DatsyukToZetterberg
Alligator!
I honestly can't get over how deep this draft seems to be at this point in the season. I know it's unlikely that all the players will keep their production going, but this a draft where having multiple top 60 picks would be huge. There just seems to be really good players that are going to be forced into the 2nd round and beyond.
As of now you have someone like Carter Savoie isn't consistently ranked in the top 60 and is destroying the AJHL as a U18. He's on pace to have the best U18 season in 20+ years and would be in the company of Heatley and Comrie if he finished the season at his current pace.
There are a bunch of OHLers that are off to great starts. Cole Perfetti leads the way who is having a season comparable to that of previous top 3/5 picks and is ranked outside of the top 5 a lot of the time. You also have Marco Rossi who has been a prolific scorer at every level he has played at and has continued that trend so far this year. He is a late bday, but he's ranked in the mid-teens a little too frequently for my liking. Then someone like Tyson Forster who I've yet to see ranked in the 1st round is tied for his team lead in points and is having a season comparable to that of previous top 15 picks. And there are a ton others to watch for too as the season progresses.
And of course there is the Germany flare to this draft. I'm sure almost everyone is aware of who Tim Stutzle is by now. He's been ranked anywhere from 5th-15th so far this year, but I think he has a legitimate chance to be a top 3 pick come June. He is currently on pace to have the greatest U18 season of all time in the DEL as well as surpassing anything anyone has done in the past 25 years. He's potentially going to finish the season as a top 5 scorer in a league that is generally considered to be close in terms of NHLe to the SM-Liiga and AHL, ahead of the NLA, and behind the SHL. He has also been extremely good at the CHL level and has been one of the must productive U18 players in the event's history. His production reminds me of Barkov and Granlund in their draft seasons.
There are also 2 other noteworthy German prospects playing in the DEL, Lukas Reichel and John-Jason Peterka. Reichel would currently be having the best U18 season if Stutzle was playing elsewhere and he is also 2nd in his team in scoring. If he continues his play he should be in discussion as mid to late 1st in the draft. John-Jason had a good D-1 season and has played okay in the DEL. He's looking more like a top 60 or 90 pick than a true top 30 prospect, at least right now.
As of now you have someone like Carter Savoie isn't consistently ranked in the top 60 and is destroying the AJHL as a U18. He's on pace to have the best U18 season in 20+ years and would be in the company of Heatley and Comrie if he finished the season at his current pace.
There are a bunch of OHLers that are off to great starts. Cole Perfetti leads the way who is having a season comparable to that of previous top 3/5 picks and is ranked outside of the top 5 a lot of the time. You also have Marco Rossi who has been a prolific scorer at every level he has played at and has continued that trend so far this year. He is a late bday, but he's ranked in the mid-teens a little too frequently for my liking. Then someone like Tyson Forster who I've yet to see ranked in the 1st round is tied for his team lead in points and is having a season comparable to that of previous top 15 picks. And there are a ton others to watch for too as the season progresses.
And of course there is the Germany flare to this draft. I'm sure almost everyone is aware of who Tim Stutzle is by now. He's been ranked anywhere from 5th-15th so far this year, but I think he has a legitimate chance to be a top 3 pick come June. He is currently on pace to have the greatest U18 season of all time in the DEL as well as surpassing anything anyone has done in the past 25 years. He's potentially going to finish the season as a top 5 scorer in a league that is generally considered to be close in terms of NHLe to the SM-Liiga and AHL, ahead of the NLA, and behind the SHL. He has also been extremely good at the CHL level and has been one of the must productive U18 players in the event's history. His production reminds me of Barkov and Granlund in their draft seasons.
There are also 2 other noteworthy German prospects playing in the DEL, Lukas Reichel and John-Jason Peterka. Reichel would currently be having the best U18 season if Stutzle was playing elsewhere and he is also 2nd in his team in scoring. If he continues his play he should be in discussion as mid to late 1st in the draft. John-Jason had a good D-1 season and has played okay in the DEL. He's looking more like a top 60 or 90 pick than a true top 30 prospect, at least right now.