McKeen's Top 30 for March

ZombieMatt

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May 20, 2002
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Hopefully not with one of their first 2 picks. :help:

I don't think that it will be completely off the board if Riley Nash finds a way of sneaking into the last few picks of the first round. It will be a surprise for sure, but he plays such a smart, well-rounded game that in a draft that isn't that good overall, he is going to be attractive to teams looking for a player who has a high likelihood of playing in the NHL at some point - even if it may ultimately end up in a diminished role.
 

turnbuckle*

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I don't think that it will be completely off the board if Riley Nash finds a way of sneaking into the last few picks of the first round. It will be a surprise for sure, but he plays such a smart, well-rounded game that in a draft that isn't that good overall, he is going to be attractive to teams looking for a player who has a high likelihood of playing in the NHL at some point - even if it may ultimately end up in a diminished role.

Well said.

As far as other BCHLers go:

Zabotel is the top ranked, and the most talented. The knocks we keep hearing is that he's lazy and out of shape. He sure put up good stats though, and he's a big kid. someone will take him in the first three rounds, perhaps even the second in this year's draft.

Winnett was described by one pro scout recently as "soft as butter." when a scout says that you can pretty much be assured that he's not interested in him in the top few rounds. Our staff at McKeen's like him as a fourth rounder. There's soem talent there, but like Nash...he really needs to add some muscle before he can ever dream about playing at the pro level.

We have Russell Goodman as a darkhorse late pick. The kid does everything well but nothing great; if that makes sense. We know his coach/GM/ loves him - Beckwith says he's the best prospect he's had in Nanaimo for years.

Benn is ranked in the seventh round (225). Some like him more than others.
 

Legionnaire

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Sure do. he's playing a lot better than he was six weeks ago. I think he's finally fully recovered from the mono. Had a couple of outstanding games in the past two weeks that had the whole scouting world buzzing. He's skating better, and that's the only real issue scouts have with his game.

I guess the concerns about being "injury prone" have lessened in some scouts eyes.
 

turnbuckle*

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I guess the concerns about being "injury prone" have lessened in some scouts eyes.

LOL I seem to recall a convo about this before.;) Probably. Nice to see him go more than a couple weeks without missing a game; that's for sure.

Scouts do get a little frustrated when they skedaddle from Saskatoon or wherever to Ottawa to see Couture play only for him to be sitting once again. I know one scout that had gone to 'see' Couture three or four times only to see him dressed for one game. At that point he was starting to question his durability; can't say I blame him LOL.

The main reason why he moved up in the rankings is because his play improved. Luckily he ended the season healthy, and it won't hurt his ranking that he also ended it strongly.
 

ZombieMatt

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May 20, 2002
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Well said.

As far as other BCHLers go:

Zabotel is the top ranked, and the most talented. The knocks we keep hearing is that he's lazy and out of shape. He sure put up good stats though, and he's a big kid. someone will take him in the first three rounds, perhaps even the second in this year's draft.

Winnett was described by one pro scout recently as "soft as butter." when a scout says that you can pretty much be assured that he's not interested in him in the top few rounds. Our staff at McKeen's like him as a fourth rounder. There's soem talent there, but like Nash...he really needs to add some muscle before he can ever dream about playing at the pro level.

We have Russell Goodman as a darkhorse late pick. The kid does everything well but nothing great; if that makes sense. We know his coach/GM/ loves him - Beckwith says he's the best prospect he's had in Nanaimo for years.

Benn is ranked in the seventh round (225). Some like him more than others.

I'm a bit surprised (not disagreeing, just surprised) that Winnett's gotten that label (soft). That's unfortunately for him, but it is pretty obvious that he's got a long way to go in terms of bulking up before he can become a professional player at any level.

I don't want to comment on Benn too much. Frankly I've been overexposed to him and so my views may be tainted. The one thing I will say is that in my opinion, his improvement over the course of the season has been tremendous, which may bode well for future development.

I'll echo what you're hearing with Pierro-Zabotel. He's a lurker, or as Rick Lanz called him, a "parasite." He does not pursue the puck, he waits for it to come to him for the most part. What he does exceptionally well is bury his chances. He just doesn't seem to miss. If he's got the puck within 10 feet of the net, he will score.

With Goodman, it's a distinct possibility he'll go somewhere. Bill Bestwick is (at the risk of offending somebody) probably the most respected coach in the league for his frankness. He tells it like it is, and if he says he's the best kid he's had in a while, I expect that people in other organizations in higher leagues will take note.
 

DaveG

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Apr 7, 2003
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The reason he remains stagnant is because we keep getting negative reports from the pro scouts.

In fact, just before noon I had a lengthy conversation with an eastern conference's director of player personnel (head scout).

I asked him if he'd seen Petrecki. He told me that he was going to, but his staff told him not to bother - he wouldn't want him in the first round, the second round, the third round, any round.

This is not the first scout to tell me that. I had a western conference scout who goes all over the world scouting tell me a few weeks back that the guys on his team's staff that have scouted Petrecki said the same thing to him - "Don't bother going to scout Petrecki; you don't want him." And this was a team that at the time didn't have a pick in the draft until the third round.

I'm telling you guys...Petrecki is this year's Vlad Evseev, Patrick O'Sullivan, Wes O'Neill and Nigel Williams rolled into one. From what I'm hearing I could see this guy not being selected until after the 50th pick. No guarantee or anything, just a feeling I'm getting.

Hockey sense is such an important component of today's NHL, and if there are major issues with it, it doesn't matter if you skate like Bobby Orr in Zdeno Chara's body.

He doesn't have what one would call elite hockey sense. Pretty sure that doesn't make him a moron though.

Hockey sense is vitally important at the NHL level, and if it's thought to be seriously lacking, you are not going to be considered an elite prospect.

Hey - maybe some teams are completely split on this; I haven't polled them all - perhaps there are teams out there that think Petrecki makes Lidstrom look like Shawn Belle. I just keep hearing that such and such team has zero interest in Petrecki in the first, or such and such team wouldn't pick him in the top two rounds....etc. Often where there's smoke, there is fire.

A couple years back I was hearing the same things about Wes O'Neill from the scouting fraternity. O'Neill was in the first round of most draft lists, but when I asked scouts if they were considering him with their first pick they usually laughed. I started to get the sense that Mr. O'Neill not only wasn't going to be a first rounder, but he may not go in the second either.

Thanks for the info. That Wes O'Neill comparison is not far off right now with how his ranking has looked stagnant for a while despite the tallent. Although I do think that Petrecki is a much better skater and will in turn be taken earlier, something that I think played a bit of a role in Wes's drop to the 4th round. Anyway, always good to hear some of this behind the scenes information in reguards to the way teams look at certain prospects. Always makes the debate more interesting around here ;)

On another note, good to see Hamill is shaking off the bad press. I don't think he's a franchise forward but he has quality #1 and excelent #2 center written all over him. He's been in my top 10 all season and I was really begining to wonder where the bad press was coming from asside from his performance in the playoffs last year.
 

Thundermare

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Aug 21, 2004
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I don't like Stich much. a good defensive defenceman in junior...that's all I see. I think most have him overrated. He plays within himself and all that, but there is not much upside in his game. May be a sixth defenceman some day, nothing exciting. He blocks shots well and does some good things ion his own zone, but that's about it.

Thanks really appreciate the point of view. Only saw him once(prospect game) and might have been overwhelm a bit about what I saw that night
 

Capillarian Crest

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Mar 12, 2006
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What's the consensus on the Finnish defenseman Harri Ilvonen?

I'm not sure there's a consensus - he's tough to read. He was rated highly early on (early 2nd round) but has disappointed. We still like him though and he's rated in the 70s.
 
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Legionnaire

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LOL I seem to recall a convo about this before.;) Probably. Nice to see him go more than a couple weeks without missing a game; that's for sure.

Scouts do get a little frustrated when they skedaddle from Saskatoon or wherever to Ottawa to see Couture play only for him to be sitting once again. I know one scout that had gone to 'see' Couture three or four times only to see him dressed for one game. At that point he was starting to question his durability; can't say I blame him LOL.

The main reason why he moved up in the rankings is because his play improved. Luckily he ended the season healthy, and it won't hurt his ranking that he also ended it strongly.

Oh, I understand that. I can understand how scouts would start putting the injury prone label on him due to no seeing him, but I just never thought that it was fair. He had mono-which is rare, and then a couple of minor injuries. So, it's not like we were talking Fritche type injury concerns.
 

Slitty

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Oct 23, 2005
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Unless things turn around at the Under 18's, it doesn't look like there will be many Russians (playing in Russia) taken in the top three rounds, perhaps only three - Korostin, Cherpy and Mayorov.

Well NHL teams now only have two years to convince their draftees to sign a contract. Considering that most Russian players do not wish to play in the AHL and that the typical prospect doesn't become remotely NHL ready until his early twenties, I suspect taking 17 and 18 year olds out of Russia in the early rounds might just become a rarity reserved for the truly elite. Even if a transfer agreement is signed, convincing a player who receives steady time and wage in the RSL to come to North America without promising him a spot in the NHL might prove very difficult. And just how adventuous would, for example, Ottawa feel in terms of drafting Russians in the future if they lose the entirety of their existing wealth of Russian prospects?

In any case, although not directly applicable due to the nature of the 2004 draft, we already saw a trend expressed through Kulemin, Shirokov, and Bumagin last year. Given the new structure of the reserve list-exclusive rights, it only becomes sensible to draft many fairly good Russian prospects at 19 or even older. Thus I ask, is McKeens following any Russian players who are not in their first year of eligibility?
 

Fedz

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I don't think that it will be completely off the board if Riley Nash finds a way of sneaking into the last few picks of the first round. It will be a surprise for sure, but he plays such a smart, well-rounded game that in a draft that isn't that good overall, he is going to be attractive to teams looking for a player who has a high likelihood of playing in the NHL at some point - even if it may ultimately end up in a diminished role.
Also, if Nash manages to go in the top two rounds, which is almost a given don't be one bit surprised to see him in the WHL next year.

I've played with a few guys that are real close friends with him, and he's deciding between Denver, Colgate, and North Dakota. He really wants to play in Kamloops for the Blazers, and rumours from him had him almost dealt there this year at the WHL deadline.
 

Randall Graves*

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So I take it there aren't really any top end goalies in this draft.

Anaheim will likely be picking around 20 somewhere, any rumors on who they like? Probably a North American;)
 

turnbuckle*

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Also, if Nash manages to go in the top two rounds, which is almost a given don't be one bit surprised to see him in the WHL next year.

I've played with a few guys that are real close friends with him, and he's deciding between Denver, Colgate, and North Dakota. He really wants to play in Kamloops for the Blazers, and rumours from him had him almost dealt there this year at the WHL deadline.

i heard that he's going to North Dakota.
 

turnbuckle*

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So I take it there aren't really any top end goalies in this draft.

Anaheim will likely be picking around 20 somewhere, any rumors on who they like? Probably a North American;)

We have three goalies rated in the top 33.

It's hard to say who Anaheim will be looking at in the 20 range as we have no idea who will be picked ahead of them, especially in this year's draft.
 

cagney

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Jun 17, 2002
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Redline was recently very positive about Ian Cole based on his play at the 5 Nations tournament. What's McKeen's view on him?

I've heard Ryan Hayes and Cade Fairchild refered to as wildcards, though the latter seems to be dissapointing many this year. What does McKeens think of them?

Also, is Aaron Palushaj dropping? What's the thought on Corey Tropp?

Thanks.
 

turnbuckle*

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Oh, I understand that. I can understand how scouts would start putting the injury prone label on him due to no seeing him, but I just never thought that it was fair. He had mono-which is rare, and then a couple of minor injuries. So, it's not like we were talking Fritche type injury concerns.

I agree.

I don't think scouts can be blamed for being concerned about a kid's durability when he misses numerous games with nagging injuries. No one was coming out and declaring him to be like glass, but there were whispers (or grumbles) of concern when scouts were missing him for the umpteenth time.
 

turnbuckle*

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Sorry - I deleted a post made by Patterson asking about Ilvonen.

He was ranked early in the second round in the fall but he has disappointed this winter. We now have him ranked in the 70's. he certainly has NHL potential if he can put it together
 

turnbuckle*

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Redline was recently very positive about Ian Cole based on his play at the 5 Nations tournament. What's McKeen's view on him?

I've heard Ryan Hayes and Cade Fairchild refered to as wildcards, though the latter seems to be dissapointing many this year. What does McKeens think of them?

Also, is Aaron Palushaj dropping? What's the thought on Corey Tropp?

Thanks.

We like Cole, and think he'll go late in the second or early in the third. He's our third favourite dman on the NDTP team after KS and Ruth.

Hayes and Fairchild are "wildcards" mainly because they have disappointed this season on the whole. Both were rated as solid second rounders last fall, but have had disappointing seasons, especially Hayes, who drives scouts crazy with his inconsistency. It doesn't help that both are undersized either.

We have Fairchild as a third rounder and Hayes as a fourth round pick.

Palushaj is dropping some, there are concerns with his skating among other things. Still - we have him ranked in the 70's.
 

Canadian Chris

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Turnbuckle - what are your thoughts on Dana Tyrell. Being in PG, I get to see him a lot, and I'm pretty sure I have a man crush on him...but thats beside the point. I'm hoping that he's around for the Canucks 2nd that they got from the Kings - so early 2nd round.

Unfortunately for me, fortunately for Dana, his work ethic seems to have him popping up on more and more radars :cry:...would you agree that size, or lack there of, is the big sticking point with him not being higher on many scouting lists?
 

turnbuckle*

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Turnbuckle - what are your thoughts on Dana Tyrell. Being in PG, I get to see him a lot, and I'm pretty sure I have a man crush on him...but thats beside the point. I'm hoping that he's around for the Canucks 2nd that they got from the Kings - so early 2nd round.

Unfortunately for me, fortunately for Dana, his work ethic seems to have him popping up on more and more radars :cry:...would you agree that size, or lack there of, is the big sticking point with him not being higher on many scouting lists?

we have him 22nd. If he was 6-2 we'd probably have him in the top ten range. Not much to dislike about his game. Easily one of the most complete players in the draft. Skates like the wind, hits, passes, scores, back checks, etc. Reminds me of Brenden Morrow.
 

Canadian Chris

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that's kinda the read I got from him too - the size thing anyways, a little bigger, and he's looking into the top 10....oh well though. He's probably my favorite player to watch in PG, minus Setoguchi, since Hamhuis left a few years ago. The guy just brings it every shift...and I'd REALLY like the Canucks to take a a long hard look at him...*crosses fingers*
 

Duff88

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May 7, 2002
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Turnbuckle, what is your analysis (or the concensus you have gotten) from some of the kids from the USNDP?

Van Riemsdyk and Shattenkirk are obvious, and to a certain degree Hoeffel, but I'm looking more in the direction of Ted Ruth, Ian Cole, John Albert, CJ Severyn, Matt Rust, Cade Fairchild and Joe Lavin as well as the goaltenders. No need to talk about each and everyone of them, but I'd like to see what you think of and what you've heard about some of these guys.
 

Dread Clawz

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We like Cole, and think he'll go late in the second or early in the third. He's our third favourite dman on the NDTP team after KS and Ruth.

Hayes and Fairchild are "wildcards" mainly because they have disappointed this season on the whole. Both were rated as solid second rounders last fall, but have had disappointing seasons, especially Hayes, who drives scouts crazy with his inconsistency. It doesn't help that both are undersized either.

We have Fairchild as a third rounder and Hayes as a fourth round pick.

Palushaj is dropping some, there are concerns with his skating among other things. Still - we have him ranked in the 70's.

Where do you have Lavin ranked then among the d-men?
 
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