NHL Draft
2014 NHL Draft Top 30 Prospects Ranking: December Edition
Dec
NHL Draft Top 30 Prospects Ranking – December 18th, 2013
HockeyProspect.com is pleased to release our December edition of our 2014 NHL Draft Top 30 Prospects Ranking. It’s been 69 days since we released our last edition of our rankings. Our scouts have seen a lot of hockey since that time and our list has five players making their first appearance in our top 30 prospects list.
Leading the way on our list once again this month is Sam Reinhart from the Kootenay Ice. Reinhart will be heading to Malmo, Sweden, with Team Canada over the holidays. Joining Reinhart in Sweden is Aaron Ekblad from the Barrie Colts, who just happens ranked second on our list. Coming in third on this edition of our rankings is Michael Dal Colle from the Oshawa Generals. Dal Colle moves up seven big spots in our top 10 since our last list.
HockeyProspect.com’s Director of Scouting, Mark Edwards, commented on the latest rankings. “A few things are becoming more clear as each week of viewings passes. This draft looks to be lacking what I would classify as a ‘can’t miss’ franchise player and I don’t see many defensemen being selected in the first round.” The current rankings list only has one defensemen in the top 10 (Ekblad) and five total in the top 30.
Edwards offered up a few more thoughts on the new list, “It’s been over two months since we released our previous list, so there are definitely some changes in our top 30. We saw the USNTDP a few times since our October list and those viewings are reflected in our rankings.” Two USNTDP players made their way into the top 15 in December.
“I really liked what I saw from Alex Tuch. He’s a big kid, he plays to his size, skating is solid and he showed off some good scoring skills.” Edwards says Tuch has a great shot and showed some soft hands as well. “I will be surprised if he slips past the 12th or 13th player selected based on what I have seen so far.” Tuch has been moved into a top 10 ranking position this month.
Alex Tuch was not the only riser from the USNTDP. Dylan Larkin moved up from being outside the top 30, into the top 15. “Larkin is a pretty complete package.” Edwards stated. “I love his competitiveness. When I see a player with NHL tools, it’s a nice bonus to see some great intangibles also included in the package.”
Another player new to the top 30 is the Sarnia Sting’s Anthony Deangelo. “He’s a player our scout Ryan Yessie has seen a ton of. Deangelo is a kid who has always had the high-end tools. He frustrated us in the past with some selfish penalties, poor body language and the odd bonehead play. It looks like he is showing signs of maturing as a player which is leading to getting more production out of his natural talent.”
One player who slipped out of the top 30 in October after sitting 26th in our pre-season list is Kitchener Ranger forward Ryan MacInnis. He makes it back into the top 30 this month after some better viewings of late. “He has been better for sure.” Edwards stated, “He struggled in some early viewings and was being outplayed by his fellow 2014 NHL Draft eligible teammates, Magyar and Llewellyn, but he’s closed the gap on them and he has big upside if he can continue this upward trend.”
Nick Ritchie from the Peterborough Petes remains in the top 10 this month. He was 7th in September, 5th in October and remains 5th this month. Edwards commented on his potential, “I did a radio interview a couple of months ago and I was asked about him. I said he has the potential to be the top pick in this draft if he can put together a consistent season. He has had some ups and downs, but he has still managed to show scouts his high end package of tools. This is a big power forward with a ton of skill. I have seen him play since he was 14 years old and have witnessed some incredible performances. He doesn’t have much help this year in Peterborough.”
A few players showing a steady rise up the rankings are Jared McCann, David Pastrnk and Sam Bennett. “People who talk to me often know that I really liked McCann going back to his OHL Draft year. We had him ranked 1st overall 2 years ago until McDavid was granted exceptional status. McCann has a lethal shot and plays a good 200 foot game down the middle.” Edwards explained.
Edwards says his scouts have liked Pastrnk for a while. “He impressed (HP Scout) Josh Deitell last year at the Five Nations. I really liked what I saw from him in Sochi last April and he followed with a strong Hlinka tourney this past August. Our scout in Sweden, Patrik Jonsson, has submitted great reports this season, where he’s showing off his offensive skill. We feel like he fits into the range where we slotted him.”
“As for Bennett, we wanted to see him move the puck more often this season. He tended to pass up way too many opportunities to make the easy play last year. We had seen him make outstanding passes in the past, but too often he tried to do too much. He has shown us improvement in this area recently, so that coupled with the fact that he is a very smart player with few weaknesses attributed to his rise up the rankings.”
The full December top 30 rankings are available to the public. Our February edition of our 2014 NHL Draft Rankings will be expanded for our website subscribers. Our next edition of our top 30 rankings list will be released in January, 2014.
Be sure to listen in to an upcoming episode of NHL Network Radio’s Hockey Prospects show on Sirius XM where Director of Scouting, Mark Edwards, will be a guest to discuss this current NHL Draft Top 30 list.
2014 NHL Draft Top 30 Prospects – December 18, 2013
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | TEAM | LEAGUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | REINHART, SAM | RC | KOOTENAY | WHL |
| 2 | EKBLAD, AARON | RD | BARRIE | OHL |
| 3 | DAL COLLE MICHAEL | LW | OSHAWA | OHL |
| 4 | DRAISATL, LEON | LC | PRINCE ALBERT | WHL |
| 5 | RITCHIE, NICK | LW | PETERBOROUGH | OHL |
| 6 | MCCANN, JARED | LC | SAULT STE. MARIE | OHL |
| 7 | BARBASHEV, IVAN | LW | MONCTON | QMJHL |
| 8 | BENNETT, SAM | LC | KINGSTON | OHL |
| 9 | NYLANDER, WILLIAM | LW | MODO | SWE |
| 10 | TUCH, ALEX | RW | USNTDP | USHL |
| 11 | EHLERS, NIKOLAJ | LW | HALIFAX | QMJHL |
| 12 | LARKIN, DYLAN | LC | USNTDP | USHL |
| 13 | VRANA, JAKUB | LC | LINKOPING | SWE |
| 14 | KAPANEN, KASPER | RW | KALPA | FIN |
| 15 | KARLSSON, ANTON | RW | FROLUNDA | SWE |
| 16 | KEMPE, ADRIAN | LW | MODO J20 | SWE |
| 17 | FLEURY, HAYDN | LD | RED DEER | WHL |
| 18 | BLEACKLEY, CONNOR | RC | RED DEER | WHL |
| 19 | HONKA, JULIUS | RD | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL |
| 20 | DEANGELO, ANTHONY | RD | SARNIA | OHL |
| 21 | SCHMALTZ, NICK | RC | GREEN BAY | USHL |
| 22 | PASTRNAK, DAVID | C/W | SODERTALJE | SWE |
| 23 | PERLINI, BRENDAN | LW | NIAGARA | OHL |
| 24 | MARTIN, BRYCEN | LD | SWIFT CURRENT | WHL |
| 25 | SCHERBAK, NIKITA | LW | SASKATOON | WHL |
| 26 | FABBRI, ROBBY | LC | GUELPH | OHL |
| 27 | GOLDOBIN, NIKOLAY | LW | SARNIA | OHL |
| 28 | NANTEL JULIEN | LW | ROUYN NORANDA | QMJHL |
| 29 | MILANO, SONNY | LW | USNTDP | USHL |
| 30 | MACINNIS, RYAN | LC | KITCHENER | OHL |
For the expanded table visit our rankings page.