2011 NHL Draft Guides (ISS, McKeen's, RLR, The Hockey News, FC, Hockey Prospect)

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,614
8,625
Ontario
Will post more info when it becomes available.

International Scouting Services - Electronic Version $50 CDN; Print Version $60 CDN. (Available May 25th, 2011)

McKeen's - No guide this year

Red Line Report - Print Version $45 USD (Available June 3rd, 2011)

The Hockey News - Print Version and Electronic Version available. (In stores May 9th, 2011, Mailed to subscribers April 27th, 2011)

Future Considerations - Electronic Version $19.99 CDN (Available June 2011)

Hockey Prospect - Print Color Version $46.95; Print B&W Version $21.95; Digital Version $16.95 (Available May 2011)

http://www.isshockey.com/
http://mckeenshockey.rivals.com/
http://www.redlinereport.com/
http://www.thehockeynews.com/
http://www.futureconsiderations.ca/
http://www.hockeyprospect.com/

2009 - http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=627831
2010 - http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=714040

Regarding McKeen's (from "Canadian"):

Late this afternoon, I received an e-mail from PayPal informing me that McKeen's has sent me a full refund of $25. The note from the merchant is: Due to circumstances beyond our control we will not be publishing the McKeen's Draft Guide this year. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your support. Cheers, Ron Jones
 
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Nalens Oga

Registered User
Jan 5, 2010
16,780
1,053
Canada
Wow McKeen's is always so expensive. I'll upload the rankings from Future Watch (THN). It's more fun to read all the lists posted online though but some of them are just lists without info on the actual prospect.

I have a feeling that this year's will just prove to be a mess.
 

F127

Registered User
Feb 10, 2007
292
0
I pre-ordered McKeens and Future Considerations and will get the Hockey News when it comes out. Thinking about trying ISS out again for the first time in a few years. Can anyone give me any info on how good or bad they feel the ISS guide has been recently?
 

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,614
8,625
Ontario
THN Draft Preview will be in stores May 9th. Subscribers (at least those in Canada) should receive theirs about a week earlier.
 

R S

Registered User
Sep 18, 2006
25,468
10
Someone help me decide which one to buy!

I want to get one that is sent to me, I want a hard copy like a magazine.

What is the best option? What is the most in depth and covers the most prospects and players?

I don't care about cost.
 

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,614
8,625
Ontario
Someone help me decide which one to buy!

I want to get one that is sent to me, I want a hard copy like a magazine.

What is the best option? What is the most in depth and covers the most prospects and players?

I don't care about cost.

I would say McKeen's, but unfortunately they have decided to go digital only this year.

Personally, I would say the next best is ISS. Pretty good draft guide, but it looks more like a school project than a magazine.
 

Canadian

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
324
5
Markham, Ontario
I would say McKeen's, but unfortunately they have decided to go digital only this year.
Is the McKeen's 2011 Draft Guide really just a digital version? That's a bit misleading since I don't see any information specifying that it is a digital version only.

By the way, there is tax that still needs to be applied onto the Future Considerations and International Scouting Services draft guides, so the price that you see on its website isn't the exact cost.
 

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,614
8,625
Ontario
Is the McKeen's 2011 Draft Guide really just a digital version? That's a bit misleading since I don't see any information specifying that it is a digital version only.

I was informed this by Ron Jones himself. He's co-publisher at McKeen's.
 

Prussian_Blue

Registered User
Apr 9, 2003
7,737
1
futurenotes.blogspot.com
Will post more info when it becomes available. From what I've been told, McKeen's Draft Guide will be Electronic only this year. This sucks for me (and a few others I'm sure) since I'm the type that much rathers have a print copy in my hands.

You know you can copy the electronic version into a Word file and print it out yourself, right? :dunno:
 

Cooperman

Registered User
Aug 25, 2007
230
1
Quebec City
Someone help me decide which one to buy!

I want to get one that is sent to me, I want a hard copy like a magazine.

What is the best option? What is the most in depth and covers the most prospects and players?

I don't care about cost.

For about the last ten years, i have bought the Red Line Report draft guide.

If you want real and precise scouting information, like the reports of real scouts in the NHL, like the comments those scouts will do in a meeting, Red Line Report is a very good choice.

It always make me smile when some people say that Kyle Woodlief is too harsh in some of his commentaries and is off the chart with some of his rankings.

Having done that job for 4 years in junior, I can tell you that people would be very surprise to hear the scouts talk about different players in a meeting. Woodlief is just writing that down on paper.

And the rankings, well, again, a lot of variation on the list of each team. That's normal. Red Line is not different than any other team, the difference, they talk about it publicly.

So Red Line is a very good choice. It's not perfect. For example, although Kyle Woodlief is from Montréal(living now in Lake Placid), his analysis of Q players is often incomplete.

But again, the Red Line draft guide will interest you greatly.

It was 45$ US last year. Probably around the same price this year.
 
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Jerkini

Registered User
May 31, 2003
8,398
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Wow McKeen's is always so expensive. I'll upload the rankings from Future Watch (THN). It's more fun to read all the lists posted online though but some of them are just lists without info on the actual prospect.

I have a feeling that this year's will just prove to be a mess.

I purchased McKeen's guide in '08 and I honestly can't remember how much I spent on it. But looking at their current price now, I can't believe I spent that much on the print version. What was I thinking.
 

Devils1029

Registered User
Jun 19, 2008
2,988
2
I bought the McKeens print versions the past two years and I remember the print price being something like $35. It was pretty good but I still can't believe I spent $35 on what was essentially a magazine. I had also gotten the electronic version of Future considerations (which I did print out) and THN Draft Guide for a few bucks.

I can honestly tell you that I re-read all of my "magazine" type guides and the last two future considerations guides, even though I liked the content, look like a pile of papers and a rarely re-read them.

That said, I went with thee same three again this year. I also got hockeyprospects.com guide because it was cheap and in a printed form. Last year's wasn't bad for $10 but I was disappointed in this years because it was all interviews (tacky questions and not much opinion or commentary). I'm hoping there will be an updated version as the one I got was actually available back in January.

I just cant justify spending the cash on RLR and ISS but I suspect that if I am disappointed with McKeens electronic version, I'll fork out a few extra bucks for a printed version...to me, it's well worth it because I save them for future reference.
 

Aaron Vickers

FCHockey
Mar 4, 2002
6,431
188
Calgary, AB
www.nhlentrydraft.com
For those that have asked, we aren't anticipating doing a print version. What we will be doing, though, is changing our format from tabloid (11 x 17) back to 8.5 x 11 for those that want to print it out.

Also, if any of you aren't past FC subscribers and are curious about what we offer, send me a PM with your email and I'll send some samples.
 

Hasbro

Family Friend
Sponsor
Apr 1, 2004
52,415
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South Rectangle
If Hockey News had any sense they'd do a draft guide like football periodicals do for the NFL. i.e. More than 60 profiles and a longer list than 100.
 

hototogisu

Poked the bear!!!!!
Jun 30, 2006
41,189
79
Montreal, QC
Last year I bought THN, McKeen's and Hockeyprospect.com's guides. THN's was THN, same old, but it's cheap so it's a yearly staple for me. Hockeyprospect.com put out a book that was kind of a mess but it had profiles on prospects no one else touched so it was somewhat interesting that way, decent price too. McKeen's was definitely the best, and I'm disappointed they're going online-only this year...especially since they're charging the same price as the print version was last year.

Not really sure who to go with this year. ISS is pricey and I've always found RLR's rankings to be a little wild for my tastes. Don't know much about FC but $20 isn't a bad price...
 

Canadian

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
324
5
Markham, Ontario
I received a memo from Red Line Report (RLR) in the mail today, its 2011 Draft Guide will be shipped via first class mail on June 3rd, and the price of the guide remains the same as last year, $45 U.S.

I ordered Future Considerations' (FC) 2011 NHL Entry Draft Guide back in early March. Based on the e-mail that I received informing me the features of the guide, I thought tabloid format meant it was a print version, I didn't realize it was an electronic version until I started reading through this thread. In my opinion, informing potential subscribers that the guide is in tabloid format is somewhat misleading since it is irrelevant because it is an electronic version. Regardless, since I purchased the draft guide at $13.64, I'll live with it.

As for McKeen's 2011 Draft Guide, it never occurred to me that their draft guide was only an electronic version since they’ve always offered a print version.

The problem that I see with FC and McKeen's offering only an electronic version is that their format is not the same as International Scouting Service (ISS) and RLR. While ISS and RLR features straight-up information with no pictures, FC and McKeen's features information as well as (coloured) pictures. By FC and McKeen's reducing their offerings to an electronic version, I think it kind of defeats the whole purpose of having pictures.

I realize technology is changing the way some of us access information, but what shouldn’t be forgotten is, not everyone has or wants to view their draft guides via his or her cell phone, computer (laptop), iPad, etc. (during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft).

Lastly, I think FC’s and ISS’s website should clearly state that its draft guide does not include potential tax(es) yet. I shouldn’t have to find out that there is/are tax(es) that need to be applied when I’m in the process of making my purchase.
 

Habsfan18

The Hockey Library
May 13, 2003
30,614
8,625
Ontario
I realize technology is changing the way some of us access information, but what shouldn’t be forgotten is, not everyone has or wants to view their draft guides via his or her cell phone, computer (laptop), iPad, etc. (during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft).

Completely agreed. There are many people that prefer just good old print magazines over PDF files.

And no, I don't really want to buy a digital version and then print out 40-50 pages worth. Do you know how much freaking ink that is?
 

hototogisu

Poked the bear!!!!!
Jun 30, 2006
41,189
79
Montreal, QC
Completely agreed. There are many people that prefer just good old print magazines over PDF files.

And no, I don't really want to buy a digital version and then print out 40-50 pages worth. Do you know how much freaking ink that is?

Yep that's my take too. Should I be billing them for my paper and ink while I'm at it? Not that I'm an overly cheap person or anything but I'd already be paying $30-50, I mean come on...

And I'm on the bus/train/metro for about 3 hours a day in my commute. A magazine travels a hell of a lot better than a stack of papers with a staple in it.
 

Canadian

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
324
5
Markham, Ontario
Habsfan18, I think you should remove McKeen's from the list of available 2011 NHL Entry Draft Guides.

Late this afternoon, I received an e-mail from PayPal informing me that McKeen's has sent me a full refund of $25. The note from the merchant is: Due to circumstances beyond our control we will not be publishing the McKeen's Draft Guide this year. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your support. Cheers, Ron Jones
 

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