June
23, 2011
2011
NHL Draft: Prospect Previews
Inside
College Hockey's coverage of the National Hockey League Entry
Draft annually looks at some of the best current collegians
and incoming freshmen eligible for this weekend's draft. In
addition to taking a look at some of the top prospects, we
also highlight players whose draft fortunes aren't as clearly
defined.
You know
where the various independent scouting services have ranked
these prospects. In addition to the Central Scouting Service
comments on each prospect, we offer "Scout's Take,"
Inside College Hockey's exclusive evaluation of the player
from one or more NHL scouts. Scouts were granted anonymity
in exchange for their candor.
Players
are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Right Wing
6-2 | 211 lbs. |
SETH
AMBROZ
Omaha
(USHL) | Incoming Freshman at Minnesota
New Prague, Minn. |
2010-11 Statistics: 56
GP, 24-22—46
Central Scouting Service Rank:
31st among North American skaters
CSS Says: "He's
a John Tonelli-type player, very strong. He'll give
his opponents fits when they try to cover him in front
of the net. I've seen him run over players along the
boards to get by them. He has a strong skating stride—not
lightning speed, but very effective and strong. He has
very good hands with a quick release. He loves to battle
along the boards and, in the corners, protects the puck
with confidence."
Scout’s Take: "At
15, he was a top-10, can't-miss prospect. He's spent
the last three years in Omaha, and he's a guy who's
figured out what kind of player he is. He knows what
he has to do to get his game to the next level. If he's
playing hard below the dots in the offensive zone, he'll
be effective. The question is, can his foot speed improve?
He's a big kid who's finally grown into his body—now
let's see if he can pick up an extra step or two. |
|
Defenseman
5-11 | 190 lbs. |
ADAM
CLENDENING
Boston
University
Wheatfield, N.Y. |
2010-11 Statistics: 36
GP, 5-18—23
Central Scouting Service Rank:
45th among North American skaters
CSS Says: "Clendening
(jumps) out at you playing on the power play with his
high level of finesse and skill. He is an excellent
skater and hard to pin down when forechecked. He has
a very good shot from the point. He is also very adequate
in his own zone."
Scout’s Take: "He
does a lot of things well. He moves the puck really
well, makes a great first pass, can run the power play,
and has great composure. He got way better in the second
half of the season after being a late cut from the U.S.
World Junior team and calming the freshman nerves. Once
he settled down, he excelled."
"His mind for the game at both ends
of the ice is very good. His footwork and pivots going
backwards have to improve, however. If he can do those
two things better, he can turn out to be a very good
pick." |
|
Center
5-6 | 163 lbs. |
ROCCO
GRIMALDI
U.S.
NTDP | Incoming Freshman at North Dakota
Rossmoor, Calif. |
2010-11
Statistics: 50 GP, 34-28—62
Central Scouting Service Rank:
32nd among North American skaters
Scout's Take: "He's
dynamic ... scary dynamic offensive player. He can really
skate and he's really, really, really, really quick.
It's like he was shot out of a cannon. He's got a great
shot and can pass the puck as well.
"Yeah, he's small,
but when you see him play and you walk away from the
rink, every time you say to yourself, 'He's the best
player on the ice.'It doesn't matter whether it's international
competition, the USHL, whatever." |
|
Defenseman
6-2 | 190 lbs. |
PATRICK
KOUDYS
Rensselaer
Hamilton, Ontario |
2010-11
Statistics: 32 GP, 1-2—3
Central Scouting Service Rank:
72nd among North American skaters
Scout’s Take: "He
was a 17-year-old stepping into college hockey at Rensselaer.
Maybe the numbers don't show it, but he's got all the
attributes to be a pro. He thinks the game well with
the puck on his stick. I don't think his quite as high-end
with the puck as Clendening, but he can certainly make
a good first pass.
"He's a pretty smart defender, too.
He's got a great understanding of angling. Like most
of these guys, the biggest question mark is, can his
footwork improve?" |
|
Left Wing
5-10 | 175 lbs. |
MATT
NIETO
Boston
University
Long Beach, Calif. |
2010-11
Statistics: 36 GP, 8-13—21
Central Scouting Service Rank:
43rd among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "He
can really skate. When he's on his game, he's creating
offense with his speed and quickness. He had some struggles
in the first half of the season, but he made adjustments
and came on strong in the second half.
"He's not overly huge, but his skating
ability makes up for that. If he can continue to use
that to his advantage, he'll be able to compensate for
his size." |
|
Defenseman
6-7 | 244 lbs. |
JAMIE
OLEKSIAK
Northeastern
Toronto, Ontario |
2010-11
Statistics: 34 GP, 3-9—12
Central Scouting Service Rank:
13th among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "The
first thing you have to talk about is his size. He's
an absolute monster. But he can skate, and his footwork
is pretty damn good for a guy his size and age. There
are times where he forces things, so he has to manage
his game. He makes a good first pass. You'd like to
see him play with more of a physical edge, though.
"He's a first-round lock, but I wouldn't
say he's necessarily gone (from Northeastern) for sure.
Some of it depends on who drafts him and who gets the
head coaching job at Northeastern, but the odds like
with him coming back to school—at least for next
year." |
|
Center
5-8 | 163 lbs. |
KYLE
RAU
Eden
Prairie (Minn.) H.S. | Sioux Falls (USHL) | Incoming Freshman
at Colorado Coll.
Eden Prairie, Minn. |
2010-11
Statistics: 25 GP, 33-37—70 at Eden Prairie;
21 GP, 11-11—22 at Sioux Falls
Central Scouting Service Rank:
177th among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "The
only knock on him is that he's not the biggest guy,
but look what his brother (former Colorado College standout
Chad Rau) is doing with Houston in the American Hockey
League. Now he's an asset for the Minnesota Wild.
"He's a competitive kid—almost
to a fault. He's always in your face, plays in the tough
areas, and creates, creates, creates. He's a competitor,
a gamer, and a winner. Good things happened to that
Sioux Falls team when he got there. I wouldn't say they
were on life support, but he got there and they made
a huge run."
|
|
Center
6-0 | 195 lbs. |
NICK
SHORE
Denver
Denver, Colo. |
2010-11
Statistics: 28 GP, 7-11—18
Central Scouting Service Rank:
56th among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "He's
an interesting kid because he had an injury early and
missed some time. He's got everything you look for in
a centerman. He can play at both ends of the ice, he's
got great ice vision, a good shot, is solid on faceoffs
in all three zones, and skates just fine.
"He slid on the Central Scouting
Service board during the second half of the year, but
he's a really good two-way centerman. He's got the potential
to be really good player."
|
|
Defenseman
6-0 | 192 lbs. |
DILLON
SIMPSON
North
Dakota
Edmonton, Alberta |
2010-11
Statistics: 27 GP, 2-8—10
Central Scouting Service Rank:
157th among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "Here's
another young 17-year-old—a high-profile kid—who
came in a year early to college hockey. He could have
gone back to junior for another year, but he chose to
go to North Dakota.
"He's another kid where it's all
about footwork. The kid's mind for the game is phenomenal
and he's a skilled, puck-moving defenseman who can add
some things offensively, but his footwork can improve."
|
|
Center
5-8 | 156 lbs. |
T.J.
TYNAN
Notre
Dame
Orland Park, Ill. |
2010-11
Statistics: 44 GP, 23-31—54
Central Scouting Service Rank:
Not ranked among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "He's
not ranked by CSS, but I think he goes, and I think
he goes a lot higher than people think he'll go. You
don't see true freshmen come in and do the things he
did last year—putting up 55 points as a freshman
is remarkable, and he wasn't even supposed to be at
Notre Dame.
"People will question his size and
he's small, but if you can skate and have a little bit
of courage and skill, you can play in the NHL at that
size."
|
|
Defenseman
6-0 | 188 lbs. |
ANDY
WELINSKI
Green
Bay (USHL) | Incoming Freshman at Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, Minn. |
2010-11
Statistics: 51 GP, 6-8—14
Central Scouting Service Rank:
48th among North American skaters.
Scout’s Take: "He's
a good-skating defenseman who can move the puck, defend
with his feet and his stick. He's a guy who's only going
to get better and better. He can really motor and skate
himself out of trouble with the puck. With Dylan Olsen
leaving midway through the year and Justin Faulk leaving
after the season, he'll get a chance to play in a lot
of different situations for UMD."
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