Top-5 before : Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi, Jacob de la Rose, Sebastian Collberg, Zachary Fucale.
Who should I do next? Tell me and I'll try my best.
6. Michael McCarron, 25th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’5 235lbs, USNTDP Juniors in the USHL
His skating has improved throughout the year, but he’s still just an average skater, so he’ll need to make more strides in that direction. He’s shown that he is extremely difficult to deal with on the boards and in front of the net on the PP where he always parks, and shows signs of that kind of Big Buff play style that he had when the BHawks won the Cup. His overall offensive tools aren’t that great, and he is primarily a complimentary tough bruiser who can make space and create havoc around the scoring areas. In the U18’s I felt he was very impressive showing his scoring ability around the net and that against people his age he’s immovable when he plants himself. He’s been known to throw the big hit even if it will cost him, so that’s one reckless area of his game he could work on. His upside is hard to gage and you know that the Habs brass hope he can become their Lucic, at the moment I don’t think he’s talented enough to be in a top-6 consistently and I think he is more likely to be a third liner that can excel on the PP. He is set to move to the London Knights in the OHL who are looking like another major threat for the Mem Cup.
Potential : 3rd Line Bruiser
7. Artturi Lehkonen, 55th Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 5’10 161lbs, KalPa in the SM-liiga
Lehkonen entered as one of the highest ranking International Skaters in the draft (6th or 7th I believe) but fell for two reasons. 1, he’s tiny and weak, 2; he is known to play on the perimeter when things get physical. It must have worried scouts when thinking of the move to the NA game. He has elite hockey sense and skating, he’s an offensive dynamo having dominating internationally in the U18’s, holding his own in the U20’s and placing second on KalPa for points with 30 winning Rookie of the Year in the SM-liiga. He is my pick as the surprise player in 2013; he’s so skilled it’s ridiculous. He needs to bulk up and he needs some time to work on his defensive awareness, he’s a bit of a longterm project that Hab fans likely won’t see for 3-4 years at least. He was drafted by the Kootenay Ice, but don’t expect him to make the move, most Scandinavians stay in their respective country until they are AHL/NHL ready.
Potential : Top-6 Scoring Winger
8. Charles Hudon, 122nd Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 5’10 174lbs, Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL
Hudon could be the next Gallagher…drafted late due to his size, yet he plays with heart and brings excellent work ethic and two-way skill. He was the QMJHL Rookie of the Year back in 2010 though he doesn’t have much else in the way of hardware to his name…got cut by Team Canada after a back injury being replaced by Chicago prospect Mark McNeill , will probably make it this year barring injury. He is an excellent penalty killer and is a very smart player, though he still needs to improve his skating if he wants to take the next step. He was by far the best player for Chicoutimi (Has been for a few seasons) both during the year and his amazing performance in a losing cause during the playoffs. He has the attitude and game style to overcome his size in my mind, he’s very underrated. He’ll start the year again in Chicoutimi to finish his CHL service.
Potential : 2nd/3rd Line Two-Way Player
9. Dalton Thrower, 51st Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 6’0 196lbs, Saskatoon Blades of the WHL
He had a down year so he fell a bit on this chart, yet I still like him as a prospect. He brings some explosiveness that you like to see; he can absolutely destroy players with hits, or slam a goal by them from the point. He went from being one of the highest scoring defenders in the WHL to just average, and I’m guessing if we had advanced stats in the WHL we’d see that he had an unreasonable shooting percentage when he potted 18, regardless he still has a good strong shot. Despite being 19 he’s playing an “overage” year in the WHL due to playing the prerequisite 4 seasons in the CHL yet not moving on to the AHL. His defensive game is good, though could get better. It has also come to light that he’s the kind of player that likes a puck moving partner that can feed him. He’s high risk and high reward with his style and he brings to mind a bit of the Double Dion at times.
Potential : 4-6 Two-Way Physical Defenseman
10. Morgan Ellis, 117th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’1 198lbs, Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL
Could have gone a lot of ways with number 10. That always seems to be the case. Ellis has made major strides and has developed into a really good player who in a few more seasons will likely see his way onto the Habs roster. He’s a puck moving defensive defender that understands positioning well with his active stick and plays the body when he can. His skating is strong, though he’s no speedster. Like a few other players the offense he generated from junior will likely never translate to the NHL, though he still has a hard shot and has good puck moving skills. In his rookie campaign in the AHL he was decent, nothing special, not bad or good…which is typical for a player like Ellis. He’s a solid all-around player.
Potential : 5-6 Defensive Defenseman
Notables : Tim Bozon (Highly talented Frenchman in the WHL), Christian Thomas (Undersized but extremely quick, came via the Kristo trade to the Rangers), Sven Andrighetto (Once again, tiny yet quick, bursting with skill), Dustin Tokarski (Extremely athletic goalie, still young though a bit inconsistent playing in the AHL), Darren Dietz (Tough defender who loves to hit and has a massive shot from the point, major upside though he might be moved to forward like Brent Burns or Ian White), Louis Leblanc (Had an absolutely horrendous year last season, really put question marks all over him) and Brady Vail (Good defensive centre, some interesting upside as his scoring improves).
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