Midseason Media/Scout Top 10 for 2018 (from the OHL)

[Brock]

OHL Prospects: Midseason Media/Scout Poll for 2018

It's time for an update to our media/scout list. There's still lots of meaningful hockey to be played (rest of the CHL regular season, CHL playoffs, U18's), but it's always great to see how opinions change over the course of a season.

Interestingly enough, the names inside our top 10 haven't changed one bit. The order certainly has, but the ten names listed are the same ten names from November. And that order is as close as ever. Svechnikov and Bouchard are the top two names reasonably consistently. But 3-7 is pretty interchangeable depending on who you ask. Hayton, McLeod, Thomas, Merkley, and Noel are fighting for that third spot and look like potential first round picks. In fact, nine different OHL players received a vote inside the top 3. What does all this mean? That the OHL playoffs and Under 18's (for some players) will be very important for determining just how this list looks come June.

As always, it's important to note the contributors, as without them and their terrific insight, this article does not exist. For the midseason list, the following helped out:

Corey Pronman - NHL Prospects Writer for TheAthletic (@coreypronman)
Dominic Tiano - Writer for The OHL Writers (@dominictiano)
Dylan Galloway - OHL Scout for Future Considerations (@dylangalloway_)
Peter Kneulman - Provides OHL coverage at OHL Writer (@PeterKneulman)
Mike Morreale - Staff writer for NHL.com (@mikemorrealeNHL)
Ryan Kennedy - Associate Senior Writer for The Hockey News(@THNRyanKennedy)
Peter Harling - Managing Editor of Dobber Prospects (@pharling)
Scott Wheeler - NHL Prospects Writer for TheAthletic (@scottcwheeler)
Steve Kournianos - Founder of The Draft Analyst(@TheDraftAnalyst)
Mark Scheig - OHL writer for The Hockey Writers (@THWMark)
Tony Ambrogio - PA Announcer for the Mississauga Steelheads & TSN editor (@Tony_Ambrogio)
Todd Warriner - CHL analyst for Sportsnet, Colour analyst for the Windsor Spitfires (@Todd_Warriner)
Chris Peters - NHL Prospects Writer for ESPN (@chrismpeters)
Grant McCagg - President of Recrutes Hockey (@grantmccagg)
Mark McKelvie - Play by Play voice of the Owen Sound Attack (@Mark14McKelvie)
Steve Clark - Play by play voice of the Niagara IceDogs (@ClarkPlaybyPlay)
Mark Seidel - Scouting Director for NACS Hockey (@MarkSeidel)

and of course...myself (@BrockOtten)

The Top 10 is:

1. Andrei Svechnikov
2. Evan Bouchard
3. Barrett Hayton
4. Akil Thomas
5. Ryan McLeod
6. Serron Noel
7. Ryan Merkley
8. Rasmus Sandin
9. Ty Dellandrea
10. Allan McShane

See the link above for all the comments/reports and for the HM's.

Happy to answer any questions.

Click to read more...

 

[covfefe]

@Brock, appreciate the work as always.

Just wondering what you can tell me about Sandin, he seems to be flying under the radar despite the scouts in your article giving him pretty high praise. What areas is he lacking in? Seems like he'd be a good pick in the early 2nd.

Cam Hillis is another player I have been tracking a bit since last year and it's nice to see some praise for him. Could be a player due for a huge uptick next year after acclimatizing to the pace and frequency of the OHL.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

@Brock, what do you think about Sandin's skating? Would you consider it a concern?

 

[tigervixxxen]

I was surprised Sandin's hype really hasn't hit. I think he's a guy that's going to be drafted pretty high. Too bad Kody Clark fell off but the injury didn't help.

 

[Brock]

@Brock, what do you think about Sandin's skating? Would you consider it a concern?

I think Sandin's skating is similar to Bouchard's. Solid overall mobility. Not an absolutely dynamic straight ahead skater. Doesn't possess the speed that a guy like Merkley does. But backwards and laterally, he moves well. And his hockey IQ allows him to exploit the speed he does have.

 

[Brock]

@Brock, appreciate the work as always.

Just wondering what you can tell me about Sandin, he seems to be flying under the radar despite the scouts in your article giving him pretty high praise. What areas is he lacking in? Seems like he'd be a good pick in the early 2nd.

Cam Hillis is another player I have been tracking a bit since last year and it's nice to see some praise for him. Could be a player due for a huge uptick next year after acclimatizing to the pace and frequency of the OHL.

I kind of touched on it in my personal Sandin quote. I think he's a guy that requires a lot of exposure to, to really appreciate. As the season winds down, and the Soo (likely) dominate the OHL playoffs, he's going to get a TON of good looks from the scouting community and that is going to likely raise his ranking. I honestly don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that Sandin ends up #3 behind Bouchard from the OHL on most draft lists.

As for Hillis, agree and I mentioned that in my personal quote too. I see him really exploding next year. Needs a solid offseason in the gym to become more explosive and to get stronger on the puck. But he's a top quality playmaker.

 

[Brock]

I was surprised Sandin's hype really hasn't hit. I think he's a guy that's going to be drafted pretty high. Too bad Kody Clark fell off but the injury didn't help.

Yeah, agree about Clark. He looked SO strong earlier on. But with some injury issues, he has faded in the second half. Still think he's a solid pick anywhere from about 80-120. Big kid. Good bloodlines. Strong on the puck. Developing hands and skating ability. Could easily still develop into a quality 3rd line winger for the NHL level.

 

[Brock]

Thought I would give a snippet of the type of comments you can see for each player's write up

This is Ryan Merkley

7. Ryan Merkley - Defense - Guelph Storm
Total Votes: 17
High/Low Ranking: 2nd (2x)/Outside of the Top 10 (1x)
Comments:
“Elite vision, great skater, great skill. That's one heck of a package offensively. I get the warts there, and those warts look very bad some nights, but if he gets past 10 that's a lot of ceiling on the table. He's much smarter in my opinion than past dynamos like Murphy and DeAngelo.” - Anonymous

“There are real concerns about Merkley’s defensive play, his approach with his teammates, and his commitment, but I’m told he has taken steps in all of those areas and his offensive gifts are so far ahead of pretty well any defender in this class not named Dahlin that I still think he deserves to narrowly be at No. 2 ahead of Bouchard.” - Anonymous

“Merkley obviously has elite offensive talents with the puck. His dynamic skating with the puck and the way he bobs and weaves his way to the net, making defenders look silly along the way will definitely cause some GM’s to salivate. What might cause some sobering up is Merkley’s weaknesses on the defensive side of the puck and occasional selfish play with the puck. If Merkley wants to stop his slide down the draft rankings he will need to show significant growth in working with his teammates and reducing the amount of risk he takes when breaking out or transitioning the puck.” - Dylan Galloway

“A world class skater with world class offensive abilities. If I am down a goal in the last minute, Merkley would be the first player I would send over the boards. There have been doubts about his defensive game and some question whether he cares to put the effort in the d-zone. Sometimes you can question his reactions in certain situations. I just don't see the improvement I was looking for from him. If I was up a goal protecting the lead in the last minute of a game, I would be looking at my other 5 defencemen first. And therein lies the difference for me between Merkley, Sandin and Bouchard. I would have no issue with the latter two in any situation, but I can't say the same for Merkley. I am not sure I would use a top-20 pick on Merkley when I am not sure his offensive game would outweigh the defensive liabilities at the NHL level.” - Dominic Tiano

"Every draft seems to have one of these right? A guy who has limitless potential, and talent but also the ability to deliver self inflicted wounds. Merkley is the easiest guy to break down in terms of strengths and weaknesses. The skating and the offensive ingenuity are without question elite and he can QB a PP. The defensive disasters and mercurial temperament are also obvious. He's caught up ice at times, and makes some baffling decisions. Plus, there's the fact he played Paul Bunyon and took a whack at someone and got a three game suspension. The comparable? There's a little Tony DeAngelo in him, a 1st round draftee but on his third team already." - Steve Clark

 

[VictorLustig]

Sandin's skating looked like a pretty big issue to me when I watched him last season and at the Hlinka, the mechanics just wasn't there. A player of his size must be pretty quick. Never really saw any 1st round tools in his game either, surprised to see him ranked high here but the numbers look good.

 

[Brock]

Sandin's skating looked like a pretty big issue to me when I watched him last season and at the Hlinka, the mechanics just wasn't there. A player of his size must be pretty quick. Never really saw any 1st round tools in his game either, surprised to see him ranked high here but the numbers look good.

That was sort of the book on Sandin that we were being told about when the Hounds drafted him in the Import Draft. That his skating was an issue. And while I don't think he's an elite skater (as I mentioned above), his skating has certainly been better than advertised. My guess is that he spent a lot of time this offseason trying to improve that. Because as you said, with his average size, the skating needs to be good.

 

[ginner classic]

OHL Prospects: Midseason Media/Scout Poll for 2018

It's time for an update to our media/scout list. There's still lots of meaningful hockey to be played (rest of the CHL regular season, CHL playoffs, U18's), but it's always great to see how opinions change over the course of a season.

Interestingly enough, the names inside our top 10 haven't changed one bit. The order certainly has, but the ten names listed are the same ten names from November. And that order is as close as ever. Svechnikov and Bouchard are the top two names reasonably consistently. But 3-7 is pretty interchangeable depending on who you ask. Hayton, McLeod, Thomas, Merkley, and Noel are fighting for that third spot and look like potential first round picks. In fact, nine different OHL players received a vote inside the top 3. What does all this mean? That the OHL playoffs and Under 18's (for some players) will be very important for determining just how this list looks come June.

As always, it's important to note the contributors, as without them and their terrific insight, this article does not exist. For the midseason list, the following helped out:

Corey Pronman - NHL Prospects Writer for TheAthletic (@coreypronman)
Dominic Tiano - Writer for The OHL Writers (@dominictiano)
Dylan Galloway - OHL Scout for Future Considerations (@dylangalloway_)
Peter Kneulman - Provides OHL coverage at OHL Writer (@PeterKneulman)
Mike Morreale - Staff writer for NHL.com (@mikemorrealeNHL)
Ryan Kennedy - Associate Senior Writer for The Hockey News(@THNRyanKennedy)
Peter Harling - Managing Editor of Dobber Prospects (@pharling)
Scott Wheeler - NHL Prospects Writer for TheAthletic (@scottcwheeler)
Steve Kournianos - Founder of The Draft Analyst(@TheDraftAnalyst)
Mark Scheig - OHL writer for The Hockey Writers (@THWMark)
Tony Ambrogio - PA Announcer for the Mississauga Steelheads & TSN editor (@Tony_Ambrogio)
Todd Warriner - CHL analyst for Sportsnet, Colour analyst for the Windsor Spitfires (@Todd_Warriner)
Chris Peters - NHL Prospects Writer for ESPN (@chrismpeters)
Grant McCagg - President of Recrutes Hockey (@grantmccagg)
Mark McKelvie - Play by Play voice of the Owen Sound Attack (@Mark14McKelvie)
Steve Clark - Play by play voice of the Niagara IceDogs (@ClarkPlaybyPlay)
Mark Seidel - Scouting Director for NACS Hockey (@MarkSeidel)

and of course...myself (@BrockOtten)

The Top 10 is:

1. Andrei Svechnikov
2. Evan Bouchard
3. Barrett Hayton
4. Akil Thomas
5. Ryan McLeod
6. Serron Noel
7. Ryan Merkley
8. Rasmus Sandin
9. Ty Dellandrea
10. Allan McShane

See the link above for all the comments/reports and for the HM's.

Happy to answer any questions.

Awesome as always Brock. Noticed you included secon time eligible playera this year. How is Durzi doing on the recovery? Is he going to drop now as a result? Super interested in that player.

 

[kudla]

Noel ahead of Merkley... my eyes

 

[AmericanDream]

great job Brock, love the work as always.

Blade Jenkins is the best of the US kids and I am happy to hear his progression is continuing to trend upwards. He had a rough year last season with the USNDP, happy that he seems to be talked about again as a late first to likely 2nd round pick.

A name I put on my top 25 list of American kids for this draft at #23 Alec Regula - where do you see him at for this draft?? I have him as a 3rd rounder currently a few posters felt I had him a bit too low.

Thanks

 

[Brock]

Awesome as always Brock. Noticed you included secon time eligible playera this year. How is Durzi doing on the recovery? Is he going to drop now as a result? Super interested in that player.

Been told Durzi should return sometime before the OHL playoffs start. Owen Sound is rolling so I doubt they rush him back from that high ankle sprain.

I don't see him dropping as a result of it. Unless it affects his play when he returns and he struggles in the OHL playoffs.

Also, I don't include "re-entries" in my personal rankings, but have never disallowed them in these media polls. Just so happens they are rarely included. Tanner Pearson got 4 votes in 2012 in the midseason poll. OHL Prospects: Midseason Media Top 10 for 2012

 

[Brock]

great job Brock, love the work as always.

Blade Jenkins is the best of the US kids and I am happy to hear his progression is continuing to trend upwards. He had a rough year last season with the USNDP, happy that he seems to be talked about again as a late first to likely 2nd round pick.

A name I put on my top 25 list of American kids for this draft at #23 Alec Regula - where do you see him at for this draft?? I have him as a 3rd rounder currently a few posters felt I had him a bit too low.

Thanks

On Jenkins, I think most people would tell you that NHL Central Scouting has him a little higher than most. But I suppose all it takes is one team to really like you.

Consistency is still a major issue for me. Saginaw has struggled of late which makes it tough, but Jenkins has only 3 goals in his last 16 games. And too many games where he doesn't show up at all on the scoresheet (no points, no shots, etc). I do like him and his potential, but I also have questions as to what he is. Does he stay a winger long term or can he shift back to center? Will the skating continue to improve? Will his play away from the puck and overall physical intensity improve? Just how good are his offensive skills and what type of role can he play in the NHL?

I see Jenkins more in that 50-80 range for the draft, but that's just me.

As for Regula, I've got him rated higher than Jenkins. I'm a big fan. I saw your comments about Regula, and I can't really disagree with what you said. He's a very, very raw prospect. And those types of toolsy guys (like Serron Noel on this list) are a gamble to draft. But I've seen enough to suggest that I think he could be a really good player down the line. He can be a real asset leading the rush because of his length and the difficulty forwards have separating him from the puck through the neutral zone. There have been times this year that I've confused him with Bouchard until I see the number. He's getting more and more comfortable. The turnovers in the defensive zone will need to decrease. And he'll need to use his size more in the defensive end. But I think the hockey sense is decent. And he's getting top notch instruction and ice time in London. I have a lot of faith that Hunter and Co. can work their magic and bring the best out of him. He could easily be the next Brian Lashoff...or he could just as easily be the next Colton Parayko. I'd personally slot him in that 40-60 range.

 

[Frk It]

Hey Brock, I noticed that Jenkins seems to have a large % of his pts at even strength. (Only 4 PP pts out of 38 pts total...)

Do you know if that’s because he doesn’t get much PP time, or if he just doesn’t produce well on the PP?

I know that ES production is a good indicator, and sometimes prospects “blow up” once they start to get PP time more consistently.

 

[Brock]

Hey Brock, I noticed that Jenkins seems to have a large % of his pts at even strength. (Only 4 PP pts out of 38 pts total...)

Do you know if that’s because he doesn’t get much PP time, or if he just doesn’t produce well on the PP?

I know that ES production is a good indicator, and sometimes prospects “blow up” once they start to get PP time more consistently.

A bit of both.

Saginaw has one of the worst powerplay units in the OHL (at just over 15%). Jenkins sees secondary powerplay time behind the top unit which is Kohn, Coskey, and Giroux. He sees a lot of PP time with fellow former USDP player Goldowski and guys like Brady Gilmour or Nick Porco. But Saginaw does also mix up their powerplay combinations a lot.

Bottom line is it's just not a very effective group on the powerplay though.

 

[DJB]

Noel is definitely big and skilled but man he's a puck hog and lazy.

 

[AmericanDream]

A bit of both.

Saginaw has one of the worst powerplay units in the OHL (at just over 15%). Jenkins sees secondary powerplay time behind the top unit which is Kohn, Coskey, and Giroux. He sees a lot of PP time with fellow former USDP player Goldowski and guys like Brady Gilmour or Nick Porco. But Saginaw does also mix up their powerplay combinations a lot.

Bottom line is it's just not a very effective group on the powerplay though.

Brock, can you tell me a bit more about Sam Miletic -Niagra Ice Dogs - has there been a quieter player putting up these types of numbers the past 2 years in the OHL???? He has almost 90 points in 60 games!

Does this kid get drafted this year,?? it is only his second full season in the OHL and he is absolutely tearing it up. Last year he absolutely without a mention hit 37 goals...I am interested to know more about him as I can honestly say he has completely slipped under my radar.

 

[Brock]

Brock, can you tell me a bit more about Sam Miletic -Niagra Ice Dogs - has there been a quieter player putting up these types of numbers the past 2 years in the OHL???? He has almost 90 points in 60 games!

Does this kid get drafted this year,?? it is only his second full season in the OHL and he is absolutely tearing it up. Last year he absolutely without a mention hit 37 goals...I am interested to know more about him as I can honestly say he has completely slipped under my radar.

Miletic is Pittsburgh Penguins property after signing a contract with them this past offseason.

He's certainly an interesting story. Came to London from the USHL with a fair amount of hype but was not very good in his first year. Ended up leaving the team during that year to pursue his education and it appeared his hockey career was done. But he returned to London last year and looked like a different player than we saw the first time around. And then he's taken another step forward this year. Has been perhaps one of the best trade deadline acquisitions this year in Niagara.

Miletic definitely has a chance to develop into an NHL player IMO. Super hard worker in the offensive end. Good skater who is aggressive looking to play the middle of the ice. Is excellent on the powerplay, showcasing vision and poise with the puck. I guess the question is, can he be a bottom 6 guy if the offensive talents don't translate? Or is he more of a tweener? Certainly a great signing by Pittsburgh who has had a great overage season.

 

[AmericanDream]

Miletic is Pittsburgh Penguins property after signing a contract with them this past offseason.

He's certainly an interesting story. Came to London from the USHL with a fair amount of hype but was not very good in his first year. Ended up leaving the team during that year to pursue his education and it appeared his hockey career was done. But he returned to London last year and looked like a different player than we saw the first time around. And then he's taken another step forward this year. Has been perhaps one of the best trade deadline acquisitions this year in Niagara.

Miletic definitely has a chance to develop into an NHL player IMO. Super hard worker in the offensive end. Good skater who is aggressive looking to play the middle of the ice. Is excellent on the powerplay, showcasing vision and poise with the puck. I guess the question is, can he be a bottom 6 guy if the offensive talents don't translate? Or is he more of a tweener? Certainly a great signing by Pittsburgh who has had a great overage season.

thank you sir, I never knew he signed! tells you how much under the radar he has flown for me.

I am definitely going to have to check him out some more, seems like such an interesting player with absolutely zero buzz on him.

appreciate it as always!