#57's top 150 + Sleepers

[Hiishawk]

Stefan Legein is one player I've seen numerous times. Plays for the Sauga Ice Dogs and really broke out this season. His skating is his best asset, IMO, as he was voted as the best skater by coaches in the OHL, I think. Rightfully so, because in all the games he played he was by far the best skater on either of the teams. He's a solid two-way player as well, but also possesses the scoring touch as evident by his performance this year scoring 43 goals.

Leafs scouts were seen various times this year watching the Dogs play and anyone with even a single brain cell would think they were scouting Legein. I will not be surprised if they moved up from the second rounder to select this local kid. He reminds me a lot of Chris Kunitz of Anaheim Ducks.

A number of people on HF Boards have remarked how they (often) saw scouts from this or that NHL team at some draft prospects games and assumed that this team is looking to draft that particular player.

The fact is that any player listed among a team's initial 400+ priority players will be watched 10+ times minimum (more in the CHL). Every team with a decent prospect will be viewed with some regularity. But in fact, the scout(s) may be there to decide a certain player is overrated and that he doesn't suit their team needs or philosophy or whatever.

And with a team like Mississauga, there are about 4-5 decent draft prospects to watch, plus some free agents, and also scouts always watch drafted players too (for trades, FA etc.). Legein will probably have been seen by each NHL team about minimum 25 times in my estimation (meaning number of game reports filed) but having a certain teams' scouts in attendance a lot doesn't mean that they are big on Legein at all.

It's like Perron at the MC. All teams were watching him and taking copious notes to be sure but those notes might not have been favourable, and those same scouts would be watching Marshall and Ward etc. too.

 

[kostitsyn1489]

The list is that large? 400 players? Well yeah in the late rounds everybody is an option. I never really thought about the number of player a team could actually scout in a year, it's quite impressive. After the 5th round a team have a list of about 250 eligible player and they gotta draft 2-3 of them. It's quite an hard task!

In the first 2-3 rounds the player are well known, but you gotta scout alot more then 90-100 players. You cant make some blind pick in the later round.

It's quite funny when people says something like "Why did my team pick him over him? He's clearly better" 3 years after the draft.

 

[whatthef]

I really like Eller but I'm shocked to see him rated so high.

 

[jeff88_5]

I got a question:

If Jakub Kindl, Taylor Chorney and Kris Russel were available in the 2007 draft, where would you rank them?

someone, help me please

 

[chaosrevolver]

Why is Cameron behind Subban and Tangradi? He will likely go top 3 rounds. Expect Subban ahead of Tangradi as well.

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

someone, help me please

Russell would go top 10 IMO.

Kindl in the 10-15 range.

Chorney, probably in the 20-40 range.

 

[jeff88_5]

thanks a lot

 

[chaosrevolver]

Russell would be top D-man in the draft and id probably say top-5

 

[Hiishawk]

The list is that large? 400 players? Well yeah in the late rounds everybody is an option. I never really thought about the number of player a team could actually scout in a year, it's quite impressive. After the 5th round a team have a list of about 250 eligible player and they gotta draft 2-3 of them. It's quite an hard task!

In the first 2-3 rounds the player are well known, but you gotta scout alot more then 90-100 players. You cant make some blind pick in the later round.

It's quite funny when people says something like "Why did my team pick him over him? He's clearly better" 3 years after the draft.

I should explain more clearly. The initial list of priority players may be up to 300-400.This is the "watch" list from about October but a number are ruled out pretty quickly (although some reappear on the list later). In fact you are pretty much watching all the draft eligible players early in the season which makes for almost 300 in the CHL alone. It will gradually diminish in size over the course of the year. On draft day most NHL teams have a list of only about 80-100 players left at most.

 

[kostitsyn1489]

Teah well you gotta go and see tons of players anyway. Usually at draft day a team draft 4-5-6 players in their top 30 list. I remember last year the Habs had only 1 player out of their top 30.

There will be 210 players + compensatory pick draft this year so you gotta take good decision while ruling out the player early in the season.

 

[Hiishawk]

Teah well you gotta go and see tons of players anyway. Usually at draft day a team draft 4-5-6 players in their top 30 list. I remember last year the Habs had only 1 player out of their top 30.

There will be 210 players + compensatory pick draft this year so you gotta take good decision while ruling out the player early in the season.

Well what usually happens is that while a guy might drop off the priority list you still see him anyway because there are other players who are priority players in that game. And if the dropped player catches the eye again he might well go back onto the list. Then the other scouts who plan to see that team will highlight the name to confirm whether he has picked up his game or whether he still doesn't belong there. The first big attrition of the priority list usually takes place around New Years.