Tuesday, January 15, 2013

NHL Central Scouting's 2013 Midterm Rankings

Today, NHL Central Scouting released their midterm rankings for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Here's the breakdown on how OHL players placed:

SKATERS
1. Sean Monahan (4)
2. Darnell Nurse (9)
3. Bo Horvat (15)
4. Jason Dickinson (16)
5. Kerby Rychel (18)
6. Chris Bigras (19)
7. Max Domi (23)
8. Ryan Hartman (25)
9. Jimmy Lodge (29)
10. Nikita Zadorov (30)
11. Zach Nastasiuk (33)
12. Justin Bailey (37)
13. Stephen Harper (38)
14. Nick Moutrey (48)
15. Remi Elie (56)
16. Cole Cassels (60)
17. Jeff Corbett (66)
18. Ryan Kujawinski (69)
19. Justin Auger (71)
20. Ben Harpur (80)
21. Jordan Subban (81)
22. Hunter Garlent (82)
23. Miles Liberati (88)
24. Josh Burnside (92)
25. Cameron Brace (101)
26. Nick Paul (102)
27. Nicholas Baptiste (105)
28. Nick Betz (106)
29. Brody Silk (107)
30. Kyle Platzer (116)
31. Carter Verhaeghe (122)
32. Erik Bradford (126)
33. Brent Pedersen (127)
34. Zach Hall (128)
35. Sergey Kuptsov (131)
36. Dominik Kubalik (146)
37. Mark Raycroft (147)
38. Sergey Tolchinsky (149)
39. Josh Brown (151)
40. Dakota Mermis (156)
41. Michael Webster (157)
42. Greg Betzold (159)
43. Jean Dupuy (183)
44. Anthony DiFruscia (184)
45. Stephen Nosad (189)
46. Landon Schiller (193)
47. Aaron Berisha (199)
LV (Limited Viewing) - Tyler Bertuzzi

GOALIES
1. Spencer Martin (5)
2. Michael Giugovaz (8)
3. Frank Palazzese (14)
4. Jordan DeKort (15)
5. Jake Patterson (16)
6. Charlie Graham (21)
7. Brandon Hope (22)
8. Jacob Blair (24)
9. Alex Fotinos (29)

For the full rankings, CLICK HERE

Alright here are my thoughts:

  1. Everyone seems to be up in arms about the Max Domi ranking. Do I agree with it? Absolutely not. Am I surprised? Not at all. Central Scouting isn't the only scouting agency to have Domi a little farther down in the first round. ISS just recently put him in their first round. The reasoning? I'm not entirely sure. Could be his lack of stature. Could be his raw two-way approach. Could be his diabetes. While I've often disagreed with CSS, the one thing I've always respected about them is their candidness (at least under EJ McGuire) when discussing their rankings. I'm sure if we listen carefully (to a show like The Pipeline Show), we'll get an explanation on Domi that makes some sense.
  2. The one ranking that really jumped out at me was Nikita Zadorov's (and not Domi's). Zadorov seems to be universally considered a top 15 selection at this point (or at least around that mark). I know blog friend Dominic Tiano (of the OHL Writers) has had Zadorov lower on his list all season because he doesn't see the offensive upside in his game (at least to the extent that others do). I have to admit, the last few times I've seen Zadorov play, he actually hasn't played well (starting to chase the hit defensively, and turnovers with the puck). But I still think he has too much upside for where they have him ranked.
  3. The other big discrepancy between Central Scouting's list and mine is Ryan Kujawinski's ranking. He's been wildly inconsistent this year, no question about it, but his potential is just way too high for him to be ranked as a borderline 3rd rounder. He's been playing inspired hockey of late and if he keeps it up, I can't see any way he's ranked that low in June. The question I find myself asking is, what separates Kujawinski from an equally inconsistent (but very talented) big guy like Jimmy Lodge or Stephen Harper, who CSS has ranked 30 spots above him?
  4. Another head scratcher for me is Charlie Graham's ranking. In fact, I think that's probably the biggest head scratcher of all from the OHL (and not the above gripes). Here's a kid who has stepped in for Malcolm Subban in Belleville and kept up their winning ways. Heck, he's still starting since Subban returned from the WJC's because George Burnett wants to ride his hot hand. He may not be the biggest goalie, but his athleticism is supremely high on the charts. I honestly can't see a justification for his ranking, unless they just haven't seen him much.
  5. In terms of "no shows," none of my current top 30 are missing from the list. That said, a few guys I had as HM's, like Tyler Ganly, Danny Vanderwiel, Trevor Murphy, and Dominik Kahun did not place. Surprised with all four of those and I certainly believe they deserve a ranking over some of the players CSS has listed. 
  6. I have to be honest, the Jeff Corbett ranking was surprising. I've seen a lot of Sudbury this year and I haven't really noticed him as more than just a "solid OHL stay at home guy." He's a late '94, so this is his 3rd year in the league. I don't see the justification for having him so high. BUT, I'll certainly pay closer attention to him the next time I watch Sudbury (which is the sole purpose of CSS' list).
  7. Love the amount of "re-entries" listed. If you read this blog a lot, you know how much I love the concept of drafting 2nd and 3rd year eligible players. Justin Auger, Franky Palazzese, Jake Patterson, and Cameron Brace are indeed the cream of the crop in that department this year (from the OHL), so I applaud CSS for getting that right, and for their rather aggressive rankings of those players. 
  8. I also love the aggressive ranking of Bo Horvat. Every time I see the Knights play lately, I come away even more impressed with this young man. He's playing some truly exceptional hockey right now. I'm not a HUGE fan of comparisons, but one guy continually comes to mind when I see Horvat play; Shane Doan.
Would love you hear your thoughts on the list!

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