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A GAME YOU DIDN’T WANT TO CARE ABOUT
alt
Jason Gregor
Jan 15, 2014, 18:12 ESTUpdated: Jan 15, 2014, 14:03 EST
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Oilers fans were hoping they could watch tonight Top Prospect game casually, however, due to another horrific NHL season fans will be watching closely to see which top prospect will help the Oilers the most.
Looking at the NHL standings, I suspect the Oilers will finish 28th-30th. I don’t see them catching the Panthers or Islanders, so unless a team that finishes 27th-17th wins the lottery, the Oilers will have a top-three pick this June.
If you are feeling a severe case of Deja Vu, don’t worry you aren’t alone. By now we all have experience dealing with the speculation, conjecture and predictions of top-three picks so no one should be caught off guard when someone debates the merits of Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Samuel Bennett, Leon Draisaitl (Dry-Siddle), Nick Ritchie and Michael Dal Colle.

The mid-term rankings came out earlier this week and here is a glimpse of how some of them ranked the top-ten players.
NHL Central Scouting: Top-10 North American Skaters (The rest of the rankings are here)
RankPlayerTeamLeaguePositionHeightWeight
1
BENNETT, SAMUEL
KINGSTON
OHL
C
6′ 0.25"
178
2
DRAISAITL, LEON
PRINCE ALBERT
WHL
C
6′ 1.75"
208
3
EKBLAD, AARON
BARRIE
OHL
D
6′ 3.5"
216
4
REINHART, SAM
KOOTENAY
WHL
C
6′ 0.75"
185
5
DAL COLLE, MICHAEL
OSHAWA
OHL
C/LW
6′ 1.5"
179
6
FLEURY, HAYDN
RED DEER
WHL
D
6′ 2.5"
198
7
RITCHIE, NICHOLAS
PETERBOROUGH
OHL
LW
6′ 2.25"
231
8
PERLINI, BRENDAN
NIAGARA
OHL
LW
6′ 2.5"
205
9
VIRTANEN, JAKE
CALGARY
WHL
RW
6′ 0.75"
208
10
DEANGELO, ANTHONY
SARNIA
OHL
D
5′ 10.75"
175
ISS released their top-30.… Here is their top-ten. They include European skaters as well, Central Scouting ranks them separately.
1
Ekblad, Aaron
D
2/7/1996
R
6.03.5
216
Barrie
OHL
2
Reinhart, Sam
C
11/6/1995
R
6.00.75
185
Kootenay
WHL
3
Bennett, Sam
LW
6/20/1996
L
6.00.25
178
Kingston
OHL
4
Dal Colle, Michael
C
6/20/1996
L
6.01.5
179
Oshawa
OHL
5
Nylander, Willie
C
5/1/1996
R
5.11
169
Sodertalje
SweAl
6
Perlini, Brendan
LW
4/27/1996
L
6.02.5
205
Niagara
OHL
7
Draisaitl, Leon
C
10/27/1995
L
6.01.75
208
Prince Albert
WHL
8
Fleury, Haydn
LD
7/8/1996
L
6.02.5
198
Red Deer
WHL
9
Virtanen, Jake
LW
8/17/1996
R
6.00.75
208
Calgary
WHL
10
Karlsson, Anton
LW
8/3/1996
L
6.01.25
187
Mora
SweAl
Hockey Prospect ranks them every month and here is their January rankings.
JAN
DEC
PLAYER
POS
TEAM
LEAGUE
HT
WT
1
2
EKBLAD, AARON
RD
BARRIE
OHL
6’4"
213
2
1
REINHART, SAM
RC
KOOTENAY
WHL
6’0"
182
3
3
DAL COLLE, MICHAEL
LW
OSHAWA
OHL
6’2
171
4
5
RITCHIE, NICK
LW
PETERBOROUGH
OHL
6’2"
216
5
8
BENNETT, SAM
LC
KINGSTON
OHL
6’0"
168
6
4
DRAISATL, LEON
LC
PRINCE ALBERT
WHL
6’1"
198
7
11
EHLERS, NIKOLAJ
LW
HALIFAX
QMJHL
5’11"
163
8
9
NYLANDER, WILLIAM
LW
SODERTALJE
SWE
5’11"
175
9
6
MCCANN, JARED
LC
SAULT STE. MARIE
OHL
6’0"
174
10
23
PERLINI, BRENDAN
LW
NIAGARA
OHL
6’2"
195

 QUICK HITS…

  • Ekblad is clearly the best defenceman in the draft, and if they want a D-man he is the easy choice.
     
  • For the past few months much of the focus revolved around Reinhart and Ekblad, but Reinhart is not a run away choice for centre. There are other options, and some who might fit the Oilers needs better. If Reinhart is clearly the best centre come June, then would take him, but after talking to scouts from across the country the past week, I don’t get the sense that he is.
    Many like Sam Bennett, and despite the differences in weight from one site to the next, he currently sits around 175-180. He will fill out according to everyone I spoke with, and he plays with a bit on an edge to go with his great offensive skills.
    Draisaitl is big and strong. His size and skill would fit perfectly in Edmonton and help counter the massive size and skill of the top teams in the Pacific Division.
    Scouting reports on Dal Colle point to him being skilled with an aggressive side as well. He plays both LW and C.
    The debate over which centre will be the best NHLer will be intense and intriguing over the next five months.
     
  • Here is a a quick look at their offensive numbers.
    Reinhart
    November 6th, 1995
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Season 
    Team 
    Lge 
    GP 
    G 
    A 
    Pts 
    PIM 
    +/- 
    2011-12 
    Kootenay Ice 
    WHL 
    67
    28
    34
    62
    2
    16
    2012-13 
    Kootenay Ice 
    WHL 
    72
    35
    50
    85
    22
    8
    2013-14 
    Kootenay Ice 
    WHL 
    34
    18
    35
    53
    2
    7
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Dal Colle
    June 20th, 1996
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Season 
    Team 
    Lge 
    GP 
    G 
    A 
    Pts 
    PIM 
    +/- 
    2012-13 
    Oshawa Generals 
    OHL 
    63
    15
    33
    48
    18
    19
    2013-14 
    Oshawa Generals 
    OHL 
    43
    27
    37
    64
    30
    9
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Bennett
    June 20th, 1996
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    2012-13 
    Kingston Frontenacs 
    OHL 
    60
    18
    22
    40
    87
    -2
    2013-14 
    Kingston Frontenacs 
    OHL 
    40
    26
    40
    66
    85
    26
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Draisaitl
    October 27th, 1995
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    2012-13 
    Prince Albert Raiders 
    WHL 
    64
    21
    37
    58
    22
    22
    2013-14 
    Prince Albert Raiders 
    WHL 
    35
    19
    35
    54
    18
    2
That isn’t a typo; Dal Colle and Bennett were born on the same day.
Their point totals are pretty even when you look at points per game this year.
Bennett: 1.65
Reinhart: 1.55
Draisailt: 1.54
Dal Colle: 1.48
Points are only one aspect of their game. They all have different styles.
Here is how the Scouting Report sees them:
Reinhart…
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound centre is an excellent two-way forward who has really elevated his offensive game in the early going of the 2013-14 season. Reinhart shows an ability to produce in all situations and his excellent vision and offensive awareness bode well when projecting what type of offensive impact he can have in the NHL.
Bennett:
Bennett is a true 200-foot player and is capable of playing on the powerplay, penalty kill, and is never one to cheat his defensive responsibilities to initiate something at the other end of the ice. That’s not to downplay his offensive game, however, as Bennett is a very crafty player who has a deceptive shot release and underrated playmaking ability.
Draisaitl:
With pro size, Draisaitl plays brings a consistently high compete level and has excellent hands and offensive talent. More of a playmaker than a scorer, Draisaitl has shown that he can be an offensive catalyst night in, night out, and should wind up having a good opportunity to make the jump to the NHL next year.
Dal Colle:
The 6-foot-2 forward is capable of playing both centre and the wing and possesses impressive puck protection skills and offensive zone creativity that project well on his ability to be a big-time producer at the next level. Dal Colle’s top-end speed is an area of continued improvement, but his elusiveness, stickhandling ability, and long reach create matchup problems for any OHL defenseman.

WRAP UP…

Keep in mind that the above scouting report is just one example. Not every scouting bureau will see players the same way; just like Oilers fans don’t see every player the same way.
We hope this is the final time we have to start previewing draft selections in January, but until the Oilers become more competitive, we have no choice but to discuss draft picks in January.
I’ll be watching tonight’s game closely. Here are the projected lineups…
TEAM ORR…
 
21 Lemieux – 92 Draisaitl – 96 Watson
11 Perlini – 19 McCann – 66 Ho-Sang
61 Bishop – 72 Point – 18 Virtanen
91 Clarke – 10 Cornel – 24 Ehlers
 
2 Peters – 5 Ekblad
4 Marrtin – 6 Honka
28 Haydon – 27 Thomas
 
MacDonald (starting)
Billia
 
TEAM CHERRY
 
71 Dal Colle – 23 Reinhart – 66 Barbashev
20 Ritchie – 72 MacInnis – 91 Bleackley
22 Mistele – 19 Fabbri – 90 Goldobin
28 Audette – 9 De Leo -27 Scherbak
 
4 Fleury – 24 Irving
7 DeAngelo – 21 Middleton
3 Vanier – 2 McKeown
 
Edmonds (starting)
Nedeljkovic
Bennett is not playing unfortunately due to an injury, so you will have to watch his OHL games on line if you want to see him in action. He was replaced by Point.
The next few months decide if the Oilers finish 28th, or if the wheels completely fall off and they manage to finish below Calgary and/or Buffalo.
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