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2012 Archive (11)
Tom Wilson is a power forward who currently plays for the OHL's Plymouth Whalers. Wilson is a hard hitting winger who can find the back of the net as well. The former Toronto Junior Canadien struggled through injury problems last season as a rookie, but is off and running now in his NHL Draft year. Wilson is a highly regarded prospect by HockeyProspect.com, coming in at #19 overall in our most recent October rankings.
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After a very solid rookie season, Dominic Poulin enters his draft season clearly on NHL scouts radar. The former 3rd overall QMJHL draft pick of the Sags is a solid all around defender. Poulin also had a strong showing as a member of team Quebec last year in the World Under 17. Poulin recently spoke to our Chicoutimi based scout, Simon Larouche, and talked about his game with his NHL draft season still in it's early stages.
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Matt Murray of the Soo Greyhounds is a 2012 NHL Draft prospect, and the starting goaltender for the Hounds. Murray is a Thunder Bay, Ontario, native and the former Thunder Bay King is in his second season with the Greyhounds. Murray is a tall slender goalie who plays big in his net. He is very solid technically and is one of HockeyProspect.com's top rated goaltenders as we get the 2012 NHL draft season underway. Melissa Perri spoke to Matt about his game, and if he feels any pressure entering his draft season.
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Zemgus Girgensons is a top rated 2012 NHL Draft prospect who is currently playing in the USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. HockeyProspect.com spoke to Zemgus a couple of times recently including this conversation Steve Fitzsimmons had with Girgensons today. Zemgus was highly touted on the HP pre-season rankings and showed nothing to make our scouts waver on their opinion of him at the recent USHL Fall Classic in Sioux City, Iowa. HP's Mark Edwards has moved Zemgus up the #2 spot on his current personal rankings right behind Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting.
Girgensons chats about his style of play and the decision to play in North America.
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Press Release:
Oakville, Ontario, August 15th, 2011 – First Round Scouting INC. (HockeyProspect.com) is pleased to announce that it has acquired the website hockeydraftvideo.com and will be rebranding the website for the upcoming hockey season. There were no details given about the upcoming changes to hockeydraftvideo.com, only that changes were already in progress and would be completed as quickly as possible.
HockeyProspect.com’s founder, Mark Edwards, spoke about hockeydraftvideo.com and the website's creator, Jerome Berube. “The first time I visited Jerome’s website I knew it could tie in with HockeyProspect.com, it’s a natural fit. I’m happy to have acquired the website, but the really great part was bringing Jerome on board with it. Jerome and I spoke a few times this summer and the result was the purchase of hockeydraftvideo.com by hockeyprospect.com Jerome is very talented and passionate about both the game and his videos.”
Jerome Berube, Creator and Founder of HockeyDraftVideo.com commented on the deal. “I’m really happy to be joining Hockey Prospect. I visit the website often, and I’m one of the many people who purchased their NHL Draft Guide in May. Mark and I had some very good conversations since June and we talked about plenty of ideas for the video website in the future. I think it’s a natural fit for hockeydraftvideo.com.”
HockeyProspect.com is an Independent Scouting Service which provides scouting services for various hockey drafts including the NHL Draft. The website also provides a magazine style section which contains free content for hockey fans. The website is owned and operated by FIRST ROUND SCOUTING INC.
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Matt Dumba was selected 4th Overall by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft. He landed close to home coming from the Calgary Bronks AAA program. Dumba joined Edge prep school, before getting a taste of what the WHL has to offer with 8 games, two being playoff match-up’s as a 15 year old. In 2010-2011 Dumba got full time ice with the Red Deer Rebels, and faired very well. Mathew also excelled at the World U17 Hockey Challenge, where he finished the tournament as the leading scorer, playing for team Pacific. Dumba put up more goals than assists this past season, not a very common feat by a defenceman. Dumba possesses great skating ability, the technique needs a little adjustment, but the overall package is very solid. He gets a quick jump, and is able to generate a good top speed, particularly when skating down the wings. He really looks like a forward when driving down the wing with the puck on his stick, and has a quick and accurate release on his wrist shot.
Dumba also has a solid point shot, which he is able to release fairly quickly. He moves the puck with respectable ability, and appears to choose the right times to take his shot. One of the biggest standout features about Mathew Dumba’s play is his physicality. He is a very punishing defenceman, who despite being listed at only 165lbs. Has thrown some huge hits on some bigger opponents. He is equally effective throwing hits in open ice and along the boards. However he will occasionally leave his feet, and regularly put himself out of defensive positioning in order to connect with some of these hits. To go along with his physical play, he has shown complete willingness to drop the gloves whenever necessary, and has shown very well against guys bigger and stronger than him. Dumba is already built solid, going into next season he will hopefully add to his frame, and get even stronger. Also his defensive play will need to improve, he jumps out of position either for a high risk play, or to deliver a hit too many times. Dumba will need to try and control this a little in favour of remaining a steady presence in his own zone while continuing to improve his offensive contributions. Expect to see Dumba’s role with the team increase greatly, and to be a leader and key contributor from the blueline. Mathew is a potential top 10 pick in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, and is a player we see a great deal of upside in.
Tagged under
For Immediate Release
Wednesday June 29, 2011
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the final results of the 2011 CHL Import Draft.
The two rounds included a total of 62 players selected from 10 different countries.
The OHL’s London Knights made a trade with the Barrie Colts to acquire the first overall pick which they used to select Finnish defenceman Olli Maatta, a 16-year-old eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. After a trade with the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, the Quebec Remparts selected 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko. The WHL’s Calgary Hitmen maintained the third overall pick and selected Swedish forward Victor Rask who was also chosen by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round 42nd overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft June 25 in Minnesota.
Each team in the CHL is permitted to carry two European Import players each season. These players are selected annually at the Import Draft, with the order of selection rotating through each of the three leagues in the CHL using an inverse order of their final regular season standings from the 2010-11 season.
Draft Picks by Country:
Czech Republic – 15
Russia – 11
Sweden – 9
Slovakia – 7
Germany – 5
Switzerland – 5
Norway – 4
Latvia – 3
Finland – 2
Belarus – 1
Draft Picks by Position:
Forward – 42
Defence – 12
Goaltender – 8
Draft Picks by NHL Status:
2010 Drafted – 5
2011 Drafted – 7
2012 Eligible – 47
2013 Eligible - 3
Last season the Prince George Cougars used the first overall pick to select Edmonton Oilers prospect Martin Marincin, before the Sarnia Sting selected this year’s OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year and 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect Nail Yakupov. With the third overall pick the Halifax Mooseheads selected 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospect and Czech Republic National Junior Team member Martin Frk.
A total of 18 CHL players were selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft that are products of the Import Draft including five players chosen in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on June 24 in Minnesota including Gabriel Landeskog of the Kitchener Rangers who went second overall to the Colorado Avalanche, Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks who went 13th overall to the Calgary Flames, Vladislav Namestnikov of the London Knights who was picked 27th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nicklas Jensen of the Oshawa Generals who was chosen 29th overall by the Vancouver Canucks, and Rickard Rakell of the Plymouth Whalers who was chosen 30th overall by the Anaheim Ducks.
The 2011 CHL Import Draft results are listed online along with a seven-year historical recap of the draft which can be viewed at http://www.chl.ca/draft/chl
Matia Marcantuoni is a well rounded player heading into the 2012 NHL entry draft. Marcantuoni is a versatile forward that can play on the wing and down the middle where he relentlessly tries to use his biggest asset; that being his powerful skating ability. Marcantuoni uses his explosive skating style and speed to help position himself at both ends of the rink where he can become a major threat to any defenseman in transition, or back-check to eliminate a scoring opportunity. At 6'0” and 189 pounds, Marcantuoni doesn't shy away from the physical play, especially when on the offensive attack. Marcantuoni has shown that he's more than willing to use his solid frame in making a genuine effort to drive to the net all while working hard to establish a net front presence upon arrival. All of these skills help Marcantuoni make himself a threat every time he's on the ice, where he not only is a great finisher, but he can also deliver the puck very well. For a 17 year old, Marcantuoni possesses a high level of maturity which translates into strong leadership qualities on and off the ice. The former first round selection (18th overall) of the Kitchener Rangers, Marcantuoni captained Team Ontario to a gold medal at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge earlier this year where he tallied 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) and 4 penalty minutes in 6 games with one of his goals being a game winner. With his performance at this tournament coupled with a good rookie season, Marcantuoni has been invited to attend Team Canada's Under-18 selection camp this summer in Calgary Alberta where he will try and earn a spot on the team where they will compete in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August.
Going into this season, Marcantuoni will seek to keep improving his defensive game and if he can continue to advance his faceoff ability, he would become even more appealing to NHL scouts. In midget hockey with the Toronto Marlies, Matia had a bad habit of skating himself to deepinto the zone with the puck. He made good strides in all areas of his game this year in Kitchener, including his puck possession game. Missing a prolonged period of time with an ankle injury (which kept him out for the latter 2 months of the season), Marcantuoni will have to take all the precautions necessary to stay healthy because he will be given a greater opportunity to contribute for Kitchener this season as they will undoubtedly try to utilize him more due to the possible departure of Gabriel Landeskog. With all of the tools Marcantuoni already holds, and still with room for improvement, there's no reason why Marcantuoni can't become a future captain in the OHl and possibly the NHL where he has a chance to be selected in first round in next summer's NHL Entry Draft.
Brett Ritchie – 44th Overall – Dallas Stars – HP RANK: #25
Brett is a player we’ve seen a ton of at HockeyProspect. So we were very surprised to see him drop out of the first round. We were even more surprised when he dropped out of the first round. However we are confident in our ranking of him, and feel Brett will prove many others wrong over time. He gets tagged as an injury prone player, however an infection and mononucleosis are not considered to be something that will affect him next year, or at any other level, simply delayed his development process in his draft year. Brett does an outstanding job winning battles along the boards, and we’ve seen him many times bring the puck out, and use his laser of a shot to beat goaltenders. Brett has great strength, and is easily one of the best puck protectors in the draft, further proof of this came at the combine when he had a longer wingspan than 6’7” defenceman Jamie Oleksiak. Brett is highly effective in front of the goal area, and has underrated skill in the defensive zone. Brett will undoubtedly benefit learning form someone who plays a striking similar style, current Dallas Star Brenden Morrow.
Joseph Cramarossa – 65th Overall – Anaheim Ducks – HP RANK: #55
Cramarossa to Anaheim wasn’t much of a surprise to us. Anaheim owns the rights to Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors’ forward Devante Smith-Pelly, combine that with a solid run at the OHL Championship, and with the Memorial Cup Finalists, The Ducks unsurprisingly saw lots of Cramarossa. Joseph absolutely exceled in a bottom 6 role for the Majors’ excelling on the penalty kill, as well as chipping in offensively showing some good hands, which fans may seem more of in an increased role next year. Joseph has shown he will go through the wall for his team, and is an outstanding value pick early in the 3rd round. Ducks fans probably shouldn’t anticipate him being a top six, although that is not out of the question, but he will very likely be a hard working 3rd liner with outstanding determination, and a fan favourite.
Josh Leivo – 86th Overall – Toronto Maple Leafs – HP RANK: #75
We saw Josh very early in the season. His Wolves were getting pounded, and the team eased up. However both Marcus Foligno (BUF) and Joshua Leivo both stood out the second half of the game, showing outstanding work ethic and determination. Ever since then we have kept a close eye on Leivo’s development. He has great size, and an outstanding work ethic, he’s a decent skater for his size, and he would have been a much better “mystery pick” had he not had an outstanding playoff in the two rounds for the Sudbury Wolves. He has everything you want out of a 3rd liner, and considering his offensive upside is a bit of a mystery, there may be more to Leivo then what he has shown currently. He is certainly a player to watch, and a solid pick by the Leafs.
Anthony Camara – 81st Overall – Boston Bruins – HP RANK: 106
Camara went a little higher than we had him, but we knew he was capable of it. We are huge fans of Camara’s style and it’s a little ironic he joins the “Big bad Bruins” Because that description fits his style to a tee. Camara is a strong, built forward who punishes opposing players at will, he’s an excellent checker, who will occasionally go over the line. He has faced ejections etc. before but it’s all in the style of game Anthony plays. Furthermore he has shown some OK hands in the goal area, however we don’t think Boston picked him up for his scoring acumen. Anthony is a player who will likely occupy the 3rd line, and make life miserable for opposing players on a nightly basis, and do anything for his teammates. He has also shown well on the penalty kill.
Alex Lepkowski – 137th Overall – Buffalo Sabres – HP RANK: 165
Lepkowski was a player who completely fell under NHL Central Scouting’s radar, but we at HockeyProspect were fortunate enough to see him a lot the last two seasons, and really like his potential as a shutdown defenceman. Although there’s not much there offensively, Alex is a great physical player, who is able to keep his opposition to the outside, and has shown he has a mean streak. Lepkowski is very annoying to play against in front of the net, and make the opposition pay. He won’t be a big time defenceman, his upside is limited, but we really like the thought of this 6’4” defenceman on any teams 3rd pairing and penalty kill a few years down the road.
Mika Zibanejad – 6th Overall – Ottawa Senators – HP RANK: #4
Mika was generally pegged around 8-10, but we felt very confident about his upside, and ranked him right at #4. The Ottawa Senators agreed with us, and selected him at 6th Overall, a pick, which coincidentally was the exact spot HP scout Ryan Yessie had Mika pegged, citing Ottawa’s track record of finding outstanding young talent out of Sweden as one of the reasons. We feel that if Mika had come over to the CHL in the Import Draft, he may have been talked about in the same sentence as Gabriel Landeskog. Mika plays with outstanding energy, and can finish among the best in the draft. He also showed his willingness to play physical and throw, and take hits. We really feel Mika has the talent to play for the Ottawa Senators as early as next season.
Joe Morrow – 24th Overall – Pittsburgh Penguins – HP RANK: #17
In Joe Morrow the Pittsburgh Penguins pick up a defenceman who has great puck handling abilities. He can rush the puck up the ice as well as any defenceman in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and knows what to do with it when he enters the offensive zone. He has great powerplay abilities, and distributes the puck with intelligence and confidence. Part of this confidence comes from his skating abilitiy; Morrow has the speed to catch up to opposing players, and we’ve seen him cover the gap between a forward with the puck at a fast rate. Morrow doesn’t get enough credit for his physical side, and has shown a willingness to drop the gloves, and admits it’s not his game, but he’s willing to do it to help the team when it’s needed.
Stuart Percy – 25th Overall – Toronto Maple Leafs – HP RANK: #20
Percy is a solid two-way defenceman, who had a fairly strong late 2nd round concensus. However we were fortunate enough to see Stuart play several times. He embodies outstanding character, with a great understanding of the game. He is solid defensively with his positioning, ability to close gaps well, and shows maturity expected of a player much older. Stuart has shown a number of times he has underrated vision in the offensive zone, and has made some outstanding plays on the powerplay, to set up goals. Many were shocked by Percy’s selection at 25, but we at HockeyProspect have had Stuart pegged in the first round for a while now.
HockeyProspect.com first ranked Andrew Shaw with the rest of the 1991 class. We then ranked him both last year and if you read our NHL Draft Guide this season we had a feature on Shaw. Andrew Shaw is a player that other teams hate to play against. He has some scoring ability but mostly he is a player that does all the work and gets under the skin of opposing players. It's no small accomplishment for a 91' birth player to get drafted but Shaw had a huge playoff run and led the Memorial Cup in scoring.
The Chicago Blackhawks drafted Shaw in the 5th round and if i were an Owen Sound Attack fan I would have serious concerns about his return to the Attack. Shaw now gets a chance to show his skills against other drafted players and it will be his job to show enough to earn an NHL contract.
