The "conensus" RIGHT NOW is that STAMKOS and DOUGHTY willbe #1 -2 --though in which order I don't know--may depend on team needs...
THAT being said--look what happened to Esposito--you never now for sure that a front-runner a year from the draft won't be overtaken ..I doubt STAMKOS or DOUGHTY would fall very far off the top 5 though should anyone overtake them..
The most interesting NA case could be Toews --we;ll see if he grows and "develops" even more this season..
Secondly--in any rating --you have a true rating (being fair to euros) and what nOW has transpired with NHL PREFERENCES due to i) Russian issues on transfer or just getting the kids over /competing on RSL salaries;ii) the shorter 2 yr window to assess + the transfer fees even when you agree to sign them pushing even NON-RUSSIAN kids lower on NHL teams "target" lists--ie pushed to later rounds (cutting the risk in ssessing them and the amount of transfer fees)...THUS the converse of eurodrappage is the UPPAGE of Jr A and U.S. Jr players who will go onto the NCAA and where you have longer to assess them to offer contracts + NO TRANSFER $$$ paid...
THUS you now have a disconnect between the TRUE TALENT RATINGS and the PREFERRED DRAFT RANKINGS...
This makes it tougher than ever to get a proper picture of rating players for the draft...
Thus perhaps the CSS way of separating NA and EURO rankings is the better way to go than 1 combined list...you know now that most euros willbe de-valued on draft day anyway now...
You must also devalue certain CHL Jrs on the NA list now because many more JR A and U.S. Jr and H.S. players will be preferred by NHL teams than ever before in higher draft positions because they can hold their rights longer as they go through the NCAA ..
The problems of coming upwith 1 combined list that is REALISTIC now are far greater thanever before when itsimply was based on talentandnothing else..that is no longer the case.
I always like your reads..I learn lots of big words, and I usually get to snuggle in with my favorite cup of French Vanilla Coffee and lose myself in your epic novels.
I actually understood 4 words in that post!!!
Some good points in there, and I do think that trends DOES play a big role in how drafting goes. Fewer Euros will get drafted out of fears of transfer agreements, or fear of their "attitudes" and playing styles. How many times on draft day did you hear the announcers go "Do you think that Anaheim's winning team is now the blueprint for all the teams"...and so on. They were a very North American heavy team, and maybe thats what teams want to model themselves after.
North American players have always been around, but it seems the U.S. contingent is picking up tons of steam, and is getting their guys drafted over the second-third tier of Euros.. Thats just what I am seeing, I am not ripping on Euro players at all. I will bet the 08' draft has very few Euros taken in the first 2 rounds again..some of the good ones will slip to rounds 3-5 like Mayorov did... 09' might be a little better, but who knows how it is all going to play out. Thats just my opinion on some of this stuff.