Top 2005 Prospects

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Courtesy Hockey Futures:





Hockey's Future Top 50 Prospects Fall 2005: Best of the rest

Written by HF Staff on 08/13/2005
Below are players who just missed Hockey's Future's Top 50 NHL prospects list for Fall 2005, as well as position by position rankings of drafted prospects.

All players were chosen by a committee of staff members from among those drafted prospects meeting Hockey's Future’s prospect criteria.

The Best of the Rest
Marek Schwarz, G, St. Louis Blues
Heading into the 2004 draft last summer, Schwarz was generally regarded as the top goaltender available. A surprising draft day slide saw the Czech netminder drop all the way to St. Louis at the 17th selection, making him the third player taken at his position. This year, Schwarz made the decision to play against WHL juniors in Vancouver as opposed to against professionals at home. Surprisingly, Schwarz struggled most of the year in the new setting, posting very pedestrian numbers, including a save percentage of .900. The highlight of his season was definitely the WJC, where he was named the top goaltender of the tournament. There is little doubt about Schwarz’s talent and pure athleticism, but he remains quite raw and is still several years away from the NHL.
Ryan Whitney, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
The first four selections in the 2002 draft, Rick Nash, Kari Lehtonen, Jay Bouwmeester and Joni Pitkanen, have all been talked about as potential franchise players. But the player taken fifth overall has had little recognition. While Whitney’s three-year college career was inconsistent and perhaps underwhelming, the talented blueliner had a strong rookie campaign in the AHL this past season. He tallied 41 points in 80 games, and unlike many prospects in their first year out of college, Whitney did not seem to tire at the end of the year or in the playoffs, where the Boston University graduate notched nine points in 11 games. Whitney is blessed with great size and impressive offensive potential, but has to improve his decision-making.

Igor Grigorenko, RW, Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have proven themselves to be very capable of finding good young players from the draft, despite not having had a top 20 pick since 1991. In 2001, they did not make a selection until No. 62, at which point they grabbed Igor Grigorenko, an undersized sniper from Russia. After a spectacular 2002-03 season, when Grigorenko starred both at home and at the WJC, he was in a very serious car accident, and lost the bulk of the 2003-04 season. He struggled early this year with his regular club team Lada Togliatti, tallying only one assist in 11 games. A transfer to Salavat Yulayev allowed Grigorenko to blossom, with 18 points in 30 games. Grigorenko is a dynamic offensive player, with great hockey sense and a willingness to go into dangerous areas of the ice.

Denis Grebeshkov, D, Los Angeles Kings
At first glance, Denis Grebeshkov’s 2004-05 season appears to have been a very successful one. The 21-year-old blueliner put up 49 points with a powerhouse club in Manchester, his second season in the AHL after a freshman campaign marred by injuries and inconsistency. Where Gresbeshkov struggled, however, was defensively, where the supposedly poised defenseman became known for coughing up the puck. A native of Yaroslavl, Russia, Grebeshkov could also stand to improve his strength, as he is outmuscled too easily for a player expected to play big minutes at the next level. There remains a lot to like about this young blueliner though, and he is considered very coachable. More developmental time is needed, but he still projects as a good top four blueliner.

Marc Antoine Pouliot, C, Edmonton Oilers
Pouliot had a magnificent season alongside Dany Roussin and Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Oceanic. He scored 45 goals and added 67 assists for a total of 114 points in 70 games. Once tagged as an “injured-prone player,” he stayed healthy all year long to help lead his team to its second Memorial Cup appearance. He is not expected to return to Rimouski for his overage year. Wherever he ends up, he will bring leadership and offensive abilities to his new team. Some might say that Pouliot’s success was because of Crosby, but be sure that the young Quebec City native won’t have any problems making a name for himself in the pros.

Below are the other top prospects in their respective positions, with their rank on the Top 50 list in parentheses.

Goaltenders
1. (3) Kari Lehtonen, Atlanta
2. (7) Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh
3. (18) Hannu Toivonen, Boston
4. (27) Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers
5. (40) Cam Ward, Carolina
6. (49) Al Montoya, NY Rangers
7. Marek Schwarz, St. Louis
8. Ray Emery, Ottawa
9. Josh Harding, Minnesota
10. Carey Price, Montreal
11. Jeff Deslauriers, Edmonton
12. Devan Dubnyk, Edmonton
13. Pascal LeClaire, Columbus
14. Yann Danis, Montreal

Defensemen
1. (6) Dion Phaneuf, Calgary
2. (9) Ryan Suter, Nashville
3. (11) Cam Barker, Chicago
4. (14) Braydon Coburn, Atlanta
5. (16) Jack Johnson, Carolina
6. (17) Fedor Tjutin, NY Rangers
7. (32) Nik Kronwall, Detroit
8. (35) Anton Babchuk, Chicago
9. (39) Brent Seabrook, Chicago
10. (42) Andrej Meszaros, Ottawa
11. (48) Shea Weber, Nashville
12. (50) Shawn Belle, Dallas
13. Ryan Whitney, Pittsburgh
14. Denis Grebeshkov, Los Angeles
15. Carlo Colaiacovo, Toronto
16. Trevor Daley, Dallas
17. Tim Gleason, Los Angeles
18. Steve Eminger, Washington
19. Ladislav Smid, Anaheim
20. Mark Stuart, Boston
21. Matt Greene, Edmonton
22. A.J. Thelen, Minnesota
23. Christian Ehrhoff, San Jose
24. Mike Egener, Tampa Bay
25. Brent Burns, Minnesota
26. Boris Valabik, Atlanta
27. Matt Carle, San Jose
28. Jeff Woywitka, St. Louis
29. Brian Lee, Ottawa
30. Marc Staal, NY Rangers

Forwards
1. (1) Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
2. (2) Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
3. (4) Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
4. (5) Nik Zherdev, Columbus
5. (8) Thomas Vanek, Buffalo
6. (10) Jeff Carter, Philadelphia
7. (12) Nathan Horton, Florida
8. (13) Alexander Semin, Washington
9. (15) Zach Parise, New Jersey
10. (19) Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim
11. (20) Andrei Kostsitsyn, Montreal
12. (21) Milan Michalek, San Jose
13. (22) Dustin Brown, Los Angeles
14. (23) Corey Perry, Anaheim
15. (24) Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota
16. (25) Alex Perezhogin, Montreal
17. (26) Patrick O’Sullivan, Minnesota
18. (28) Eric Fehr, Washington
19. (29) Rob Schremp, Edmonton
20. (30) Mike Richards, Philadelphia
21. (31) Gilbert Brule, Columbus
22. (33) Lauri Tukonen, Los Angeles
23. (34) Anthony Stewart, Florida
24. (36) Bobby Ryan, Anaheim
25. (37) Mikko Koivu, Minnesota
26. (38) Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles
27. (41) Antoine Vermette, Ottawa
28. (43) Andrew Ladd, Carolina
29. (44) Rostislav Olesz, Florida
30. (45) Mike Cammalleri, Los Angeles
31. (46) Petteri Nokelainen, NY Islanders
32. (47) Alexander Steen, Toronto
33. Igor Grigorenko, Detroit
34. MA Pouliot, Edmonton
35. Marcel Goc, San Jose
36. Steve Bernier, San Jose
37. Chris Higgins, Montreal
38. Jiri Hudler, Detroit
39. Alex Picard, Columbus
40. Jack Skille, Chicago
41. Alexander Radulov, Nashville
42. Dan Fritsche, Columbus
43. Derek Roy, Buffalo
44. Jeff Tambellini, Los Angeles
45. Scottie Upshall, Nashville


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Hockey's Future Top 50 Prospects Fall 2005: 1-10

Written by HF Staff on 08/13/2005
Below are players 1-10 on Hockey's Future's Top 50 NHL prospects list for Fall 2005. Players ranked 11-25 are found here, and 26-50 are found here. See also players ranked in the forthcoming “best of the rest.”

All players were chosen by a committee of staff members from among those drafted prospects meeting Hockey's Future’s prospect criteria.

10. Jeff Carter, C, Philadelphia Flyers
Carter jumps seven spots to 10th on the Top 50 list in light of his breakout season in 2004-05. In January he helped lead Team Canada’s juniors to gold while finishing in a tie for most goals in the tournament with seven. Meanwhile, in the OHL he led the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in scoring for the third straight year and, despite his best efforts in the playoffs, they suffered a first round elimination in seven games. That early exit from junior allowed him to join the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms where the 20-year-old center helped the team to a Calder Cup championship. In 21 playoff games Carter led all scorers with 12 goals and 23 points as well as a third-best rating of +10. Carter will join the Flyers in 2005-06.

9. Ryan Suter, D, Nashville Predators
Ryan Suter has played for a new team every year for the past few years, the USNTDP, University of Wisconsin, and this past year with the Milwaukee Admirals. With the Nashville Predators top farm team, he registered a +10, while he ran in the middle of the pack among all defensive scorers with 23 points in 63 games. It is highly likely that he’ll be battling for an opening day roster spot with Nashville.

8. Thomas Vanek, LW, Buffalo Sabres
Leaving the University of Minnesota after his sophomore year, Thomas Vanek went on to make his professional debut with the Rochester Americans in the AHL. The 2004-05 season was very productive for Vanek, finishing as his team’s second leading scorer (68 points), second overall in scoring among rookies, first in goals by a rookie (42), second in goals scored overall, and 20th in scoring in the AHL. The Graz, Austria native possesses a lot of skill and has made big strides in the past three seasons. He’ll be a welcomed addition in Buffalo this fall.

7. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh’s 2003 former first round pick played with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the first time during the 2004-05 season. It was his first full professional season after spending some time at the NHL level in 2003-04, and Fleury saw the majority of the time between pipes for the Baby Pens. In 54 games, he posted a .901 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average. Fleury’s game-breaking potential is still there, but the Penguins management will need to be patient with him. He may be the starting goaltending with the Baby Pens for another year, or he could see time as the backup in Pittsburgh.

6. Dion Phaneuf, D, Calgary Flames
It should not come as surprise that Calgary’s future gem remains at the top of the class when it comes defensive prospects. For the third straight year, Phaneuf increased his point total while playing with the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL. He ranked second in goals scored by a defenseman in all of the WHL and was fifth overall in league scoring by defensemen. While playing on the center stage on Team Canada’s 2005 gold medal WJC team, he did nothing but impress on a team that was already stacked with talent. He maintains an impressive level of versatility and ability. He appears to be ready for his professional transition.

5. Nikolai Zherdev, RW, Columbus Blue Jackets
Nikolai Zherdev had a great rookie season when he finally got to Columbus for the 2003-04 season. Surprisingly, he headed back to his homeland to play with CSKA Moscow during the 2004-05 NHL strike ravaged season. Zherdev possesses the ability to wow a crowd. He had a great year n Russia’s top league, posting a total of 40 points in 51 games played. He’ll return to the NHL in the fall for his sophomore season.

4. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Evgeni Malkin turned in a solid season with Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the RSL in 2004-05, posting a total of 29 points in 48 games. He also shined in the 2005 WJC for Team Russia, scoring 10 points. He continues to improve and mature and remains among the top prospects in the world. Gaining some muscle, last year’s RSL rookie of the year continued held his own against more formidable talent and size in the league this year. After getting a good look at the forward during international competition this year, fans in Pittsburgh are anxious to see Malkin suit up for the Pens. However it looks as if they are going to have to wait another season. With one more year on his contract with Metallurg, he may fulfill his commitment and remain in the RSL.

3. Kari Lehtonen, G, Atlanta Thrashers
Turning in yet another solid season in 2004-05, Kari Lehtonen backstopped the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup Finals. Even though a hot Philadelphia Phantoms squad silenced the Wolves to end their postseason, without his talent and resiliency between the pipes, getting back to the finals for Chicago would have been a stretch. The future star is poised to take a shot at the starting job in Atlanta this fall. Lehtonen will battle his friend and fellow Finn, Pasi Nurminen, when camp opens. Lehtonen’s four-game call-up to the Thrashers during the 2003-04 season was a success, winning every game and posting a .953 save percentage.

2. Alexander Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals
Ovechkin had a busy year playing in the Russian Super League (RSL), seeing time with the Russian U-20 at the World Juniors and he was also part of the Russian squad that participated in the World Championships in Austria. He registered 26 points and a +26 in 37 games during the regular season. En route to the league championship with Dynamo in postseason play, he posted five points and a +3 in seven contests. After such a strong performance, he has little to prove in the RSL now. Ovechkin has signed a rookie contract with Washington and will start his NHL career when the puck drops this fall.

1. Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby is a rare talent and the first player in many years with the potential to become the next hockey mega-star. He quite simply has it all in the skills department and, added to that, possesses a competitive fire that provides the determination needed to become the very best. Through just two seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic he amassed 303 points, 83 more points than Mario Lemieux earned in his first two years in the Q. It’s clear that Crosby is ready to turn pro for Lemieux’s Penguins this fall. In 2005, Crosby won gold with the Canadian World Junior team in his second try, and helped bring Rimouski to the final game of the Memorial Cup where they lost to the powerhouse London Knights.