This past season I was lucky enough to catch 29 QMJHL games and 12 NCAA games in person. A lot of games and that’s not even counting all the high school games I went to. I’ve decided to list the top ten draft eligible players I’ve see in an arena.
10. Kenny Ryan (USA NTDP)
One the day the USA Under-20 Team fell to Slovakia at the World Junior Championships, the Under-18 team took on University of Maine. He was on the top line. He got the scoring started in the contest.
9. Andrej Nestrasil (Victoriaville Tigres)
He had a very stong start to the season. I think everyone was surprised how well he did early on. Everytime I saw him play, he was very noticeable.
8. Drew Shore (USA NTDP)
He was on the top line with Ryan and Jeremy Morin. He was very solid in the only game I got view from him.
7. Philippe Paradis (Shawinigan Cataractes)
I have the feeling if Shawinigan wasn’t so deep, Paradis would be getting more love. I got see him about three times I believe. He’s a very good player and a team will be very happy.
6. Eric Gelinas (Lewiston Maineiacs)
This kid grew up in front of my eyes this year. He had the tough task of filling Kevin Marshall’s shoes. He filled them. He will be a two-way defenseman and was very good on the powerplay, on a team that struggled with the man advantage.
5. Jeremy Morin (USA NTDP)
He only played a period but I took notice of his play. He can stickhandle with the best of them. I saw him when he started to slip in everyone’s rankings. If he can put all aspects of his game together, he will be very good.
4. Simon Depres (Saint John Sea Dogs)
He was very solid as a defensive defenseman for the Sea Dogs. He had a good bulk of the load. That’s saying something for a 17-year-old defenseman.
3. Jordan Caron (Rimouski Oceanic)
I caught him at the right time as he started to heat up. This is what his head coach Clem Jodoin had to say after a game in February.
“The second half (of the season) he has been really good,” says Jodoin. Caron also dropped the gloves for the first time this season. “That’s not his style.”
2. Charles-Olivier Roussel (Shawinigan Cataractes)
Just like Depres, Roussel plays more of a defensive game. I give Depres the edge because he has the ablity to put the puck into the net. Roussel had 11 goals and 33 assists while Depres had 2 goals and 30 assists.
1. Dmitry Kulikov (Drummondville Voltiguers)
I love puck moving defenseman. Kulikov is one of the best and I started drooling when I saw him back in November. (Sorry I am drooling right now, I will let Guy Boucher do the rest of the talking)
“He’s incredible, for me it’s been ten years in this league for me; I’ve coached (Mike) Ribeiro, (Derek) Brassard, and (Sidney) Crosby. He’s the second best total package behind Crosby,” said Guy Boucher
Okay I am back.
One noticable omission you are probably asking about is goaltender Oliver Roy. I wasn’t able to see him in person this season. I got a chance last season but I wanted to stick to the players I saw this season. He would would have most likely found his name in the rankings.
That’s My Take
