31 Teams in 31 Days - Nashville Predators

Two high quality prospects for the Predators.

1. Philip Tomasino - Oshawa Generals
What a terrific year for Tomasino, split between the IceDogs and the Generals. One of the top even strength point producers a year ago, it was no surprise to see Tomasino explode across the 100 point mark this season with increased ice time, specifically powerplay time. He remains such an asset on the attack because of his explosiveness and how well he navigates traffic to gain entry to the offensive zone. Playing alongside Ty Tullio and Brett Neumann, the three formed one of the most electric lines in the OHL in the second half. What I really like (and liked last year too) about Tomasino's game is how effective he is through the middle. He's a skilled player, but he attacks traffic and is always looking to push through to the net. If you look at his heat map, the vast majority of his goals were scored between the goal posts extended. One thing that I was looking for from him this past year was improvement away from the puck. I think we definitely saw that. His takeaway numbers were among the highest of any NHL drafted OHL forward this year and he really seemed to understand how to use his speed to be consistently effective on the forecheck and on the backcheck. I think he also looked much stronger along the wall, winning more battles for pucks and keeping plays alive that would have otherwise died on his stick a year ago. Overall, he progressed about as well as you could have expected. Next year, I would expect Tomasino to be back in the OHL and not in the NHL. I think another year in Oshawa (on a great team) would be great for him. Help him cut down on some offensive zone turnovers. Help him continue to get stronger. Help him continue to round out his game. If he's in the OHL, he's probably a top candidate for the scoring title and the Red Tilson.

2. Egor Afanasyev - Windsor Spitfires
I was pretty much on the money with my projection for Afanasyev this past year, originally projecting him to have a 35/35 season. He finished as the leading goal scorer and leading point producer for the Spitfires after a 31/36 campaign in a shortened year. I really enjoyed watching him play. No question, there are consistency issues. But the Spitfires were a vastly inconsistent team as a whole, which certainly compounded Afanasyev's issues. What Afanasyev can really do is fire a puck. He has a ton of confidence in his ability to shoot the puck and is aggressive in seeking out his scoring chances. He can beat goaltenders clean from a distance with both his wrist shot and his one timer from the half wall area. He can certainly create his own scoring chances with a power move or with his hands, but he definitely is most successful as a triggerman right now. The vast majority of his goals are scored from a stand still. But he will attack the middle and crash the net to follow up plays, using his size to his advantage; he is not a perimeter player in that aspect. The rest of his game is certainly a work in progress. Among tracked NHL prospects, his completed pass percentage is among the lowest of any forward in the OHL. A lot of that has to do with not making quick enough decisions when acting as a facilitator. He gets pressured into a lot of those poor passes/reads. Afanasyev also will need to greatly improve his engagement level when he's not in the offensive zone. He would definitely be classified as more of a one note player at this current moment. Of course, all of these things can be improved upon. My hope is that the Predators assign Afanasyev back to the OHL again next year and not to the AHL. I don't think he's ready for that challenge yet and could learn a lot from the ice time and responsibility he would be given in Windsor. If he's back in the OHL, I think he's a 45+ goal scorer and a 85+ point player.