High risk, high reward prospect Shane McColgan made it onto our list in round 16. Cameron Talbot became the first goalie to make our voting list.
Don't forget to write-in who should be added in the next round. Also would be good to include a discussion/argument on why you voted for a particular prospect.
TOP PROSPECTS
1. LW Chris Kreider
2. D Ryan McDonagh
3. D Tim Erixon
4. RW Christian Thomas
5. D Dylan McIlrath
6. LW Mats Zuccarello
7. LW J.T. Miller
8. LW Carl Hagelin
9. RW Jesper Fasth
10. D Pavel Valentenko
SECOND-TIER PROSPECTS
11. C Oscar Lindberg
12. D Tomas Kundratek
13. LW Ryan Bourque
14. C Andrew Yogan
15. C Steven Fogarty
16. RW Shane McColgan
Shane McColgan
Right Wing
Born Jan 1 1993 -- Manhattan Beach, CA
Height 5.11 -- Weight 170 -- Shoots R
2010-11 Kelowna Rockets WHL 67 21 45 66 62
"McColgan sees the ice well, has great hands, and definitely isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas. The big question on everyone’s mind is whether or not he will be able to play his style at the pro level. The 5-9 McColgan hasn’t let his size hold him back yet, as he has proven a willingness to battle with any player in the WHL while generally staying healthy. If he can get his game to the next level, he could be a big draft day steal." - TheScoutingReport.org
"Plays fearlessly as a Kelowna Rocket with a great speed/skill ratio puck and does so at top end speed, maybe faster than anyone in this draft class. Has a nice snap shot, and passes well, but what sets him apart is the quick first step and the gears. Not big, and needs heaps of weight-room strength. Never the less, he brings all he does have in the attack zone." - Bill Placzek
Tough, banging winger projected to play on the bottom two lines as a physical player who can hopefully add some offense.
"Wilson is going to surprise some people. He can really play.”
-Gordie Clark
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D MIKHAIL PASHNIN
Hard-hitting defenseman with an all-around game. Similar in style to Scott Stevens, though obviously nowhere near as talented. However, he is on the first pairing defenseman in the KHL at the age of 21.
"Pashnin is a warrior, who goes all out in games and does everything it takes to win. He is a good influence on his teammates, because he has great character and is a solid, hard-working player... He acclimated very well on the Red Army team and to the big city. Since playing at the KHL level, he has really improved his intensity and quickness. His body-checking has become harder and he plays a stronger physical game. He is a very hard player to play against and he plays with a lot of confidence."
- Vladimir Lutchenko, the Rangers' Russian scout.
"He plays like a North American. I loved what I saw from him in the 2008 Canada-Russia Challenge series. The Canadian players came after the Russians, and this guy just gave it right back to them. He's just a real warrior."
- Gordie Clark in 2010.
"The KHL arenas have wider ice, and there's very little hitting, but Pashnin's game is a North American game, and that's why he stood out at Development Camp last year. The way he plays is very North American. Defenseman Mikhail Pashnin, the Rangers' seventh-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, celebrates the MHL championship he won with Red Army 2, the top affiliate of CSKA Moscow on April 22, just a few weeks before he turned 22 years old... He came here and he opened a lot of eyes"
- Gordie Clark in 2011.
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C MICHAEL ST. CROIX
A talented small guy who is high risk, high reward, exactly the kind of player I have been advocating that we draft.
"His statistics and achievements speak for themselves, but the essence to St. Croix’s unique game is his style of play. A playmaker and goal-scorer, he believes a big part of his game involves his vision, which contributes to his impressive offensive abilities. St. Croix is able to set up plays and get passes through the narrowest of lanes, but most importantly he positions himself perfectly to finish the play. At the same time, his vision grants him the confidence to get fancy with the puck and put on a show."
- The Hockey News
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RW DALE WEISE
Tied for AHL lead in shorthanded goals, energy player who has been compared to Callahan by the Rangers.
"He's very underrated as a goal-scorer, so I would have expected close to 20 in his first year, and I'm not at all surprised he got this many (28) in his second year. I think this is a big off-season for him in getting himself prepared to take a run at a position on the Rangers. He had a great year for us in Hartford... He's got a combination of size and skating. The thing we licked about him in juniors was his penchant for finishing checks. He still does and can pop anybody. He plays an all-around game and plays in all positions."
- Gordie Clark.
"I do have some skill, too. I'm not a guy that just fights and mucks. I think I can score, and eventually someday, I can probably score 20 goals in the NHL."
- Dale Weise.
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G CAMERON TALBOT
Goalie with good size on a weak team. Did for his college team what Lundqvist did in his early days: keep a bad team in the game, giving them a chance. Dominated at every level he played at, though he was always in rather weak places (OPJHL, College Hockey America). Almost defeated the top ranked Miami-Ohio while backstopping the very weak UofA team.
"He has size and the athleticism we like, and he was able to keep a very weak team competitive... I told our scout I expected them to get spanked in the game, but they won," said Clark. "They won it and got to go to the NCAA tournament, so I sent another couple guys in to watch him. They got beat in that second game, but in both games, they were in it... Benoit (Allaire) really likes him."
- Gordie Clark
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D BLAKE PARLETT
Offensive defenseman with good size. ECHL All-Star in 2011.
“A good defenseman has to be able to move the puck, whether it’s in transition, regrouping, breaking out or making plays under pressure. He does all those things, and those are often skills that I try to polish in young defensemen who come here. If you have a kid who shows up and has that element in his game, it’s a good plus.”
- Whale Assistant Coach J.J.Daigneault.
“I like the way he moves the puck, and he’s a strong skater, so that’s always helpful when you’re defending and can close the gap and take away time and space. He’s really poised with the puck; he doesn’t just throw it away, which is part of being a good player. And he makes plays that make a difference in the course of a game."
- Whale Coach Ken Gernander.
Went with Michael St. Croix because he has easily the highest potential of any prospect still up there. Nobody else that's left over has top-6F or top-4D potential.
Add Sam Noreau. He was just picked in the 5th round. I don't see anyone who's worth more than that who's not already in the poll.
Lee Baldwin, D
Greg Beller, LW
Stu Bickel, D Max Campbell, C Peter Ceresnak, D
Chris Chappell, LW
Tysen Dowzak, D
Tommy Grant, LW
Danny Hobbs, C
Eric Hunter, LW
Sam Klassen, D
Chad Kolarik, RW
David Kveton, RW
Matt McCue, LW
Randy McNaught, RW
Jason Missiaen, G
Jyri Niemi, D Samuel Noreau, D
Roman Psurny, LW
David Skokan, C Scott Stajcer, G Andreas Thuresson, RW
Lukas Zeliska, C
In bold are the only guys that I would want added.
It's a bit odd that McColgan is higher than St. Croix since St. Croix was taken first, no?
It is... people just got a bit excited reading that he was projected as a first rounder a year ago. Never mind that there are a whole bunch of prospects who have the same thing said about them. On the other hand, he did put up a ridiculous performance in the playoffs with 19 points in 10 games in the best defensive junior league. Very impressive.
That said, look for St. Croix to easily take this round. A large majority of the McColgan vote should go to St. Croix.
The next round will be close, as Pashnin fights Weise for a spot.
I think Thuresson is a good add now. Honestly, I had forgotten about him. He's just a bottom six guy, but he's there right now and has already played NHL games--something the guys we're now adding likely will never do.
It's surprising how many people were disappointed with his NHL performance considering he made no major mistakes when he played in the NHL, and was close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
For someone a hair away from cracking the NHL, he's getting surprisingly little love. Except from Gordie Clark.
It's surprising how many people were disappointed with his NHL performance considering he made no major mistakes when he played in the NHL, and was close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
For someone a hair away from cracking the NHL, he's getting surprisingly little love. Except from Gordie Clark.
i just dont see what you saw. frankly i didnt see much difference between him and Brodie Dupont out there. both didnt do anything of condequence. i think i remember Weise nearly scoring a goal once, but thats about it.
i just dont see what you saw. frankly i didnt see much difference between him and Brodie Dupont out there. both didnt do anything of condequence. i think i remember Weise nearly scoring a goal once, but thats about it.
Brodie Dupont played 50% more games than Weise in Hartford, yet scored 4 fewer goals. Weise is also 1.5 years younger. Dupont to me is like Gernander: a very good AHLer who is just a hair below. If Weise stops improving, it will be true for him also, but considering that he's only 22 years old, there's hope for improvement.
Players will normally improve to about the age of 24-25 or so. Dupont is there already and probably won't be improving much more. Weise still has hope to take that extra step forward. And even as we speak, Weise is a better forward.
To me, Weise is AHL's Adam Graves whereas Dupont is the AHL's Brian Noonan. If Weise goes a step further, he becomes a full time bottom-6 NHL forward.
It's all for fun, but between the lack of love for Boyle and Weiss, I am going to enjoy watching their ascent. I just watched a few Boyle highlights. Even I've forgotten how convincing some of his goals were. Top-shelf short side while in-stride, rocket-wrister low blocker - he scores too many real goals for me to not believe he can stay in the 15 range for a few years. But I digress...
