NHL Draft: HockeyProspect.com Top 30 By The Numbers

Here’s a quick look at some interesting stats among HockeyProspect.com’s top-ranked players.  For comprehensive publications with info on all of this year’s draft-eligible prospects, check out www.nhldraftguide.com.

1. Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax)  – MacKinnon averaged 2.2 points-per-game during the playoffs & Memorial Cup.    He won 57% of his faceoffs this season (790/1391).

2. Seth Jones (Portland) – Jones averaged 0.86 points per game throughout the regular season & playoffs, the best among draft-eligible defencemen.  His +46 rating was best among first-year players in the WHL.

3. Jonathan Drouin (Halifax) – Drouin averaged 2.13 points per game in 70 GP this season (54G, 95A), the best among draft-eligible prospects.   His 29-game point streak from November 30th to March 15th was the longest in the CHL in 2012/13.  Drouin recorded 2 or more points in 60% of his games.

4. Valeri Nichushkin (Chelyabinsk) – Nichushkin led his team in plus/minus (+5) and penalty minutes (25) at the 2013 World Junior Hockey Championship.  He also scored the game-winning goal in OT vs. Canada in the Bronze Medal Game.

5. Aleksander Barkov (Tappara) – Barkov averaged 0.91 points-per-game in 58 games this season while playing in Finland’s top men’s league.  He recorded two 3-point games.

6. Sean Monahan (Ottawa) – Monahan scored 38 points on the power play, 2nd-most among draft-eligible players.  He scored 2 or more goals eight times in 2012/13.

7. Elias Lindholm (Brynas) – Lindholm scored the most points by a junior (30) in the Swedish Hockey League.  He also recorded 6 multi-point games & two game-winning goals in 2012/13.

8. Nikita Zadorov (London) – Zadorov led Knights rookies in scoring and was in the OHL Top 10 for plus/minus (+33).  He scored 2 goals during the Memorial Cup, including the game-winning goal in the tournament opener.

9. Rasmus Ristolainen (TPS) – Ristolainen scored 26 points in 71 total games in 2012/13.  The defenceman averaged just over 21 minutes of ice time per game in the Finnish Elite League this season.

10. Max Domi (London) – Domi lead the Knights in points during the regular season & playoffs.  He recorded 35 multi-point games – behind only Drouin & Nicolas Petan – among draft-eligible players.

11. Bo Horvat (London) – Horvat recorded a 17-game point streak from November 30th to January 12th.  He led the OHL in goals during the post-season (16), including three game-winners during the Championship series against Barrie.

12. Alexander Wennberg (Djurgarden) – Wennberg finished 3rd on his team in goals (14),  4th in assists (18) and 4th in points (32).  He also had a plus/minus rating of +10 in 46 games.

13. Valentin Zykov (Baie-Comeau)  – Zykov scored 9 game-winning goals during the regular season, tied for most in the QMJHL.  He was one of only five draft-eligible players to score 40 goals this season & he recorded a 6-point game (1G, 5A) on January 12th.

14. Zach Fucale (Halifax) – Fucale’s 45 wins during the regular season ranked 3rd all-time in QMJHL history.  He won 18 straight games from the end of the season and into the playoffs, where he posted a 2.02 GAA & .918 save percentage.

15. Madison Bowey (Kelowna) – Bowey was among the WHL leaders in plus/minus (+41).  He scored a goal in Canada’s 3-2 win over USA in the Gold Medal Game at the 2013 World U-18 Hockey Championships.

16. Darnell Nurse (S.S. Marie) – Nurse was among the OHL defenceman leaders in goals (12) and penalty minutes (116).

17. Joshua Morrissey (Prince Albert) – Morrissey recorded four games of 3+ points during the regular season.  He scored 3 goals & 4 assists in 7 games at the World U-18 Championship.

18. Samuel Morin (Rimouski) – Morin averaged 2.55 penalty minutes-per-game in 52 games this season.  Three of his five goals were scored on the power play.

19. Anthony Mantha (Val-d’Or) – Mantha recorded 5 hat tricks during the season, the most among draft-eligible players.  He was the only player to score 50 goals in the QMJHL regular season and led the league in dangerous shots (214).

20. Ryan Hartman (Plymouth) – Since October 19th, Hartman went scoreless in back-to-back games only once the rest of the season.  He scored 2 short-handed goals & 4 ‘first goals’ in 2012/13.

21. Curtis Lazar (Edmonton) – Lazar led the Oil Kings in goals (38), ‘first goals’ (8), game winning goals (7) and was 2nd in power play goals (14) & short-handed goals (2).

22. Adam Erne (Quebec) – Erne recorded two hat tricks and he scored 6 game-winning goals (T-9th in QMJHL) this season.  He won 59% of his faceoffs (179/304) in 2012/13.

23. Morgan Klimchuk (Regina) – Half of Klimchuk’s points during the regular season were scored on the power play (38/76).  He also recorded two 5-point games.

24. Hunter Shinkaruk (Medicine Hat) – Shinkaruk recorded 24 multi-point games in 2012/13.  He was among the WHL leaders in goals, power play goals, ‘first goals’ & game-winning goals.

25. Nicolas Petan (Portland)  – Petan recorded 47 multi-point games during the season & playoffs, the most among draft-eligible players.  His plus/minus rating of +68 was the highest in the WHL since 1999 (Pavel Brendl, Calgary, +68).  He also led the league in assists (74) and tied for 1st in points (120).

26. Chris Bigras (Owen Sound) – Bigras finished with a plus/minus rating of +35, tied for 7th-best in the OHL during the regular season.  Five of his eight goals were scored on the power play.

27. Emile Poirier (Gatineau) – Poirier improved his point total by 30 points from his rookie to sophomore season.  He recorded 3 hat tricks and 3 short-handed goals in 2012/13.  Poirier scored 18 goals & 15 assists in his last 30 games of the season, including playoffs.

28. Kerby Rychel (Windsor) – Rychel joined Steve Ott as the only Spitfires player to record back-to-back 40-goal seasons.  His 9 ‘first goals’ ranked 3rd in the OHL.

29. Frederik Gauthier (Rimouski) – The 6-foot-4, 215-pound forward has shown the ability to score in all situations.  Of his 22 goals, 4 were on the power play, 3 were ‘first goals’, 1 was short-handed & 4 were game-winners.  He scored the game-winning goal for Canada in the Gold Medal Game at the 2013 World U-18 Hockey Championship.

30. Ryan Pulock (Brandon) – Pulock scored 14 goals & 31 assists in the regular season and led his team in assists, points & power play goals.  He was one of only two CHL defencemen to lead his team in scoring (Brenden Kichton, Spokane).