Hockey’s Future Top 50 NHL Prospects, 31-40

[Enoch]

Upshall was a tad low, but I expected that after a knee injury pretty much ended his season. Hopefully he will do good for the Ads in the PO.

I'm really interested to see if Timofei Shishkanov makes the top 30....he certainly should IMO, and i'm wondering if he gets his due credit this year. Also, I'm wondering if Suter makes the top 10 .

 

[leafaholix*]

Me thinks the rest of the list 1-30 will be mostly forwards.

 

[kingsfan]

They both had simular statistics playing in two very highly respected and quality league's. Both played the same brand of hockey and both were named league MVP's before joining the NHL. And Miettinen currently plays on the worst team in the entire AHL, while being bothered by injuries all year.

A. they ARE Different leagues, similar or not.

B. Injuries weren't much of a factor here, or Aulin would have ranked about 212th.

 

[habsfansam]

Me thinks the rest of the list 1-30 will be mostly forwards.

What about all those stud d-men that were drafted this past year?? Phaneuf, Coburn, Stuart, Suter & Co. all have yet to be ranked and should get a nod...

personally, i expected this list to be a majority d-men considering how valued potential top-end dmen are by NHL teams. Top-end forwards are often harder to predict (outside of guys like Spezza, Nash, Kovalchuk, etc who are "destined" for greatness)...

Judging by the forward prospects included so far, only the top forward from each team might get represented and i think several teams won't be represented... who would you put in from carolina, for instance? What about from Minny?? Is Koivu really that good... the jury's still out. Colorado's got nothin! Point is... most of the top prospect forwards aren't eligible anymore, so i'm banking of lots of dmen.

 

[Bad News Benning]

I'll actually be very surprised if he makes the list at all. Guys like for instance Kronvall, Krajicek and Colaiacovo have already been ranked and are superior prospects...

Given the ranking of both Emery and Ouellet, I also doubt whether Auld made it...

How are those players superior prospects? Just because those guys were drafted in the 1st round? Also, he was in last years Top 50, I don't see how his value could go down.

Auld probably won't be in the Top 50, but he's an underrated goalie, and will surprise some people. I don't see much of a difference between Auld and Emery though.

GOALIE GP MIN W L T SO GA GAA SAVES SPCT
Alex Auld 36 2084:10 16 15 3 4 83 2.39 912 .917
Ray Emery 47 2736:02 20 20 5 3 115 2.52 1333 .921

 

[DutchLeafsfan]

How are those players superior prospects? Just because those guys were drafted in the 1st round? Also, he was in last years Top 50, I don't see how his value could go down.

Well, for one these guys were drafted higher for a reason: they were considered better players and don't have the attitude problems Koltsov reportedly has. Moreover, these players have already seen NHL action this year, something which doesn't apply for Koltsov. Lastly they have outplayed him since being drafted. When comparing for instance Colaiacovo with Koltsov, Colaiacovo played very well at the WJC, a tournament in which (from what I can find out about him) Koltsov did not even play. This year, Colaiacovo made the AHL All Star team as a rookie, something which Koltsov failed to do; while Koltsov does have one more point than Colaiacovo, he needed 68 games for this compares to Carlo's 52. I can provide arguments for Kronvall and Krajicek too if you wish...

Just as a counterquestion: what has Koltsov done to be considered above these guys?

As for the possible 'dropping' of his stock; this can be ascribed to his not having a stock rising season while getting displaced by a whole lot of new prospects form last year's deep draft.

 

[Bad News Benning]

Well, for one these guys were drafted higher for a reason: they were considered better players and don't have the attitude problems Koltsov reportedly has. Moreover, these players have already seen NHL action this year, something which doesn't apply for Koltsov. Lastly they have outplayed him since being drafted. When comparing for instance Colaiacovo with Koltsov, Colaiacovo played very well at the WJC, a tournament in which (from what I can find out about him) Koltsov did not even play. This year, Colaiacovo made the AHL All Star team as a rookie, something which Koltsov failed to do; while Koltsov does have one more point than Colaiacovo, he needed 68 games for this compares to Carlo's 52. I can provide arguments for Kronvall and Krajicek too if you wish...

Just as a counterquestion: what has Koltsov done to be considered above these guys?

As for the possible 'dropping' of his stock; this can be ascribed to his not having a stock rising season while getting displaced by a whole lot of new prospects form last year's deep draft.

I can see Coliacovo being rated higher than Koltsov, but I don't see how either Kronwall or Krajicek are better. Also, Koltsov was rated as a Top 15 pick going into the 2001 draft, but his agent failed to file the proper papers. He fell to #49 in the 2002 draft because he did not attend the draft, and teams didn't have a chance to interview him or do physical tests, so teams were leary of taking him early in the draft. If he had attended the draft he would've been a mid 1st round pick according to many GM's and scouts.

Why hasn't Koltsov played in the NHL this year you ask? Because the Canucks like to bring their prospects slowly(especially defenseman), and let them develop. There was no need for a defenseman because the Canucks defense is quite deep, and haven't had many injuries this year. They are not going to call up Koltsov and play him 8 minutes a night, when he can play 20+ down in Manitoba( see Bryan Allen).

as a counterquestion: how come Coliacovo, Kronwalls or Krajiceks stock hasn't dropped eventhough they haven't had "stock rising seasons"?

 

[2goodtimes]

Aulin should be a little higher, but it's nice to see Fehr recognized as "rising with a bullet". He was a steal.

Having seen Aulin play in prospects camp and in a handfull of practices here in L.A., I'm not to sure he shouldn't be ranked closer to the mid 40's on the list. Aulin has great hands and puck handling skills, he is however, is a soft, non-physical player. Albeit, he was injured sticking up for Michael Cammellari in a shoving match at training camp. His softness often leads to him not being able to display his skills. He was a crafty player in Kam, but shouldn't be considered the answer for the caps by any stretch.

 

[wint]

as a counterquestion: how come Coliacovo, Kronwalls or Krajiceks stock hasn't dropped eventhough they haven't had "stock rising seasons"?

Colo and Krajicek DID have stock rising seasons... in 02-03. After Pitkanen, they were the 2 most dominant D forces at the WJCs, and they had monster years in juniors. With higher expectations this year, they had good but not great seasons (i.e. they didn't explode again to merit consideration among the top 5 D prospects, but they have done nothing to make scouts downgrade their potential.)

 

[leafaholix*]

I wonder when 21-30 comes out.

 

[BrettNYR]

Alot of people on the NYR board said that Nigel Dawes, Hugh Jessiman, Henrik Lundqvist, Jozef Balej, R.J Umberger, and Fedor Tyutin should make the list. The only one who should be on it is Tyutin, with Jessiman and Balej having bad outside chances.

 

[bossy22]

That is what I was going to post that Nilsson struggled mightily in the SEL at the beginning of the year ...so bad that no other team in the SEL wanted to/ did acquire his rights ...so he had to go play out the remaining part of the year in Swizterland, were he continues to play ...

Who did the rankings?? and surprised that NOBODY who did knows that or commented on that fact ... and as a result the credibility of all the rankings comes into questions as to how much the writer/writers know about the prospects...IMO

That is not meant to offend anyone ..but it does beg the question ....

Nilsson is still under contract with Leksands for the 2004 - 05 season. He was "loaned" or "leased" to Fribourg of the NLA as a non foreign transfer since his dad played in that league. He played 11 games with this team and recored 5 points. They have been eliminated from the NLA playoffs and he is now back in Sweden.

 

[kruezer]

Alot of people on the NYR board said that Nigel Dawes, Hugh Jessiman, Henrik Lundqvist, Jozef Balej, R.J Umberger, and Fedor Tyutin should make the list. The only one who should be on it is Tyutin, with Jessiman and Balej having bad outside chances.

Strangely enough I almost agree with those NYR board cats, NYR has some underrated prospects IMO.

 

[#44_delivers]

Looks like Steen's in the top 30... possible 25.

Ahead of Higgins.

EDIT: Great work.

you must be soooo happy
you should have a "hf sez steen ahead of higgins party"

 

[st_roland]

I wonder when 21-30 comes out.

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Lunaris]

When is next part coming out?

Maybe it's me but it's damn long!!

And patience isnt my best quality

 

[Jobu]

Maybe it's me but it's damn long!!

And patience isnt my best quality

Say what you will, but HF has shown how amateurish they are throughout this whole process. A site dedicated to prospects hasn't had a "Top 50" up for the entire hockey season and they continue to drag their feet. Pathetic by any account and there are NO excuses. I don't care if the site is free or not, facts are facts.

Imagine if BaseballAmerica.com didn't have a Top 100.

 

[leafaholix*]

Say what you will, but HF has shown how amateurish they are throughout this whole process. A site dedicated to prospects hasn't had a "Top 50" up for the entire hockey season and they continue to drag their feet. Pathetic by any account and there are NO excuses. I don't care if the site is free or not, facts are facts.

Imagine if BaseballAmerica.com didn't have a Top 100.

Here come the "don't complain, it's FREE!" people...

 

[Jobu]

Here come the "don't complain, it's FREE!" people...

No doubt. Amazing that people actually believe that just because something is free it can be of poor quality and service, especially when that thing which is free actually seeks to make money via advertising, etc.

 

[Kafka]

We watch their advertisements.... so they own us something.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

I wholeheartedly agree that just because something is free it shouldn't be above criticism.

However the latest posts where people figure HF is kind of mysterious entity generating money, and they are owed something, show a blatant lack of character, a need to grow up, ignorance as to how the internet work and an IQ on par with Mike Tyson.

You're not "owed" anything except a swift kick in the balls as far as I'm concerned.

 

[SwOOsh*]

I wholeheartedly agree that just because something is free it shouldn't be above criticism.

However the latest posts where people figure HF is kind of mysterious entity generating money, and they are owed something, show a blatant lack of character, a need to grow up, ignorance as to how the internet work and an IQ on par with Mike Tyson.

You're not "owed" anything except a swift kick in the balls as far as I'm concerned.

ROFL. I agree. HF doesn't make you come to their site.

 

[ceber]

Don't encourage them by continuing to ask for the next update. You're only enforcing the idea that delaying the publishing of the list generates excitement and anticipation. Just ignore it until the whole thing is out.

 

[Jobu]

ROFL. I agree. HF doesn't make you come to their site.

You people are Pejorative Slured. What if TSN's scores are all wrong and they report inaccurate stories? It's free, so oh well. What if your Hotmail service goes down for a week? I guess since you don't pay, it's fine. Suppose your Yahoo! fantasy sports league is mysteriously deleted half-way through the year. Nothing to worry about, it's free after all.

Because something is free doesn't excuse ineptitude, unsatisfactory content, and amateurishness, especially when the exact opposite always gets promised.

This is clearly a second-rate site with second-rate goals and expectations. God forbid they ever ask anyone to pay for anything or volunteer their time.

And don't even get me started on the fact that these clowns don't even know how to keep servers/forums up when more than 100 people are on at once.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

You people are Pejorative Slured. What if TSN's scores are all wrong and they report inaccurate stories? It's free, so oh well. What if your Hotmail service goes down for a week? I guess since you don't pay, it's fine. Suppose your Yahoo! fantasy sports league is mysteriously deleted half-way through the year. Nothing to worry about, it's free after all.

Because something is free doesn't excuse ineptitude, unsatisfactory content, and amateurishness, especially when the exact opposite always gets promised.

This is clearly a second-rate site with second-rate goals and expectations. God forbid they ever ask anyone to pay for anything or volunteer their time.

And don't even get me started on the fact that these clowns don't even know how to keep servers/forums up when more than 100 people are on at once.

I think you're confusing several issues and putting them incoherently in a big pile.
I also think you are showing zero tact jumping up and down and whining for God knows why.

Criticism is always fine in my book but it needs to be just. Yours is unfair in certain respects and lacks the most basic politeness required under the circumstances.

If HF is such a bad place, why are you even here? You make it sound like it's your worse nightmare.

I like how you compare this place to TSN, Yahoo and Hotmail. Shows how firmly grounded you are in reality.