Ranking the Top 15 American NHL Draft-Eligibles (9-15)

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Chris Peters

Making lists is hard. What makes another player better than another? How can one predict potential? If the NHL Draft has taught us anything, sometimes even the professionals get it wrong. Luckily for me, my job doesn’t hang in the balance of making such a list and I’m able to do it without much regard for the long-term success of an NHL team. Basically, us bloggers, journalists, pretend scouts, have it easy.

That said, it’s still interesting to gather opinions from people of all levels of expertise. There’s a real value in reading as much as you can from different people. Everyone is going to have something a little different, which is what makes this a little more fun and unpredictable, I think.

You’ve seen all of the other Draft rankings and mock drafts by now and even if you’ve never seen any of these players you’re beginning to form your own opinions about who your team should take.

So with the Draft just days away now, here’s the first half of my contribution to your Draft preparation.

The following is the back half (9-15 + honorable mentions) of my ranking of the Top 15 Americans for the NHL Draft. Based on my own viewings of the players and the opinions of others I value, I put together what would basically be my draft board if I were a U.S. scout for an NHL team (just use your imagination). I’ll share the top half of my rankings Thursday.

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Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft | 4 Comments

USA Goalie Coach Weighs in on Draft-Eligible American Netminders

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Chris Peters

Some believe this could end up being a very strong year for goaltenders in the NHL Draft. With big names like Subban, Vasilevski and Dansk towards the top of the charts, we could see more than a few goalies taken within the first two rounds. While the American goaltending draft class might be thinner than others, there are some highly intriguing netminders available from the United States.

Goalies are tough to project in terms of if and when they’ll ever make it to the NHL. There are plenty of good goaltenders that didn’t get drafted that end up signing NHL contracts later on. Even with the lack of predictability, there are four Americans that look to be solid draft picks that could develop into solid pros somewhere down the line.

I caught up with Mike Ayers, USA Hockey’s national goaltending coach and former standout netminder at University of New Hampshire, for his thoughts on this year’s crop of Draft-eligible American goaltenders. We focused mainly on those that recently participated in USA Hockey’s Under-20 goalie camp in Ann Arbor, Mich. The goalies were competing for spots at the National Junior Evaluation Camp, which had its roster unveiled Monday.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey | 13 Comments

A Look at 2012 Draft Eligible Players Named to U.S. World Junior Camp Roster

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Chris Peters

Of the 46 players invited to USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp, 22 are eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Making it to this camp is a pretty strong indicator of where this player is now in his development, rather than where he will be, which is more important for the draft. Each player invited can be considered one of the best Americans in his age group.

It should be noted that players selected to the World Junior Camp are being brought in based on what USA Hockey feels they can do for this team, which may not be for the same reason a team drafts the player.

A player’s inclusion on this camp roster likely doesn’t boost his draft stock and those not included aren’t going to watch their draft stock plummet either.

Either way, this roster gives us a very good list of American prospects you should be aware of, if you aren’t already for the NHL Entry Draft.

Coming up after the jump, a look at every 2012 Draft-eligible player invited to USA Hockey’s Junior Eval Camp.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | Comments Off on A Look at 2012 Draft Eligible Players Named to U.S. World Junior Camp Roster

2012 National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster Named — Initial Thoughts

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Chris Peters

The first steps toward forming the 2013 U.S. National Junior Team were taken Monday as USA Hockey announced both that Phil Housley would be the head coach and the 46-player roster for the National Junior Evaluation Camp. The camp will be held in Lake Placid, N.Y., August 4-11.

The roster includes four goaltenders, 17 defensemen and 25 forwards. Eighteen different states are represented, with Illinois leading the way with seven players on the roster.

Only three members from last year’s U.S. National Junior Team will be eligible for this year’s squad: John Gibson, Jacob Trouba and J.T. Miller. Unlike last year, this team should be a much more even mix between the 1993 and 1994 birth years whereas last year’s squad was heavily 1992s. That will make for a fairly young team, but that’s likely the route to go for best results, despite the fact that the WJC is typically a 19-year-old’s tournament.

There’s a wide range of prospects invited from a variety of teams and leagues. Coming up after the jump some initial thoughts on the U.S. eval camp roster.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | Comments Off on 2012 National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster Named — Initial Thoughts

U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Housley to Take World Junior Reins

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Chris Peters

USA Hockey formally announced former NHL defenseman and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Housley will be the head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team for the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia.

Photo: USA Hockey

Housley is the 20th head coach for the U.S. National Junior Team and has a unique pedigree in comparing to his predecessors. He’ll be just the second U.S. World Junior coach to have actually played in the tournament (1982, Scott Sandelin is the other). Additionally, he is a 2004 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in May.

“It’s a real thrill to have a guy that meant so much to USA Hockey at so many levels on the ice and the knowledge that’s been given back to us for 8-10 years off the ice as a coach,” said Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations.

Housley will be joined by Mark Osiecki, head coach at Ohio State University and an assistant for the 2010 and 2011 U.S. National Junior Teams, and Grant Potulny, assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, on Team USA’s staff.

More on the hire after the jump.

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Posted in U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | Comments Off on U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Housley to Take World Junior Reins

Samuelsson, Matteau Endure Wacky Draft Seasons

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Chris Peters

Henrik Samuelsson and Stefan Matteau have an awful lot in common. Both are big forwards, both are sons of former NHL players, both are dual citizens, and both have similar NHL projections and draft stock.

Both also had somewhat wacky seasons this year, though for different reasons. Samuelsson’s year started in Sweden, while Matteau’s ended prematurely thanks to a highly controversial decision from the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Both of those factors played a big role in both’s draft stock. Each player remains intriguing and will have a lot of interest, but once sure-fire first rounders, both have seen their draft projections fluctuate wildly over the last few months.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the wild ride both players took to the draft this year.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, World Junior Championship | 2 Comments

REPORT: Phil Housley to Lead U.S. National Junior Team in 2013

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Chris Peters

Phil Housley will be named head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team for the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship Monday, according to ESPN’s John Buccigross.

Photo: USA Hockey

Sources contacted at USA Hockey would neither confirm nor deny the report. There is a media teleconference scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. EDT to make the formal announcement.

One of the greatest American-born players ever to play in the National Hockey League with 1,232 career points to his credit, Housley was a 2004 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He is currently the head coach at Stillwater High School in Minnesota. The Ponies put up a 12-11-2 record in 2011-12.

Housley was also an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship at which Team USA took bronze.

Housley’s reported selection comes on the heels of the longtime defenseman’s induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame in May. He was a key member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team that took silver and was part of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey winning team. Housley also played in the 1982 World Junior Championship.

Full reaction to come after formal announcement from USA Hockey, which will also unveil the roster for the 2012 National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid.

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Top College-Bound NHL Draft Eligibles Examined

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Chris Peters

The 2012 NHL Entry Draft should pique the interest of college hockey fans with several top recruits and current players hoping to hear their names called within the first three rounds of the Draft, American or otherwise.

Of course, there will be work to be done by each school after one of their top recruits is selected. Some NHL teams are known to steer their college-bound recruits to Major Junior, others are content to stay the course. In the end, most teams leave the decision up to the player, knowing he will develop either way, since the person most responsible for a player’s development is the player himself.

There are some really intriguing names out there that have some college fan bases really excited. Coming up after the jump, a look at the top college recruits (not just Americans, mind you) that were listed in the Top 60 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in its final rankings and the CHL teams that hold their draft rights, should anyone decide to change their mind.

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NHL Draft Rankings Roundup — American Top 10

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Chris Peters

One of the more interesting pre-draft practices for most fans is taking a look at the Draft rankings that are available on the web. Every fan has loads of sources and opinions to pick from. The wide variety of evaluations out there can make it awfully confusing, but that’s probably how it should be.

The thing about scouting and ranking is that it’s an inexact science. Sometimes lists are compiled by a conglomeration of scouts, sometimes it’s just one person’s opinion. Some players are seen 20 times, others are seen once. It makes it tough to decide who to believe.

When it comes to some American prospects, the range of opinions is vast. That’s why I decided to compile a group of public rankings, including some from scouting services, reputable media outlets, and since this a blog, a take from a fellow blog. I did not include Central Scouting’s rankings due to the fact that they separate the North American and Europeans, which skews the ranking a little bit.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the Top 10 Americans based on average ranking and notes on each.

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Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

The Curious Case of Alex Galchenyuk

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Chris Peters

There might not be a single prospect in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft that has as much intrigue or mystery as Alex Galchenyuk. The Milwaukee-born, Russia-raised  Galchenyuk missed all but two regular-season and six playoff games with a knee injury. Despite the injury, he remains a top-five projection on most boards and likely won’t last much past that on Day 1 in Pittsburgh.

Alex Galchenyuk (OHL Images)

The injury certainly is cause for concern due to the fact that scouts didn’t get a real long look at him this year. However Galchenyuk was a dynamic rookie in the Ontario Hockey League for the Sarnia Sting in the 2010-11 season, putting up 83 points in 68 games. That kind of production as a 16-year-old brought him a lot of hype coming into the season.

His skill and his size are all in line with what you’d expect from a first rounder but his injury and, for some reason, his nationality have raised questions about what his draft stock really should be. Coming up after the jump, a look at the questions about Galchenyuk’s citizenship, his skill and potential impact for USA Hockey.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NHL Draft, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 6 Comments