2010 Draft Prospects

Новый сезон,новый драфт,новая тема)

The NACS 2010 Top 50 prospects

No. 1 – Taylor Hall – 6-foot-1, 185 lbs – LW, Windsor Spitfires
Taylor Hall has been a phenomenal player for the Spitfires since he first arrived, but his coming-out party was last year’s Memorial Cup, where a national audience got a chance to see his deadly combination of speed, skill and passion. He starts the year as our No. 1 prospect, but still needs to get stronger, improve his defensive game and continue to develop as a leader. He’s a special player, so we are confident if he does fall during the season, it won’t be very far.
NHL Comparable: Pavel Bure

No. 2 – Cam Fowler – 6-foot-2, 190 lbs – D, Windsor Spitfires
Cam Fowler, who moved over from the U.S. national team development program, is now patrolling the blueline for the defending Memorial Cup champions. It’s going to be an intense battle between the two teammates, while they try to defend their title at the same time. The real winners are the Windsor fans, though, who get to watch these two studs the entire year.
NHL Comparable: Rob Blake

No. 3 – Erik Gudbranson – 6-foot-4, 199 lbs – D, Kingston Frontenacs
After much internal debate, we put the young Frontenacs stud defender in the No. 3 spot because of his unlimited upside and tremendous physical tools. Doug Gilmour, Tony Cimellaro and the rest of the Fronts coaching staff have an opportunity to mold this young superstar and if the team is as successful as we think they will be, Gudbranson will be playing and monitored deep into the playoffs.
NHL Comparable: Dan Boyle

No. 4 – Kirill Kabanov – 6-foot-3, 176 lbs – LW, Salavat Ufa
The most hyped young Russian superstar since Alex Ovechkin, Kirill Kabanov has had scouts drooling since his performance as an underager at the Under-17 Challenge in London, Ont. Along with an electric set of skills and a pro shot, this kid has a nasty edge that keeps his opponents honest and gets him some extra room on the ice. His playing future for this season is blurry because he was selected by the Moncton Wildcats in the Canadian League Import Draft, but his new Russian team, Salavat Ufa, has appealed to keep him in Russia. Rest assured, wherever he plays the scouts will follow and fans will flock.
NHL Comparable: Ilya Kovalchuk

No. 5 – John McFarland – 6-foot-1, 195 lbs – C, Sudbury Wolves
Another OHLer who is a sure-fire top 10 pick, McFarland was an offensive force at the recent Ivan Hlinka under-18s in the Czech Republic and captained the Canadian squad to the gold medal. It could be a long year up in the Nickel Capital, but at least those loyal fans will have an opportunity to watch a future NHL star for at least one more year.
NHL Comparable: Paul Kariya

No. 6 –Teemu Pulkkinen – 5-foot-10, 170 lbs – RW, Jokerit
Pulkkinen is one of the most highly touted offensive Finn’s since Olli Jokinen went third overall in the ’97 draft. Despite some issues with his skating ability, his true genius lies in his hockey sense and ability to finish. He has, at times, been dubbed the Finnish Sidney Crosby and although that is a bit of a reach, we love his competitiveness, skill set and overall game. We feel he may slide in the draft a bit, but as we start the season, we think he has a chance to become a future NHL all-star.
NHL Comparable: Corey Perry

No. 7 – Mikael Granlund – 5-foot-10, 172 lbs. – RW, HIFK Helsinki
The second of the ‘Finnish Duo,’ Granlund is a slight notch below Pulkkinen. Despite a smallish stature, Granlund is difficult to knock off the puck and will be a point producer wherever he plays. He has a nose for the puck and it will be interesting to watch him and Pulkkinen together at this year’s World Junior Championship in Saskatoon.
NHL Comparable: Daniel Briere