How the hell is Stamkos ahead of Kessel in some of these?
You have never seen him play, so how can you act like people who have seen him are crazy for ranking him ahead of Kessel?
Kessel's top end is still not clear. Stamkos' top end is even less clear. But to suggest they are far apart in terms of their perceived potential, at this point, is wrong.
Stamkos is the odds on choice to be a first overall pick. Kessel was a fifth overall pick. While it's not all that logical to concluse that Stamkos will be better based on where he projects to go in a different draft year, it's far from absurd to suggest people shouldn't put him ahead of Kessel. Kessel was better at 16 than Stamkos is (although, not by much IMO), but Kessel hasn't improved as rapidly as many of his peers have over the last three years. If Stamkos improves at the rate many people expect him to, he will be a better player than Kessel. So without having seen him play, I don't really think it's a fair comment for you to make.
Myself, I would rank Stamkos slightly ahead of Kessel. He's got more of a physical presence around the net, and his knack for scoring is great. He's the best OHL prospect since Joe Thornton (excluding Tavares) and while he plays a very different game than Joe, his overall impact could one day be similar. I wouldn't feel as confident saying that about Kessel.
Crosby
Tavares
Ovechkin
Stamkos
Kessel
I'm not even going to rate Espo. There are half a dozen players in this draft alone who deserve it more. He shouldn't be a part of this thread. Aside from getting the same kind of hype any 16 year old who *might* be a first overall pick in his draft year, I never, EVER heard anyone call him a phenom.