Jake McCabe is not only an outstanding defenseman, he is also very well-spoken and mature beyond his years on and off the ice. It’s easy to see why NHL scouts would be intrigued by the 18-year-old, as he has all the tools to be a very effective pro. He has good size at 6-foot-1, 201-pounds, excellent vision and hockey sense that enables him to make good crisp passes and consistent smart plays with the puck, defends extremely well and enjoys getting physically engaged, has a canon-like shot, can stick handle in a phone booth, and has become as absolute anchor on the Badgers back end. He has quietly become so composed on the ice lately, and it seems to carry over and have a calming effect on his teammates. The freshman was recently named WCHA Rookie of the Week, after he scored two game winners the first week in January. Currently Read more »
Over the past year and a half I have gotten to know Pascal Zerressen fairly well and I can tell you first hand that aside from his hockey talents, he is also an exceptional, mature individual, that has a ton of drive and ambition. The 19-year-old has once again been ranked among the Top 50 European skaters for the upcoming NHL Draft by Central Scouting, which is a no-brainer considering the rangy blueliner has a plethora of skill, stands a whopping 6-foot-5, and weighs in at 218-pounds. Zerressen skates very good for his size and uses his large frame exceptionally well to force opponents to the outside while defending, he plays a solid positional game and keeps things simple, makes smart decisions with the puck, rarely panics, has tremendous reach, and has some very similiar qualities to the Canadiens Hal Gill defensively. Despite only Read more »
As a big fan of Jaromir Jagr growing up, I’ve always been intrigued by all the skilled players that seems to come out of the Czech Republic and find their way to the NHL. This season, two more high-end talents have made their way into the scouting spotlight, and are among the Top 30 on numerous lists of draft eligble skaters for 2012. Those being the Kitchener Rangers Radek Faksa, and Tomáš Hertl of HC Slavia Praha. For scouts who caught the aforementioned Hertl at the World Junior Championships a few weeks back, they had to be impressed by what he brought to the Czech lineup that played with a ton of emotion, passion and as Brian Burke would say…pugnacity. In fact, the 18-year-old embodied all three of those traits while scoring 3 goals and 5 points in 6 tournament games en route to being named Top 3 player on Read more »
The name Forsberg is synonymous with winning and greatness in hockey, as Swedish centre Peter Forsberg terrified opponents for the better part of 20 pro seasons. So, with Filip Forsberg (no relation) quickly making a name for himself for the upcoming 2012 NHL Entry Draft, it’s easy to see why fans eagerly anticipate the youngsters arrival to North America. The fact is, Filip has many of the same qualities as the aforementioned ‘Foppa’ as he can simply carry a game on his stick, like we seen him do at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, while leading Team Sweden to a silver medal. He has tremendous hands, excellent vision and hockey IQ, a strong, powerful stride, an NHL calibre shot, and at 6′2″, 180-pounds, the young 17-year-old is also a physically imposing figure. Last season, Forsberg lit the lamp 21 times in 36 games for his Read more »
By all accounts, Nail Yakupov’s rookie season in the OHL this year was a huge success. In fact, no other first year player made more of an impact for his team than the dynamic Russian ‘Pocket Rocket,’ scoring an incredible 101 points, on 49 goals and 52 assists in 65 games for his Sarnia Sting squad. Those totals sat him third overall in the entire league in scoring, and first overall on his team, en route to capturing both the OHL and CHL Rookie of the Year awards. He was also lights out at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18’s this past April, scoring 6 goals and 13 points in 7 games for Team Russia, while helping them capture a bronze medal. The 2nd overall pick in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, has tremendous wheels to go with a sick array of offensive weaponry that makes him almost impossible to stop. He seems to be able to score at will, has tremendous puck skills, excellent vision Read more »
I first learned of the ultra skilled Mathew Dumba from my good buddy Dave Benard at HD2 Sports, as he had filmed a couple exceptional video clips of the talented blueliner that captured just how remarkable he is. And, for anyone who has seen him play, it was no surprise that the Red Deer Rebels selected the 6-foot, 172-pound Calgary, Alberta native with their first round pick (4th overall) of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft. Dumba can do it all from the back end, whether it’s running the powerplay or simply delivering a bone-crunching hit on an opponent. The rookie rearguard has put up 13 goals and 9 assists for 22 points in 48 games so far this season, to go with a plus-14 rating and 75 penalty minutes. He was absolutely lights out at the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he led all scorers with 12 points in 6 games, en route to leading Team Pacific to a bronze medal. In 2008-09, Read more »
When the Sarnia Sting picked Alex Galchenyuk first overall in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, the 17-year-old from Milwaukee became just the fourth American to go No. 1 in the OHL draft, joining Pat Peake (1990), Patrick O’Sullivan (2001) and Rob Schremp (2002). He absolutely dominated the U.S. Tier 1 Midget League in 2009-10, racking up 44 goals and 87 points in just 38 games, finishing 33 points ahead of the scoring race runner-up. This season, Galchenyuk played with the poise of an Ontario Hockey League vet, scoring 31 goals and 52 assists in 68 games, en route to being named to the First All-Rookie Team. His 83 total points were second only to teammate Nail Yakupov among first year players in the entire OHL, and good enough for third overall on the Sting. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward has already garnered high praise from many hockey observers, including Hall of Read more »
If you haven’t heard the name Ryan Murray, you soon will. The 16-year-old defenseman is quickly emerging as one of the best junior hockey players in the world. This season, the smooth-skating Murray played with the poise and savvy of a WHL veteran in his rookie campaign with the Everett Silvertips, putting up 27 points (5G,22A) in 52 games en route to winning the Tips Rookie Of The Year honours. He also had a remarkable plus-33 rating, which ranked 10th overall in the WHL and 2nd among first year players. In 2008-09, Murray scored 38 points, on 12 goals and 26 assists in 41 games with the Moose Jaw Jr. Warriors (SMAAAHL). The year before that he led his bantam squad to a Provincial Championship, and was Everett’s first Read more »
At 6′4″, 205 lbs, defenseman Griffin Reinhart has the size to make NHL scouts salivate at just 16-years-old, but the scary thing is, he has the skill as well. The Vancouver native played as an under-ager for the Hollyburn A1 Huskies in 2008-09, and led them to a provincial title scoring 18 points in 6 playoff games. A big reason the Edmonton Oil Kings selected Reinhart 3rd overall in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft. This season he spent his time playing with the Major Midget Vancouver North West Giants, putting up 9 goals and 25 assists in 32 regular season games, and helped them capture the League Championship. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, as Griffin is the son of former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart, who scored 560 points over Read more »
It’s easy to see why NHL scouts became more intrigued by Mika Zibanejad as the 2011 Draft drew near, because along with being a tremendous talent, the big Swede is one of the nicest, hardest working, most intelligent 18-year-olds you’ll ever meet. There have been numerous times where I wanted to give up on the business of hockey over the past couple years, and I can honestly say that Mika’s drive, and determination to be the best has inspired me to say the least. This season, he held his own while playing against men in the Swedish Elite League, potting 5 goals and 9 points in 26 games with Djurgården. He also suited up for 27 games with the Djurgården U20 club, scoring 12 goals and 21 points, and helped Team Sweden capture the silver medal at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18’s, racking up 4 goals and 8 points in 6 tournament games. The kid is a player folks, and Read more »
