Sunday Top 10 - Under the Radar Draft Eligibles for 2013

 We're inching ever closer to the Christmas break and the halfway point to the 2012/2013 season. You've seen draft lists from pretty much every major scouting organization (CSS, ISS, McKeen's, FC, Craig Button at TSN, etc). In about a month's time, NHL Central Scouting will release it's midterm list; their first which amalgamates all leagues in North America. In my opinion, it's a perfect time to highlight some guys who are flying under the radar right now. Guys we're not hearing much about, but who are slowly turning themselves into NHL (some considerable) prospects.

It was hard to narrow this down to ten players (thus I've included several honorable mentions). This list is also in no particular order of ranking; as I've used alphabetical order. An argument could certainly be made about the criteria used to separate the "under the radar" players. No question it was quite subjective. But I didn't include a guy like Justin Bailey based on how much "hype" he's been receiving from the media as of late (deserving of it too).

Here's the list:

Nicholas Baptiste - Sudbury Wolves
He was nearly universally seen on top 10 draft lists for the league prior to the start of the season. The former 6th overall priority selection teased us last year with the potential to take over games physically and offensively. But this season did not start well for him. Little improvements were shown in his game and he started with a single goal in the first 15 games. This caused him to plummet on draft lists, to the point where he didn't even crack NHL Central Scouting's preliminary top 25. But look out, he's averaging a point per game over his last 10 (4 goals, 6 assists), is getting more powerplay time and is using his size more effectively offensively. If this sort of output continues (key word is consistency), he'll find himself rocketing back up draft lists by June.

Josh Burnside - Mississauga Steelheads
I've talked about Burnside many times on this blog and you know I'm a huge fan. But he's still not getting a ton of credit. He sees a ton of ice time on Missy's first line with Riley Brace and Dylan Smoskowitz and he creates a lot of room for those two by going hard to the net and doing the dirty work in the corners. His speed is also quite impressive and keeps defenses honest. Would I like to see him play a bit more physical? Yeah. Do I have concerns about an under 6 ft crease crasher? Some. But he's consistently been one of Mississauga's top forwards all season long and he deserves more credit than he gets.

Remi Elie - London Knights
The offensive output hasn't really been there, but he's an impressive physical specimen. He moves around constantly in the London lineup, used as a spark plug to get a particular line going. His tenacity away from the puck is impressive and he's a great forechecker. A perfect example of this was a play from Friday night's game against Niagara, where he forced a turnover by crushing Jesse Graham near the boards, leading to a goal by Matt Rupert. At this point, I'd like to see more in the goal scoring department, but his torpedo-esque style is certainly fun to watch.

Tyler Ganly - Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
An OHL rookie, Ganly has been a pleasant surprise for the Hounds this year. During their bout with injuries and suspension (when Sproul and Miller were absent), Ganly saw his ice time increase and he didn't look out of place. At this point, he's primarily a defensive first kind of guy, but he does make good decisions with the puck in his own end. He's got size and is aggressive in throwing his weight around. As he gains more confidence, we could see even bigger things from him offensively. He'll need to improve his skating to do that though. Reminds me a lot of Plymouth Whaler, Austin Levi, in his sophomore season.

Charlie Graham - Belleville Bulls
The coming month is going to be huge for Graham. He's been terrific in a limited role thus far, serving as Malcolm Subban's back up (.903 SV% thus far). But with Subban gone at the WJC's, he'll get upwards of 7 starts to show what he can do with an increased workload. He's not the biggest goaltender, but similar to Subban, he tracks the puck well and uses his athleticism to make saves. If he can help Belleville to a good record without Subban, he's going to throw his name in the ring for the title of second best draft eligible goalie behind Spencer Martin.

Nick Moutrey - Saginaw Spirit
If you throw out his first six games where he was held pointless, you've got a 6'3, 200lbs winger with 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in his last 24 games. And only one of those points has been with the man advantage. We're looking at a power forward with terrific offensive potential who is starting to learn how to create his own goal scoring opportunities. A nice package of size, and skill. There's no doubt that the fact he plays in Saginaw is limiting his exposure to certain lists (heck I've only seen Saginaw play once this year).

Nick Paul - Brampton Battalion
Another big winger who is starting to come into his own. Paul is playing in his first OHL season after being passed over in the priority draft following his minor midget season. He's a big body who controls the wall well and helps his linemates by creating space for them. He's been playing on the Troops top line (with Goodrow and Lewis) of late and looks comfortable out there. His skating needs work, but here's another guy with size and skill.

Brent Pedersen - Kitchener Rangers
I had him ranked pretty aggressively on my preseason rankings (14th) after being impressed with him during his freshman year. I had high expectations for him this season. Similar to Baptiste (above), he started the year off very poorly (1 goal in his first 15 games) and has fallen off the radar (failed to be ranked by Central Scouting). But I've caught the Rangers a few times in the last few weeks and he's looking MUCH better out there. He's back to the basics of creating offense through hard work, and physicality. He also looks more confident with the puck and is starting to try and create his own opportunities by going hard to the net. If he can continue to string together consistent performances, like Baptiste, he'll get his name back into NHL draft consideration.

Brody Silk - Sudbury Wolves
Similar to Baptiste and Pedersen, great things were expected of him this year but he started off the season poorly (goalless in his first 11 games). As a late '94, playing in his 3rd year in the league, that lack of production was alarming. He needed to be better, and he certainly has been of late. 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in his last 14 games. He's certainly not a fun player to play against, some might even call him a bit of a "dirty" player. But as long as he's playing an in your face style and producing offensively, he's going to regain his draft hype.

Carter Verhaeghe - Niagara IceDogs
Reminds me a ton of Windsor's Brady Vail from last year. A real hard working, blue collar centerman. He works his butt off in the offensive end, and does a great job of coming away from scrums with the puck. Niagara's secondary offense has been inconsistent this year (mostly because they're relying on a lot of inexperienced forwards), but Verhaeghe has been the team's most consistent forward outside the big three (IMO).

Honorable Mentions:

Greg Betzold - Peterborough Petes
Big guy with skill who can take the puck to the net. Goal scoring numbers need to improve in order to stand out more on a struggling Peterborough squad.

Jordan DeKort - Windsor Spitfires
I admit that I haven't seen him play yet this year, but the stat line is impressive for (essentially) a rookie goaltender. Have to love the size. Hope he starts to play more as season goes on.

Anthony DiFruscia - Niagara IceDogs
Scrappy goal scoring winger who generally keeps things simple and goes to the net hard. Needs to gain strength coming from Prep school.

Michael Giugovaz - Peterborough Petes
I actually like him a lot, and wanted him on the above list. But I forced myself to limit it to 10. He's been keeping the Petes in a lot of games they don't deserve to be in. I worry that he'll get tired as the season goes on though and his production will plummet. Peterborough will need to be cautious with his psyche if they don't start winning consistently.

Mitch Jones - Plymouth Whalers
Stats aren't impressive, especially for a 5'11 defenseman. But every time I've seen Plymouth play this year, he's been a rock defensively.

Miles Liberati - London Knights
Slowly gaining confidence offensively in his rookie OHL season. He has the potential to be a solid two-way defenseman with a mean streak.

Trevor Murphy - Windsor Spitfires
The trade to Windsor was great for him. He's a terrific puck moving defenseman and he's getting a ton of powerplay time in Windsor. So far, 5 points in 7 games. We'll need to continue that production to get his draft stock back on track.

Danny Vanderwiel - Plymouth Whalers
He hasn't scored a goal yet this year, but it's only a matter of time. He's a big guy who can skate and throw his weight around. He gets his fair share of chances but has been snake bitten.

Thomas Welsh - Mississauga Steelheads
A lot of hype around his recent signing in the OHL. A real stocky, physical defenseman who has offensive potential. His skating will need work to adjust to the pace of the OHL, but once he gets accustomed, he could be a late season riser. Heard great things.

Game Report: Steelheads & Otters from November 4

My first game report of the season! Fear not though, I have obviously been watching games. This is just the first report I've decided to write.

I, along with many other people in the GTA (including the likes of Steve Stamkos, Gary Roberts, and Joe Nieuwendyk), traveled to the Hershey Center to catch a glimpse at 15 year old phenom Connor McDavid. The Steelheads (I think I've wrote Majors already three times and corrected myself) dominated the exhausted Otters, outshooting them 55-22, and outscoring them 4-1. In all honesty, the score could have been much more lopsided had it none been for the great goaltending provided by Devin Williams. It's hard to blame the Otters. They were playing their 3rd game in three nights, with the first two games coming against the Owen Sound Attack, possibly the hardest working team in the OHL.

So was this game truly a good measuring stick for players? Hard to say, but I'm going to provide you with some player reports anyway.

Mississauga Steelheads

#2 - Dylan DeMelo (San Jose Sharks) 
DeMelo had a great game and appears to be building off the confidence he gained last season. He made great strides last year and has continued his strong play into this year so far. He looks very confident with the puck this year. I've seen the Steelheads a few times this year and I've yet to see him turn the puck over in his own end. This used to be a real problem for him. But he's skating himself out of jams and making smart decisions with passes. He had a secondary assist on Smoskowitz's second goal, and scored by pinching in and pouncing on a loose puck near the crease while on the powerplay. Defensively, he was terrific. Nearly all of Mississauga's defensive players shone today, as Erie had a real tough time mustering the energy to keep possession in the offensive end.

#4 - Trevor Carrick (Carolina Hurricanes)
Carrick has done well to increase his offensive production thus far this year, and is seeing lots of time on the powerplay. Offensively, he was pretty good today. He did have one turnover at the point which lead to an odd man rush, but it was more the fault of Brett Foy for a bad pass which put Carrick in an awkward position. He gained an assist on the powerplay, working a give and go up top with Kris Kontos. He's playing 5 on 5 with Alex Cord, which is giving him lots of opportunities to work on his puck rushing skills. Defensively, I felt like he was one of the few Steelheads defenders to get exposed today. There were a few times where he was beaten off the rush and wasn't able to stay with a forward going to the net. When the play slowed down, he was good and was able to win his battles in the corners and was a physical presence, but those defensive lapses off the rush were things that plagued him last year too. He'll need to continue to work on that.

#15 - Josh Burnside (Draft Eligible in 2013)
I continue to be impressed with Burnside. Three things really stick out when you watch him play. The first is his speed. He's got a terrific extra gear and really creates space by stretching out the opposing defense. The second is how well he moves without the puck offensively. He gets himself in great scoring position. He was wide open twice in the slot in the game today, but both times he was spotted too late by the puck carrier (Brace and Smoskowitz). The third is how aggressive he is in getting to the net. He's a real crease crasher and relishes the role of being a pain in the neck of opposing goalies. He was a factor while playing with Brace and Smoskowitz, even though he didn't get any points. The biggest thing for him moving forward will be added strength. He still loses too many battles in the corners and isn't as effective as a forechecker as he could be because of this.

#21 - Damian Bourne (Draft Eligible in 2014)
What a mammoth. Bourne has definitely been one of the most impressive 1996's in the league this year. I remember hearing a lot of whispers about people feeling like he was overrated going into the draft, that he was only a product of his size and the fact that he was bigger than other midget players. But he's been pretty damn effective for Mississauga so far. He really is massive and he already uses his size really well, both with and without the puck. He's already hard to move from the front of the net, and he's hard to get the puck away from in the corners. He's also a physical player and had a couple of really nice hits today. For a big guy, I also think he sees the ice well. He seems smart in picking his spots in driving hard to the net. The skating needs to improve, but all things considered, he's been a very impressive rookie. He earned a secondary assist on Kontos' powerplay goal.

#23 - Dylan Smoskowitz (Draft Eligible in 2013, 3rd time eligible)
Pretty hard to ignore him at this point. 11 goals in 12 games since the trade from Barrie. He's a talented offensive player who just got himself in Dale Hawerchuk's doghouse. He's got great chemistry with Riley Brace (call them the 'stache brothers). The question is, if he continues to score at this pace, is he someone NHL teams take notice of? He's got a terrific shot and he does a great job of creating room for himself to get it off. You have to love his goal scoring instincts. The rest of his game (skating, play without the puck, playmaking ability, etc) rates out to only average, but if you can score goals, someone will give you a chance. He had 2 goals tonight, and missed a wide open cage to complete the hat trick. He's certainly someone to keep an eye on to see if he can keep this up.

#28 - Stuart Percy (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Fantastic game from Percy. I've been really impressed with his play so far this season. At both ends of the ice, might I add. Offensively, I've been really impressed with his ability to skate the puck out of his own end and make smart decisions to start the breakout. Perfect example of this today was when Connor McDavid looked like he had backed Percy into a corner and a turnover, but Percy stayed calm, waited for McDavid to go for the stick check, then spun away from him, through two other Otters and brought the puck up across the blueline. He looks very confident on the point of the powerplay too, where he's shooting the puck more. Defensively, he's been a rock. I honestly don't even remember the Otters having a scoring chance while he was on the ice today. He's playing physical too and winning battles in the corners and in front of the net because of it. This was an important year for Percy after last year's issues, so it's refreshing to see him back strong.

Erie Otters

#7 - Jake Evans (Draft Eligible in 2013)
Was centering a line with Stephen Harper today. I liked his aggression without the puck. Was very aggressive in pursuit and played physical. But was very quiet, dare I say invisible offensively.

#10 - Stephen Harper (Draft Eligible in 2013)
Very, very quiet game for Harper. His line wasn't able to sustain any pressure in the offensive end. Part of the reason for this was Harper's inability to win battles in the corners. He seems to be getting outmuscled a lot from what I've seen this season. My viewings of Harper this season have been less than impressive thus far, but I'm still a fan of his long term potential.

#27 - Adam Pelech (New York Islanders)
I thought Pelech was Erie's best player today. He's had a great year and is continuing to develop well, despite not having a ton of help on the backend in Erie. He looks quicker this year, in rushing the puck and defensively. He's very hard to beat one on one. Many of Mississauga's forwards tried to get by him off the rush, but every play ended the same way, with Pelech coming out with the puck and the opposing player rubbed out of the play. He was a steal in the 3rd round, as he's got great potential as a defenseman at the next level. As mentioned, he looks quicker when rushing the puck this year too, and was able to avoid the forecheck of the Steelheads. Hey Erie, get this guy some help on the backend!

#28 - Connor Brown (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Having a great year in terms of goal scoring, but it's hard to tell whether it's because of McDavid or not. At this point, I still don't see Brown as a guy who's creating his own offensive chances by being electric with the puck, or by flying into the offensive zone. He's certainly not a speedster, and his skating ability still seems to lack that explosiveness (something that caused him to fall as far as he did in the draft). But he definitely knows how to move without the puck and is a smart player. Perfect example of this was his goal today on a give and go with Connor McDavid. On the Powerplay, take the puck from the wing, dish to McDavid at the side of the net, cut hard to the net, get the puck back in the slot and rifle home a quick wrister. Other than that, he was a non factor today.

#97 - Connor McDavid (Draft Eligible in 2015)
There was a guy sitting near me saying "man this McDavid guy isn't as good as people say he is." To that man or anyone else who came away from this game saying that, give your head a shake. This was the team's 3rd game in 3 days. McDavid certainly didn't play his best, but I've been absolutely blown away by him this year previous to this game. The dude is such an electric player. He's such an explosive skater, and he has such confidence and poise with the puck. His vision and IQ is among the best I've ever seen in this league. And while this wasn't his best game (might have even been his worst in the OHL thus far), there were still some positives to take away. Firstly, he's starting to play with more of an edge. I love the fact that he's starting to engage physically and throw his body around. He's going to need to continue to develop that edge as player's start to target him. Secondly, I absolutely loved the play to end the game. While on the penalty kill, he was out there (in a game already decided), and was tenacious in forcing Eric Diodati into a turnover at the blueline. Then took the puck hard to the net (showing great strength on the puck), drawing a penalty. When every other Erie player looked like they had laid down and died, McDavid kept going hard. I can't stress this enough. If the Otters are making their only trip to your city this season (like Mississauga), get out there and watch him play. He's usually (sorry aforementioned bitter man) worth the price of admission.

#31 - Devin Williams (Draft Eligible in 2014)
Williams' certainly didn't get a lot of help today. He had to make 48 saves and kept his team in this game for nearly two periods. He's not the biggest goalie (maybe 6'0), but he plays a lot bigger than he is due to a hybrid style. He'll take a lot of shots from the outside standing up, although isn't afraid to drop down to the butterfly to handle shots low to the ice. I thought he did a pretty good job with his rebounds today too. He's certainly looking better than last year, and is on the right development path. He'll learn a lot from playing behind Dansk this year. Then he might have a chance of starting next year (his draft year because of an October birthday). He's certainly putting himself in conversation to be the top goalie available from the O for 2014 (although it's crazy early).

That's all folks!