafford (#20)
4. David Krejci (HM)
5. Nigel Dawes
6. Ryan Callahan
7. Andy Greene
8. Kyle Quincey
9. Jeff Zatkoff
10. Noah Welch
11. Chicago Blackhawks
Strengths: The biggest strength of the Blackhawks is top end talent. With 4 players receiving recognition for the top 50, which is more than some of the teams ahead of them in the ranking. They have three excellent goaltending prospects in Jonathan Bernier, Tyson Sexsmith and Jeff Frazee and even a 4th solid one in Gerard Coleman. Up front, the Hawks have a couple of really solid center prospects in Gagner and Boyd.
Weaknesses: Despite a wealth of top end talent, a couple deficiencies prevent the Hawks from being higher in the rankings. Outside of Matt Niskanen, there is a relative lack of defensive depth, let alone another solid blueline prospect. The depth of the system in general is weak compared to the other teams ranked around the Hawks. Also, while not as evident as the lack of defense, the Hawks also need to add a depth to their wing, especially with such a good playmaking center in Gagner.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jonathan Bernier (#10)
2. Sam Gagner (#12)
3. Matt Niskanen (#43)
4. Dustin Boyd (HM)
5. Tyson Sexsmith
6. Greg Moore
7. Casey Pierro-Zabotel
8. Jeff Frazee
9. Jake Dowell
10. Mathieu Carle
12. Pittsburgh Penguins
Strengths: The Penguins have a real solid group of skaters. On defense, there is real solid depth combined with top end talent. Blueliners Luc Bourdon, Nick Petrecki, Matt Pelech, Brian Strait, Jeff Petry and Alex Grant lead this group. At forward, current NHL’ers Peter Mueller and Milan Lucic lead the way, with a real solid group of character forwards like Ryan White, Bud Holloway and Dan Bertram.
Weaknesses: The biggest weakness for the Penguins is definitely in net. J.P. Levasseur is the team’s best option, but he is not to be considered a solid prospect. Outside of Levasseur, there isn’t any depth in net. Combine this with the fact that the Penguins don’t have a solid young HFNHL goalie either, and the future of the franchise may rest on the shoulders of someone who’s incapable. This is something that GM Robb Doduck should address at the 2008 draft.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Peter Mueller (#8)
2. Luc Bourdon (#50)
3. Milan Lucic
4. Nicholas Petrecki
5. Drayson Bowman
6. Ryan White
7. Matt Pelech
8. Bud Holloway
9. Brian Strait
10. Dan Bertram
13. Minnesota Wild
Strengths: The Wild have drafted incredibly well over the past couple of years. They have built up really solid organizational depth at every position. The crown jewel of the Wild pool is Karl Alzner and the defender group. Alzner is an excellent two way defender and he leads a group of very competent puck movers in Steve Wagner, Patrick McNeil, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Yannick Weber, and Yuri Alexandrov. At forward, the depth is equally strong with guys like Slava Trukhno, Jordan Knackstedt, Mike Morris, and Tom Fritsche in addition to those seen on the top 10.
Weaknesses: While the depth is strong, outside of guys like Alzner and Bergfors, the Wild don’t really have any top end prospects. All of the guys listed are boom or bust players, or just solid glue guys. That being said, it’s pretty hard to say something bad about their prospect pool, because it is so well balanced.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Karl Alzner (#16)
2. Nicklas Bergfors (HM)
3. Clarke Macarthur
4. Steven Wagner
5. Tyler Kennedy
6. Ben Bishop
7. Patrick White
8. Patrick McNeill
9. Brandon Dubinsky
10. Trevor Cann
14. Florida Panthers
Strengths: The Panthers have outstanding depth, among the best in the HFNHL. They have the best list 1 through 30 in the league. The biggest strength among this depth is in the Florida forward group. Lead by top 50 prospects James Van Riemsdyk and Bryan Little, the forwards are rounded out by the likes of James Neal, Cal O’Reilly, Matt Moulson, Cal Clutterbuck, Kaspars Daugavins, Tyler Ruegsegger, Geoff Platt, Phillip Gogulla, and the list could go on. The Panthers have nearly every type of forward prospect covered.
Weaknesses: While the forward group is incredibly deep and strong, the blueline crop is significantly weaker. Outside of Tom Gilbert, the Panthers have very few significant defensive prospects. While guys like Marc Methot, Andrei Plekhanov, Kiril Tulupov, Pavel Valentenko all have excellent shots at being NHL players, none have the potential of anything more than bottom pairing guys. This is an area that needs to be addressed. Also in net the depth is very poor, with Neuvirth being the only significant prospect.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. James Van Riemsdyk (#7)
2. Bryan Little (#30)
3. Tom Gilbert (HM)
4. Michael Neuvirth
5. James Neal
6. Cal O’Reilly
7. Matt Moulson
8. Cal Clutterbuck
9. Kaspars Daugavins
10. Tyler Ruegsegger
15. Phoenix Coyotes
Strengths: The Coyotes are a well balanced team, which has no glaring weaknesses. They have solid depth at each position. Defense is probably their best group, with names like Jeff Schultz, Jon Blum, Josh Godfrey, Mark Katic, Cody Wild, and Theo Peckham. In goal, team Canada netminder Steve Mason leads the way, while Reto Berra, Ryan Munce, and John Murray provide solid depth.
Weaknesses: While the Coyotes do have some good depth at forward, outside of Tlusty their isn’t really a potential difference maker in the group. Even Tlusty is questionable as a franchise forward prospect. With likely a lottery selection in a 2008 entry draft deep in blueliners, expect G.M. Ryan Yessie to select one to address this area.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jiri Tlusty (#37)
2. Steve Mason (#41)
3. Jeff Schultz (HM)
4. Jonathan Blum (HM)
5. Stefan Ruzicka
6. Josh Godfrey
7. Anthony Stewart
8. Matt Halischuk
9. Mark Katic
10. Justin Abdelkader
16. Detroit Red Wings
Strengths: Similar to the Panthers, the Wings could put together a prospect list 30 player deep. They also have a lot of solid forward prospects, lead by top 50 members Martin Hanzal and Claude Giroux. In goal, the Wings have great depth with prospects like Curtis McElhinney, Tomas Popperle, Adam Dennis, Daniel Larsson, and Josh Tordjman. Overall, the Wings are just a very well balanced organization.
Weaknesses: If the Wings have a weakness, it’s among their blueline prospects. While again, the depth is solid with Salcido, Pokuluk, Ville Koistinen, Will Weber, Daniel Rahimi, and M.A. Gragnani. But none of these guys, even Salcido are likely to be impact top pairing defenseman. However, with such good depth, the Wings may fall into a diamond in the rough, as G.M. Drew Niece has before.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Martin Hanzal (#15)
2. Claude Giroux (#31)
3. Brian Salcido
4. Kris Versteeg
5. Curtis McElhinney
6. Mikhail Grabovsky
7. Sasha Pokuluk
8. David Jones
9. Tomas Popperle
10. Eric Nystrom
17. New York Rangers
Strengths: Another team with really solid depth, the Rangers find themselves in a very, very close pack with the Wild, Panthers, Yotes, and Wings. The Rangers have three solid, but somewhat unheralded goalie prospects in Riku Helenius, Tobias Stephan, Matt Keetley. Providing depth to his group are Robert Goepfert and Kevin Regan. At forward, the Rangers bring a lot of speed with the likes of Frolik, Bourque, Nash and Denis Parshin.
Weaknesses: The Rangers are also weakest on defense, with several solid prospects but no real difference makers. Jakub Kindl, Jonathan Ericsson, Carl Sneep, Ray Macias, and Simon Danis-Pepin have potential as NHL players, but are not as likely to be impact players. The depth on defense is also not nearly as strong as it is at forward or goaltender, however it is still pretty strong in comparison to the rest of the league.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Michael Frolik (#32)
2. Jakub Kindl (HM)
3. Chris Bourque
4. Riku Helenius
5. Riley Nash
6. Tobias Stephan
7. Matt Keetley
8. Jonathan Ericsson
9. Carl Sneep
10. Drew Miller
18. Buffalo Sabres
Strengths: The Sabres have an excellent group of defensive prospects. Denis Grebeshkov, Kevin Kelin, Colby Cohen, Will Weber, Kiril Koltsov, Andy Rogers and Ted Ruth have good potential as NHL blueliners. In net, the Sabres boast three solid American born goalies in Jeremy Smith, Tyler Plante, Kent Patterson and Billy Sauer. With the Sabres past drafting and developing record, it’s likely that some of these home run prospects will hit.
Weaknesses: The forward group is clearly the weakest, especially in quantity. T.J. Hensick and Shawn Matthias, the club’s top two prospects, are the only legitimate forwards. While they boast solid potential, Sabres management definitely needs to add some forward depth to its ranks.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. T.J. Hensick (HM)
2. Shawn Matthias (HM)
3. Denis Grebeshkov
4. Jeremy Smith
5. Kevin Klein
6. Tyler Plante
7. Colby Cohen
8. Will Weber
9. Kiril Koltsov
10. Andy Rogers
19. Philadelphia Flyers
Strengths: The Flyers top 4 prospects have all seen NHL action and are close to becoming permanent fixtures. The Flyers have three solid blueline prospects in Barker, Stuart, and Valabik, as well as some high end offensive forwards in Kostitsyn, Krikunov, and
i. In net, the Flyers have two very capable NHL goaltenders in former college stars, James Howard and Brian Elliot.
Weaknesses: The main concern for this Flyers team is prospect depth similar to the Oilers and Stars. Much like Edmonton, they would be hard pressed to put together a top 13 list, let alone a top 20. The Flyers do have two first round selections in the upcoming 2008 entry draft, so perhaps they can slowly begin to add some depth to the franchise. This is especially evident on defense where the players appearing in the top 10 are the only even somewhat legit defenders.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Cam Barker (#28)
2. Andrei Kostitsyn (#35)
3. James Howard (HM)
4. Mark Stuart (HM)
5. Brian Elliot
6. Boris Valabik
7. Ilya Krikunov
8. Barry Tallackson
9. Dana Tyrell
10. T.J. Galiardi
20. Edmonton Oilers
Strengths: Edmonton has a solid group of hard working, hard hitting prospects. The likes of T.J. Oshie, Carcillo, Legein, Bass and Jacques will make the Oilers very tough to play against for years to come. Add in excellent playmaker Zach Hamill and you’ve got one solid forward set. On defense, the Oilers have two excellent puck movers in Sami Lepisto and Tim Ramholt, who should help usher the Oilers power play into the next decade.
Weaknesses: The Oilers really struggle with prospect depth, and are unable to come close to the depth of some of the teams ranked ahead of them. On defense, outside of Lepisto and Ramholt, the Oilers have nothing. In goal, outside of Taylor Dakers or Darren Machesney, the Oilers have nothing. The goaltending pipeline is especially troubling as neither Dakers or Machesney are bonafide NHL prospects.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. T.J. Oshie (#27)
2. Zach Hamill
3. Kenndal McArdle
4. Daniel Carcillo
5. Stefan Legein
6. Sami Lepisto
7. Tim Ramholt
8. J.F. Jacques
9. Cody Bass
10. Darren Machesney
21. Dallas Stars
Strengths: The Stars might be known as the Jonathan Toews show for the next 10 years. Toews, a top 5 prospect, is the future heart and soul of the franchise and a legit superstar. On defense, the Stars have three very solid two way defenders in Plante, Mitera, and Casey Borer. In net, the Stars have two very capable and potential starters in Jeff Deslauriers, and Jeff Glass.
Weaknesses: Outside of Jonathan Toews, the Stars don’t really have any potential impact forwards. Francois Bouchard, Joakim Lindstrom, and Hugh Jessiman are long shots as top 6 forwards, while Danny Irmen is a likely role player. The depth of the franchise on the whole is pretty weak, with not much being offered on the blueline besides the three already mentioned.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jonathan Toews (#2)
2. Jeff Deslauriers
3. Alex Plante
4. Mark Mitera
5. Francois Bouchard
6. Joakim Lindstrom
7. Casey Borer
8. Jeff Glass
9. Danny Irmen
10. Hugh Jessiman
22. San Jose Sharks
Strengths: The Sharks have an excellent group of forward prospects. Mason Raymond, Liam Reddox, Igor Makarov, and Maxim Mayorov provide excellent scoring potential. Michael Blunden and Mike Hoeffel could be power forwards, where as Kyle Chipchura is likely going to be the teams third line center for many years to come. This well balanced forward group is definitely the strength of the Sharks farm system.
Weaknesses: Where the Sharks are strong at forward, they are oppositely weak on defense and in net. The quality and quantity at each position comes into question. On defense Brendan Mikkelson is the only real solid prospect, and even he is likely not a top 4 defenseman. In goal, Jonathan Quick is very raw, yet has potential, but there is no real solid prospect behind him, besides maybe the NHL undrafted Mark Owuya.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Mason Raymond
2. Kyle Chipchura (HM)
3. Michael Blunden
4. Brendan Mikkelson
5. Jonathan Quick
6. Liam Reddox
7. Igor Makarov
8. Maxim Mayorov
9. Justin Mercier
10. Mike Hoeffel
23. Boston Bruins
Strengths: The Bruins have a few solid prospects at each position. At forward, Benoit Pouliot leads the pack as a former high draft pick. Bobby Hughes, Aaron Palushaj and Janos Vas bring up the rear, as three forward prospects having very excellent seasons. On defense, high draft pick Kevin Shattenkirk is the leader, while in net Cory Schneider is the future.
Weaknesses: Outside of Schneider, the Bruins don’t really have an answer in net. This is especially troublesome with Schneider’s trouble adjusting to the professional game so far. And on defense, Shattenkirk is the real only legit prospect. Dustin Kohn, Cade Fairchild, and Joonas Lehtivuori have some potential but remain longshots as of right now. G.M. Kreuger needs to address goaltending and defensive depth at the next draft or via trade.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Benoit Pouliot (HM)
2. Cory Schneider (HM)
3. Kevin Shattenkirk
4. Bobby Hughes
5. Aaron Palushaj
6. Janos Vas
7. Dustin Kohn
8. Matt Christie
9. Tim Crowder
10. Brandon Nolan
24. Tampa Bay Lightning
Strengths: The Lightning have two fast emerging young blueliners, Tobias Enstrom and Alex Edler. Both are looking like legit NHL players and perhaps even future stars. Also on defense are Lars Jonsson and Blake Kessell, two potential powerplay QB’s. At forward, the top three have excellent NHL potential, if they choose to come over to North America. These three are Carl Soderberg, Patric Hornqvist, and Janne Pesonen.
Weaknesses: The Lightning were deeply hurt with the loss of Daniel Ryder to retirement, as he was one of the team’s top prospects. Add to that, Carl Soderberg’s team was demoted to the second division in Sweden, and thus he has been playing against inferior competition after his breakout season. Also Patric Hornqvist has been unable to duplicate his outstanding season of last year. Add to that Lars Jonsson’s injury and it’s been a tough year for Tampa Bay prospects.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Tobias Enstrom (#34)
2. Alexander Edler (HM)
3. Carl Soderberg
4. Patric Hornqvist
5. Brent Krahn
6. Janne Pesonen
7. Lars Jonsson
8. Nathan Perkovich
9. Corey Locke
10. Brad Malone
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
Strengths: The Maple Leafs strength lies in net where they have two top quality goaltending prospects. These two players are Marek Schwarz and Corey Crawford. Either one of these guys has a chance to be the replacement for Tomas Vokoun when the time comes. At forward, the Leafs have a group of potential NHL forwards in Enver Lisin, Petr Kalus, David Steckel, Matthieu Perrault, Frans Nielson, Tommy Sestito, and Drew Larman.
Weaknesses: On defense, the Leafs have very little depth. Matt Corrente and Grossman are solid prospects, but neither has incredibly high NHL potential. Behind them is likely Michael Vernance, who is likely a longshot at best for the NHL. At forward, the Leafs do not really have any impact players, with their prospects likely being no more than secondary players.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Marek Schwarz (#38)
2. Enver Lisin
3. Corey Crawford
4. Matt Corrente
5. Niklas Grossman
6. Petr Kalus
7. David Steckel
8. Matthieu Perrault
9. Frans Nielson
10. Tommy Sestito
26. Carolina Hurricanes
Strengths: The Hurricanes have some real strong top end talent at forward. Kyle Okposo and James Sheppard appear on the top 50, where as Blake Wheeler was close behind. These three have great NHL potential, especially are big bodies with power forward potential. In goal, the Canes have good depth with University of Vermont’s Joe Fallon, and Joel Gistedt and David Shantz. Management must be hoping that one of these guys can develop into an NHL quality goaltender.
Weaknesses: The Canes have probably the worst prospect depth in the HFNHL. Carolina barely can put together a top 10 list, with Ashton Rome and Chris Lofberg being incredibly marginal prospects. On defense, Martin Lojek is the only thing resembling a prospect, and even he is not likely to be anything more than a depth defenseman at the next level. The team has accumulated a lot of mid round selection in the 2008 draft, so General Manager Dion Ong has clearly recognized his organizational depth is at a critical state. If the Canes can draft a few real solid prospects and increase their depth, they could jump up these rankings a bit because they do have some top end talent.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Kyle Okposo (#17)
2. James Sheppard (#29)
3. Blake Wheeler
4. Joe Fallon
5. Joel Gistedt
6. David Shantz
7. Martin Lojek
8. Chad Rau
9. Ashton Rome
10. Christofer Lofberg
27. New Jersey Devils
Strengths: The Devils have some good forward prospects, with the likes of Brett Sterling, Trevor Lewis, and the rest of the guys on the top 10, in addition to Brandon Prust and Colby Genoway. A lot of these guys have chances to become solid NHL contributors in some capacity. In particular, the Devils are strong on the wing, as Sterling, Alex Picard, Vrana, Glencross and Greentree are all natural wingers.
Weaknesses: With so many solid young players graduating to the next level, the Devils actual prospect pool has taken a bit of a hit. Their depth isn’t as impressive as it once was. In net, they don’t have any solid prospects, which is somewhat concerning as Marc Andre Fleury has been a disappointment in the NHL this year and appears to have his star falling. The defensive pipeline is also thin, with University of North Dakota defenseman Joe Finley at the top. The Devils have 4 picks in the top 60 of the 2008 Entry draft. General Manager Rich Epstein can use these selections to perhaps add goaltending depth.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Brett Sterling
2. Trevor Lewis
3. Alexandre Picard
4. Petr Vrana
5. Curtis Glencross
6. Joe Finley
7. Darren Helm
8. Kyle Greentree
9. Matt Smaby
10. Adam Pardy
28. Atlanta Thrashers
Strengths: Despite it’s 28th ranking, Thrashers management has done a good job with trying to slowly improve the club’s former horrific stable of youngsters. Voracek at least gives the Thrashers a solid player to build around, and with 2 first rounders in the upcoming draft, G.M. Archer can potentially add two more. On defense, the Thrashers have four mean defenseman in Taylor Ellington, Egener, Zubarev and Falk. These guys bring it hard every night.
Weaknesses: Obviously the quality and quantity of the Thrashers farm system is still not up to par. Voracek is really the only potential impact player, while the rest are somewhat longshots at NHL careers. At forward, Hansen, Didomenico and Cameron provide some depth, but the Thrashers need to add to it. On defense, there is a pressing need for a future powerplay quarterback. And in net, Devan Dubnyk is taking a while to develop, suggesting that the Thrashers may want to draft another goaltender to give him some competition.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jakub Voracek (#14)
2. Jannik Hansen
3. Taylor Ellington
4. Devan Dubnyk
5. Mike Egener
6. Christopher Didomenico
7. Andrei Zubarev
8. Bryan Cameron
9. Brady Calla
10. Justin Falk
29. Ottawa Senators
Strengths: The Senators narrowly beat out the Capitals because of a bit better depth 1 through 10. Emmerton is a solid future checking center and Luca Caputi has exploded offensively this season in the OHL. Goaltender Josh Unice has shown to be a great draft selection and has played well for Kitchener in his rookie OHL season after spurning the NCAA.
Weaknesses: Depth is the main concern, as it is for most of the teams at the bottom part of these rankings. The problem for the Senators is that they also lack any real potential impact players as well. With few selections and no top 60 picks in the upcoming draft, expect this trend to continue. The Sens biggest weakness is on defense where Brett Carson and Kyle Kluberantz appear long shots to make a splash at the NHL level.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Cory Emmerton
2. Luca Caputi
3. Josh Unice
4. Brett Carson
5. Kamil Kreps
6. Kyle Kluberantz
7. Paul Albers
8. Brady Murray
9. Dmitri Vorobiev
10. Benjamin Breault
30. Washington Capitals
Strengths: Brett Maclean has been probably the best player in the OHL this year, and has proven that he’s a very capable scoring prospect. He’s the cream of the crop for Capitals prospects. In goal, Jaroslav Halak and Justin Peters have outside shots at becoming NHL players, with Halak already getting a taste and proving he’s capable.
Weaknesses: While the Capitals prospect list is long, not many are valuable prospects and it’s likely Caps management is going to want to do some housecleaning this offseason. The Capitals may want to go full steam towards a rebuild and are a likely candidate to do so at this years trade deadline. They need upgrades at forward and on defense. Jonathan Sigalet and Danny Syvret are the only legit prospects on the blueline, and neither are likely to develop into more than bottom pairing defenseman.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Brett Maclean (HM)
2. Jaroslav Halak
3. Ryan Hillier
4. Jonathan Sigalet
5. Juraj Simek
6. Danny Syvret
7. Dane Byers
8. Mickey Renaud
9. Justin Peters
10. Alexander Sundstrom
Here's a breakdown of how each was accumulated:
1. Top 50 List
I had worked on a couple of these lists for HF in my time as a writer for them. I used the same method HF did. Basically I received lists from Sean K, Claudio, Tony, Matt Kowalchuk, Hasnain, and myself (Mucho gracias guys!). Every player had their ranking averaged out. Players NOT receiving a ranking from a particular list would receive a ranking of 51 as part of their average from that list. To break ties, preference was given to the player who had received the highest individual ranking from a list.
Ok, as per what constitutes a prospect, the following criteria was used:
1) Player must be 25 years OR younger as per December 31, 2007 (meaning 1982 and up born players are eligible).
2) Skaters cannot have played more than 41 games of NHL action previous to the 2007-08 NHL season. Goalies cannot have played more than 20 games. This means that current NHL rookies (ala Patrick Kane) are still eligible!
3) Players can be on teams prospect lists or rosters. It does not matter. This is to allow any player eligible under the above criteria to be included, regardless of whether they have been signed as undraftees or depth(for example Teddy Purcell).
Their was a total of 85 players who received a ranking, with obviously 35 of those players not making the final list. They are listed as Honorable Mentions on your teams top 10.
2. The Organizational Rankings
This list was compiled completely by myself and thus it is strictly my opinion on the matter. Their were a lot of close calls, especially between the middle of the pack (~12-19).
3. Top 10 Prospects by Team
Again these lists waere compiled by accord of my own opinion, except for in the instance of players appearing on the top 50 list. They were obviously ranked accordingly. Sean K gave me some input on some of these lists as well and I thank him for that.
Obviously, similar to the top 50 list, the same prospect criteria were used.
Without further delay, here is the finished product!
_______________________________________________________________________
HFNHL Top 50 Prospects
1. Carey Price
2. Jonathan Toews
3. Erik Johnson
4. Patrick Kane
5. Kyle Turris
6. Jack Johnson
7. James Van Riemsdyk
8. Peter Mueller
9. Marc Staal
10. Jonathan Bernier
11. Niklas Backstrom
12. Sam Gagner
13. Tuukka Rask
14. Jakub Voracek
15. Martin Hanzal
16. Karl Alzner
17. Kyle Okposo
18. Kris Letang
19. Derrick Brassard
20. Drew Stafford
21. Josh Harding
22. Andrew Cogliano
23. Alexei Cherepanov
24. Bobby Ryan
25. David Perron
26. Al Montoya
27. T.J. Oshie
28. Cam Barker
29. James Sheppard
30. Bryan Little
31. Claude Giroux
32. Michael Frolik
33. Devin Setoguchi
34. Tobias Enstrom
35. Andrei Kostitsyn
36. Cody Franson
37. Jiri Tlusty
38. Marek Schwarz
39. Leland Irving
40. Bobby Sanguinetti
41. Steve Mason
42. Ondrej Pavelec
43. Matt Niskanen
44. Thomas Hickey
45. Logan Couture
46. Kris Russell
47. Steve Downie
48. Dustin Byfuglien
49. Ryan Parent
50. Luc Bourdon
Honorable Mentions:
T.J. Hensick
Alex Edler
Brandon Sutter
Matt Lashoff
Angelo Esposito
Lars Eller
Oscar Moller
James Howard
Benoit Pouliot
Kyle Chipchura
Cory Schneider
Karri Ramo
Brett Maclean
Jakub Kindl
Nick Foligno
Patrik Berglund
Chris Stewart
Mark Stuart
Anton Stralman
Jonathon Blum
Brian Lee
Niklas Bergfors
David Krejci
Shawn Matthias
Jeff Schultz
Eric Fehr
Nikolai Kulemin
Rob Schremp
Justin Pogge
Brian Boyle
Sergei Kostitsyn
Ryan Mcdonagh
Dustin Boyd
Tom Gilbert
Keaton Ellerby
__________________________________________________________________
HFNHL Organizational Rankings
1. New York Islanders:
Strengths: The Islanders have an unbelievable collection of goaltending prospects. Tuukka Rask, Josh Harding, Justin Pogge and even Jonas Hillier would be the goalies of the future for many other HFNHL franchises. The Islanders also have a wealth of NHL first rounders, 9 in total. General Manager Hasnain Jessa and his scouting staff have managed to put together a very well balanced prospect list. To go with quality goaltenders, they’ve got nearly every angle covered. This includes stay at home and puck moving defenseman; power forwards, gritty two way forwards, and dynamic scorers. All this and they have a total of 4 first rounders upcoming in the 2008 draft. This team is set for the future.
Weaknesses: In reality, even with nitpicking, this evaluator can not find a weakness in the Isles farm system.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Marc Staal (#9)
2. Tuukka Rask (#13)
3. Josh Harding (#21)
4. Alexei Cherepanov (#23)
5. Cody Franson (#36)
6. Matt Lashoff (HM)
7. Brandon Sutter (HM)
8. Chris Stewart (HM)
9. Angelo Esposito (HM)
10. Justin Pogge (HM)
2. Montreal Canadiens
Strengths: The Canadiens have a very balanced crop of prospects, similar to the Islanders. The Habs have the best group of blueliners, balanced by offensive defenseman like Bobby Sanguinetti, Anton Stralman, Keith Yandle and Ivan Vishnevski, and defensive defenseman like Daniel Girardi, Taylor Chorney and Keaton Ellerby. The forward group has many high quality, dynamic offensive players like David Perron, Rob Schremp, Eric Fehr, and Ilya Zubov. In goal, Ondrej Pavelec holds down the fort in net as a quality option for the future of the franchise.
Weaknesses: While one would have to nitpick to find a real weakness in the system, many of the team’s top prospects have high boom or bust potentials. In a perfect world, players like Sanguinetti, Schremp, Fehr, and Ellerby would become mainstays in the Montreal lineup. However, Sanguinetti and Schremp have issues defensively, Fehr has injury issues, and Ellerby is wildly inconsistent. The likelihood that all four of these players develop into HFNHL contributors is similar to the likelihood that all four fail to reach the HFNHL.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. David Perron (#25)
2. Bobby Sanguinetti (#40)
3. Ondrej Pavelec (#42)
4. Anton Stralman (HM)
5. Daniel Girardi
6. Rob Schremp (HM)
7. Torrey Mitchell
8. Eric Fehr (HM)
9. Taylor Chorney
10. Keith Yandle
3. Colorado Avalanche
Strengths: The Avalanche have outstanding top end talent, with as many as 7 players receiving nomination for the top 50. Forwards Niklas Backstrom and Bobby Ryan have the potential to be elite point producers, while Nick Foligno and Logan Couture are solid character forwards with offensive potential. The Avs have an terrific group of defensive prospects that include Kris Russell, Brian Lee, Ryan Parent, Mike Lundin, Kevin Marshall, and Nigel Williams.
Weaknesses: The one weakness of the Avalanche organization is the lack of any solid goaltending prospects. While current Avalanche goaltender J.S. Giguere is still in the prime of his career, General Manager Ville Isopaa is likely to address this issue at the 2008 entry draft.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Niklas Backstrom (#11)
2. Bobby Ryan (#24)
3. Kris Russell (#46)
4. Logan Couture (#45)
5. Ryan Parent (#49)
6. Brian Lee (HM)
7. Nick Foligno (HM)
8. Mike Lundin
9. Peter Regin
10. Dick Axelsson
4. Los Angeles Kings
Strengths: The Kings have the best forward prospects in the HFNHL, led by Patrick Kane. This group also includes the likes Derrick Brassard, and Jack Skille. This collection of forwards is very well balanced, similar to the number one ranked Islanders. They’ve got dynamic scorers in Kane, Zagrapan and Oscar Moller; playmakers in Brassard and Kostitsyn, and power forwards in Jake Skille and Troy Brouwer.
Weaknesses: While the Kings have a wealth of strong forward prospects, their cupboard of defenseman and goaltenders is not nearly as deep. Defenseman Alex Goligoski and Mark Fistric lead the pack of blueliners, with little solid depth behind them. Karri Ramo is the only legitimate goaltending prospect.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Patrick Kane (#4)
2. Derrick Brassard (#19)
3. Jake Skille
4. Marek Zagrapan
5. Oscar Moller (HM)
6. Sergei Kostitsyn (HM)
7. Troy Brouwer
8. Mark Fistric
9. Bill Sweatt
10. Brad Marchand
5. St. Louis Blues
Strengths: The Blues have outstanding balance and depth. Their list 1 through 20 is unrivaled in the HFNHL. This truly is a testament to the Blues scouting staff who continue to be a powerhouse in the Western Conference, yet also continue to build one of the best prospect lists. This stable of prospects includes solid goaltending prospects (Montoya, Enroth), defensive prospects (Byfuglien, Cole, Summers, Brennan, Lapoint, Persson), and forward prospects (Cogliano, Purcell, Bolland, Eller, Maxwell).
Weaknesses: If one was to select a weakness of the Blues prospect pool, it would be the lack of a true “difference maker.†While their depth is unrivaled, the lack of a franchise skater is evident. Players like Cogliano, Byfuglien and Purcell are going to be NHL players, but are they going to be NHL stars?
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Andrew Cogliano (#22)
2. Alvaro Montoya (#26)
3. Dustin Byfuglien (#48)
4. Teddy Purcell
5. David Bolland
6. Jhonas Enroth
7. Ian Cole
8. Chris Summers
9. T.J. Brennan
10. Lars Eller (HM)
6. Calgary Flames
Strengths: The European invasion! Well traveled Flames General Manager Matt Kershaw has built his prospect pool with international intentions. Among the Flames top ten prospects are 2 Canadians, 1 American, 1 Russian, 2 Swedes, 1 Fin, 2 Czechs, and 1 Slovak. This shows that the Flames scouting staff is not afraid to take the best player available to him, irregardless of where that player calls home. This strategy has worked and has helped to give the Flames one of the best collections of forward prospects in the HFNHL. Among this group are 6 first rounders (Downie, Setoguchi, Backlund, Berglund, Korpikoski and Kaspar).
Weaknesses: While the Flames may have a top 3 forward crop, their defensive and goaltending crops are suffering. On defense, Andrej Sekera is really the only remotely solid prospect. In goal, the Flames have a small collection of decent netminders in Joe Palmer, James Reimer and Dmitri Patzold, but no real star. While the defensive situation is disheartening, the goaltending may be of most concern to Flames management, with no current franchise netminder in sight.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Devin Setoguchi (#33)
2. Steve Downie (#47)
3. Patrik Berglund (HM)
4. Mikael Backlund
5. Artem Anisimov
6. Michal Repik
7. Andrej Sekera
8. Lauri Korpikoski
9. Eric Tangradi
10. David Kveton
7. Nashville Predators
Strengths: The strength of the Predators organization lies within Erik Johnson and Kyle Turris. Two players inside the top 10 is an impressive feat. Behind Johnson and Turris, the Predators have solid depth especially at forward with the likes of Andreas Nodl, Colton Gillies, and Dustin Jeffrey. This depth at forward is very well balanced, similar to the teams ahead of them in the rankings. The team also boasts two solid goaltending prospects in Semen Varalmov and Thomas Greiss behind young established starter Kari Lehtonen.
Weaknesses: While Erik Johnson is one heck of a prospect, the Predators true weakness lies on the blueline. Logan Pyett, Mark Fraser, John Negrin, and Alex Biega are solid prospects, but the team really lacks another top end blueliner. With 4 picks in the first two rounds of the 2008 entry draft, expect Tony Kay to draft a couple defenseman for the purpose of increasing his defensive stable.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Erik Johnson (#3)
2. Kyle Turris (#5)
3. Andreas Nodl
4. Colton Gillies
5. Semen Varalmov
6. Logan Pyett
7. Dustin Jeffrey
8. Victor Alexandrov
9. Rhett Rakhshani
10. Jonathan Matsumoto
8. Anaheim Ducks
Strengths: The Ducks have an outstanding group of defensive prospects lead by top 10 prospect Jack Johnson. This group also includes Thomas Hickey, Ty Wishart, David Fischer, P.K. Subban, and Matt Hunwick. This solid group of puck movers ensures the Ducks powerplay will be lethal for years to come. At forward, the Ducks have three solid European forwards in Michael Grabner, Petteri Nokelainen and Perrtu Lindgren.
Weaknesses: While the Ducks group of defensive prospects has great star power and depth, the team lacks a real stay at home, physical presence. Also at forward, the teams depth is not very strong, with little to be excited about outside the top 10.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jack Johnson (#6)
2. Thomas Hickey (#44)
3. Michael Grabner
4. Ty Wishart
5. Petteri Nokelainen
6. Kevin Porter
7. David Fischer
8. Pekka Rinne
9. Perttu Lindgren
10. P.K. Subban
9. Columbus Blue Jackets
Strengths: The Jackets have a very well balanced prospect pool. They don’t have one particular strength, nor do they have any glaring weaknesses. The Jackets have a star goalie in Leland Irving, solid forwards in Nikolai Kulemin, and Max Pacioretty, solid defenseman in Ryan Mcdonagh and Brendan Smith, and a solid “utility†player in Brian Boyle.
Weaknesses: If you really want to get down to it, the Jackets depth at forward may be a tad weak. Outside those who appear as part of the top 10, Columbus really lacks depth up front. The Jackets do have 2 first rounders in the upcoming draft meaning that GM Doug Emerson can hope to increase his forward strength.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Leland Irving (#39)
2. Nikolai Kulemin (HM)
3. Brian Boyle (HM)
4. Ryan Mcdonagh (HM)
5. Max Pacioretty
6. Brendan Smith
7. Logan Macmillan
8. Morten Madsen
9. Blake Geoffrion
10. Nathan Davis
10. Vancouver Canucks
Strengths: The strength of the Canucks prospect list is having the world’s best hockey prospect in goaltender Carey Price. They get 2 other prospects on the top 50 list and have a lot of top end NHL talent. They have solid depth on defense with Letang, Greene, Quincey, and Welch, all of whom have NHL experience already.
Weaknesses: The Canucks lack the depth that some of the other teams around them possess. They’d have a real tough time creating a top 20 prospect list. The Canucks depth is especially hurting at forward. One other thing to note about the Vancouver prospect pool, is that pretty much all the prospects on this top 10 list are close to graduating as prospects, with all but Zatkoff being at the same place in development. Once these players graduate, will the Canucks have anyone left to fill the gaps? With no selection in the first three rounds of the 2008 draft, General manager Sean K will likely have to look elsewhere should he decide to redefine his prospect pool.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Carey Price (#1)
2. Kris Letang (#18)
3. Drew Stafford (#20)
4. David Krejci (HM)
5. Nigel Dawes
6. Ryan Callahan
7. Andy Greene
8. Kyle Quincey
9. Jeff Zatkoff
10. Noah Welch
11. Chicago Blackhawks
Strengths: The biggest strength of the Blackhawks is top end talent. With 4 players receiving recognition for the top 50, which is more than some of the teams ahead of them in the ranking. They have three excellent goaltending prospects in Jonathan Bernier, Tyson Sexsmith and Jeff Frazee and even a 4th solid one in Gerard Coleman. Up front, the Hawks have a couple of really solid center prospects in Gagner and Boyd.
Weaknesses: Despite a wealth of top end talent, a couple deficiencies prevent the Hawks from being higher in the rankings. Outside of Matt Niskanen, there is a relative lack of defensive depth, let alone another solid blueline prospect. The depth of the system in general is weak compared to the other teams ranked around the Hawks. Also, while not as evident as the lack of defense, the Hawks also need to add a depth to their wing, especially with such a good playmaking center in Gagner.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jonathan Bernier (#10)
2. Sam Gagner (#12)
3. Matt Niskanen (#43)
4. Dustin Boyd (HM)
5. Tyson Sexsmith
6. Greg Moore
7. Casey Pierro-Zabotel
8. Jeff Frazee
9. Jake Dowell
10. Mathieu Carle
12. Pittsburgh Penguins
Strengths: The Penguins have a real solid group of skaters. On defense, there is real solid depth combined with top end talent. Blueliners Luc Bourdon, Nick Petrecki, Matt Pelech, Brian Strait, Jeff Petry and Alex Grant lead this group. At forward, current NHL’ers Peter Mueller and Milan Lucic lead the way, with a real solid group of character forwards like Ryan White, Bud Holloway and Dan Bertram.
Weaknesses: The biggest weakness for the Penguins is definitely in net. J.P. Levasseur is the team’s best option, but he is not to be considered a solid prospect. Outside of Levasseur, there isn’t any depth in net. Combine this with the fact that the Penguins don’t have a solid young HFNHL goalie either, and the future of the franchise may rest on the shoulders of someone who’s incapable. This is something that GM Robb Doduck should address at the 2008 draft.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Peter Mueller (#8)
2. Luc Bourdon (#50)
3. Milan Lucic
4. Nicholas Petrecki
5. Drayson Bowman
6. Ryan White
7. Matt Pelech
8. Bud Holloway
9. Brian Strait
10. Dan Bertram
13. Minnesota Wild
Strengths: The Wild have drafted incredibly well over the past couple of years. They have built up really solid organizational depth at every position. The crown jewel of the Wild pool is Karl Alzner and the defender group. Alzner is an excellent two way defender and he leads a group of very competent puck movers in Steve Wagner, Patrick McNeil, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Yannick Weber, and Yuri Alexandrov. At forward, the depth is equally strong with guys like Slava Trukhno, Jordan Knackstedt, Mike Morris, and Tom Fritsche in addition to those seen on the top 10.
Weaknesses: While the depth is strong, outside of guys like Alzner and Bergfors, the Wild don’t really have any top end prospects. All of the guys listed are boom or bust players, or just solid glue guys. That being said, it’s pretty hard to say something bad about their prospect pool, because it is so well balanced.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Karl Alzner (#16)
2. Nicklas Bergfors (HM)
3. Clarke Macarthur
4. Steven Wagner
5. Tyler Kennedy
6. Ben Bishop
7. Patrick White
8. Patrick McNeill
9. Brandon Dubinsky
10. Trevor Cann
14. Florida Panthers
Strengths: The Panthers have outstanding depth, among the best in the HFNHL. They have the best list 1 through 30 in the league. The biggest strength among this depth is in the Florida forward group. Lead by top 50 prospects James Van Riemsdyk and Bryan Little, the forwards are rounded out by the likes of James Neal, Cal O’Reilly, Matt Moulson, Cal Clutterbuck, Kaspars Daugavins, Tyler Ruegsegger, Geoff Platt, Phillip Gogulla, and the list could go on. The Panthers have nearly every type of forward prospect covered.
Weaknesses: While the forward group is incredibly deep and strong, the blueline crop is significantly weaker. Outside of Tom Gilbert, the Panthers have very few significant defensive prospects. While guys like Marc Methot, Andrei Plekhanov, Kiril Tulupov, Pavel Valentenko all have excellent shots at being NHL players, none have the potential of anything more than bottom pairing guys. This is an area that needs to be addressed. Also in net the depth is very poor, with Neuvirth being the only significant prospect.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. James Van Riemsdyk (#7)
2. Bryan Little (#30)
3. Tom Gilbert (HM)
4. Michael Neuvirth
5. James Neal
6. Cal O’Reilly
7. Matt Moulson
8. Cal Clutterbuck
9. Kaspars Daugavins
10. Tyler Ruegsegger
15. Phoenix Coyotes
Strengths: The Coyotes are a well balanced team, which has no glaring weaknesses. They have solid depth at each position. Defense is probably their best group, with names like Jeff Schultz, Jon Blum, Josh Godfrey, Mark Katic, Cody Wild, and Theo Peckham. In goal, team Canada netminder Steve Mason leads the way, while Reto Berra, Ryan Munce, and John Murray provide solid depth.
Weaknesses: While the Coyotes do have some good depth at forward, outside of Tlusty their isn’t really a potential difference maker in the group. Even Tlusty is questionable as a franchise forward prospect. With likely a lottery selection in a 2008 entry draft deep in blueliners, expect G.M. Ryan Yessie to select one to address this area.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jiri Tlusty (#37)
2. Steve Mason (#41)
3. Jeff Schultz (HM)
4. Jonathan Blum (HM)
5. Stefan Ruzicka
6. Josh Godfrey
7. Anthony Stewart
8. Matt Halischuk
9. Mark Katic
10. Justin Abdelkader
16. Detroit Red Wings
Strengths: Similar to the Panthers, the Wings could put together a prospect list 30 player deep. They also have a lot of solid forward prospects, lead by top 50 members Martin Hanzal and Claude Giroux. In goal, the Wings have great depth with prospects like Curtis McElhinney, Tomas Popperle, Adam Dennis, Daniel Larsson, and Josh Tordjman. Overall, the Wings are just a very well balanced organization.
Weaknesses: If the Wings have a weakness, it’s among their blueline prospects. While again, the depth is solid with Salcido, Pokuluk, Ville Koistinen, Will Weber, Daniel Rahimi, and M.A. Gragnani. But none of these guys, even Salcido are likely to be impact top pairing defenseman. However, with such good depth, the Wings may fall into a diamond in the rough, as G.M. Drew Niece has before.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Martin Hanzal (#15)
2. Claude Giroux (#31)
3. Brian Salcido
4. Kris Versteeg
5. Curtis McElhinney
6. Mikhail Grabovsky
7. Sasha Pokuluk
8. David Jones
9. Tomas Popperle
10. Eric Nystrom
17. New York Rangers
Strengths: Another team with really solid depth, the Rangers find themselves in a very, very close pack with the Wild, Panthers, Yotes, and Wings. The Rangers have three solid, but somewhat unheralded goalie prospects in Riku Helenius, Tobias Stephan, Matt Keetley. Providing depth to his group are Robert Goepfert and Kevin Regan. At forward, the Rangers bring a lot of speed with the likes of Frolik, Bourque, Nash and Denis Parshin.
Weaknesses: The Rangers are also weakest on defense, with several solid prospects but no real difference makers. Jakub Kindl, Jonathan Ericsson, Carl Sneep, Ray Macias, and Simon Danis-Pepin have potential as NHL players, but are not as likely to be impact players. The depth on defense is also not nearly as strong as it is at forward or goaltender, however it is still pretty strong in comparison to the rest of the league.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Michael Frolik (#32)
2. Jakub Kindl (HM)
3. Chris Bourque
4. Riku Helenius
5. Riley Nash
6. Tobias Stephan
7. Matt Keetley
8. Jonathan Ericsson
9. Carl Sneep
10. Drew Miller
18. Buffalo Sabres
Strengths: The Sabres have an excellent group of defensive prospects. Denis Grebeshkov, Kevin Kelin, Colby Cohen, Will Weber, Kiril Koltsov, Andy Rogers and Ted Ruth have good potential as NHL blueliners. In net, the Sabres boast three solid American born goalies in Jeremy Smith, Tyler Plante, Kent Patterson and Billy Sauer. With the Sabres past drafting and developing record, it’s likely that some of these home run prospects will hit.
Weaknesses: The forward group is clearly the weakest, especially in quantity. T.J. Hensick and Shawn Matthias, the club’s top two prospects, are the only legitimate forwards. While they boast solid potential, Sabres management definitely needs to add some forward depth to its ranks.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. T.J. Hensick (HM)
2. Shawn Matthias (HM)
3. Denis Grebeshkov
4. Jeremy Smith
5. Kevin Klein
6. Tyler Plante
7. Colby Cohen
8. Will Weber
9. Kiril Koltsov
10. Andy Rogers
19. Philadelphia Flyers
Strengths: The Flyers top 4 prospects have all seen NHL action and are close to becoming permanent fixtures. The Flyers have three solid blueline prospects in Barker, Stuart, and Valabik, as well as some high end offensive forwards in Kostitsyn, Krikunov, and
i. In net, the Flyers have two very capable NHL goaltenders in former college stars, James Howard and Brian Elliot.Weaknesses: The main concern for this Flyers team is prospect depth similar to the Oilers and Stars. Much like Edmonton, they would be hard pressed to put together a top 13 list, let alone a top 20. The Flyers do have two first round selections in the upcoming 2008 entry draft, so perhaps they can slowly begin to add some depth to the franchise. This is especially evident on defense where the players appearing in the top 10 are the only even somewhat legit defenders.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Cam Barker (#28)
2. Andrei Kostitsyn (#35)
3. James Howard (HM)
4. Mark Stuart (HM)
5. Brian Elliot
6. Boris Valabik
7. Ilya Krikunov
8. Barry Tallackson
9. Dana Tyrell
10. T.J. Galiardi
20. Edmonton Oilers
Strengths: Edmonton has a solid group of hard working, hard hitting prospects. The likes of T.J. Oshie, Carcillo, Legein, Bass and Jacques will make the Oilers very tough to play against for years to come. Add in excellent playmaker Zach Hamill and you’ve got one solid forward set. On defense, the Oilers have two excellent puck movers in Sami Lepisto and Tim Ramholt, who should help usher the Oilers power play into the next decade.
Weaknesses: The Oilers really struggle with prospect depth, and are unable to come close to the depth of some of the teams ranked ahead of them. On defense, outside of Lepisto and Ramholt, the Oilers have nothing. In goal, outside of Taylor Dakers or Darren Machesney, the Oilers have nothing. The goaltending pipeline is especially troubling as neither Dakers or Machesney are bonafide NHL prospects.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. T.J. Oshie (#27)
2. Zach Hamill
3. Kenndal McArdle
4. Daniel Carcillo
5. Stefan Legein
6. Sami Lepisto
7. Tim Ramholt
8. J.F. Jacques
9. Cody Bass
10. Darren Machesney
21. Dallas Stars
Strengths: The Stars might be known as the Jonathan Toews show for the next 10 years. Toews, a top 5 prospect, is the future heart and soul of the franchise and a legit superstar. On defense, the Stars have three very solid two way defenders in Plante, Mitera, and Casey Borer. In net, the Stars have two very capable and potential starters in Jeff Deslauriers, and Jeff Glass.
Weaknesses: Outside of Jonathan Toews, the Stars don’t really have any potential impact forwards. Francois Bouchard, Joakim Lindstrom, and Hugh Jessiman are long shots as top 6 forwards, while Danny Irmen is a likely role player. The depth of the franchise on the whole is pretty weak, with not much being offered on the blueline besides the three already mentioned.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jonathan Toews (#2)
2. Jeff Deslauriers
3. Alex Plante
4. Mark Mitera
5. Francois Bouchard
6. Joakim Lindstrom
7. Casey Borer
8. Jeff Glass
9. Danny Irmen
10. Hugh Jessiman
22. San Jose Sharks
Strengths: The Sharks have an excellent group of forward prospects. Mason Raymond, Liam Reddox, Igor Makarov, and Maxim Mayorov provide excellent scoring potential. Michael Blunden and Mike Hoeffel could be power forwards, where as Kyle Chipchura is likely going to be the teams third line center for many years to come. This well balanced forward group is definitely the strength of the Sharks farm system.
Weaknesses: Where the Sharks are strong at forward, they are oppositely weak on defense and in net. The quality and quantity at each position comes into question. On defense Brendan Mikkelson is the only real solid prospect, and even he is likely not a top 4 defenseman. In goal, Jonathan Quick is very raw, yet has potential, but there is no real solid prospect behind him, besides maybe the NHL undrafted Mark Owuya.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Mason Raymond
2. Kyle Chipchura (HM)
3. Michael Blunden
4. Brendan Mikkelson
5. Jonathan Quick
6. Liam Reddox
7. Igor Makarov
8. Maxim Mayorov
9. Justin Mercier
10. Mike Hoeffel
23. Boston Bruins
Strengths: The Bruins have a few solid prospects at each position. At forward, Benoit Pouliot leads the pack as a former high draft pick. Bobby Hughes, Aaron Palushaj and Janos Vas bring up the rear, as three forward prospects having very excellent seasons. On defense, high draft pick Kevin Shattenkirk is the leader, while in net Cory Schneider is the future.
Weaknesses: Outside of Schneider, the Bruins don’t really have an answer in net. This is especially troublesome with Schneider’s trouble adjusting to the professional game so far. And on defense, Shattenkirk is the real only legit prospect. Dustin Kohn, Cade Fairchild, and Joonas Lehtivuori have some potential but remain longshots as of right now. G.M. Kreuger needs to address goaltending and defensive depth at the next draft or via trade.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Benoit Pouliot (HM)
2. Cory Schneider (HM)
3. Kevin Shattenkirk
4. Bobby Hughes
5. Aaron Palushaj
6. Janos Vas
7. Dustin Kohn
8. Matt Christie
9. Tim Crowder
10. Brandon Nolan
24. Tampa Bay Lightning
Strengths: The Lightning have two fast emerging young blueliners, Tobias Enstrom and Alex Edler. Both are looking like legit NHL players and perhaps even future stars. Also on defense are Lars Jonsson and Blake Kessell, two potential powerplay QB’s. At forward, the top three have excellent NHL potential, if they choose to come over to North America. These three are Carl Soderberg, Patric Hornqvist, and Janne Pesonen.
Weaknesses: The Lightning were deeply hurt with the loss of Daniel Ryder to retirement, as he was one of the team’s top prospects. Add to that, Carl Soderberg’s team was demoted to the second division in Sweden, and thus he has been playing against inferior competition after his breakout season. Also Patric Hornqvist has been unable to duplicate his outstanding season of last year. Add to that Lars Jonsson’s injury and it’s been a tough year for Tampa Bay prospects.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Tobias Enstrom (#34)
2. Alexander Edler (HM)
3. Carl Soderberg
4. Patric Hornqvist
5. Brent Krahn
6. Janne Pesonen
7. Lars Jonsson
8. Nathan Perkovich
9. Corey Locke
10. Brad Malone
25. Toronto Maple Leafs
Strengths: The Maple Leafs strength lies in net where they have two top quality goaltending prospects. These two players are Marek Schwarz and Corey Crawford. Either one of these guys has a chance to be the replacement for Tomas Vokoun when the time comes. At forward, the Leafs have a group of potential NHL forwards in Enver Lisin, Petr Kalus, David Steckel, Matthieu Perrault, Frans Nielson, Tommy Sestito, and Drew Larman.
Weaknesses: On defense, the Leafs have very little depth. Matt Corrente and Grossman are solid prospects, but neither has incredibly high NHL potential. Behind them is likely Michael Vernance, who is likely a longshot at best for the NHL. At forward, the Leafs do not really have any impact players, with their prospects likely being no more than secondary players.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Marek Schwarz (#38)
2. Enver Lisin
3. Corey Crawford
4. Matt Corrente
5. Niklas Grossman
6. Petr Kalus
7. David Steckel
8. Matthieu Perrault
9. Frans Nielson
10. Tommy Sestito
26. Carolina Hurricanes
Strengths: The Hurricanes have some real strong top end talent at forward. Kyle Okposo and James Sheppard appear on the top 50, where as Blake Wheeler was close behind. These three have great NHL potential, especially are big bodies with power forward potential. In goal, the Canes have good depth with University of Vermont’s Joe Fallon, and Joel Gistedt and David Shantz. Management must be hoping that one of these guys can develop into an NHL quality goaltender.
Weaknesses: The Canes have probably the worst prospect depth in the HFNHL. Carolina barely can put together a top 10 list, with Ashton Rome and Chris Lofberg being incredibly marginal prospects. On defense, Martin Lojek is the only thing resembling a prospect, and even he is not likely to be anything more than a depth defenseman at the next level. The team has accumulated a lot of mid round selection in the 2008 draft, so General Manager Dion Ong has clearly recognized his organizational depth is at a critical state. If the Canes can draft a few real solid prospects and increase their depth, they could jump up these rankings a bit because they do have some top end talent.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Kyle Okposo (#17)
2. James Sheppard (#29)
3. Blake Wheeler
4. Joe Fallon
5. Joel Gistedt
6. David Shantz
7. Martin Lojek
8. Chad Rau
9. Ashton Rome
10. Christofer Lofberg
27. New Jersey Devils
Strengths: The Devils have some good forward prospects, with the likes of Brett Sterling, Trevor Lewis, and the rest of the guys on the top 10, in addition to Brandon Prust and Colby Genoway. A lot of these guys have chances to become solid NHL contributors in some capacity. In particular, the Devils are strong on the wing, as Sterling, Alex Picard, Vrana, Glencross and Greentree are all natural wingers.
Weaknesses: With so many solid young players graduating to the next level, the Devils actual prospect pool has taken a bit of a hit. Their depth isn’t as impressive as it once was. In net, they don’t have any solid prospects, which is somewhat concerning as Marc Andre Fleury has been a disappointment in the NHL this year and appears to have his star falling. The defensive pipeline is also thin, with University of North Dakota defenseman Joe Finley at the top. The Devils have 4 picks in the top 60 of the 2008 Entry draft. General Manager Rich Epstein can use these selections to perhaps add goaltending depth.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Brett Sterling
2. Trevor Lewis
3. Alexandre Picard
4. Petr Vrana
5. Curtis Glencross
6. Joe Finley
7. Darren Helm
8. Kyle Greentree
9. Matt Smaby
10. Adam Pardy
28. Atlanta Thrashers
Strengths: Despite it’s 28th ranking, Thrashers management has done a good job with trying to slowly improve the club’s former horrific stable of youngsters. Voracek at least gives the Thrashers a solid player to build around, and with 2 first rounders in the upcoming draft, G.M. Archer can potentially add two more. On defense, the Thrashers have four mean defenseman in Taylor Ellington, Egener, Zubarev and Falk. These guys bring it hard every night.
Weaknesses: Obviously the quality and quantity of the Thrashers farm system is still not up to par. Voracek is really the only potential impact player, while the rest are somewhat longshots at NHL careers. At forward, Hansen, Didomenico and Cameron provide some depth, but the Thrashers need to add to it. On defense, there is a pressing need for a future powerplay quarterback. And in net, Devan Dubnyk is taking a while to develop, suggesting that the Thrashers may want to draft another goaltender to give him some competition.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Jakub Voracek (#14)
2. Jannik Hansen
3. Taylor Ellington
4. Devan Dubnyk
5. Mike Egener
6. Christopher Didomenico
7. Andrei Zubarev
8. Bryan Cameron
9. Brady Calla
10. Justin Falk
29. Ottawa Senators
Strengths: The Senators narrowly beat out the Capitals because of a bit better depth 1 through 10. Emmerton is a solid future checking center and Luca Caputi has exploded offensively this season in the OHL. Goaltender Josh Unice has shown to be a great draft selection and has played well for Kitchener in his rookie OHL season after spurning the NCAA.
Weaknesses: Depth is the main concern, as it is for most of the teams at the bottom part of these rankings. The problem for the Senators is that they also lack any real potential impact players as well. With few selections and no top 60 picks in the upcoming draft, expect this trend to continue. The Sens biggest weakness is on defense where Brett Carson and Kyle Kluberantz appear long shots to make a splash at the NHL level.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Cory Emmerton
2. Luca Caputi
3. Josh Unice
4. Brett Carson
5. Kamil Kreps
6. Kyle Kluberantz
7. Paul Albers
8. Brady Murray
9. Dmitri Vorobiev
10. Benjamin Breault
30. Washington Capitals
Strengths: Brett Maclean has been probably the best player in the OHL this year, and has proven that he’s a very capable scoring prospect. He’s the cream of the crop for Capitals prospects. In goal, Jaroslav Halak and Justin Peters have outside shots at becoming NHL players, with Halak already getting a taste and proving he’s capable.
Weaknesses: While the Capitals prospect list is long, not many are valuable prospects and it’s likely Caps management is going to want to do some housecleaning this offseason. The Capitals may want to go full steam towards a rebuild and are a likely candidate to do so at this years trade deadline. They need upgrades at forward and on defense. Jonathan Sigalet and Danny Syvret are the only legit prospects on the blueline, and neither are likely to develop into more than bottom pairing defenseman.
Top 10 Prospects:
1. Brett Maclean (HM)
2. Jaroslav Halak
3. Ryan Hillier
4. Jonathan Sigalet
5. Juraj Simek
6. Danny Syvret
7. Dane Byers
8. Mickey Renaud
9. Justin Peters
10. Alexander Sundstrom
The LA Kings are excited about our future.
