ISS top 30 for January

[NeonDion]

Hey ISS,

what do you think of Plante?

Also, do you think Sutter will be a available between 18 - 24?

I'm guess ing the flames will be drafting in that range, and they'll be looking at a good defneceman, who do you think could they would want around there?

 

[ales-hemsky89*]

Oscar Moeller 1+1 at tonights chl/nhl prospect game .. must be a top 10 pic

 

[orcatown]

No one should question Aliu in the first round now. maybe too low.

Moller must be in the first round and probably Viellieux.

 

[Hemsky4PM]

Personally, I think Kane is the most talented offensive prospect in this draft class. Looking at the NHL standings you have to thing Philly and Los Angeles will have the best shot at the first pick (although there is the lottery process). I think Philly would definately take Kane. Los Angeles might be inclined to take Alzner to eventually be a one-two punch with J.J.

Cherepanov will probably fall a bit in the actual draft.

Interesting to see CSB and ISS with a plethora of defensemen in the first couple of rounds. If Alzner is the hands down best of that group he'll surely go in the top 3. I think it's a safe bet that a lot of picks will be changing hands this summer. A lot of teams will probably feel pretty confident they can move down and get additional picks and still get the player(s) they want.

 

[Alter Haudegen]

No one should question Aliu in the first round now. maybe too low.

Moller must be in the first round and probably Viellieux.

No offense, but you overestimate the impact of the top prospect game IMO.

Neither Aliu nor Moeller will move up just because they had a good game (and not a single player dominated at this years top prospect game). But if they weren't on the radar before, they are now. If both can back it up in their league games they will move up (like Grabner or McArdle).

 

[Rabid Ranger]

No offense, but you overestimate the impact of the top prospect game IMO.

Neither Aliu nor Moeller will move up just because they had a good game (and not a single player dominated at this years top prospect game). But if they weren't on the radar before, they are now. If both can back it up in their league games they will move up (like Grabner or McArdle).

Thank you for bringing this out. It's nice a player like Aliu had a good performance in the prospects game, but one game does not a career make. I would think a plyer like Aliu would be under even more scrutiny now, which might not be a good thing.

 

[Chief]

I was born and raised in Arizona, so I don't know a whole lot about hockey prospects. It seems to me, though, that people put way, way too much emphasis on a draft eligable player's performance at the WJC's. I mean, it's just one tournament, and for most it's the first time they've participated.

NHL talent evaluators put a lot of stock in the WJC's because it's the best playing against the best, within their peer group. It's also not just one game but 6 or 7, which gives you a bigger sample to look at. If a guy just had a bad game (or a good one), you'll be able to tell in follow up games.

 

[Chief]

Wow... Cherepanov has looked good... but all the way to number 1?

It'll be close, but for my money, I think either Kane or Ganger will go number 1.

An issue or two ago, Sports Illustrated had a mention that Kane or Cherepanov could go #1. They compared Cherepanov as an Afinogenov type player, which I'd agree with. I wouldn't necessarily put him at #1 though. Other than Kane's shootout letdown at the WJC's, he's impressed me every time I've seen him, dating back to his play last season.

 

[ISS Hockey]

what do you guys think of colton sceviour? I think he's been vastly underrated because he doesnt score goals but the guy is a great forechecker, great penalty killer and one of the best two way forwards i've seen in the WHL this year. I know its not as glamorous as being an elite goal scoring forward like mueller but look at the buffalo sabres, they've made a living off of mostly 2 way players and in todays game, it takes 5 players to play defense. I don't expect him to go in the first round, I just want to know what you guys think of him and if its anything close to what I see.

We have Sceviour ranked in the third round. As for a glimpse of our scouting report on him, our mid-term NHL draft guide will have something on him. Comes out in a week.

 

[ISS Hockey]

Are you able to disclose who the ISS considers to be in the said top echelon.

Well our recent rankings would be a good indicator.

Cherepanov, Alzner, vanRiemsdyk, Voracek, Couture and Kane are our top six.

It would not surprise us if any team took one of these guys because we think this year, some of the top 10 picks might be based on organizational need. This is not a good procedure to follow, normally, but because there isn't a lot separating the top tier talent-wise, it could happen more in 2007. We like Turris a lot, but the league he plays in might force some teams to back off a little bit. We also like Gagner as a darkhorse. Then there's Esposito, a boatload of talent, but is he the next Alexandre Daigle?

 

[ISS Hockey]

ISS, can you answer my question about Joonas Jalvanti? Do you have him ranked and if not, how do you see his chances of getting drafted?

We do not have him ranked in our top 200, but we noticed his solid play at world juniors. I guess you could say we want to watch him more closely to see if he can keep it up. He plays a steady game, but nothing fancy and he's a good skater with fairly good mobility. He's what we like to call a Diamond in the Rough.

 

[ISS Hockey]

Oscar Moeller 1+1 at tonights chl/nhl prospect game .. must be a top 10 pic

One game, one game only. If he improved his skating and/or his strength he would move up considerable. We like his skill and hockey sense a lot, but without more speed or strength, or both, he will have trouble at the next level and that's what we're measuring here. How the player will do at the next level, not how many points they put up as juniors.

So, until he does that, we respectfully disagree.

 

[ISS Hockey]

Hey ISS,

what do you think of Plante?

Also, do you think Sutter will be a available between 18 - 24?

I'm guess ing the flames will be drafting in that range, and they'll be looking at a good defneceman, who do you think could they would want around there?

We like Plante, obviously, we have him ranked no. 17. His size is an obvious asset, but the things we like about him are his intensity level and his heavy shot. His mobility is also a big plus and he's showing continuous improvement as Kelly Kisio gives him lots of ice time. It's hard not to like that.

As for your Sutter question, that's something I can't really answer. We'll do a mock draft in our final NHL draft preview, but it's too early to get a good read on that. There's a chance he'll last that long considering we've got him ranked no. 20, but as I've said in another post, the talent separation in this year's draft is not great.

It's possible somebody will reach and take him higher because they like his character and his bloodlines or because they place a greater emphasis on the intangibles he'll bring. I would wager that if Calgary is drafting before 18, he won't make it past them. That's not looking very likely at this point, though.

 

[Prussian_Blue]

What's the ISS take on Nick Petrecki (Omaha-USHL), and why has he dropped so much in the ISS rankings over the course of the year?

Thanks,

P_B

 

[Tadite]

Alzner?


How much lower on the talent poll is he from previous years top-dman?

Is he close to a JJ or a EJ? How about a Dion or a Sutter? Or he is a full level below that and only ranked that high because someone has to be in this down year?

 

[ales-hemsky89*]

One game, one game only. If he improved his skating and/or his strength he would move up considerable. We like his skill and hockey sense a lot, but without more speed or strength, or both, he will have trouble at the next level and that's what we're measuring here. How the player will do at the next level, not how many points they put up as juniors.

So, until he does that, we respectfully disagree.

hm , he´s a better skater then cherepanov and gagner , best evah in powerplay.

 

[Fozz]

NHL talent evaluators put a lot of stock in the WJC's because it's the best playing against the best, within their peer group. It's also not just one game but 6 or 7, which gives you a bigger sample to look at. If a guy just had a bad game (or a good one), you'll be able to tell in follow up games.

The problem is that the vast majority of '07 draftees do not play in the WJC. It is indeed a great tournement to evaluate talent but the scouts only get to see the very top of the crop there.

I'd say the U18 tournament is probably the single biggest pre-draft event for the scouts. However, most players have already been scrutinized and analyzed by then. Except for some unexpected great performances that can propel a player upwards, the tournament is mostly a confirmation process for NHL teams and a way to see how a player performes under pressure.

 

[Panopticon]

We do not have him ranked in our top 200, but we noticed his solid play at world juniors. I guess you could say we want to watch him more closely to see if he can keep it up. He plays a steady game, but nothing fancy and he's a good skater with fairly good mobility. He's what we like to call a Diamond in the Rough.

Thanks for the answer. It was pretty much what I expected to hear. So it is unlikely that he is drafted this year? Well, at least he has next years WJC still left to "showcase" himself internationally.

It's just that I've seen worse players drafted and even worse Finnish players drafted over the years which is the only reason why I'm hoping he would as well. Even if it is unlikely that he'll never play in the NHL.

 

[ISS Hockey]

What's the ISS take on Nick Petrecki (Omaha-USHL), and why has he dropped so much in the ISS rankings over the course of the year?

Thanks,

P_B

Well, we like Petrecki. One of our scouts, Travis Howe, coached Petrecki with the East Coast Selects, we think we've got a pretty good read on him. He's in great shape, he's strong, he loves to hit and he has excellent mobility for a physical defenceman. In that regard, he's a lot like Dion Phaneuf in his style. Where they differ is in offensive production and I think that's the reason why Petrecki has not maintained his high ranking. It's not so much that he's dropped, it's that others have improved more than he has.

If Petrecki could post better offensive numbers, he'd be a top five pick for sure and possibly first overall. However for his second year in the USHL, we'd like to see a little better. We realize offense is not his game, and maybe it's untapped in Omaha, but look at these numbers.

2006/2007 Omaha 28gp 5g 5a 10pts +10 102PiM
2005/2006 Omaha 53gp 0g 3a 3pts -12 110PiM

Then, compare them to Dion Phaneuf in the Western Hockey League. Note, just look at Phaneuf's first two seasons with Red Deer. They would be his 16- and 17-year-old seasons, which you could compare to Petrecki's first two seasons in Omaha.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=62548

If Petrecki has some untapped offensive potential, you might be looking at a Phaneuf-type player. Our scouts say he has a tremendous shot. If he doesn't develop this part of his game, you're looking at a Brendan Witt/Adam Foote type player, depending on how much zest he develops for fighting at the pro level. Petrecki has the skating ability of a younger Adam Foote.

 

[ISS Hockey]

Alzner?


How much lower on the talent poll is he from previous years top-dman?

Is he close to a JJ or a EJ? How about a Dion or a Sutter? Or he is a full level below that and only ranked that high because someone has to be in this down year?

He's not the same kind of player as JJ, EJ, Dion or Suter (I think you mean Suter).

He's more of a Wade Redden style of defenceman (but bigger). By that, I mean he's not an overly physical player, but plays a very smart game and is very calm with the puck. However, Alzner is very good and he deserves his lofty ranking. It's not by default. Alzner is just finding his offense this season as he's (admittedly) always been a stay-at-home defenceman. He's discovered in Calgary he has the skill to be more. Also remember, his late birthday means this is his third season in the WHL. We think he's got some untapped potential. Kelly Kisio describes him as "the total package" and plays him 35 minutes a night. He's also got a super work ethic.

 

[Tadite]

He's not the same kind of player as JJ, EJ, Dion or Suter (I think you mean Suter).

He's more of a Wade Redden style of defenceman (but bigger). By that, I mean he's not an overly physical player, but plays a very smart game and is very calm with the puck. However, Alzner is very good and he deserves his lofty ranking. It's not by default. Alzner is just finding his offense this season as he's (admittedly) always been a stay-at-home defenceman. He's discovered in Calgary he has the skill to be more. Also remember, his late birthday means this is his third season in the WHL. We think he's got some untapped potential. Kelly Kisio describes him as "the total package" and plays him 35 minutes a night. He's also got a super work ethic.

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it. I think there is going to be a horde of fellow Kings fans on the prospect boards all wanting to know about d-men.

It is the common belief that we are going defense this year and are going to have a top-3 pick.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Alzner?


How much lower on the talent poll is he from previous years top-dman?

Is he close to a JJ or a EJ? How about a Dion or a Sutter? Or he is a full level below that and only ranked that high because someone has to be in this down year?

The defenceman in this draft are piss poor compared to the past 5 years and thats why Alzner is rated so high. He basically has limited offensive upside.

 

[Zusammenhalt]

Mon ami Monster Bertuzzi. I sense in you a green eyed monster. If you watched the evening skills competition at the Top Prospects you will have seen that Alzner was in the hardest shot competition and his two was equal to Dion Phaneuf in the NHL skills who is 3 1/2 years older. Offensive upside is definitely within Alzner's capability.

 

[Buddhaa]

Hi, ISS! What is the current ranking of Kriss Grundmanis? Is any other Latvian player ranked for 2007? E.g., Kaspars Saulietis (he's 20 years old though, playing in WHL)

 

[Tony_S*]

Any info on Mark Owuya? Also, when do you think he will get drafted (round)?