I absolutely love Jeremy Morin, absolutely incredible hockey IQ. He's improved his skating big time since I watched him in Kitchener which seemed like the only thing that could have held him back then. Hopefully he makes the jump soon could see him being a mainstay in that top 6 for years in chi town
- HamrlikMyPeca

He hasn't improved his skating enough. Not enough to crack the NHL and stick. That's the thing that I think will make or break Morin.

Clendening would likely roll in at 11. He's a good prospect, but I think of him as a more of a #4 PP specialist type guy eventually. Definitely need more Dmen int he system, but that being said... it's a good system.


I'm not a Blackhawks fan... at all. I'm a prospect writer with zero ties to any hype machine or to the city of Chicago. I've watched Saad play... a lot. I'm based out of Ontario, and have seen him play about 20 live games in the past 2 years (not including tv games).

This is my honest assessment.
- Brian Huddle

I think once the season gets rolling, Clendening could crack the Hawks top ten. Also, if Lalonde ever figures out how to be responsible and consistent in his own end, he's another good one.

Sorry to say nothing new in this blog that Hawks marketing has not passed on to us fans. I would take Beach off the top 10 and add Flick.

Brendan Gaunce and Mark McNeill sound like very similar players.


I remember when a few Canucks fans wanted to pick Beach over Hodgson.

Thanks for the article. It was a good read.

Surprised to see Danault out of the top 5, but what the hell do I know.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=45737
- Brian Huddle

Very nice to see that !The futures seem strong.

Brendan Gaunce and Mark McNeill sound like very similar players.


I remember when a few Canucks fans wanted to pick Beach over Hodgson.
- Nucker101

I've not seen either guy play but everything I've read leads me to believe that Gaunce and McNeill are the same type of player. If Taravainen hadn't been available at #18 for the Hawks I would have wanted to draft Gaunce. Eventually Gaunce will be the 3rd line centre the Canucks need.

You essentially got Beach for Hodgson when Gillis traded him for Kassian. Kassian has less attitude and more upside but they're similar players.

I've not seen either guy play but everything I've read leads me to believe that Gaunce and McNeill are the same type of player. If Taravainen hadn't been available at #18 for the Hawks I would have wanted to draft Gaunce. Eventually Gaunce will be the 3rd line centre the Canucks need.

You essentially got Beach for Hodgson when Gillis traded him for Kassian. Kassian has less attitude and more upside but they're similar players.
- DarthKane

Kassian is definitely a much better prospect than Beach as I followed Beach's progress after that draft out of curiosity and his stock has fallen down in a hurry. Kassian is a better skater, has more skill imo, and like you said he has a much better attitude and work ethic.

Kassian is definitely a much better prospect than Beach as I followed Beach's progress after that draft out of curiosity and his stock has fallen down in a hurry. Kassian is a better skater, has more skill imo, and like you said he has a much better attitude and work ethic.
- Nucker101

I've seen both play, and I really don't find too much difference between the two in skill and skating. It comes down to work ethic and attitude. Beach is sorely lacking in that department.