2010 NHL Draft Top100

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

2010 hot prospects Vladimir Tarasenko and Evgeny Kuznetsov called for the U20 4 nations tournament: http://www.russianprospects.com/public/article.php?article_id=676

 

[Savolainen]

Tappara - HIFK 6:4

Granlund (HIFK) with 2 assists.
He has now 14 points (3+11) in 14 games.
He's 16th in points in the whole league and 6th in assists!

 

[minion]

wow...haven't seen Niederreiter ranked nearly that high by anyone.

I can't fault you for ranking him that high. Maybe he deserves it. I really don't know much about him.

Have you seen him play much? Just curious why you rank him so high.

16 points in 15 games, leading WHL rookie scoring, 18th overall scoring. I personally have not seen him play, but old friends in Portland have and say he's the real deal. Will be interesting to see how he does over the grind of the WHL schedule.

 

[rt]

Does anyone know what Konrad Abeltshauser's status is? I know he got drafted in the CHL draft, but is he playing there? Either way, how does he look so far this year?

My top 10 would be:

1. Hall
2. Kabanov
3. Seguin
4. Fowler
5. Mcfarland
6. Granlund
7. Niederreiter
8. Pulkkinen
9. Burmistrov
10. Kuznetsov

No Gormley, Gudbranson, or Connolly, huh? That's interesting. I'm not being critical, it's just different from most of the lists I've seen so far.

 

[jsginsocal]

Once again the draft class seems to be devoid of elite level American scoring talent. It is shocking to me at the lack of elite scoring forwards the USA has been producing. Other than Kane, Kessel and Parise...there isn't a young US born forward who has elite offensive goal scoring skills.

 

[rt]

Once again the draft class seems to be devoid of elite level American scoring talent. It is shocking to me at the lack of elite scoring forwards the USA has been producing. Other than Kane, Kessel and Parise...there isn't a young US born forward who has elite offensive goal scoring skills.

Peter Mueller is only twenty one, and his goalscoring ability is his best quality. He's got a lot of work to do, but he's got a lot of time to do it, as well. He has at least a decent shot of becoming a very good goal scorer.

 

[jsginsocal]

Peter Mueller is only twenty one, and his goalscoring ability is his best quality. He's got a lot of work to do, but he's got a lot of time to do it, as well. He has at least a decent shot of becoming a very good goal scorer.

Yeah - I was only including current NHL players who have translated their skill set from Juniors/NCAA/etc. to the NHL. If I included marginal goal scorers like him I would have named Okposo, Stastny, etc...
I guess I should have included Bobby Ryan on my initial list.

My point was that I'm disappointed that the USA has been unable to come close to matching the elite goal scorers that are produced by Canada, Russia, etc...

 

[Konk]

Once again the draft class seems to be devoid of elite level American scoring talent. It is shocking to me at the lack of elite scoring forwards the USA has been producing. Other than Kane, Kessel and Parise...there isn't a young US born forward who has elite offensive goal scoring skills.

Yeah, 2010 is strong on defense and in goal, but offense is below average. Only Bjugstad and Watson seem to be significant, with Etem a distant third. I do think before the year is over Merrill will be top ten or at least close to it.

2011 is a different story, as McColgan and Saad are already better than any 2010 eligible forward and Jacobs and Ambroz aren't far behind. Plus Nieto, Trocheck, and Noesen as potential firsts.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Granlund with 2 assists today puting him at 3+11=14 in 14!!!

 

[Konk]

My point was that I'm disappointed that the USA has been unable to come close to matching the elite goal scorers that are produced by Canada, Russia, etc...

Yeah they're not going to produce many Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk, Crosby, or Tavares'. But Parise, Kane, Kessel, Ryan, van Riemsdyk, etc. are a big improvement over the 10 years before when they produced absolutely nada.

If you look at the trend, although '09 was a down year and 2010 doesn't look particularly strong either (average overall), 2011 looks very impressive and younger age groups look to have potential as well. Improvement is slow, but you can definitely tell the difference between now and 10 years ago.

 

[jsginsocal]

Yeah, 2010 is strong on defense and in goal, but offense is below average. Only Bjugstad and Watson seem to be significant, with Etem a distant third. I do think before the year is over Merrill will be top ten or at least close to it.

2011 is a different story, as McColgan and Saad are already better than any 2010 eligible forward and Jacobs and Ambroz aren't far behind. Plus Nieto, Trocheck, and Noesen as potential firsts.

Cool - I'll keep an eye on them. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Konk]

Cool - I'll keep an eye on them. Thanks for the feedback.

On the other end of the spectrum, the US does develop a lot of top-end defensive talent.

Ryan Suter, Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson, Zach Bogosian, and now Cam Fowler in 2010.

Then you look at the goalie pipeline, which is extremely thin year after year. Finally in 2010, Jack Campbell looks like a serious prospect in goal for the U.S.

 

[urho]

Call me crazy if you want to but if Granlund continues his magnificent play he should be top 3 pick. He's magical, i've never seen 17 years old kid dominating the ice at pro level like he's doing right now. Incredible skillset and hockey sense and he has lots of time to improve his skating and strength. I'm usually shy to make these kind of predictions but Mikael Granlund has superstar written all over him, say what you say.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Call me crazy if you want to but if Granlund continues his magnificent play he should be top 3 pick. He's magical, i've never seen 17 years old kid dominating the ice in pro level like he's doing right now. Incredible skillset and hockey sense and he has lots of time to improve his skating and strength. I'm usually shy to make these kind of predictions but Mikael Granlund has superstar written all over him, say what you say.

Has a 17 year old ever torn up the SM-Liiga like that?

Teemu Selanne played 5 games his draft year in the SM-Liiga and had a goal and an assist...

When Selanne was 16 he posted 66 points in 33 games in U20
When Granlund was 16 he posted 57 points in 35 games in U20

Pretty similar if you ask me.. I think Granlund had better competition.

When Selanne was 15 he posted 22 points in 33 games in U20
When Granlund was 15 he posted 49 points in 31 games in U18

I don't know how to read that...

 

[steap]

Tarasenko scored 2 goals in last 2 games.
Now he is 4+3 in 15 games. His +/- (+6) is best in the team!

 

[Sampe]

Has a 17 year old ever torn up the SM-Liiga like that?

Teemu Selanne played 5 games his draft year in the SM-Liiga and had a goal and an assist...

When Selanne was 16 he posted 66 points in 33 games in U20
When Granlund was 16 he posted 57 points in 35 games in U20

Pretty similar if you ask me.. I think Granlund had better competition.

When Selanne was 15 he posted 22 points in 33 games in U20
When Granlund was 15 he posted 49 points in 31 games in U18

I don't know how to read that...

Actually, you're comparing what Selänne did at 16/17 to what Granlund did at 15/16.

Selänne made his breakthrough in his draft year (1987-88), when he scored those 66 points in Junior A. He also scored 2 points in the Finnish Tier 2 league (not SM-Liiga). But he was not the best junior player in Finnish hockey history. Try Esa Keskinen and better yet Reijo Ruotsalainen:

Keskinen at 15: 32. 46+20=66 in Junior A
Keskinen at 16: 27. 14+18=32 in Tier 2 (called Mestis these days)
Keskinen at 17: 15. 5+14=19 in Tier 2
Keskinen at 18: 31. 10+25=35 in the SM-Liiga

Ruotsalainen at 15: 36. 9+15=24 in Tier 2
Ruotsalainen at 16: 36. 23+35=58 in Tier 2
Ruotsalainen at 17: 30. 9+14=23 in the SM-Liiga (pretty good for a defenseman)

AFAIK, those two are the only junior players whose stats can match Granlund's. But the times were different and the stats are definitely not comparable.

 

[Jussi]

When Selanne was 15 he posted 22 points in 33 games in U20
When Granlund was 15 he posted 49 points in 31 games in U18

I don't know how to read that...

No need to. Selänne wasn't "that talented" at that age. His development took a huge step forward around 18-21 years, basically after he broke his leg as a 19-year old.

 

[FinProspects]

No need to. Selänne wasn't "that talented" at that age. His development took a huge step forward around 18-21 years, basically after he broke his leg as a 19-year old.

Well Selänne was always a special talent, thats for sure. Whether it was soccer or hockey, he scored a lot of goals. The reason that he didnt get invited to the first junior national team camp (pohjola-leiri I think), was that his legs (was it ankles? Cant remember) were so sore that he couldnt even skate. Before he had just skated past every d-man in juniors and scored tons of goals. But now that he couldnt skate, he had to pay more attention to his passing and stickhandling skills. This was a major factor that made Selänne more of a complete offensive player and a great passer (remember, 4 seasons with +50 assists, 1 season with 60 assists).

But basically, he was always a couple steps ahead of every other 70-born player in Finland. But when he was 17/18 he really pushed his development on the next level. I think its fair to say, that Granlund is on par/maybe even ahead with 17 year old Selänne atm, but very few can match Selänne´s development at the ages 18-21 as you mentioned.

 

[Jussi]

I think its fair to say, that Granlund is on par/maybe even ahead with 17 year old Selänne atm, but very few can match Selänne´s development at the ages 18-21 as you mentioned.

Long time fans/followers of Jokerit have said that even Teemu Pulkkinen is more talented now (or rather more complete regarding his offensive game) than Selänne was at this age. What pushed Selänne ahead was the amount of time and work he did by himself(urged on by his father) outside normal team training sessions in later years.

Both Granlund and Pulkkinen have stated in interviews how much they like to train by themselves, Pulkkinen on his shot and Granlund skating on outdoor rinks (ulkojäähöntsä). With the winters we're having in southern Finland nowadays, that might be a little harder. In Pulkkinen's case, he might do better working out on a synthetic ice while recovering from the wrist surgery, to build up his leg strength more.

 

[DJB]

The one thing that might seperate Pulkinnen and Grandlund with Selanne might be their size. Teemu is listed at 6'0 and 200 pounds, while the other two are smaller.

One question about Pulkinnen and Grandlund, are they willing to battle for the puck and play physical? Or do they both shy away from contact and prefer to play on the outside?

 

[urho]

The one thing that might seperate Pulkinnen and Grandlund with Selanne might be their size. Teemu is listed at 6'0 and 200 pounds, while the other two are smaller.

One question about Pulkinnen and Grandlund, are they willing to battle for the puck and play physical? Or do they both shy away from contact and prefer to play on the outside?

I haven't seen much Pulkkinen but Granlund doesn't shy away from tough spots at all. Sure he gets hit but he's always quickly on his feet again making the right play. He himself hits hard occasionally, I remember his big hit on Hentunen earlier from this season.

And remember, it's a mens pro league his playing in, ppg-pace isn't possible if you're afraid.

Edit. BTW, 1+1 so far in the 1st period against last years champion JYP.

 

[DJB]

Thanks Urho! That is good news, it will make his transition to the NHL a little easier...

 

[Jussi]

The one thing that might seperate Pulkinnen and Grandlund with Selanne might be their size. Teemu is listed at 6'0 and 200 pounds, while the other two are smaller.

One question about Pulkinnen and Grandlund, are they willing to battle for the puck and play physical? Or do they both shy away from contact and prefer to play on the outside?

Selänne didn't weigh that much when he still played in Finland.

Urho already aswered for Granlund, Pulkkinen on the other has shyed away from the tight spots. Considering he didn't do that in junior level (has been known to give Ovechkin like hits on the odd occasion), this might be due to not being accustomed to the pro level yet, the whole mental state of the team or an after effect of his knee injury from February (he was injured after "a questionable" hit).

 

[Jussi]

Though this isn't the Granlund vs Hall thread, what do you think GMs or scouts would value more come draft day: 100+ points in the top team of CHL or point-per-game in a men's pro league? 120-150 points in the CHL vs 58 points in SM-liiga?

 

[DJB]

Though this isn't the Granlund vs Hall thread, what do you think GMs or scouts would value more come draft day: 100+ points in the top team of CHL or point-per-game in a men's pro league? 120-150 points in the CHL vs 58 points in SM-liiga?

Prbably Hall only because of the North American bias. Although a good scout would judge a player based on play rather then points I would hope.

If Granlund was an inch or two taller, I think he would possibly be a top 3 pick from what I have seen, heard and read...

Is there aything concrete on his size? He's been listed as small as 5'8 and as big as 5'10. Anyone know for sure at this point? We will all find out at the NHL combine though...