Central Scouting European final rankings: Goalies and Sleepers

We're here with the final installment on our Central Scouting final rankings series for Europe, closing out the overseas players with observations and notes on goalies and sleepers.

1. Samu Perhonen, G Jyvaskyla Jr. (FIN- Jr.)- The top netminder in class deserves his spot at the top. He's got the lively size, athleticism and solid butterfly technique to be an NHL stopper in time. He reminds us of Tuukka Rask in terms of his body type and playing style and competes with the same kind of swagger and confidence when on top of his game. Like John Gibson, Perhonen will likely see a drop in where he is drafted compared to where he might have gone even last year simply because of the emerging trend for NHL clubs to focus on skill positions early and grab project goalies later because of the disparity in developmental timelines and the quality netminders who have been picked in the mid-to-late rounds as opposed to early on.

2. Magnus Hellberg, G Almtuna (SWE-2)- Huge late-bloomer will likely be the top-three or four goalies off the board in June because he's older and more advanced in his development. Teams may be hoping to grab the Swede and put him immediately into the AHL with potential for him to see NHL action sooner rather than later. Takes up so much of the net, but is also extremely agile and recovers well. Plays with some laudable focus and concentration and that is borne out in his numbers, which are terrific. The April 1991 birthdate is 6-5, 200 pounds and posted an insane .935 save percentage and 2.04 GAA in 31 games for the Allsvenskan club Almtuna. Don't be surprised to see him go off the board first or even second after Gibson. This is the kind of player that could easily be rated the top goaltender on multiple teams' boards. Central didn't even have him on their mid-term rankings. That's how quickly Hellberg's star has risen this season.

3. Jaroslav Pavelka, G Hradec Kralove Jr. (CZE- Jr.)- The best Czech goalie not named David Honzik stayed home this season and has the size, athleticism and tools to be a solid NHL goalie one day. What he lacks in pure technique and training, he makes up for in competitiveness and a solid work ethic. Not an instinctive player, so his positioning needs to be near-flawless sometimes. That could work against him as he continues to move up the ladder of progression, but if he fails, it won't be for a lack of trying. Kid wants to be a player and will put in the work to get there.

4. Benjamin Conz, G Langnau (SUI)- Passed over twice previously, this should be the year that Conz gets the draft call because he's proven himself to be a big-time gamer in not one but two of the previous WJCs in '10 and '11. He's short and isn't the most physically fit goalie to hit the scene (anyone remember Norm Maracle?), but if your ultimate criteria is stopping the puck and displaying grace under fire, there aren't many goalies better with those attributes than Conz is. He doesn't have great technique, but damn, son- he gets the job done! We thought he might get picked last summer, but that didn't happen. After another excellent WJC we expect someone to take a chance on him, albeit with a late pick.

5. Lars Volden, G Espoo Jr. (FIN- Jr.)- Last time we saw this guy, he was going in for the starter who pulled himself against Canada in the WJC and getting lit up himself. The 6-3 Norweigian is a July 1992-born goalie who was passed over in 2010 and we suspect will get passed up again even though he played OK for the Blues' Jr. team. He may have some decent raw tools, but we can't get behind mentally soft goalies who come apart in big games. Yes, Norway vs. Canada was a lot like David vs. Goliath, but the goalies could have at least given Denmark a fighting chance. Neither guy did and it was a total gong show in the process. Can't imagine that any scout who watched that Canada game and how lousy Volden played would have much confidence in him to be an NHL player one day.

European Sleepers

29. Adam Pettersson, RW Skellefteå (SWE)- Another '92 who was passed up in 2010, this player has average size (6-0, 194), but is shifty and creative. Strong on his skates and a lower center of gravity with powerful leg drive and tough to knock off stride. Exploits seams in defenses with his quickness, intelligence and ability to find the open man. More of a passer than a scorer, he nonetheless finds the back of the net in big moments. Scored 8 goals in 24 games with Skellefteå's J20 team, and even saw time in the SEL to the tune of 22 games, going 1-1-2. Not the star that scouts saw potential in several years back, but an interesting enough prospect worth a later flyer as a sleeper.

36. Dean Kukan, D GCK Zurich (SUI 2)- A bit of a forgotten man this season, this defenseman is a jack-of-all-trades type who doesn't stand out in any one area, but brings a solid all-around presence at 6-2, 200 pounds. He's a good, not great skater. He plays solid, not exceptional defense. And he can move the puck up the ice, but mostly plays a conservative style. Like many Swiss, he would need to prove to NHL clubs he's committed to playing in North America before anyone spends a pick on him, but there's enough there we think that he should draw some interest.

53. Lukas Sedlak, C Ceske Budejovice (CZE- Jr.)- Czech pivot scored 14 goals, 27 points in 47 games with Budejovice's U20 team this season. Industrious and plays with passion and intensity, but lacks the elite skills and natural creativity to present the kind of upside that excites NHL clubs. Played well in the Ivan Hlinka for Czech Republic, but his production on a junior squad was pretty average all things considered. He's an effective two-way player and could develop into something as a lower-line guy, but lacks the kind of dynamic presence that will earn him a lot of attention leading up to the draft.

60. Norman Hauner, RW Koln (Germany)- He's an older player with a December 1991 birthdate, but B2011DW loved this guy's game at the WJC. He's not very big, but plays bigger than his 5-11, 176-pouund listed vitals. He skates well, though has a short choppy stride that he could stand to lengthen. He manages to get from A to B, however and plays a real high-energy, opportunistic game. Hauner was one of the more noticeable forwards on a weak German entry in Buffalo. He's an obvious longshot, but you never know- when the team needed a goal or a big play, he was usually involved, along with fellow overager Marcel Noebels.

91. Oula Palve, C Jyvaskyla Jr. (FIN)- Little guy is fast, shifty, creative and tenacious. Another overager who was passed up in the last draft, but if he can add some mass and strength, might be worth a look as a late-round option. Can really fly and brings a high hockey IQ to the mix along with a passion for the game and willingness to get his nose dirty. Score 18 goals and 40 points in 32 games and then tore it up in the J20 playoffs with 2 goals and 9 points in just 4 games. This guy can play, and like Perhonen and Auvinen, the Bruins will have gotten a good, long look at him, so you never know.

104. Martin Gernat, D Kosice (SVK- Jr.)- Possibly one of the more underrated players on Central's list, and he firmly belongs in the sleeper category based on his ranking. RLR scout Radim Jelinek gave Gernat a strong review in an interview we did with him earlier this season. Gernat is 6-4, but lacks the weight and strength to be all that effective physically right now, but sees the ice well and plays a strong positional game. He's got some legitimate upside as a passer and puck mover and he's going to develop a powerful shot when he reaches his physical maturity.

NR- Richard Ullberg, G SaiPa Jr. (FIN- Jr.)- What the hell happened to this guy? Like Perhonen, Ullberg is the stereotypical Finnish butterfly goalie with size and a wide stance who takes up huge portions of the net and brings terrific reflexes and blocking/recovery abilities to the table. He started strong in some international competition, but faded fast and the wheels completely came off as his season on the HIFK J20 season progressed (.887 save percentage, 3.35 GAA in 15 GP). Ullberg was dominant as a 15- and 16-year-old, so scouts are left scratching their heads over his disastrous season. Did he peak too soon and this sieve what Ullberg really is, OR- do you spend a late pick on him in hopes that he gets his head back on straight and gets back on the developmental track. If you believe the latter, you could end up with a steal of a prospect, because he certainly has the physical attributes to be a top prospect. It's one gamble that just might be worth taking, but only if a team thinks he can pull it together with some good coaching and handling. (EDIT- See comment section for an update on Ullberg's status)

Well, that's a wrap on the European list.

We'll let this percolate a bit and then be back with some notes on a few key fallers like Brandon Saad and others with an attempt to explain what is going on with him after having talked to several people about his stalled development.

Red Line Report scout Radim Jelinek interview: 2011 Eastern Europe draft prospects midseason report Pt. 1

As promised, here is part 1 of the interview I just conducted with Radim Jelinek, Czech/Slovak scout for Red Line Report in his 9th season with the independent draft review. In his own words:

I´m based on the east of Czech republic covering all action in Czech republic and Slovakia. I scout professional and junior (U-20, U-18) leagues in both countries and take all international actions held in both countries. Plus if there is any interesting event/prospect in neighboring countries(Germany, Austria, Poland) than I even go there to cover it.

As mentioned in the previous post, Radim has a very good reputation in the business and has a nice eye for talent. I'll let him do the rest of the talking.

Bruins 2011 Draft Watch: How would you characterize the 2011 NHL Draft class from Eastern Europe based on what you have seen so far? How does it compare to past classes in terms of depth?

Radim Jelinek: It´s poor year for Russia unless there are some hidden gems deep in Russia, prospects who haven´t appeared on international stage yet. It´s necessary to say that this year´s crop would be much better with all Russians already playing in CHL ((Vladislav) Namestnikov, (Andrey) Pedan, (Alexander) Khokhlachev, (Anton) Zlobin, Kuvaev, (Andrei) Makarov). Still even with all those mentioned names, Russia would lack depth. Russian hockey is still able to produce a few top NHL prospects every year but they don´t produce by far as many NHL prospects as in the past, (and they) especially stopped producing good defencemen.

As far as Czech and Slovaks, it is concerning; it´s slightly better than in previous two or three years in terms of depth, there are more prospects who are worth of scouting then in previous years but barring Dmitri Jaskin they are mostly sleepers and long-term projects who won´t be more than later round picks and I actually don´t expect many of them being picked up in June. Speaking about top prospects however, it´s as bad as in several previous seasons, Jaskin is alone this year as well as Martin Marincin a year before. And two years before there were only Panik and Tatar. I have to remark again that things would look differently with (David) Musil, (Tomas) Jurco, (Marek) Tvrdon, (David) Honzik (all having left Europe and playing in the CHL) and some other less heralded kids(Stransky, Galansky, Matej Machovsky, Hrbas, Uher).

B2011DW: In the January issue of Red Line Report, Dmitri Jaskin is 35th overall. Does that have more to do with the fact that he's been injured while other players on the list have been able to perform?

RJ: Absolutely. And actually, no way there is 34 better prospects than Jaskin. I believe he would be top 20 right now if he had not hurt his knee in November. I´m big fan of guys like (Tobias) Rieder or (Sven) Bärtschi but if I could judge them by last season(which could be misguided) and compare them with Jaskin, then I would definitely prefer Jaskin over the mentioned pair. Right now I rate Jaskin higher than Joel Armia, another big European winger.

B2011DW: For those not familiar with Jaskin, can you talk a little bit about what kind of player he is and how he projects in the NHL in your opinion?

RJ: Jaskin is a complete package; skating is a certain drawback, as he lacks smooth stride and looks awkward at times but has deceptive speed, is strong on his skates and is able to get where he needs to be. He is strong on the puck, tough to separate off the puck down low. Goes through checks and tough to handle physically, shields the puck well. Excellent puck puck control in tight space and very good hands in close to the net. Very creative with the puck, anticipates well, has vision and soft hands, passes are crisp. Drives the net, very instinctive player around the net with scoring touch, looks for tips and rebounds close to the net. Quick release of his wrist shot. Finishes all checks causing (defenders) to throw the puck away, creating turnovers plus absorbs checks well, tough to knock him down.Very solid defensively, responsible in own zone and make good decision with puck in own zone showing poise and hockey sense, smart and poised with puck around own blue line, does even the small things well. Has enthusiasm for the game, always plays hard, strong competitor, plays with heart and character.

B2011DW: After Jaskin, who are the players from the Czech Republic you're keeping an eye on for the 2011 draft? Where do you think they stand a chance of being picked in the draft?

RJ: After Jaskin, there is bunch of prospects who I regard as sleepers; guys with long-term potential/upside however alll having serious flaw. Here belongs: Jaroslav Pavelka, athletic, flexible goalie with quick gloves, strong reflexes and excellent legs. Needs to work on technique and improve reading and anticipation. Already 6-1 with potential to add another inch or two.

Then there is the revelation of this season, tall and lanky scoring winger Daniel Pribyl. Has quick and soft hands, beats D regularly 1 on 1 with nifty moves and dekes off the rush and creates separation in tight with strong puck control and finesse stick skills. Smart and quick release of wrist shot. Not developed physically yet and doesn´t use his size enough, okay in puck pursuit and not afraid to play in traffic but rarely finishes checks and doesn´t win many battles for puck. Next, undersized winger Tomas Hyka who is smart, skilled, instinctive but physically very weak, and doesn´t like to take hit/avoids contact at times. Soft touch on his passes, quick soft hands, slick with puck, anticipates very well. Very good wheels, quick burst of speed and first steps, agile. Smooth handling the puck in top speed, has vision finishing touch , makes creative sets-up through traffic.

My personal ultimate sleeper is for the second season in row 92´born playmaking center Tomas Nosek who has skills, size, smartness, vision, skating, creativity to be NHL player. The question is if he has enough determination and heart to make it. Long term project who will need time to develop but has all the tools to be player in about five years, plus has made nice improvement since injury-plagued last season.

And there are some other players who could hear their name pronounced in June in at the draft table like center Lukas Sedlak(biggest disappointment of the season), enigmatic winger Vaclav Tomek, hardworking, character defenceman Tomas Pavelka, soon (to be) 20-year-old puck moving D Jakub Jerabek or pair of older goalies Marek Mazanec(despite of subpar World juniors) – Roman Will. However unless they really dazzle at international stage in remainder of the season, no one will be more than later-round pick.

My personal opinion is that while 10 years ago Czech prospects were slightly overrated as Czech reigned the world of hockey, now they are on the contrary slightly underrated and underscouted as a result of a big crisis of Czech hockey. Undoubtedly some of the mentioned guys would have better chance to get drafted if they were Swedes and not Czechs.

We'll have Part 2-- a look at Slovakia and some options for 2012 and beyond on Monday.

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