2005 top 5
- Thread starter rtafts
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rtafts
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That might be useful.go kim johnsson said:can we get some first names and positions possibly?
but most of the time you can find them on various websites...
Justin Saulnier and Kenzie Sheppard were among the top forwards for team Atlantic. They could become late 1st Rounders but, i wouldn't like them in the top 20.Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
Like Daniel_Tkaczuk said..Sweden didn't send a team over and i have no clue about any of its players. But from what i read from Predatore's source...he seems good
I'd be surprised if there were three goalies picked before Tuukka Rask (born in March, 1987). He did, after all, win the Dominik Hasek trophy as the top goalie of the Viking Cup and was selected as the MVP of the same tournament, playing against older competition. He also has the second best stats among starters in the junior A league in Finland, despite being three years younger than most of the players. I'd say he's the second most promising goalie to come out of Finland in the recent years, behind (currently) only Kari Lehtonen.
Teemu Laakso (born in August, 1987) was selected the top defenseman of the forementioned Viking Cup. He's a physical defenseman, with a good right-handed shot and some offensive upside as well.
Teemu Laakso (born in August, 1987) was selected the top defenseman of the forementioned Viking Cup. He's a physical defenseman, with a good right-handed shot and some offensive upside as well.
Finland is the only team i didn't see play and never heard of any outstanding players...so i can't reply
OneSpeedOnly said:No Bobby Ryan?
Not if he plays like he has been lately. The league has now clued in to his little dipsy doodle moves and he is checked more closely than he was at the beginning of the season. I don't think he has scored in over a month.
At a time when other underage forwards in the OHL are taking their games to the next level and really surging (Little, Ryder, O'Marra), Ryan has been virtually invisible.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Juan said:
Juan, who do you see as the best American players in the OHL this year, and next? Also, I can't remember if you've commented on Schremp's potential. Any insight would be greatly valued.
Rabid Ranger said:
For 2004, all there is for Americans in the OHL is Schremp. Haskins and Kaleta are also on the CSB list, but I have been disappointed with their performance and production this season, given what they did in their rookie seasons. Haskins might sneak into day 1, but I doubt it. Kaleta has been typecast as a head hunter; his skill has not progressed.
Schremp is interesting to me. He has magical hands and creativity but his acceleration and speed are average at best. If he goes top 3 like some people say he could, IMO he would be the poorest skater to achieve such a lofty position in the draft in awhile. At the next level, I predict he will be either boom or bust - no middle ground. That is, his exceptional puck skills will make him an elite NHL talent, or his lack of speed will keep him down. Put another way, there will be no Rob Schremp on the 3rd or 4th line playing a checking role.
As an aside, I will give Schremp the benefit of the doubt and assume that he will grow out of his jackass off-ice behaviour once he reaches the NHL. Don't ask me to go into details, but anyone that has played with him since his days with Syracuse Junior A knows what I'm talking about.
2005 is potentially as great for Americans in the OHL as 2004 is poor. Lashoff, Heshmatpour, Davis... and that's just on the Kitchener Rangers! Add to that Ryan, Abraham, O'Connor - quite a few U.S. kids are having great underage seasons. A very brief synopsis on each:
Lashoff: Came back to earth after a tremendous start. Safe 1st rounder, with a chance to go very high if he toughens up in his own end.
Heshmatpour: Dramatic improvement in his own end. HUGE (6'6", 233), VERY strong and mean. Some forwards actually look scared when he follows them into the corner. Lock for the 2nd round, and very likely a 1st rounder if coaches let him join the offense next year.
Davis: Real wild card. Easy 1st round caliber skills; can't seem to string more than 2 weeks together without getting hurt.
Ryan: Should be a first rounder, but will have to improve his skating and expand his repertoire beyond the toe drag to be a sure thing. Imagine a VERY poor man's Jason Spezza, without the vision. Has been in a horrible slump lately.
Abraham: Very solid defenseman with decent size putting up big minutes for an underager.
O'Connor: Smaller forward with skill and grit. Production was surely a pleasant surprise for Erie.
GOBRUINS19 said:
Ummm, there is no way that Marc Staal will not be in the top 15. He will end up, come draft day, as one of the top 3 d-men with Anikeenko and Jack Johnson.
If you mean that he didn't play in the U-17 World Challenge, that's because he was playing in the Viking Cup at the time.Daniel_Tkaczuk said:
I am pretty sure that Tuukka Rask will be high pick. I have seen him play few times and he could be compared to Toivonen or Noronen with his abilities and draft position. I doubt he will go that higher. Another Finn who could be first round pick is Risto Korhonen (late-86). He is already compared to Ruotsalainen, Niinimaa and Pitkänen and not only for the case he is too from Kärpät. As far as I know he plays quite similar with those three. From other defenders Teemu Laakso has gone past Erkka Leppänen (late-86) at least in my papers. I have seen both playing couple of times and Leppänen really was poor on those games. Especially Fin-USA game brought to my mind a question: "What does this boy do in U17 team?". However, Leppänen plays for JYP and it will be lot easier for him to take place in senior team than in IFK.
The forwards I have seen Miika Lahti seems to be best (however I would see him as 3rd or 4th best of 1987 born boys, there are good late-born ones). Another guys I think will be drafted somewhere in sunday (4th round or later) are Jussi Peltomaa and Mika Halava. As a homer I would say two names from Ässät
... They have both struggled with Ässät B-juniors with very poor coaching this season (after they changed the coach they've won all three games in lower serie). Halava's only problem is his size (5'10) he has a good shot and a will to score, but he hasn't been as productive as last season. Peltomaa is good all-round player who has been playing all three junior U17 tournaments, even in U17 World Championships (Halava was injured around the Christmas so he hasn't). This crop is very short of good forwards because there aren't late-86 born ones.
But the next season is the most important to all these boys. They should all improve their level it is always hard to predict who will rise or fade. Anyone remembers Teemu Riihijärvi? There really aren't many 1987 born players in Finnish junior A teams who got lots of icetime. I think Lahti and Joensuu are the only ones who play regularly on powerplays. Others are 3rd or 4th line players.
The forwards I have seen Miika Lahti seems to be best (however I would see him as 3rd or 4th best of 1987 born boys, there are good late-born ones). Another guys I think will be drafted somewhere in sunday (4th round or later) are Jussi Peltomaa and Mika Halava. As a homer I would say two names from Ässät
... They have both struggled with Ässät B-juniors with very poor coaching this season (after they changed the coach they've won all three games in lower serie). Halava's only problem is his size (5'10) he has a good shot and a will to score, but he hasn't been as productive as last season. Peltomaa is good all-round player who has been playing all three junior U17 tournaments, even in U17 World Championships (Halava was injured around the Christmas so he hasn't). This crop is very short of good forwards because there aren't late-86 born ones. But the next season is the most important to all these boys. They should all improve their level it is always hard to predict who will rise or fade. Anyone remembers Teemu Riihijärvi? There really aren't many 1987 born players in Finnish junior A teams who got lots of icetime. I think Lahti and Joensuu are the only ones who play regularly on powerplays. Others are 3rd or 4th line players.
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GOBRUINS19 said:
It looks like the best European 2005 eligible is D Jakub Kindl(Czech) right now.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Juan said:
Thanks for the information, very helpful. I'm very interested in monitoring the future prospects of American players in the CHL, so your insights are always welcome.
Don't forget Alexandre Vincent, the goalie with the Sags who's having a good season and plays for an organization who excels developping your goalies. He have good size and I heard that Oilers's goalie coache go to Chicoutimi at times to help Deslauriers and Vincent
GOBRUINS19 said:
IMO Saulnier is going to be one of the better players from the QMJHL next year. THis kid can be an offensive dynamo with gritty play and he is not scared to drop the gloves either. This year he is playing a different role with the Moose as it does not fit his offensive game, but it will allow him to work on different demensions of his game and really make him a better player in the long run. Next year he will be let lose a bit more in the offensive zone.
Juan said:
Ryan has meant so much more to his team that Little, O Marra etc. Even in his goalscoring slump he has found ways to improve his game. His skating has dramatically improved since the start of the year. He has definetly not been "invisible", I can tell you don't see him much. The Spezza comparison leaves me scratching my head. How is a 6'2 220 winger who is developing into a power forward with great hands and on ice presence, with good checking abilioty at all like Jason spezza??
I'll take a stab at a top 15. For the European players i'm just basing it on what iv'e read/heard as i haven't seen them play. Might be a little OHL heavy, those are the guys I get to see the most.
1. Crosby
2. Brule
3. Latendresse
4. Ryan
5. Anikeenko
6. Levassuer
7. Bourdon
8. Bertram
9. Staal
10. McNeil
11. Cogliano
12. Heshmatpour
13. Ryder
14. Drazenovic
15. Lashoff
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