AN INDEPENDENT SCOUTING REVIEW Vol. 12 Issue 2 December, 2004
Post Office Box 522 • Lake Placid, NY 12946 • (518)523-4289 • Fax: (518)523-7391
The Red Line Top 50

Here is Red Line's preliminary identification list of the top draft eligible prospects for the NHL's 2005 Entry Draft in Ottawa next June 25-26.

NO.
PLAYER
POS
HT/WT
S
DOB
TEAM
1. Sidney Crosby
C
 5-10/188
L
 07 AUG 87 Rimouski
2. Gilbert Brulé
C
 5-11/180
R
 01 JAN 87 Vancouver
3. Jack Johnson
D
 6-0/197
L
 13 JAN 87 U.S. Natl. U-18
4. J.-P. Levasseur
G
 6-1/183
R
 15 JAN 87 Rouyn-Noranda
5. Tuukka Rask
G
 6-2/173
L
 10 MAR 87 Ilves
6. Ryan O'Marra
RW
 6-3/195
R
 03 APR 87 Erie
7. Carey Price
G
 6-3/212
L
 16 AUG 87 Tri-City
8. Jakub Kindl
D
 6-2/193
L
 05 JAN 87 Kitchener
9. Benoit Pouliot
LW
 6-2/180
L
 29 SEP 86 Sudbury
10. Jack Skille
LW
 6-1/200
R
 19 MAY 87 U.S. Natl. U-18

SCOUTING
REPORTS

(Editor's Note: We begin our mid-season updates on the top prospects by geographic region with a look at the "Q". Red Line's Chief Scout compiled the following rankings and reports.)

    1. Sidney Crosby/LC — Rimouski. 5-10/188.  Sees every-thing developing quicker and moves the puck faster than anyone else can anticipate. Always delivers puck to proper spot and always tees it up in perfect shooting position for linemates. Has the speed/quickenss to gain separation and back defenders off. Instinctively understands where open ice is going to be. Amazingly quick, soft hands and hockey sense. Has improved defence; backchecks alertly to break up dangerous rushes and comes back deep in d-zone to help out d-men. Even plays it physical and throws some big hits. Outhustles and outworks much bigger opponents in battles for loose pucks down low at both ends.
    2. Jean-Philippe Levasseur/G-R — Rouyn-Noranda. 6-1/183.  Incredibly soft pads and very sound technically. Always in the proper position in his butterfly. Anticipates developing plays very well and is excellent side-to-side. Really good on the push-off on either skate. Drags the trailing leg when coming across the crease - just so smart. A true natural. Has qualities you can’t teach. Gives teammates around him a feeling of confidence and security that he’ll erase their mistakes. Cool and calm under heavy pressure - almost always forces shooters to make the first move in 1-on-1 showdowns.
     3. Marek Zagrapan/LC — Chicoutimi. 6-0/178.  Already had premier, top-notch offensive skills, and now he’s playing smarter every game we see him at defensive end. Able to hold the puck that extra split second to give linemates a chance to break to open ice, then gets it to them in good shooting position with slick touch passes through traffic. Really understands how to play the game away from the puck - mature beyond his years. Controls tough passes in skates with ease. Slightly built - needs to add strength to stand up to physical play.

(Editor’s Note: Here are our mid-season rankings of the top WHL prospects as compiled by RLR’s two long-time western scouts.)

    1. Gilbert Brule/RC — Vancouver. 5-11/180. 01 Jan 87.  If Brule follows Sidney Crosby as the 2nd overall pick in the draft, it will be the first time since 1981 (Dale Hawerchuk & Doug Smith) the top two picks were both under 6-0. Size isn’t a concern with Brule, because he plays such a big game. At times, he’s actually physically dominating because of his fearless and abrasive style. And let’s not forget about his offensive skills, which are NHL calibre. Brule has one of the hardest, most accurate shots we’ve ever seen in the WHL. As close to the complete package as a 5-10 player can ever be.
    2. Carey Price/G-L — Tri-City. 6-3/215. 16 Aug 87.  Price has struggled at times this season, but that doesn’t shake our conviction that he’s going to be an elite #1 goaltender at the next level. All the tools are there: size, quickness, good angles, a great glove, balance, and solid puck handling. But it’s his mental approach that really puts him over the top. He’s ultra-cool and calm and plays even better in pressure situations.
    3. Dustin Kohn/LD — Calgary. 6-1/185. 02 Feb 87.  Smooth skating defender has opened eyes this year thanks to improved defensive play and excellent puck skills. Was overmatched last year due to lack of size, but has grown and added some muscle, making him more effective in own zone. Is very confident with puck and has the ability to lead the rush or make long, crisp breakout passes. At his best when skating the puck out of his zone and hitting a teammate in full stride. Has a good shot which he gets on net and above average passing skills. Not a banger, but has improved his defensive zone coverage drastically.

RECRUITING
ANALYSIS

    With the returns now in from the early signing period, Red Line has analysed all of the preliminary freshman recruiting classes (see pages 9-10 for full recruiting lists) for 2005 in U.S. college hockey, and here are our thoughts on which schools have given themselves a leg up on having the most productive classes.
    1. University of Michigan — The Wolverines go to the head of the class by signing three potential NHL first rounders: super stud defenders Jack Johnson and Mark Mitera from the U.S. NTDP, and unquestionably the fastest and best skater in this year’s crop, highly skilled Andrew Cogliano out of Toronto’s Tier II ranks. Add in a trio of bruising power wingers in Jason Bailey, Tim Miller, and Zac MacVoy, and you’ve gone a long way towards re-loading all the chambers.
    2. Boston College — Quality and quantity is the deciding factor in declaring the Eagles’ class the best in the east. This comes on the heels of Red Line awarding Jerry York’s crew top honours last May for their job on 2004 recruiting. As usual, they grabbed Red Line’s favourite little man in super pest Nathan Gerbe, who at 5-6 may be too tall for BC’s program. Two other small but superbly skilled forwards in Brock Bradford and Benn Ferriero, plus big bull Kyle Kucharski feather the Eagles’ nest up front. Add a fine mix of skilled puck-moving defenders (Brett Motherwell and Anthony Aiello) and physical blue-liners (Tim Kunes and Tim Filangieri) and you can see the depth of this crop.
    3. University of Minnesota — Homegrown products Blake Wheeler and Ryan Stoa are two of the biggest and most skilled power forward prospects in the nation, and they added a quality netminder in Jeff Frazee. Throw in nice complementary pieces in defenceman R.J. Anderson and speedy pivot Justin Bostrom, and that’s a good day’s work.

Rising:

Michael Sauer — Erasing concerns about soft play by using his strength more effectively. Great skill package for a 6-2 defenceman.

Radek Smolenak — Has made the adjustment to North America and is really hitting his stride. Big winger with soft hands is a natural scorer.

Brian Lee — His addition to the U.S. World Jr. squad is well deserved given his recent play. Has serious poise and puck distribution skills.

Dustin Kohn — Tremendous improvement this season. Is now Calgary's best defenceman some nights on a team with four NHL drafted blue liners.

Dan Bertram — He really is a dazzling skater and can make so many dangerous moves at top-end speed. He's easily the best freshman in U.S. college hockey. Could be a poor man's Kariya and we do mean Paul, not Marty or Steve.

Marc-Andre Cliché — Hard to move up the charts when nobody ever gets to see you, but we've got him as one of our real sleepers this year. Hey, he's got size, can skate, shoot, and bang along the walls. That's a good start.

Todd McIlrath — Yes he's small, and he's had some headstrong attitude issues in the past, but can he ever skate and create. Burning up the USHL.

Nicklas Bergfors — Dominating at the junior level and playing stong in limited ice time at the senior level. Plays a very mature two-way game.

Joe Fallon — We liked him last year too, but he's been much better than we ever anticipated.

Falling:

Jakub Vojta — Underachieving blue-liner has terrific skills and offensive ability, but not producing on a strong team with plenty of ice time. Plus we have major questions about his work ethic and defensive commitment.

Ray Macias — Maybe he's confused by switching back and forth from forward to defence, but his progression has stalled and his decision making is a ?

Francois Bolduc — He gets hurt a bit by the fact that not much defence gets played in Rimouski, but we still had expected to see a bit more in his game by now.