Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Where They Are Now 2013 Draft - 1-10

November 26, 2014, 12:49 AM ET [25 Comments]
Adam French
RSSArchiveCONTACT
I did this style of blog for the 2014 draft and figured that I would end it there. However it occured to me that 2013 is ripe for a re-visiting. Like the previous installment, I'll be going by the first round and then looking at some players I find that are vastly exceeding expectations or doing the opposite.

2013 is probably my favourite draft that I've covered for Hockeybuzz. While the 2003 comparisons were flattering, it's still too early to judge the validity of that statement. However, it's looking good. 2003 itself was an interesting year, while it's considered the greatest draft of...well all time...it didn't produce the best players in the NHL for the past decade that often brings to mind the idea of a "strong draft." Crosby, Ovechkin etc. never came from this draft and arguably the best three players are Getzlaf, Perry and Weber with only one award between them. Yet it is depth and the number of extremely useful players that really stands out. 2013 is similar, though Nathan MacKinnon threatens to enter that Crosvechkin tier.

2013 was also a crowning achievement of the QMJHL. A league that I feel gets too little respect as the mainstream media trots out the cliches of the tough WHL defenseman and the OHL record of first round selections. It's true that the Q has been polarizing and lacking in depth, they churn out a few superstars, yet can't seem to get the depth that the W and O have. Yet 2013 was different, this wasn't a draft where there was one hope and some interesting European imports, this was the deepest pool of talent Quebec and the Maritimes have seen in one concentration for decades. 15 payers were selected in the first two rounds and 11 were Canadian. It was also just nice to see two teammates fight over who will go first overall and seeing Atlantic Canada represented so well...though maybe Cole Harbour could quit hogging all the hockey juice out there.

Here's how they're doing.


1. Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche - MacKinnon won the Calder Trophy last season and had a memorable playoff romp. His lightning speed and excellent work ethic have put him on the path to stardom. While the Avalanche are steaming mess right now, MacKinnon is not. He leads the Avs in points and has improved his faceoff abilities a lot from last season. The fourth youngest player in the NHL is well on his way to becoming a superstar.


2. Aleksander Barkov - Florida Panthers - The third youngest player in the NHL (ok I'll stop that) has had his ups and downs. Barkov's offensive talents haven't flourished in that trap friendly South Florida paradise, but he's playing well otherwise. Barkov was always known for his puck protection and defensive abilities to go along with the skill set. I think he has also put away fears that his lack of great speed will hinder him, he's a smart player. Minor injuries have plagued him early this season, but more production is expected going forward. Though if you asked Florida fans, they'd likely tell you that about every player on the team other than Ekblad and maybe Bjugstad.


3. Jonathan Drouin - Tampa Bay Lightning - Ranked as top prospect out of the CHL and winning a slew of awards, Drouin has been well developed and handled in my humble opinion. It's easy to salivate about the idea of meshing his offensive skills with Stamkos and be tantalized by the idea of that one timer being fed by his magic passes...but that's for the future. He is continuing to work on his defensive game and rounding out the unpolished minor problems, but the offensive ability is there. The Lightning are very deep at forward and he has moved up and down the lines as required. With 9 points in 16 games he likely won't be winning the Calder anytime soon, but he's learning and will be a good one.


4. Seth Jones - Nashville Predators - He's not the savior a lot of the draft coverage wanted to make him into and I think the media was a little quick to anoint him thus after 12 games of playing with Shea Weber. He had about as good a rookie season a 19 year old can have in the NHL as a defender, but you could tell he was often overwhelmed. This season he is being used correctly, give him favourable situations, manage his ice-time and let Weber-Josi handle the heavy lifting. He's coming along well and this winning environment will be good for him.


5. Elias Lindholm - Carolina Hurricanes - Lindholm is often overlooked, even at the draft he was sort of just "the other guy from Europe." Maybe it's because he plays in Carolina or because he has no real defining "elite" quality, but he's quietly been good. His rookie season was...a very rookie season. This season though, he has found his place in their top-6 and looks much more comfortable. I'd like to see him moved to centre as that was were he was most dominant and can run the play, but I understand that he's still pretty weak on the draw and has Staal (and soon Staal 2) ahead of him and the Canes like Riley Nash's face-off skills.


6. Sean Monahan - Calgary Flames - Monahan was easily one of the most NHL ready forwards, not only because he was relatively older than his peers (early October birthday), but because he was filled out and played an NHL style game. It helped that his 22 goal season made him look like a coup for Calgary, yet this season he's cementing that idea and really helps show why 2013 was such a deep draft. He has been a major part of the Flames surprise season. He has stepped into the role of a first line centre with gusto. He's third on the Flames in points by a non-person paired with Giordano, takes the vast majority of the face-offs (and wins a fair number I might add) and leads the team in goals and shots. He's rounding into a very effective two-way goal scoring centreman. I'm not Feaster's biggest cheerleader by any means, but when he tossed out a lot of the previous regime's scouting staff and shifted things up he put them on a good path...well except for that one pick...


7. Darnell Nurse - Edmonton Oilers - The media and fans of primarily other teams finally got their wish! The Oilers picked a defenseman...hurrah? Nurse was ranked as the third best defenseman in the draft after Jones and Ristolainen, but his play style more than anything probably intrigued the Oilers to select him before the big Finn. He was a bit more raw and in need of development than Ristolainen. Nurse is the Oilers best chance at a top-pairing defender and I think he is on his way to becoming something close to that. He's big, nasty, can skate better than you'd think, he's a leader and his offensive abilities continue to grow. He was snubbed last season at the WJC's by Canada, probably because they worried about his penchant for penalties. This season though, he will be expected to play a major role (might even be the captain to be honest). He's arguably the best overall defenseman in the OHL right now and was top-5 last season. I just hope in their desperation they don't rush him.


8. Rasmus Ristolainen - Buffalo Sabres - The career -22 probably makes some people question his defensive abilities, but we have to take that with a grain of salt, he's playing on the rebuilding Sabres, minus' come with the territory. Plus if you haven't seen his play in the past few weeks, ask a Sabres fan about him, he's playing some great hockey. Like Jones he had a very up/down 19 year old level season for a defender, which shouldn't have been unexpected. He's developing extremely well however and his play since Gorges went down has been spectacular with the added responsibility. Had a mediocre start to the year, but if he keeps this level of play up he will have had a very good second year.


9. Bo Horvat - Vancouver Canucks - Horvat has a lot of expectations riding on him, he was essentially the first piece of the "rebuild/retool/whatever" Vancouver is doing these days as he was selected with the pick acquired by Cory Schneider. Horvat is in that purgatory of having little left to prove in junior and not being ready to play the role he should at the NHL level (despite that three point night). Playing mostly on the fourth line, you wonder if it is only a matter of time before he is sent back down, which would make the London Knights the scariest team in the CHL. His face-off ability seems to have already made the NHL switch and his two-way game likely will too. Regardless of where he ends up this season, he will more than likely be wearing Team Canada Red at the U20's and I would assume be a candidate for the captaincy.


10. Valeri Nichushkin - Dallas Stars - Nichushkin made the NHL in a somewhat controversial fashion. He told his team that he would either play in the NHL or the KHL, the KHL meaning being bound to his two year contract there, he refused being sent to the AHL as an option. So he played for the Stars. When he played with Seguin-Benn he was a star, away from them, a lot less. However you can't blame an 18 year old for that. Heck he even made the Russian Olympic squad...though that doesn't say much about a countries depth when you need an 18 year old to step up. It was a very solid rookie season though despite his inconsistencies. A 6'4 body that can move as fast as he does is not very fair. This season he sadly was injured after a few "meh" games, so it's a bit of a write off, he should be back in four months though after knee surgery.


Thanks for reading.
Join the Discussion: » 25 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Adam French
» NHL Thoughts : Russian Tides Were Up All Sides
» 2022 Draft Class : Star Studded Draft
» The Toronto Maple Leafs: A Team of Odds and Ends
» Hockey Thoughts
» The Prospect Blog: Byfield Looms Large Over Rossi