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 stridenot 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 bodynow 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."