OHL Prospects - Draft Eligibles to Keep an Eye on in the Final Two Months

[Brock]

http://ohlprospects.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunday-top-20-not-10-draft-eligibles-to.html

Alexander Khokhlachev tops the list.

Would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and questions.

Click to read more...

 

[futureofnyi]

I'd watch out for Brandon Saad to see if he can heat up and get himself back to a potential top 10 pick.

 

[AwesomePanthers]

Nicklas Jensen. I think his stoke will rise a lot before the season is over.

 

[4Isles4*]

im hoping Kholechkov slips enough for the isles to grab him in the 2nd or trade back into the 1st to take him

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Brock, regarding Khokhlachev, what do you think is the biggest thing holding him back from being a legitimate top 20 pick?

The only "flaw" I see in him is his lack of size, which might limit how effectively he plays his current game at the NHL level. The rest of his skillset seemed to range from pretty good, to good, to great. His skating, shot, stickhandling, vision, and on-ice awareness all seemed positives.

Do you see any other major (or minor that could be major) issues in his game that puts him a level below the guys rated top 20?

 

[Brock]

Brock, regarding Khokhlachev, what do you think is the biggest thing holding him back from being a legitimate top 20 pick?

The only "flaw" I see in him is his lack of size, which might limit how effectively he plays his current game at the NHL level. The rest of his skillset seemed to range from pretty good, to good, to great. His skating, shot, stickhandling, vision, and on-ice awareness all seemed positives.

Do you see any other major (or minor that could be major) issues in his game that puts him a level below the guys rated top 20?

I don't and that's what confuses me.

Obviously he's a smaller guy. The 5'10 listing is definitely legitimate. Maybe there's concern that because of his aggressive offensive nature (a guy who likes to take the puck to the net), he might not be as successful at that in the NHL? Or it brings to mind durability concerns. But then again, if you had a 5'10 guy with The Khok's offensive skills and he wasn't aggressive offensively, wouldn't we be picking him apart for the very reason we're chastising him for?

There's also the need to improve his play in his own end, but how many 17 year old offensive forwards are ready to play two way hockey at the NHL level?

Bottom line, I think Redline has this one right by having him inside their Top 10.

 

[Mathletic]

I love Khokhlachev. Someone asked if Huberdeau was sort of this year's Skinner. I think Khokhlachev's situation is closer to that of Skinner. I think he'll be very good for whoever picks him.

 

[SeenSchenn2]

Surprised Dan Catenacci didn't make the list.

Hopefully he slips to the 2nd round

 

[ohlguy]

Surprised Dan Catenacci didn't make the list.

Hopefully he slips to the 2nd round

I doubt Catenacci will slip to the second round. I have talked to a number of NHL Scouts who have him ranked in the top 15 picks. He is lower on the Central Scouting list only because he is Jeff Skinner's size and we all know how that one turned out where they had Skinner ranked in the second round. I think at the CHL Prospect game and skills competition many NHL people were blown away by Catenacci's speed and by the intangibles he has too offer. Along with landeskog he is the most complete player in this draft. He is strong enough and polished so be surprised if this kid is one of the few 18 year olds to make an NHL roster next season.

 

[wej20]

Thanks for the info Brock.

 

[Bjorn Le]

I doubt Catenacci will slip to the second round. I have talked to a number of NHL Scouts who have him ranked in the top 15 picks. He is lower on the Central Scouting list only because he is Jeff Skinner's size and we all know how that one turned out where they had Skinner ranked in the second round. I think at the CHL Prospect game and skills competition many NHL people were blown away by Catenacci's speed and by the intangibles he has too offer. Along with landeskog he is the most complete player in this draft. He is strong enough and polished so be surprised if this kid is one of the few 18 year olds to make an NHL roster next season.

I'm still not sure why your so high on him. Yeah hes improved from the start where he was definitely a second rounder, but the comparison to Skinner is a little too much. Skinner was top 10 in scoring last year for a very long time, and led the league in goals up untill the end of the year after he scored his 50th and Spott "rested" him till the end of the season.

I don't think you can measure intangibles from a prospects game, and Catenacci certainly isn't the strongest in the OHL for that, he seems to have a Patrick Kane like attitude which can sink you if you can't control it.

Catenacci's upside doesn't look like its much higher then a 2 way 2nd line center at this point, of course that can change but his offense runs entirely through his speed, which he definitely needs to change. His hockey IQ is there but at junior hes holding back on that and using his speed to score a lot more then hes using his smarts to score.

I think he will go in the top 30 at this point, but I can't see him any higher than 25th at this point, so many could go in the first round he'll have to work even harder to stay there.

 

[ohlguy]

I was comparing Catenacci to Skinner based on the fact that Central Scouting had Skinner rated lower in the second round because of his size. CS tends to rank players that are under 6'0 feet lower than other Scouting Services just like they have with Catenacci. His intagibles are the speed, strength, grit, and skill he brings on a consistent basis for a very weak Greyhouds team. He plays a lot like Kitchener's Landeskog and that's why I believe they are the two most complete players in this draft.

If he was on a team like Kitchener he would be leading the league. I've watched him in at least 15 games this season and his goals haven't only been about speed. He's an assistant captain at 17 on his team and a very humble kid. Don't go by what you hear from someone who may dislike him for whatever reason. I liked the kid even more after meeting him at the CHL Prospect Game and have heard nothing but great things about this kid's character and leadership qualities from hockey people. Ryan Murphy in Kitchener is his best friend and childhood buddy from hearing Murphy's and Catenacci's interviews.

 

[newfy]

I came in here to sat Griffith. Hes at about a ppg (in his draft year, pretty good), plays all situation and had slow start that saw him ranked 157th. He already has an NHL shot and release, plays PK and is the pointman on the first PP unit.

If he keeps playing like he is to finish out the year I dont think he'll make it out of the third round

 

[Mikey71]

I agree totally with Catenacci being rated so high. I see him here in the Soo often. I am not a Greyhound fan though, so I watch players without bias. I kind of see him as a Cogliano, but with finish and the ability to win a faceoff. A bit smaller, but with very good core strength, which helps to win some battles he maybe shouldn't win. The other thing I see is that he doesn't just fly out on the ice, he is "smart fast". What I mean is that he is very efficient with his TOI. He is always either creating scoring opportunities, breaking up a play, or covering his man effectively enough that his man isn't even involved in a play. He doesn't just skate around fast and not accomplish much. It really is a shame that GM Dave Torrie hasn't been able to get him a skilled linemate to play with. That fact is one of the main reasons Torrie won't be back next year.

I also agree with keeping an eye on Sproul. Seems like a good kid on and off the ice. He always had immense skill, but is only now realizing it as his confidence grows. I will go as far as saying he is one of the top 2 defencemen on the team right now (along with Curcurruto, who will be heard from a ton next year on this site). With both being rookies, that makes for a scouts' dream gig when watching the Soo going forward. Sproul needs to and will add weight to his frame and if he becomes a bit more physical, would become the total package. What makes his rise even more remarkable is that he doesn't have a good mentor on ice to learn the defensive ropes from as it is a very young blueline in the Soo. His play is not as a result of his partner, unlike Archibald was last year paired with Muzzin.

 

[Brock]

I agree totally with Catenacci being rated so high. I see him here in the Soo often. I am not a Greyhound fan though, so I watch players without bias. I kind of see him as a Cogliano, but with finish and the ability to win a faceoff. A bit smaller, but with very good core strength, which helps to win some battles he maybe shouldn't win. The other thing I see is that he doesn't just fly out on the ice, he is "smart fast". What I mean is that he is very efficient with his TOI. He is always either creating scoring opportunities, breaking up a play, or covering his man effectively enough that his man isn't even involved in a play. He doesn't just skate around fast and not accomplish much. It really is a shame that GM Dave Torrie hasn't been able to get him a skilled linemate to play with. That fact is one of the main reasons Torrie won't be back next year.

Agree on Catenacci. Really the only intangible he doesn't bring to the ice is size. Which is obviously big for the type of game he plays. Also, as someone else in this thread mentioned, he needs to improve his ability to create offense when the game slows down. But he doesn't have to do that right now because his speed, hustle, and anticipation are getting it done right now.

But on the flipside, it only takes one General Manager (and his scouting staff) to believe that his skills and intangible qualities could make a quality 2nd line center. And that GM could very well take him inside the top 15-20 picks.

 

[UvBnDatsyuked]

I have read it a lot in this thread and wondering why. Intangibles are things like grit, leadership, creativity, etc but I see things like size, strength and speed considered intangibles. Those three things are very tangible and able to be measured. Is this people "in the know" speak? Seems like you guys have a lot of "inside" information/contacts. Maybe they have a different definition.