01. Pollock, Brett, C [6'02, 183] Edmonton, WHL (71•25•30•55•18•36): Big forward's game took gigantic leap forward in the playoffs. Strong skater with surprising explosiveness who is confident with the puck on his stick and shields it well with his body. Has an NHL-quality wrist-shot already. Sometimes lacks intensity, which isn't uncommon at his age, but when he's engaged, he's a dangerous presence. Isn't overly physical, but can really put a player on his back when he wants to. Excellent stickhandler with some unbelievable dangles but doesn't always protect it well-enough. Has a decent defensive conscience and an active stick while back-checking but doesn't always fully buy-in defensively. A really smart player who seems to have a sixth-sense about when to pass the puck and when to take it himself; very rarely gives the puck away once it hits his stick. INTERESTING STAT: His 11 goals led all WHL draft eligible players in the playoffs and he was second in points amongst draft eligibles with 19.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Vancouver Cacnucks, while scouting Virtanen, they must have seen a lot of Pollock. Should go fairly high in the second round.
02. Thomas, Ben, D [6'02, 193] Calgary, WHL (72•7•24•31•11•39): Physical two-way defenceman has a nice frame. Good zone exits and footspeed and has a beautiful hard point shot that he consistently gets on net. A really smooth point presence on the power-play but sometimes makes poor decisions on when to jump in on a rush. Plays a physical game in his own zone but has a tendency to get a little scrambly back there and can be pressured into turnovers. Has to watch his temper and he took some costly retaliatory penalties in the playoffs. INTERESTING STAT: His best month for points was in October when he put up 8 and averaged 0.57 points-per-game. He never averaged higher than 0.50 in any other month (Save the 2 games in September). Was a +17 through December and January.
Feels Like A Fit For: Tampa Bay. He could be the anchor to free-wheeling Anthony DeAngelo drafted today. He could slip into the third round.
03. Kirkland, Justin, LW [6'03, 189] Kelowna, WHL (68•17•31•48•23•40): Great, disruptive net-front presence and loves to battle defenders and play physical, and usually comes out a winner. Uses his big frame to shield the puck well and is a good stickhandler, though he can be dispossessed of the puck rather easily sometimes. Was used a lot on the penalty kill in the second half of the season. Is a really smart forward who likes to go to the net and is sneaky-quick with a strong stride for someone his size. Has an excellent wristshot that can pick the top corners with ease. Staring to become a force on the cycle and along the boards. INTERESTING STAT: Never posted a negative Plus/Minus rating in any months of the season. Also, his point-per-game totals went up every successive month from December through to March.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Boston Bruins. An honest hard-working big forward, sounds like a Bruin. Should go high in the second round, though he might slip in the latter half of the round.
04. Schoenborn, Alex, RW [6'01, 194] Portland, WHL (72•18•18•36•19•121): Power Forward in training is mean and chippy, always ticked off, and creates mayhem in front of the net. Solid skater with good acceleration. He's not a natural puckhandler, and doesn't always handle passes clean, but has a solid shot and is a decent playmaker. He sometimes succeeds on will, rather than skill. A relenteless forechecker, he and linemates Dominic Turgeon and Keegan Iverson were used in the playoffs to forecheck, cycle and grind out the puck and would repeatedly draw opposing penalties. Is used on the penalty-kill and even-strength but rarely on the power-play. INTERESTING STAT: If you subtracted his January totals, his points-per-game would raise one an 0.1 from 0.50 to 0.60 (He only had 1 goal in 14 games in January). He only failed to post double-digit penalty minute totals in September, when he had 6 in 4 games.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Pittsburgh Penguins. New coach Mike Johnston coached him in junior, used him a lot and would likely vouch for his toughness and character. Might slip into the third round.
05. Hawryluk, Jayce, C [5'10, 190] Brandon, WHL (59•24•40•64•16•44): Quick forward who never stops working. Despite his frame, wins most puck battles and plays physical. Is a speedy skater with quick hands, good puckhandling and an excellent wrist-shot. Makes things happen on the ice. Is also an excellent playmaker. Worrisome incident in the playoffs where he collapsed post-game and was rushed to hospital, but returned to play the next game and whatever it was seems to be a non-issue. INTRESTING STAT: Averaged just 0.73 points-per-game September/October but only failed to crack 1.20 points-per-game one other month in the season (January when he posted 0.67).
Feels Like A Fit For: The New Jersey Devils. The Devils took his teammate Quenneville in the first round, I'd imagine they were impressed with Hawryluk's sparkplug style. Should go high in the second round.
06. Turgeon, Dominic C [6'02, 196] Portland, WHL (65•10•21•31•18•31) : Son of NHL star Pierre Turgeon is a defensively responsible forward who needs to get stronger but is incredibly reliable. Game has grown steadily, albeit maybe less quickly than many expected. Is a solid playmaker who is only starting to recognize how his frame allows him to protect the puck from defencemen. Also played increasingly physical as the year went on and added a real edge to his game. Displays flashes of brilliance with beautiful dekes, stickhandling and power-moves to the net that create chances and goals but sometimes tries to force the pass when it isn't there. Valuable penalty-killer who seemed to get more ice-time as the season wore on. With Portland likely graduating 4-5 players to the pro ranks next year, I'm betting his numbers will see a quick spike with more, better playing time. INTERESTING STAT: Point-per-game averages were between 0.25 to 0.56 per month all season long, except for February when he had 12 points in 12 games.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Buffalo Sabres. His father Pierre was a great player there and Turgeon could be a great 2-way center lined up with either of the Isles first rounders: Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang. Should be a mid-to-late second rounder.
07. Fazleev, Radel LW [6'00, 178] Calgary, WHL (38•5•20•25•1•12): Intelligent, two-way forward is very aggressive defensively, though sometimes a little too casual handling puck in own zone, but is still a trusted and useful penalty-killer. Offensively, he's pass-first and loves to set up his linemates from behind the net for one-timers but can be a tad impatient with the puck on his stick. Carries the puck well, losing defenders by changing his speeds and is a good stickhandler Not a great shooter, but plays the point on the power play which is useful for his puck distribution. Doesn't mind the rough stuff, but is occasionally undisciplined and takes bad retaliatory penalties. Missed the last three months of the season with an injury but came back for the playoffs. INTERESTING STAT: Would have finished the season in 18th had he not been injured and maintained his 0.66 point-per-game average, his injuries saw him finish 44th.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Tampa Bay Lightning. Steve Yzerman loves to pick Russians and loves to pick WHLers. I'd imagine he goes in the third round.
08. Point, Brayden, C [5'09, 160] Moose Jaw, WHL (72•36•55•91•-27•53): Supremely quick, he loses defenders with his speed and quick moves, or else meets them and spins off of them with the puck still on his stick. Has tons of confidence which he puts on display when he skates the puck effortlessly out of his own end and is surprisingly strong on the puck for his size. Puck seems to follow him in the offensive zone and he is a tireless forechecker who is adept at stealing the puck off his opponents' sticks. Very smart player who anticipates where rebounds will end up and gets to them first. He also uses these smarts to go into high-traffic areas and somehow emerge with the puck despite his size. Great passer who also possesses a big slap shot. INTERESTING STAT: Averaged an incredible 1.75 points-per-game in 2014. If he had maintained that pace all season, he would have led WHL draft eligibles in scoring by more than 20 points with 126. Also, despite his points, he only posted a positive +/- rating in February with +3.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Tampa Bay Lightning. Yzerman likes to go to the WHL and has no fear of undersized forwards.
09. Iverson, Keegan C [6'00, 216] Portland, WHL (67•22•20•42•16•70): Solid, physical player who is tough to stop when he drives to the net. Skating stride is a little choppy. Big hitter who generates chances off of the cycle and along the boards. Is man-strong already and opposing defenders have a terrible time controlling him as he keeps his feet moving in the offensive zone. Has a solid shot and makes some solid passes but doesn't have a lot of offensive creativity, often just throws the puck into the slot and hopes for the best. Has a defensive conscience and always comes back to help out. INTERESTING STAT: In months where he played 8 games (October and March, he averaged 0.88 points-per-game. He only cracked the 0.8 threshold one other time in the season.
Feels Like A Fit For: Nashville. Nashville likes drafting out of the WHL and former teammate/current Pred Seth Jones would likely go to bat for his competitiveness. Should go early in the second round.
10. De Leo, Chase C [5'10, 175] Portland, WHL (72•39•42•81•49•36): Really fast and incredibly shifty with a quick, accurate one-timer. Unbelievably evasive and has a nice spin move to roll off defenders. Wins battles he has no business winning along boards and out front by using his smarts Could stand to be more patient with the puck, sometimes just throws it in the middle when nothing else is available. Excellent vision and playmaking. That said, when the game gets tough, I don't notice him as much, he seems to disappear into the background until power-play comes up. INTERESTING STAT: Was a staggering +27 over the months of February and March.
Feels Like A Fit For: Pittsburgh, again the Mike Johnston connection, he'll know that De Leo's lack of size won't be an issue due to his hard-working nature. Might slip into the 3rd round.
11. Philp, Luke, C [5'10, 177] Kootenay, WHL (71•31•46•77•2•31): Smooth and smart forward who loves to go to the net and doesn't lack confidence. Really effective playing the point on the power-play with a heavy accurate slapshot and has a really nasty, tricky fake shot that he uses to get defenders off-balance. Isn't a great defender. Isn't a big guy but has some grit and even drops the gloves on occasion. Benefited a lot from Sam Reinhart, but often gave as good as he got with some really smart, clever passing. Is able to put separation between him and defenders with his skating and has a knack for getting to open spaces. Just a genuinely smart player with terrific hands. Whoever takes Reinhart would be smart to gamble on Philp as early as the second round. INTERESTING STAT: Finished the season 6th for goals scored, 6th for points scored and 6th for points-per-game.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Buffalo Sabres. He has great chemistry with Sam Reinhart, why not bank on that? Might be an early third rounder, but I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't drop very late.
12. Chartier, Rourke, C [5'11, 180] Kelowna, WHL (72•24•34•58•26•8): Had a terrible beginning to the season, but came alive in the second half. Excellent passer is quick and somehow able to shield the puck from defenders despite not being that big and is much stronger than you would expect and makes some power moves to the net An excellent stickhandler in traffic. A hard-wokring forward who never quits on a play and brings a ton of energy on every shift. Excellent in his own zone, was voted the 'Best Defensive Forward' on his team and is used a lot on the penalty kill. INTERESTING STAT: Went scorless in 10 games in October and only put up 5 points in 11 games in November, but after that his scoring was never at less than a point-per-game.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Phoenix Coyotes have drafted their fair share of WHLers and Kelowna Rockets. He should go in the third, maybe fourth round.
13. Irving, Aaron, D [6'01, 190] Edmonton, WHL (63•9•21•30•26•88): Was relied on heavily early in the season and looked like a breakout star, playing solid defence and jumping effortlessly into the rush which is the basis for his elevated ranking. Seemed to lose the confidence of his coach and his ice-time dropped majorly in the second-half of the season and played only sparingly in the playoffs. Has a nice proectable frame and the ability to jump into the play. Moves the puck well along the point and has a heavy accurate shot. Defensive game is rather inconsistent, looking like a shut-down defenceman one night and lost the next. With solid program in Edmonton, I think he'll figure it out in time. INTERESTING STAT: 27 of his 30 points came from September-December, a point-per-game ratio of 0.73 which was 0.25 higher than his season total.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton co-owns the team and has to have a pretty good handle on him. Could be a mid-to-late second rounder but I think he'll end up in the third or fourth round.
14. Mayo, Dysin, D [6'01. 180] Edmonton, WHL (63•7•28•35•17•50): Offensive defenceman who loves to jump into the play. Sometimes prone to overhandling the puck but has a solid shot that he usually succeeds in getting through. Needs to learn to recognize when less is more and not force a pass or shot. Can get panicky in own zone and pressured into making poor decisions. Not an overly physical player, but will stand up for self and teammates. INTERESTING STAT: Had just 6 points in his first 20 games (0.3 PpG) but had 29 in his last 43 (0.67 PpG).
Feels Like A Fit For: Ottawa. They likely kept tabs on Curtis Lazar this season and must have seen a lot of Mayo. Should go in the third round.
15. Bukarts, Rihards, LW [5'09, 189] Brandon, WHL (65•28•26•54•2•50): Loves to shoot the puck but is a decent passer who has a tendency to play a little too much one-on-one play on rushes. Then again, with stickhandling like his, he is often able to slice through the neutral-zone with precision. Is very quick to find open space, get there, and get open. Is very small and can be knocked off the puck but also displays a thrilling willingness to engage opponents with devastating bodychecks, gets into scrums and doesn't mind sacrificing his body to make a play. Father Ralf played professionally in Latvia, while brother Roberts plays in the KHL. INTERESTING STAT: Three times this season he was a Top 10 WHL draft eligible in goals.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Calgary Flames. He's small, skilled and European, but he's got grit and loves the open-ice hit, sounds like a Burke pick. Should go in the fifth round.
16. Baillie, Tyson, C [5'10, 187] Kelowna, WHL (56•22•33•55•19•53): Very intelligent and good on-ice awareness and staggering vision which contributes to his excellent passing. Stickhandles well in traffic, makes terrific plays at high speeds and has a terrific wrist-shot that he can get off mid-flight. Has a defensive conscience and a desire to play physical, but sometimes takes bad penalties. Sometimes tries to do too much and doesn't make decisions quick enough. Was really flying early in the season but play slowed down a little, then got injured and missed the bulk of the last two months of the season. INTERESTING STAT: Lead all WHL players in assists and points in December when he had 15 assists and 20 points in just 12 games.
Feels Like A Fit For: Detroit. They've drafted from Kelowna before and would recognize his smarts. Should go in the fourth or fifth round.
17. Nikolishin, Ivan, C [5'09, 160] Everett, WHL (72•18•41•59•-4•16): Shifty little forward has explosive straight-ahead speed but is supremely quick going side-to-side, as well. Is an offensive dynamo. Everett's power-play runs through him and he's dangerous: a great passer, a stinging wrist-shot and has unbelievable stickhandling in close quarters. Has a developed defensive conscience. Displays virtually no physical play whatsoever and his pro ceiling might eventually be that of a power-play specialist. Father Andre was a longtime NHL player. INTERESTING STAT: Was 7th amongst WHL draft eligible prospects in assist at the end of the season with 41, buoyed by his March in which he put up 9 assists in just 8 games.
Feels Like A Fit For: The LA Kings. They aren't afraid of drafting Russians, nor skill players. Should go somewhere in the fifth round.
18. Hicketts, Joe, D [5'08, 165] Victoria, WHL (36•6•18•24•25•12): Has great on-ice awareness and loves to jump into the play. Is a stabilizing presence on the point, has a huge point shot and makes excellent passes. Has a real knack for entering the zone safely, and at retrieving rebounds. s surprisingly physical, given his size and fearlessly steps into larger opponents or blocks shots. Fairly solid defensively with the occasional giveaway. Missed the better part of three months with an injury, then looked a little tentative on his return but rounded back into form come playoff time. INTERESTING STAT: His 9 penalty minutes during Victoria's 2nd round playoff series against Portland was more than Hicketts had in any single month of the regular season.
Feels Like A Fit For: Dallas isn't afraid of undersized d-men, Hicketts is a match. Should go in the sixth or seventh round.
19. Lang, Chase, RW [6'01, 182] Calgary, WHL (68•10•15•25•13•52): Solid frame that he uses to protect the puck well in the offensive zone and go into high-traffic areas. Trusted by coaching staff and was used to help defend some 5-on-3 penalty kills. Definition of pure will: Lang never stops working, will battle all shift long and is rarely beaten to loose pucks. Uses his speed as a real forechecking threat and forces turnovers galore. Very physical but has a tendency to take some bad penalties. Puck play improved as his season went on and displayed a nifty playmaking ability and an underrated shot. INTERESTING STAT: Had 1 point in his first 22 games, then 24 in his next 46. Penalty minute totals also took off in 2014, from 17 in the first half of the season, to 35 on the back half.
Feels Like A Fit For: Philadelphia. While scouting first rounder Travis Sanheim, I wouldn't be surprised if Lang turned some heads. His fiery, hard-working style is a fit for the Flyers. Should be a late-rounder.
20. Sleptsov, Alexei, D [6'00, 165] Moose Jaw, WHL (66•4•21•25•-20•44): Solid skater who makes a good first pass. Defensive play isn't his forte, but uses his skating to get him out of trouble. Confidence grew as season wore on and he got more daring, maybe even a little cavalier skating the puck out of his own zone. Solid power-play quarterback with a hard point shot. Smart player who is quick to jump on loose pucks. INTERESTING STAT: Had an almost perfect split of scoring stats with 12 points in his first half and 13 in the second, however his +/- was glaringly better in 2014 where he was only -6 while posting a -14 in the first four months of the year.
Feels Like A Fit For: Montreal. They took a skilled Russian playing in the WHL in the first round, why not a skilled Russian d-man late in the draft. Should be a seventh rounder.
21. Gutierrez, Justin, C [6'04, 185] Tri-City, WHL (70•3•18•21•-14•103): Big forward is still growing into his body, but has quick feet and gets up to good top speed. Acceleration needs some work, but it's just a little gangly right now. Has some great tools, like aformentioned speed, a huge reach that allow him to protect the puck from defenders and a really solid playmaking game. Sometimes looks like he doesn't want to get involved and I wonder about his conditioning as he often takes shorter shifts than the rest of his linemates. Right now, he's more of a projection than a total package, but I think if he grows into his frame, gets a little confidence and works on his conditioning, he might be a guy in 2-3 years that comes a long way to be a steal. INTERESTING STAT: Averaged 0.67 PpG in September but never averaged more than 0.33 PpG in any other month.
Feels Like A Fit For: The Vancouver Canucks. A big, raw-boned project with excellent wheels and playmaking ability. He's a flyer, but I hope somebody nabs him in the seventh round.
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