Risers and fallers in 2011 draft

Time to look at some risers and fallers for the 2011 draft.

Up next will be a post with some sleeper picks for the class, and with that, should bring everyone up to speed on many of the top options for June. We will come back in May with a playoff review when the league championships are all in the books.

Risers

Ryan Sproul, D Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)- Hit a huge growth spurt and now stands at about 6-4 after being drafted by the Greyhounds at a little over 6-feet. Played in the OJHL before jumping to the OHL and showed a lot of promise as a mobile, agile two-way defenseman who came out of left field this season laboring for a non-playoff squad. He didn't suffer any ill-effects of the surge in height, and is a powerful skater with a long, fluid stride that scouts really like. When he adds strength and mass to his skinny frame, he'll be even more of a defensive horse than he is already. As one would imagine, he's got a big gun from the point, and just think how much more lethal it will be when he develops more oomph behind it. Very raw, but with one of the most intriguing projectable of any player in the OHL, this guy is going to be the subject of a lot of internet draft chatter between now and June 24-25.

Here's a nice feature on Sproul from Brock Otten's OHL Prospects blog

Seth Griffith, C/RW London (OHL)- Smallish but skilled forward came on strong for the Knights after a large chunk of veterans were traded away. Showed some chemistry with B's prospect Jared Knight and fellow 2011 draft prospect Vladislav Namestnikov. Quick and agile; handles the puck well and has the look of a dangerous scorer in the OHL over the next couple of years. His lacrosse background serves him well in hockey. A player to watch; was a sleeper but finished season with nearly point-per-game for London (22-40-62 in 68 games as a rookie), so he's on a lot of NHL radars now.

Rasmus Bengtsson, D Rögle (SWE-2)- Youngster has gained a lot of confidence playing in Sweden's Allsvenskan division against men: 45 games, 2-7-9. He's a good skater who plays a solid two-way game and has the size (6-2, 196) to be an effective NHL player eventually. Has a cannon of a shot, but could stand to improve quickness of his release and accuracy. Overall, he's an interesting developmental project as a player who needs to be a little more physical and assertive in his own end, but appears to have the tools to be an NHL prospect to watch.

Magnus Hellberg, G Almtuna (SWE-2)- A 1991 birthdate and late-bloomer who was passed over in 2009 and 2010, NHL teams won't make that mistake again in 2011. Huge at 6-5, 185 pounds and cat-quick between the pipes. Performed brilliantly for Almtuna in the Allsvenskan this season, posting a 2.04 GAA and .936 save percentage in 31 games. He was then loaned to IFK Kumla in the Division 1 league and posted a 2.01 GAA and .938 mark. With his superb athleticism, upside and performance, his developmental curve is straight up, not to mention as an older, more mature player, he's ready to come to the AHL next season and start right away.

Andrey Pedan, D Guelph (OHL)- Big Russian defenseman (6-4, 195) came into the OHL this year with a lot of hype after an outstanding Ivan Hlinka tourney for Team Russia and only managed to score two goals and 12 points in 51 games, with both tallies coming at the very end of the season. Interestingly enough, he's already posted five points in just three playoff games and his stock is on the rebound. NHL teams liked his size and mobility/agility as an effective shutdown 'D', but he had shown very little offensive element to his performance to justify a high pick. Now, with Pedan starting to bring the offense at crunch time, he's elevating his profile at just the right time.

Zach Franko, LW Kelowna (WHL)- A smaller guy at 5-11, 160, but shifty, fast and a very good puckhandler. Franko, like teammate Shane McColgan, got off to a slow start offensively, but really came on over the second half for the Rockets and will no doubt be on a lot of teams' boards come June. He finished the year with 22 goals and 53 points in 72 games, but has fine hockey sense and vision to go with his wheels and quick stick. He's got to get much stronger, but he could explode offensively in the WHL over the next 1-2 years.


Mitch Elliot, LW Seattle (WHL)- Behemoth winger at 6-5, 215 pounds has legitimate toughness but a modicum of skill as well. He hasn't been very productive with the non-playoff Thunderbirds over the past couple of season, scoring just 6 goals and 17 points in 128 games to go with 157 penalty minutes. Elliot's upside is limited, but he skates pretty well for such a big guy and NHL teams do love their tough wingers.


Fallers

Alan Quine, C Peterborough (OHL)- This skilled pivot with a high hockey IQ came into the year as a first-round projection, but got off to a slow start with Kingston and never recovered. He was on the gold medal team at the Ivan Hlinka tourney, and was eventually traded to Peterborough for Ryan Spooner. He finished the season with 26 goals and 53 points in 69 games split between the Frontenacs and Petes. He has tremendous vision and high-end passing skills with a quick release and accurate shot. Unfortunately, defense is not his strong suit, and his average size (6-0, 180) doesn't make for a very physical player. Quine could be one of those one-dimensional guys who is doomed to be a minor leaguer, but if he ever figures out how to round out his game, he certainly has the talent to be a top-six NHL forward.

Garrett Meurs, C Plymouth (OHL)- Another disappointment like Quine in that Meurs was a playmaking pivot from whom bigger things were expected after a 16-goal, 34-point rookie campaign with the Whalers. The 5-11, 172-pounder only managed 10 goals and 40 points in 2011, but played better hockey near the end of the season after looking listless and ineffective for much of the time. Meurs is a talented forward who isn't the prettiest-looking skater, but manages to get where he needs to go. Needs to improve first step in the eyes of several scouts, who feel his skating will hold him back at the next level. Shows the intangibles you want like vision, offensive instincts and has a feisty side despite not being the biggest guy out there. Another member of Team Canada's Ivan Hlinka champion last August, Meurs must get a lot stronger. His stock is on the wane, but if he gets back on his developmental track, he's got potential as a later value pick in this class.

Jesse Forsberg, D Prince George (WHL)- Smallish defender at 6-0, 195 pounds was one of the higher-rated players in the WHL coming into it, but pretty much fell off the map with a subpar offensive season and a weird, hunched-over skating style that is a turnoff for scouts. Works hard and plays a gritty, hard-nosed game despite a lack of height and power, but is pretty limited in terms of his puck-moving ability and upside at the next level. Could force his way into the NHL much like Andrew Ference did, but Ference at least put up some pretty good numbers in Portland back in the day. Forsberg's 2 goals and 16 points at the junior level will give pause to any team thinking of drafting him in the top-100, but he has the kind of edge and work ethic to make himself a player one day. Worth the risk after the third round.

Austen Brassard, RW Belleville (OHL)- A frustrating tease, in the words of one NHL scout. This 6-2, 190-pound winger put up 17 points in just 26 games last season after being traded from Windsor to the Bulls, so the conventional thinking was that Brassard would make the obvious jump in production this year. Didn't happen. With 19 goals and 34 points in 67 games, the talent is not an issue, as he's a pretty good skater and has the quick hands and nose for the net, but brings a maddening inconsistency and penchant for disappearing for large stretches to the mix. Brassard is capable of doing so much more, but is largely undelivered potential at this point. He's worth a gamble with a later-round pick like the sixth the B's spent on Tyler Randell two years ago, but the light may never come on for Brassard.

Scott Harrington, D London (OHL)- First-round talent had high hopes this year and looked like a good bet to deliver after a solid Ivan Hlinka performance in August. Unfortunately, Harrington struggled with the defensive aspect of his game this season, which was a strength last season, and according to scouts, showed off some indecisive play early on and never really found his groove. Although mobile with crisp change-of-direction ability, Harrington was never thought of as an offensive player, but his gap control, positioning, smarts and work ethic all drew raves last year. This season, he regressed and seemed to let the pressure of his draft year and London's struggles get to him. He could be a solid pro if he can get back to his previous level, but that will require a club who saw enough of him last year to be confident he can get his mojo back.

Andrei Makarov, G Lewiston (QMJHL)- Highly athletic Russian goalie carried high expectations all the way to Maine, but played so poorly early in the season that even his late resurgence may not be enough to see him picked. His poor technique and lack of fundamentals were exposed early on, but to his credit, he battled and tried to work through it. Showed improvement as the season wore on, and he could be one of these guys who goes the distance because he has such natural size, flexibility and is a bit of an acrobat in net. He's going to require a great deal of time and patience, but the payoff could be big.

2011 draft goalie roundup Pt 2

About 10 days ago, we took a look at a lot of goaltenders available for the 2011 NHL Draft, but faithful readers pointed out how many we missed. So, here's a follow-up post that will help to acquaint you with more of the netminders.

This isn't a great crop of high-end guys, but there are plenty of interesting developmental project types who could turn out nicely in time. Just go back to 1994 and look at all the late-round picks in net who ended up panning out as NHL stars (Tim Thomas, Evgeni Nabokov, Tomas Vokoun- all 9th rounders, Marty Turco went in the 5th), while 1st-round guys like Jamie Storr and Eric Fichaud never really met expectations. And of course, we don't want to bring up Evgeni Ryabchikov's name, taken 21st overall in '94 by the Bruins that year and couldn't even hack it as an AHL starter before going back to Russia never to be seen again. Oh, wait- I guess we just did.

Point being- teams are spending fewer high picks on goalies these days after seeing so much empirical evidence that says good scouting can unearth late-round gems given the kind of disparity in the individual development curves for players at the position. This is one reason we didn't take Samu Perhonen in the 2nd round of the mock draft covered recently (although he could very well be a solid value pick at the end of that round) and when you look at a prospect like Zane Gothberg, tabbed in the 6th round a year ago and developing nicely in the USHL even as a backup.

So, without further ado- here are more goalies from the 2011 class (not an ordered list, just the way it happened to shake out as I consulted various rankings and databases for this post):

Liam Liston, Brandon (WHL)- If you watched him in the CHL Top Prospects Game, you would think this guy had second round written all over him. He was dialed in and stopped all 18 shots he faced in the first 30 minutes of Team Orr's victory, stemming the tide when his squad was outplayed by Team Cherry early. Although he had some shaky moments (his glove was a bit of an adventure), the puck never went in on him. Unfortunately, his up-and-down performance for the Wheat Kings this season has scouts a tad perplexed. He's got the 6-2, 200+ pound size NHL teams covet, and the physical tools to be a big league goalie. However, the focus and consistency has not been there. He's sporting an outrageously bad .879 save percentage with an 18-16-1 record (and inflated 3.79 GAA), and it's not like he plays on a lousy team either. You can only blame the defense and team in front of the goalie so much- at the end of the day, you have to make the saves and according to reports, he's been a gongshow at times. Compare his numbers to that of Eric Williams of the lesser-talented Prince Albert Raiders, and you begin to understand why opinions are so divided on Liston.

Jordan Binnington, Owen Sound (OHL)- At 6-2, 160, he's another Tuukka Rask in terms of his body type, but has those long arms and legs, quickness that is always at a premium in the NHL. Got his chance this season when Scott Stajcer went down. Played well in the CHL Top Prospects Game after Shane Prince scored on the first shot Binnington faced, the only goal surrendered by the Liston/Binnington duo for Team Orr. His 24-12-1-4 record is pretty good, but the .896 is part of what keeps him out of the discussion with the Gibsons (John, Christopher) and Perhonen as the top 'tenders in class. Consistency is something goalies can do to sell themselves and even the most ardent Binnington supporter can admit that he's had some pretty mediocre outings. Binnington takes up a lot of the net with his limbs but we hear his lateral quickness is not great.

Mike Morrison, Kitchener (OHL)- Late '92 is in his first year of eligibility and has played very well for the Rangers as Brandon Maxwell's second. He's a composed netminder who doesn't get rattled easily from most accounts. His size is pretty average (6-0, 175), but he's got good lateral quickness. He's only seen 25 games of action this season, but is a solid 15-5-2 with a .914 save percentage. Not a lot of flash or hype with this guy, but we've heard nice things about him from Ontario-based scouts and think that there are more than a few NHL teams who are targeting him for a later-round flier.

Robert Steeves, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)- Olivier Roy's backup hasn't seen a lot of action this season (20 games) but has played well when called upon. He's only about 5-11 and about 150 pounds soaking wet- he needs another couple inches and 30 pounds on his frame to give NHL teams confidence in his ability to be a stopper at the highest level, but the early returns are good. He's got a lot of raw talent, quickness and the mental toughness to be a gamer. However, this is a classic long road player who is going to require a leap of faith on draft day, and then loads of patience from the team that invests in him. Sleeper- could go as high as the fourth round or drop out of the draft completely. If a team thinks he's going to grow a bit more, then someone will take him.

Maxime Lagace, PEI (QMJHL)- Another backup who has had a hard time seeing action, Lagace's stats are nothing to write home about (8-4, 3.59 GAA, .884 save percentage), but he's got the prototypical size and superb quickness and athleticism that teams demand from their draft picks at the position. He has extremely quick pads and a good glove hand. Lateral agility is pretty good. Evan Mosher is a workhorse for the Rocket, which is a shame because viewings on Lagace have come so few and far between for scouts. That's one of the reasons Lagace is only making his B2011DW debut here tonight in this post with the QMJHL nearly in the books.

Steve Michalek, Loomis-Chaffee (HS- CT)- We. Love. This. Kid. OK, full disclosure- he's a high school goalie, which makes it extremely difficult for scouts to discern whether a player has the goods, but we think Michalek is one of the legit sleeper prospects in the 2011 draft. He was under siege for much of the season on the worst prep team, but still managed to post a .919 save percentage while making more than 1,000 saves on the year. Does anyone understand how many shots he stopped given the small amount of games prep schools play when compared to their junior counterparts? What we don't like about the Harvard recruit's game is that he tends to overcommit on shots, leaving himself open for backdoor plays, but he's very athletic, mentally tough and one of these guys with intriguing potential. You can't use the standard, "he's a HS goalie" argument with him either, because he played so well at the Ivan Hlinka in August. Interesting guy to watch for sure.

Tadeas Galansky, Saginaw (OHL)- Another Czech Republic product who came over to North America to try his hand in the CHL. Unfortunately for the 6-3, 190-pound right-catching goalie, he's only seen 15 games in action for the Spirit all year and is yet another player who will require a leap of faith in limited viewings for teams to draft him. He's got the requisite size and athleticism for the position and stays pretty square to the shooter. His overall game is pretty refined at this point, but again, with Mavric Parks getting most of the starts, scouts could go to a bushel of Saginaw games and never see this kid if unlucky enough. That's a bit of a stretch, but like most backups, teams want to see more of a sample size and they simply didn't get it with Galansky this year.

Matt McNeely, U.S. NTDP (USHL)- The Minnesotan and UMD recruit has played second fiddle to John Gibson this year and isn't as refined at this stage as his partner is, but there is a lot of raw material and potential with this one who brings the size, quickness you want. I'll let Chris Peters of the excellent United States of Hockey blog take it from here, but this is a pretty good writeup on McNeely based on the January release of Central's mid-term rankings.

Benjamin Conz, Langnau (SUI)-We've said it before- short and dumpy simply does not play well to the NHL scouting community as far as goalies are concerned and so when you're about 5-10 and 210 pounds, good luck with the draft. Yet, for two consecutive WJCs now, the roly poly Swiss netminder has excelled at keeping the puck out of his net. He's a popular favorite amongst draftniks at sites like Hockey's Future Boards, but the reality is- Conz is never going to be high on team lists because of his body type. Now, will the third time be the charm and see him drafted after previous snubs? He's played well enough to earn it. But we've seen people suggesting him as a second-round pick and that's just crazy talk. You'll probably see an NHL team take a flier on him this time around, but his physical traits are non-standard, and unless they think he's going to be the next coming of Tim Thomas, it will be as more of an afterthought than being seen in the upper tier of this group. At the same time, straight-killers like Conz who make all the big stops when the stakes are highest are the ones you least want to bet against making it.

Andrei Makarov, Lewiston (QMJHL)- At one time, a highly-regarded goalie prospect for this draft, but played so poorly in the early part of the season that it's taken some strong performances in the last month to get him back into the picture. Even then, it may not be enough for a player who was not even ranked by Central at midterm. We'll see if he gets a nod in their final listing. He's got good height, but is a beanpole. Has the quickness and athleticism for the game, but like many Russian goalies was lacking in technique and discipline when he first came over and paid for it. To his credit, he worked on it and is showing improvement. Might be enough to get him drafted, but with teams being skittish about Russians, his production hasn't exactly given clubs a reason to throw caution to the wind for him. Should be interesting to see if he gets picked based on what he did in international comp last year and his second-half performance for the MAINE-iacs.

Matt Mahalak, Plymouth (OHL)- Yet another backup who hasn't gotten much quality time behind a workhorse. In Mahalak's case, Devils prospect Scott Wedgewood has had much of the action 19 games- 7-7-4, 3.11, .911 save pct. for the Whalers this season, and the former USHL standout's shaky start to the season certainly didn't help his cause. He's another prototype with the size and athleticism, but is a draft wildcard who will get drafted only by a team that saw enough in a limited sample size to roll the dice a bit and gamble that the flashes they saw are worth one of 5-7 picks (in most cases). You could very well see a team with a bevvy of extra picks use one on him because of the potential upside.

Eric Williams, Prince Albert (WHL)- Tall and lean goaltender has played well for a mediocre Prince Albert squad. He doesn't get a lot of attention, but with a solid 17-17-2 record with .900 save percentage despite making more than 1,100 saves in just 39 games of action. That's a lot of rubber- kid's a gamer and with his size, athleticism and competitiveness, is going to get drafted and make one of those under-the-radar projects who could make noise in time (and with continued action and work on technique).

Colin Stevens, Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL)- Another tall, lean goalie who is athletic and competitive. Played a very good season for Jr. B's and is strong in his crease in terms of getting the forceful four-way movements needed to play the position effectively. What drops Stevens in the eyes of some scouts is the inconsistency he displayed and a lack of focus at times that led to soft goals. There's a lot of raw talent to work with on this guy, but the operative word is "work" and it might not be enough to see him even get called. We loved Brian Billett a year ago after he had a great season in the EJHL, but nary a team called his name. Teams have specific criteria for their goalie picks these days, and we don't know if that includes game, but up-and-down Jr. B goalies like Stevens.

Pete Traber, Shattuck St. Mary's (HS- MN)- Yet another physical, but raw specimen whose 6-2 frame takes up a lot of net. Like Gothberg last year, Minnesota goalies tend to drop in the draft because that state has never been a great producer of NHL talent between the pipes. If Traber gets the call, it will be later rather than sooner, even playing for such an accomplished team like Shattuck. He needs some refinement in his technique and is a clear-cut long-term project player, but has shown some potential.

That about does it for the 2011 netminder reivew. We know we've left a few goalies out of the mix, but this is good enough for the time being. From reading the capsules, you can see that there are more than a few intriguing project types in this group and we'll continue to champion those who rise to the top like good cream does.

Andrei Makarov: A Guy You Should Know

Friend of B2011DW Nathan Fournier, who runs The World of Junior Hockey blog, sent me some stats on Lewiston Maine-iacs goaltender Andrei Makarov this weekend, prompting me to get off my dead arse and get a writeup on the talented Russian who struggled early, but has come on of late.

Makarov didn't even make the top-33 in Central Scouting's North American goalie rankings at mid-season, which really underscores the struggles he had adjusting to the play in the QMJHL/North America after coming over amidst such high expectations. But, he's really turned things around, earning Q Goalie of the Week honors a few weeks back.

Fournier provided the following stats on Makarov since Central's rankings came out: 5-4 with 2.78 GAA and .918 save percentage. He's been getting in more important games of late, and played well in the loss to Montreal last Thursday, according to Fournier.

Red Line Report was pretty high on Makarov before the season (47th in the August issue), but plunged him down to 195th on the February rankings. It will be interesting to see if he ends up on the rising section next month or if he starts to climb back up a bit.

At 6-1, 195, he's got the frame and athleticism to be a good one in time. But, I'm always reminded of a conversation I had with Arturs Irbe, Latvian superstar and former NHL netminder now goalie coach for the Washington Capitals, who told me that as rule, Russian goalies don't get a lot of coaching and are usually thrown into the nets to stop pucks and survive on their athleticism until they can develop a measure of technique.

Haven't seen a lot of Makarov to know whether his problems had more to do with technique, loss of confidence, culture shock or what have you- a combination of all perhaps- but he's the kind of player who could be stolen with a late pick and his image rehabbed with some development camp work and possibly a change of scenery.

In any case, Makarov is a guy you should know!

B2011DW's Official QMJHL Watch List

I'm back with the third of the Canadian Hockey Leagues- the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, which features Sean Couturier at the top, one talented center who may go first overall next June. He has the size, skill and natural hockey sense to be a very good one.

So, without further ado, here's the preseason list of QMJHL players to keep tabs on:

1. Sean Couturier, C Drummondville Voltigeurs: A December 1992 birthdate, this big gun has spent the last couple of seasons in the QMJHL and tied for the league scoring lead in '09-10 (he also accomplished the ignominious honor of doing so without hitting the 100-point mark for the first time in league history, scoring 96 points on the strength of 41 goals). At 6-4, he has a huge frame and still has a lot of growing/filling out to do. The son of former NHL journeyman Sylvain Couturier, Sean was born in the U.S. but raised in New Brunswick. He left the Maritimes to spend a season with the storied Notre Dame Hounds AAA program in Wilcox, Saskatchewan where his teammates included Brandon Gormley, the top selection of the Phoenix Coyotes in June. He's not the fastest skater, but has a powerful stride and uses his immense body to ward off would-be checkers and drive hard to the net. He's still developing his coordination, so his balance and agility are still works in progress, but he's improving both in speed and lateral mobility. His real assets are his soft, soft hands and outstanding hockey sense and vision, which allow him to make magic from the mundane. He's so big and talented that he's entering that zone where he's manhandling the competition, so look for big production and a real dogfight with Adam Larsson for the top overall pick, as centers (he's also spent a lot of time on the wing) as huge and skilled as Couturier is don't grow on trees and are always coveted. Of course, so are big, fast uber-talented defenders, so buckle the seatbelts. "He's a complete package," said one NHL scout who works the Quebec region when asked about Couturier. "I've been watching him for years and he just keeps showing that improvement you want to see in a top player. I think he's the best prospect to come out of the 'Q' since some guy named (Sidney) Crosby."

2. Tomas Jurco, RW Saint John Sea Dogs: This skilled Slovak helped get the 'Dogs all the way to the Quebec League finals last season and impressed a lot of people with his high-end offensive potential in just one North American season. Although only average in size (6-0, 180) Jurco skates extremely well, with some real elusiveness and slippery moves. An excellent puckhandler with a bevy of moves, he can also really rip the biscuit as evidenced by his 26 goals as a rookie last year. Another late December '92 birthdate, he's a little older and more mature than a good percentage of the competition, so Jurco should take a quantum leap in his production and play this season. He's made the cultural transition and speaks pretty good English, so watch for Jurco, with minimal distractions, to be one of the more electrifying players on the Q circuit this year. Like most players his size, adding strength and mass to be able to handle the physical rigors of pro hockey is paramount to his development.

3. Nathan Beaulieu, D Saint John Sea Dogs: Jurco's junior teammate is a pretty good package of skill, size (6-2, 175) and upside for this draft, and will no doubt have the scouts flocking to the Maritimes this season to get a closer look. After a real solid performance at Team Canada World Junior Evaluation Camp last month, Beaulieu seems in store for bigger and better things. Another December 1992 born player, he's entering his third season of major junior after breaking out with a 12-goal, 45-point effort last year (he tallied two goals 10 points as a rookie in '08-09). He's a smooth skater with nice acceleration and an ability to rev it up into another gear, and is a player who isn't afraid to jump up into the play. A strong puck-moving defenseman, he uses a combination of vision, hockey intellect and good hands to set the breakout and help his team with the transition game. Beaulieu is also willing to fight when the opportunity presents, and isn't bad in that regard, with a flamethrower style and a willingness to stand in and take punches to give 'em. He's also got a strong background in the sport, as his father is an assistant coach with the London Knights and playedmajor junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, even serving as head coach and GM of the Sea Dogs during Nathan's rookie season. Like Couturier, Beaulieu is from New Brunswick and at first glance, appears to have the kinds of traits and skills that would appeal greatly to the Boston Bruins, who lack high-end defensemen in their prospect stable. This is definitely a player to watch, especially if he makes the cut for the Canadian World Jr. (Under-20) squad which will try to unseat the U.S. team in Buffalo this winter. "I thought he had a very good (evaluation) camp and has come a long way from when he first started in this league," the NHL scouts said. "

4. Jonathan Huberdeau, C Saint John Sea Dogs: With the third Sea Dog in the top-four for the QMJHL, you're starting to understand why they pushed Moncton in the league championship series last spring. A skinny beanpole of a kid at 6-1 and just 155 pounds or so, this is one player who is going to have to invest in some serious weight-gainer supplements. That said, he's a very talented player who skates well, has quick hands and is creative with the puck. A member of the gold medal Canada team at the Ivan Hlinka, Huberdeau chipped in with some offense, but didn't have the greatest camp nor tournament by some accounts. As you might expect, his lack of solid mass and strength works against him at this stage of his development, as he can be pushed off the puck easily and tends to retreat into perimeter mode when the hitting picks up. This player is going to be an interesting one to follow, because his overall game is not all that strong even with his high-end offensive upside. If he struggles with play in all three zones or doesn't show the kind of commitment scouts want to see in terms of going to the traffic areas and being willing to take hits to make plays, you could see a precipitous drop over the course of the year. As it stands right now, however, he's so skilled offensively, that you could make a case that he needs to be No. 3, possibly even No. 2 on the Quebec list, but concerns about his overall package move him down a tad.

5. Phillip Danault, C Victoriaville Tigres: If you like upside, then Danault is your guy to watch this season. He's an average-sized player who isn't very strong, but who can really skate and jump out at you when he's on the ice because of his ability to back defenders up. Known more as a playmaker prior to the Hlinka, Danault ripped it up at Canada's camp and opened some eyes among the scouts in attendance. Some aren't yet convinced that he's going to be able to carry that kind of offense consistently this season, but admittedly, his August has raised some eyebrows. He's shown that he can create and finish, so the question remains whether he can do enough this year to develop his body of work to be a top-two round pick and possibly grab some traction for the first 30.

6. Xavier Ouellet, D Montreal Juniors: He's one of those 'tweener guys who can give scouts fits at times. At 6-0, 175 pounds, he's undersized for a defender. And, he's a pretty average skater, too, which always sends up the red flags (and Bruins fans know Dennis Wideman well). But, Ouellet is smart and has the puck skills to move it up and out of the danger areas. More elusive than fast, he relies on his positioning, vision and hockey sense to get the job done, but he's not going to get much leeway from the scouts during the course of the season if he makes too many mistakes simply because of his lack of size and mobility issues.

7. Andrei Makarov, G Lewiston Maineiacs: Admittedly, don't know much about this guy other than the fact that he's tall and lanky (6-1, 155), has freakish athleticism and flexibility, and could become a real draw for scouts if he delivers on the promise he showed at the Hlinka (despite Russia's disappointing finish). That said, I've spent some time in Washington talking to some Russian hockey people and they always tell me the same thing: you don't see an overabundance of Russian goalies in the NHL because most of them don't get much coaching and have to rely on tremendous raw ability to get things done (see: Varlamov, Semyon). In the case of Makarov, the fact that he's over in North America bodes well, because he isn't going to just be left to fend for himself. Whether he can make the cultural and hockey transition remains to be seen, but this will be an intriguing player to keep an eye on. Red Line has him in their preseason top-50 at 47.

8. Jean-Francois Leblanc, C Val d'Or Foreurs: At 6-4, 197, this defensive centerman has the size and raw ability to be an NHL player one day, but probably lacks the skill and upside to be anything more than a checker/grinder. Still, he is someone to watch because he skates pretty well and possesses and inordinate amount of hockey sense, not to mention solid face-off ability, which are always in demand at any level. He had a solid if unspectacular Hlinka tourney, and if he could somehow add an offensive dimension to his game, Leblanc could evolve into a role player somewhere. This isn't someone to get excited about right now, but he's a gritty competitor and brings a lot of the intangibles you win with.

Other QMJHLers to watch for:

Zac Phillips, C Saint John

Olivier Archambault, RW Val d'Or

Jonathan Racine, D Shawinigan

Dillon Donnelly, D Shawinigan