Give your top 10 U18 players in the world

[moosefan]

It seems for me that Anikeenko is much overreated on HFBoards. I think he is 1-st round material, but not top-5. That's for sure.

I would disagree with you on that. I have seen him play a few games, and he made the difference on the ice, his precence out there was astonishing, and he IMO has ROb Blake potential. If that is not top 5 I would hate to see who you are expecting....Bobby Orr or something

 

[Stiffler's Mom]

Brule by far better than Kessel. Just look at the Team USA U17 vs Brule and Team Pacific at the World U17 in Newfoundland. Brule anhilated Team USA. No one could skate with him. No one could move the puck like him. Best player on the ice in that game and in the World U17. Both team USA goalies got pulled because they couldn't handle Brule. Good thing Kessel is a late born 87. That way he doesn't have to compete with the best draft crop in years, the 87's. Bradford is a better player than Kessel.

 

[stockwizard*]

Brule by far better than Kessel. Just look at the Team USA U17 vs Brule and Team Pacific at the World U17 in Newfoundland. Brule anhilated Team USA. No one could skate with him. No one could move the puck like him. Best player on the ice in that game and in the World U17. Both team USA goalies got pulled because they couldn't handle Brule. Good thing Kessel is a late born 87. That way he doesn't have to compete with the best draft crop in years, the 87's. Bradford is a better player than Kessel.

I agree whole heartedly. I bet Kessel is relieved he is a late '87 so he doesn't have to compete with Brule, Crosby and the rest of the boys.

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

Bradford is a better player than Kessel.

Bradford is nowhere near as good as Kessel, sorry. And yes, Brule gave Team USA nightmares.

 

[cagney]

I agree whole heartedly. I bet Kessel is relieved he is a late '87 so he doesn't have to compete with Brule, Crosby and the rest of the boys.

So earlier in this thread you're asking for a comparison of Kessel and Crosby and now you're ready to agree with the first negative post on him? Why doesn't this surprise me? I suspect that you're tired of fighting with foppa_rules about Ovechkin and you've decided to move onto another target.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Brule by far better than Kessel. Just look at the Team USA U17 vs Brule and Team Pacific at the World U17 in Newfoundland. Brule anhilated Team USA. No one could skate with him. No one could move the puck like him. Best player on the ice in that game and in the World U17. Both team USA goalies got pulled because they couldn't handle Brule. Good thing Kessel is a late born 87. That way he doesn't have to compete with the best draft crop in years, the 87's. Bradford is a better player than Kessel.

The same could be said for Kessel at the Under 18 championships where he dominated against older competition. I don't believe Brule competed in that event, but Kessel's performance was spectacular nonetheless. They're in differant draft years so it's a moot point at this time anyway.

 

[HabLover]

The same could be said for Kessel at the Under 18 championships where he dominated against older competition. I don't believe Brule competed in that event, but Kessel's performance was spectacular nonetheless. They're in draft years so it's a moot point at this time anyway.

Brule did not compete in this event as it was mostly an event for 1986 born players and Canada sent a team strictly made of 1986 born players. This tourney did not have all of the best players present, but nonetheless Kessel did have a fine tourney, leading the USA in points, and along with goalie Schneider, to a silver medal. If Canada had sent their 1987 born club, they probably would have had a good chance of winning that tourney. 1986 for Canada is not great, but decent.

 

[kruezer]

I don't think it should take away from Kessel that Brule is better. Kessel is still frontrunner for '06 IMO, he did improve ALOT as well between U17 and U18. Any news on the Europeans from '06? Whats up with Joensuu in Finland?

 

[Epsilon]

I don't think it should take away from Kessel that Brule is better. Kessel is still frontrunner for '06 IMO, he did improve ALOT as well between U17 and U18. Any news on the Europeans from '06? Whats up with Joensuu in Finland?

Joensuu looks to be a good early bet for the top 10 or even top 5. Russians Alexander Vasyunov and Sergei Belyakov are also being pegged as potential top 10/top 5 selections.

 

[Lord]

I would disagree with you on that. I have seen him play a few games, and he made the difference on the ice, his precence out there was astonishing, and he IMO has ROb Blake potential. If that is not top 5 I would hate to see who you are expecting....Bobby Orr or something

Anikeenko failed to make Under-18 national team for WC-18 in Minsk this year. I 've seen him during WC-18 in Yaroslavl-2003, and in preliminary games before this year WC. Not a great impression, IMO he failed to deliver anything worth speaking, when he played against elders, because his advantage in size is not so obvious.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Bryan Little has Brule like numbers even though he is almost a year younger. Is he not favoured over Kessel for '06?

 

[HabLover]

Anikeenko failed to make Under-18 national team for WC-18 in Minsk this year. I 've seen him during WC-18 in Yaroslavl-2003, and in preliminary games before this year WC. Not a great impression, IMO he failed to deliver anything worth speaking, when he played against elders, because his advantage in size is not so obvious.

Yes, Anikeenko may have failed to make this particular team, but if you look, Russia selected a roster of only 1986 born players. With Anikeenko being a 1987 born, perhaps he was not selected for that reason.

 

[VOB]

Bryan Little has Brule like numbers even though he is almost a year younger. Is he not favoured over Kessel for '06?

He's right up there but I would give the slight edge to Kessel

 

[Malakian#13]

Tukonen won't be 18 untill september.

 

[Raimo Sillanpää]

Joensuu looks to be a good early bet for the top 10 or even top 5. Russians Alexander Vasyunov and Sergei Belyakov are also being pegged as potential top 10/top 5 selections.

I'm really high on Joensuu and see him rising to be a guaranteed top 3 pick..

 

[Panopticon]

All I can say is that anyone who picks Johnson and Cogliano (and maybe even Anikeenko) over Laakso must not have seen Laakso play.

I might be slightly biased, but I've also seen him play a lot and I've never seen anyone read the game like that... especially at that age. Not to mention the fact that he played through the entire U18 WJC with a leg injury (I guess it's pretty serious since it still hasn't healed properly... actually, he's going back on the ice for the first time since the tournament later today) and still managed to be the top scoring defenseman there (not to mention all the second assists that should've been given to him that weren't... he didn't want to beg the refs for those assists like some players did).

 

[montreal]

All I can say is that anyone who picks Johnson and Cogliano (and maybe even Anikeenko) over Laakso must not have seen Laakso play.

I might be slightly biased, but I've also seen him play a lot and I've never seen anyone read the game like that... especially at that age. Not to mention the fact that he played through the entire U18 WJC with a leg injury (I guess it's pretty serious since it still hasn't healed properly... actually, he's going back on the ice for the first time since the tournament later today) and still managed to be the top scoring defenseman there (not to mention all the second assists that should've been given to him that weren't... he didn't want to beg the refs for those assists like some players did).

Where do Juho Mielonen, Risto Korhonen and Tuuka Rask fit compared to Laaksso?


What are some opinions on Anze Kopitar from Slovenia? I keep hearing how much of a sniper he is, good size, skating, speed. Sounds a bit like Andrei Kostitsyn.

 

[Panopticon]

Where do Juho Mielonen, Risto Korhonen and Tuuka Rask fit compared to Laaksso?

I don't really like Mielonen at all. I saw him play a few games last winter and he screwed up more than once in every game... he always played well until he made a few mistakes that the whole team had to pay for.

I like Korhonen, but even though he's a year older than Laakso, I still think Laakso is better (he's faster, has a slightly better shot and reads the game better). Korhonen might fit in better in the NHL though, being more physical. Laakso is not really weak either though... he injured one or two older (U20) American kids at the Viking Cup final with clean hits. He just doesn't do it that often.

Rask is a really good goalie, and will probably become a hotter prospect than Laakso later, but I'm pretty sure that Laakso will be picked before him. I guess it depends a lot on the teams who will be doing the picking... they might not need a goalie, or they might need a few really badly. I think Rask might even be a better goalie than Lehtonen, but I'm not sure about that yet.


Only thing I really worry about Laakso is his nerves. He used to get a lot of penalties (he actually used to lead his teams penalty stats back then) for throwing his stick, hitting the boards with his stick, protesting and instulting the refs and stuff like that. He kinda stopped doing that when he started playing with older kids, and hopefully the change is permanent.

 

[db23]

At the tourney where Brule and Cogliano dominated most of the other prospects mentioned here, Bertram had 0 points in 6 games. How can he be rated ahead of Coglaino who had about 15 points and was named tournament MVP?

 

[cagney]

I'm pretty positive Bertram was badly injured in the first or second game.

 

[HabLover]

At the tourney where Brule and Cogliano dominated most of the other prospects mentioned here, Bertram had 0 points in 6 games. How can he be rated ahead of Coglaino who had about 15 points and was named tournament MVP?

Bertram was injured early(knee) and basically missed the whole tourney. If Bertram hadn't been injured, the trio(or the Killer B's) of Brule, Bertram and Bradford would've been damn right scary!

I think Cogliano had 12pts, second to Brule, who led the tourney both in goals and points. I don't know about Cogliano being named tourney MVP, but I'm sure he would've been a top candidate since Ontario took home gold.

 

[moosefan]

At the tourney where Brule and Cogliano dominated most of the other prospects mentioned here, Bertram had 0 points in 6 games. How can he be rated ahead of Coglaino who had about 15 points and was named tournament MVP?

I was at the tournament, Bertram had 1 point actually, I have the media stats on that since I did coverage there. Bertram played two shifts set Brule up for a goal then on the next shift he got injured. They still list a player there for all 6 games for some reason, but Bertram sat with me in the crowed since I got to know him from the Canada Games and we talked. He injured his let I can't remember what I think it was his knee, but he needed an operation on it, but he only played two shifts and had an assists.

I am tellin you If he never got injured he might have out scored Brule. At the Canada Games Bertram was better than Brule there and the photographer for LA PHotos or what ever they are called also agrees that besides Crosby, Bertram is 2nd on his list as well and he seen those two (brule and Bertram play) since they played AAA and Jr A. So even he thinks Bertram is better than Brule, me and me partner there also think Bertram is better than Brule. Brule is special, so is Bertram both play aggressive, both are creative with the puck, Brule has the better shot, but Bertram is so fast on the ice he is like lightning, and with his quick decision making and awsome offensive abilities he he something to watch constently on the ice where as Brule picks his time to be special. Both are awsome and it doesn't really matter who a team takes as both are extreme talents but IMO and many others who have seen both play Bertram is a little better than Brule.

 

[cdnhky1]

IMO, the top 87' North American forwards are Crosby, Brule, Cogliano, Kessel, Bertram and Little, in that order. I haven't seen Latendresse so I don't know where to put him.

I think Cogliano is very underrated due tot he fact that he still plays Tier II Junior A. If he had played in the O last year he would have been the rookie of the year IMO and would be viewed as a better player than Little, which he is. I think Crosby is well ahead of everyone, followed by Brule, followed by Cogliano and Kessel who are very similar players, followed by Bertram and Little who are a step behind.

 

[Zoran Manojlovic]

What are some opinions on Anze Kopitar from Slovenia? I keep hearing how much of a sniper he is, good size, skating, speed. Sounds a bit like Andrei Kostitsyn.

Remember this name for the upcomming draft. He could be a first day selection. I really like him.

 

[moosefan]

see I think Kessel is good but he is still raw in many areas. He needs to toughen up a bit, needs to make quicker decisions and needs to pass the puck a little more. Cogliano is a special talent as wellbut he has alot of trouble passing the puck on the ice. My 87 go in the order of this for 87 born:

Crosby
Bertram
Brule
Setoguchi
Cogliano
Kessel