die ersten players to watch für den nächsten draft sind veröffentlicht worden.
Before they were NHL stars, most players were just a name on a list.
General Managers around the league received the anticipated preliminary rankings of all 2007 draft eligible players on Wednesday from NHL Central Scouting in Toronto. The coveted lists, which will be updated in January with mid-term rankings and again at the end of the season with final rankings going into the 2007 Entry Draft, have proven to be useful tools in organizing prospects.
Last year, for example, Erik Johnson was the top-rated skater in North America and Jordan Staal, currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was second on the list. Their rankings held true to form when it came time for selection.
“The main purpose of the lists is to inform the NHL clubs what some of our early opinions are,” said Brandon Pridham, manager of Central Scouting. “It sort of lets them identify some of the players we’re interested in.”
Three separate lists were distributed throughout the league yesterday. The first is a list of North American rankings with every Canadian Hockey League separated, including the Ontario League, Quebec Major Junior League, and the Western League. The second is a list of European preliminary rankings, which is broken down by country; and finally, the third piece of data is the all-important Players to Watch List, which was originally released in October. The revised Players to Watch group now includes United States college players in an ‘A’ and ‘B’ rating system.
Players rated ‘A’ are identified by Central Scouting as a potential top-three round selection in the 2007 draft, while those designated with a ‘B’ rating are predicted to go later.
Central Scouting is constantly updating the lists that went out on Wednesday based on performances throughout the season. In January, this week’s lists are compacted into two separate lists, one each for North American and European players.
London’s Sam Gagner, who scored 44 points through 17 games with the Knights this season, is ranked at the top of the Ontario Hockey League list. He is the son of former NHL player Dave Gagner, who was selected No. 12 overall by the Rangers in the 1983 Draft and went on to play in 946 NHL games with New York, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto, Calgary, Florida and Vancouver before he retired after the 1998-99 season.
Ottawa center Logan Couture and London right wing Patrick Kane round out the top three skaters in the league. Plymouth’s Jeremy Smith, who held a 2.68 GAA and a .920 save percentage through 12 games with the Whalers, is the top-ranked goaltender in the league. Smith is ranked ahead of Peterborough puck stopper Trevor Cann (3.55; .906) and Mississauga’s Andrew Loverock (3.76; .877).
Quebec center Angelo Esposito, with 35 points in 23 games under Remparts head coach Patrick Roy, tops the QMJHL list with Rimouski pivot David Skokan ranked No. 2 and 6-foot-4 Victoriaville center Kevin Velleux No. 3. Rimouski Oceanic goalie Tommy Legault is the top-ranked keeper in the league with Val D’Or’s Raffael D’Orso second and Gatineau’s Jonathan Carrier ranked third.
Kamloops defenseman Keaton Ellerby, with two goals, eight points and 47 penalty minutes in 21 games with the Blazers, is the top-ranked skater in the Western League with Vancouver’s John Blum and Saskatoon’s 6-foot-4 Colton Gillies rounding out the top three in that league.
Regina goalie Linden Rowat (3.02; .884) is ranked ahead of Vancouver’s Tyson Sexsmith (1.95; .910) and Lethbridge stopper Justin Leclerc (4.01; .865).
NHL Central Scouting was established before the 1975-76 season to help NHL clubs, who employ their own scouting teams that scour the globe looking for future stars.
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