As a bit of a goal this year, I've decided to throw up some early write-ups based on my notes so far throughout the year. Here they are, so let me know what ya think.

1. C Jack Hughes - U18’s, USNTDP

A dynamic offensive player with electrifying skill who plays a smart and deceptive game, using his shifty skill to fool defenders and push the pace with strong vision and a good shot.

2. RW Kaapo Kakko - TPS, Liiga
Speedy Finnish winger whos dazzles off the wing with a skillful offensive package. Good hands and a nice wrist shot with a good release. Has a solid 6’1 frame and can hold his own in physical battles.

3. C Dylan Cozens - Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL
A power two-way center with a solid defensive game and good offensive skill. Uses his 6’3 frame well to command the center of the ice with a solid blend of power and skill. Also skates well for his size with a strong stride. Almost always working.

4. C Alex Turcotte - U18’s, USNTDP
Speedy center with a strong stride and great playmaking ability. Hustles hard and does not stop working on and off the ice. Plays a strong 200 foot game and is always pushing the pace.

5. C Kirby Dach - Saskatoon Blades, WHL
Offensive center who uses his body well, but can still skate well. Quick hands with an offensive first mentality. Great vision and passing skills with a decent wrist shot.

6. RW Vasili Podkolzin - SKA St. Petersburg, MHL
Lethal two way sniper with a not only a great shot, but a good defensive mindset who doesn’t shy away from physical play despite being only 165 lbs. Deft hands with good puck skills and great anticipation off the play.

7. LW Alex Newhook - Victoria Grizzlies, WHL
Dangerous forward who’s always looking for the puck. A fearless sniper with good offensive instincts and wheels to blow away past the defense.

8. C Trevor Zegras - U18’s, USNTDP
Flashy center who’s such a fun to player to watch. Agile and silky with flashy moves and great vision with passes. Uses good speed and has the drive and grit to keep the puck on his stick and fight in dirty areas.

9. LD Bowen Byram - Vancouver Giants, WHL
Two way defenseman who plays a new age game with poise and patience. Doesn’t have the high end offense you look for in a #1, but plays such a smart and confident game.

10. LD Philip Broberg - AIK, Allsvenskan
Modern style raw defenseman with great size and physicality to pair with an all around package of qualities like a good shot and passing combo with good vision and a good reach to disrupt pucks. Needs to work on finesse parts of skating like footwork and acceleration.

11. C Raphael Lavoie - Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL
A smooth power center who plays a smooth games and is very mobile for a 6’4 goal scorer. Needs to work a bit on his puck distribution and vision to be a multi-pronged threat on the attack.

12. LD Cam York - U18’s, USNTDP
A puck-moving defenseman with great skating ability who loves to facilitate the offense with a growing presence. Could stand to work on his shot and release from the point, as well as a few defensive oriented issues.

13. LW Danil Gutik - Loko Yaroslavl, MHL
A big bodied playmaking winger with great hockey IQ and soft hands to make deft moves or spin off defenders. Needs to work on his skating, but shows a raw package of skill worth taking a risk on.

14. RD Anttoni Honka - JYP, Liiga
A puck-moving beast with some of the best passing skills in the draft. Follows the new age trend of flashy, speedy danglers from the back end with the pizazz of Dahlin. Slightly undersized and needs some defensive work for sure including positioning and patience.

15. RW Simon Holmstrom - HV 71, SuperElit
Strong playmaking winger who is under just around 6’0 but plays with the strength you need off of the wing. Good shot with decent release in a dual pronged attack package with good pucks skills. Great speed and edges but needs to work on his one on one and poise, sometimes making wrong decisions.

16. LD Matthew Robertson - Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL
An all-around defenseman who plays a smart and safe game from the back-end, taking calculated risks and playing consistently. Likes to slide down near the hash marks and make an offensive impact. Great skater with solid edges and no real holes in his game, but no dynamic attributes.

17. RW/C Peyton Krebs - Kootenay Ice, WHL
Smart and fearless, plays a energy-filled game with some skill and drive, but doesn’t have too many dynamic attributes or a giant ceiling. Versatile forward with a high-compete level, safe NHL skills.

18. C Ryan Suzuki - Barrie Colts, OHL
Smart playmaker with a wide range of passing skills and vision to pair with his strong hockey IQ. Decent pick skills with a strong motor, projecting similarly to his brother, but more of a true center at 6’0. Has an underrated shot which he could use more often.

19. RD Victor Soderstrom - Brynas IF, SuperElit
Smooth skating mobile defenseman with solid two-way abilities. Doesn’t shy away from contact despite being sub 6’0. Great at picking out passes with good vision, especially breaking out of the zone. Solid poised decision-maker who could take some more risks and use his skill to jump in the rush more often and make something happen.

20. RW Yaroslav Likhachyov - Gatineau Olympiques, QMJHL
Playmaking winger with good skill and one of the youngest players in the draft. Good creative abilities and soft hands with good pucks skills to make little space creating moves. Could work on his skating ability and footwork, but is a good, raw, high-ceiling prospect.

21. C Blake Murray - Sudbury Wolves, OHL
Two-way center with a solid frame and a good motor. Solid skater with decent footwork and solid positioning on defense and around the net. Good straight-line speed but needs some side-to-side work. Good shielding ability to keep defenders off of the puck.

22. LW Maxim Cajkovic - Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL
Slovakian goal-scorer with a great shot and creative puck skills in a slick package. Really needs to improve the other parts of his game to be a valuable player. His defense and two-way game isn’t really there, all though the effort is, so if he can get some good guidance and just master some defensive abilities he’ll be a high level player.

23. RW/C Cole Caufield - U18’s USNTDP
Great offensive forward with amazing hands and a slick shot. Very hard to brush off the fact that he’s 5’6 and that it’s very hard to succeed at that height. Obviously it’s been done before ala MSL, plus DeBrincat is proving it right now. Caufield is one of the most skilled players in the draft, and he’s quite a stocky 5’6 so he holds his own more than his height implies.

24. LW Arthur Kaliyev - Hamilton Bulldogs, OHL
American goal-scoring winger with a bomb of a wrist shot and great scoring abilities. Needs to work on his skating, it seems clunky and slow at times, and he isn’t the most consistent of players. Proven offensive threat with 31 goals in the OHL at 16 years old.

25. D Michael Vukojevic - Kitchener Rangers, OHL
Poised defender with elite skating ability and a solid NHL frame at 6’2 200lbs. Very good all around with a high hockey IQ. Not the best offensive output or abilities but passable. Smart decision maker who could work on his shot from the point.

26. RD Moritz Seider - Alder Mannheim, DEL
Solid two-way defenseman with a large 6’4 frame who is solid in the defensive end and provides some decent offense with great vision and solid skating ability for a big guy. Needs to gain some strength to match his large size. Decent shot from the point.


27. LW/C Matthew Boldy - U18’s, USNTDP
Hard working two-way winger who has good goal-scoring ability. Possesses a high level of hockey IQ and smarts to make smart decisions on both ends of the ice, especially on the back check and helping out on defense. Needs some good work on his stick handling to become a more dynamic threat.

28. LD Tobias Bjornfot - Djurgarden IF, SuperElit
Physical two-way defenseman who plays a mature game and showcases a good shot from the point. Quite bulky and strong for a 6’0 defenseman, captained and showed leadership skills at the Hlinka.

29. C Henri Nikkanen - Jukurit, Liiga
Solid two-way center who displays a high processor of the game and is a very good and smooth skater with some decent speed. Has some nice puck-handling and can control the puck well, spreading it across the offensive end with good passes. Good 6’2 frame.

30. C Jakob Pelletier - Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL
A creative playmaker who is undersized at 5’9, but showcases very fast skating and high end stick handling skill. Likes to hold on to the puck and feel his way around the offensive end, picking out good passes with his high end vision. Needs to gain some strength for sure to stay on the puck better.

31. D Ben Brinkman - Univ. of Minnesota, NCAA
Powerful defenseman with great skating ability and very skilled from the back end with passing, puck-handling and shooting relatively speaking. Will be playing in the NCAA this year as a 2000 born player. Very tough and strong with good IQ.

32. LW/RW Pavel Dorofeyev - Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk, MHL
Offensive winger with multiple talents and solid skating fundamentals with good edges and mobility. Has a quick release and powerful wrist shot. Can act as a playmaker with nice passing at times. Fast hands with good puck skills.

33. RW Patrik Puistola - Tappara, SM Liiga
Creative winger with decent speed and a nice shot, plays a very offensive oriented game with good vision. Doesn’t have very good physical attributes and gets beaten by more physical players, also doesn’t have very good defensive habits yet. High offensive potential.

34. C Matvei Guskov - London Knights, OHL
Good offensive center with a nice scoring touch, but also some good playmaking skills to match. Good physical frame, but needs to put on some strength to make good use. High hockey IQ and vision, thinks the game well.

35. LD Artemi Knyazev - Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL
Smooth skating, puck moving defenseman who excels at a solid two-way game and has looked sharp after making the transition from the MHL to the QMJHL with Chicoutimi. Exudes confidence in his game with skating and puck-moving and always gives a solid breakout pass.

36. C/LW Valentin Nussbaumer - Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL
Offensive center who plays a high energy and hard working game. Is a natural center, but played left with in the NLA most recently, can play both well. Good wrist shot with a nice and quick release. Soft hands and good vision off of the wing and through the middle. Doesn’t always impress 24/7 but is a high-compete player.

37. LD Mikko Kokkonen - Jukurit, Liiga
Very solid two-way defenseman who shows good positioning and decent vision from the back. Average skater and could improve for sure, but is solid in both ends of the ice. Doesn’t really have too many standout abilities, most likely a safer pick.

38. LW Nils Hoglander - Rogle BK, SHL
Slightly undersized winger with a high-compete level and work ethic to keep him going. Possesses great vision and a quick release to his shot, helping to combat his lack of size. Quite bulky and strong for his 5’9 size, gets in dirty to retrieve pucks and works hard.

39. C Connor McMichael - London Knights, OHL
Goal-scoring center who’s burst onto the scene this year with London. Plays a very smart game with high end hockey IQ and smarts, anticipates the game very well. Loves to get down low and create offense, hustles back hard and plays a decent two-way game. Could put on some strength.

40. C/LW Nikola Pasic - Linkoping HC, SHL
Goalscoring forward who displays a soft set of hands with good puck handling skill. Good wrist shot and loves to find open spaces to receive passes and find the twine with a quick release. Plays a clean game and is getting some SHL time to start the season right away.

41. LW Samuel Poulin - Sherbrooke Phoenix, QMJHL
Big power forward who can provide some offensive skill and good vision off of the wing. Protects the puck very well with his size coming down the left wing. Needs a bit of work on his skating to complete his game.

42. LW Nicholas Robertson - Peterborough Petes, OHL
Brother of Jason Robertson, Nicholas plays a fast game with a speedy element and a powerful wrist shot. He uses a good knowledge of the game and his mobility to impress off of the wing.

43. RW Graeme Clarke - Ottawa 76’s, OHL
6’0 sniper who’s showed he has a good balance of hard work and talent, has a good wrist shot with a nice release and played well at the Hlinka, showing he belongs with the better players of the class.

44. C/LW John Beecher - U18’s, USNTDP
Large 6’3 200lb center who doesn’t play like his size. Can skate unlike most large players and really has some fast straight line speed. Mobility not an issue. Has a high ceiling as an offensive forward.

45. RW/C Albin Grewe - Djurgarden IF, SuperElit
Dazzling stick-handler and speedy winger who works hard and puts in a shift when he plays. Doesn’t have the best hockey brain and gives away a lot of turnovers. Good playmaker who can play on the wing or down the middle. Needs to also work on his discipline.

46. LD Henry Thrun - U18’s, USNTDP
Big defensive style defenseman who’s played very solid on defense and committed to Harvard in 2020. Plays a smart game and moves the puck well on both ends of the ice. Doesn’t provide much offense but can chip in with some assists and breakout passes.

47. C Philip Tomasino - Niagara IceDogs, OHL
Hard working center who creates his own offensive with his work rate. Plays a consistent game in which he’s always visible on the ice, chasing after pucks and creating turnovers. Very good playmaker with solid vision and passing skills.

48. RW Sasha Mutala - Tri City Americans, WHL
Playmaking winger with size who had a good Hlinka and a good start to the WHL season with Tri City. Can also dish off some good passes and use his size and strength to stay on the puck well.

49. RW Josh Williams - Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL
Two way forward who competes hard and displays high end hockey IQ, making the right decision often. Relies heavily on his nice wrist shot with a quick release.

50. LW Nolan Foote - Kelowna Rockets, WHL
Left wing sniper with a large build who impressed early but has since fallen down rankings with Kelowna. Has a rocket of a wrist shot and thinks the game well with a solid hockey IQ but could really work on his skating.

51. LD Marshall Warren
52. RW Michal Teply
53. RD Lassi Thompson
54. G Spencer Knight
55. RD Kaedan Korczak
56. C Tag Betuzzi
57. RD Martin Hugo Has
58. C/LW Antti Saarela
59. RW/C Marcel Barinka
60. RD Case McCarthy
61. C John Farinacci
62. LW Xavier Parent
63. C Nikita Alexandrov
64. RW Trevor Janicke
65. C Brady Meyer
66. LD Lev Starikov
67. LD Nikita Okhotyuk
68. LW Martin Lang
69. LD Alex Vlasic
70. C Ryder Donovan
71. LW Luke Toporowski
72. RW/C Filip Prikryl
73. C/LW Oleg Zaitsev
74. LD Iivari Rasanen
75. RD Drew Helleson
76. C Logan Barlage
77. C Robert Mastrosimone
78. C Josh Nodler
79. G Dustin Wolf
80. LD Ville Heinola
81. LW Matias Macceli
82. C Brett Budgell
83. C Jamieson Rees
84. G Hugo Alnefelt
85. C/RW Yannick Valenti
86. LW Vladimir Alistrov
87. RW/C Dmitry Sheshin
88. RD Simon Lundmark
89. LW Elmer Soderblom
90. LD Ilya Mironov
91. LW Leevi Aaltonen
92. RW Mikhail Abramov
93. C Petr Cajka
94. C Oscar Bjerselius
95. C Vojtech Strondala
96. C Grant Silanoff
97. C/LW Karl Henriksson
98. LW/C Yegor Chinakhov
99. G Nolan Maier
100. LW Danny Weight
101. LW Ilya Nikolayev
102. RW Danil Antropov
103. LW Massimo Rizzo
104. RD Andrew Perrott
105. C Konsta Hirvonen
106. LD Kim Nousiainen
107. C Harrison Blaisdell
108. C Matej Toman
109. C Isac Andersson
110. C Judd Caufield
111. RW Anthony Romano
112. RD Kalle Loponen
113. LW Yegor Spiridonov
114. LD Mike Koster
115. LW/C Arseni Grityuk
116. G Colten Ellis
117. RW Alex Beaucage
118. C Michael Gildon
119. LW Brooklyn Kalmikov
120. LD Nathan Staios
121. G Roope Taponen
122. C Vladislav Mikhailov
123. G Taylor Gauthier
124. LD Jackson van de Leest
125. RW Wiljami Myllyla
126. LD Danil Misyul
127. LW Ethan Keppen
128. RD Oliver Turan
129. C Luka Burzan
130. RW Bailey Peach
131. G Roman Barsan
132. C Aaron Huglen
133. C/RW David Karlstrom
134. C Cody Morgan
135. C Gabriel Denis
136. LW Jake Lee
137. C Patrick Moynihan
138. RW David Kope
139. RW Connor Roberts
140. RW Michal Mrazik
141. RD Max Guenette
142. RW Zachary Okabe
143. C/LW Max Wahlgren
144. LW Nicholas Porco
145. C Nathan Legare
146. G Mack Guzda
147. C Ilya Safonov
148. LW/C Danil Zinovyev
149. C/LW Joel Wahlgren
150. LW Dillon Hamaliuk

(Thanks to @SniperHF )