Menu

Home

Preview 2006

NYI Database
Isles Legends
Draft Central
AllTime Scoring
AT Goaltending

News
Transactions
Personnel
Game Roster
Rants/Rumors

2006-07 Scoring
Schedule/Results
06-07 Standings

'01 Draft Central
'02 Draft Central
'03 Draft Central
'04 Draft Central
'05 Draft Central
'06 Draft Central

2007 Free Agents

Memorabilia

Links

 

 

 

 

 

 

////    ////    ////   ////

Can Esposito Remain #1?

September 28, 2006: Can Angelo Esposito remain the #1 consensus pick for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft slated for next June in Columbus? In some circles, he has already been surpassed by Logan Couture, center for the Ottawa 67's of the OHL, and Czech born Jakub Voracek, a right wing who will play for Halifax in the QMJHL this season. This draft is projected to be much deeper than previous years. There is also a strong crop of defensemen available led by Nick Petrecki, Karl Alzner and Keaton Ellerby. Where will Colton Gillies & Brandon Sutter end up? Stay tuned here all season as the countdown to the 2007 NHL Draft begins.

Also included are rankings by Red Line Report, International Scouting, and McKeen's Hockey.

islesinfo.com note: Isn't it interesting how none of these scouting services knew who Alexei Cherepanov was before the World Junior Championship's? I'm sure in the next couple of months they will all have him in their top rankings.

Players on the rise: RW Alexei Cherepanov, RW Oscar Moller.

May 2007

Rising
Ryan McDonagh: Pleasant surprise; he had no problem with increased pace of international game at World U-18s, while showing fine offensive skills and good poise.
Colton Gillies: We've never been fans of his offensive upside or natural hockey sense, but even we have to admit he was terrific in Finland and is as safe a bet to play in the NHL, at least as a third or fourth liner, as there is.
Eric Tangradi: Seized his chance in the playoffs when he got regular power-play time, scoring more than he had all regular season; finally started using his big body in front.
Mikael Backlund: After an injury-plagued, disappointing season, he finally gave a glimpse of the offensive skills he possesses at World U-18s; certainly has the size and wheels and can bury the puck.

Falling
Luca Cunti: Likes being an entertainer more than he likes being an actual hockey player. Seems to have no dedication to the game and a lot of off-ice character issues; Too bad, because his talent level is world class.
Eric Doyle: Was exposed in Finland; completely out of his depth in a fast-paced game on a large ice surface.

April 2007

Rising:
Lars Eller — Came up huge for Frölunda in Championship of Swedish Junior playoffs, then has a goal and three assists for Denmark to open the World U-18 B pool championships. Great combination of the three S's: size, skating ability and stickhandling.
Brendan Smith— Everybody's been slagging on him all year for not dominating in the Tier II ranks. Well, he sure looked pretty dominant at both ends to us in the playoffs.
Taylor Matson— Meant to get him on this list last month. Missed some time due to injury and is flying a bit under the radar, but he's got skill and skating ability.
Simon Lacroix — Shawinigan went out four straight in the playoffs, but he showed well and also put up a lot of points down the stretch.
Ian Cole— Other than Karl Alzner, we haven't seen a steadier, more consistent or better all-around defenseman all year. And still, nobody talks about him.

Falling:
Alexei Cherepanov— This dog will be a coach killer. Has a Nikolai Zherdev attitude, but with a lesser skill level — that's a bad combination.
Jens Hellgren— He's such a tease. Has everything necessary to be a top 20 pick – but never seems to put it all together for more than a shift or two. Then he's right back to Mr. Invisible.
Tyson Sexsmith— Has always run extremely hot and cold, and wow… was he ever cold in the first round of the playoffs. Just awful, looking completely baffled.
Keven Veilleux— Showed the same problem in the playoffs as he did all regular season – a curious lack of passion. Somebody needs to tell the big fellow it's time to wake up now. Then, he separated a shoulder at the World U-18s to end his season.

March 2007

Rising:
Dana Tyrell: Just keeps getting better and better. Superb skating center has really started to find his scoring touch since the beginning of February; has a wicked one-timer.
Riley Nash: Big, raw, naturally athletic kid who can skate, shoot and pass. Also likes to get his nose dirty and really carried his club down the stretch.
Logan MacMillan: On this list for second consecutive month. Will never be flashy, but offensive production has picked up. Comes by his points honestly through hard work and is one of the best two-way forwards in the draft.
Dale Mitchell: Has plenty of grit, gets involved and has banged home an astounding 43 goals on the second line of a bad team with no one to get him the puck.
Jeremy Smith: Has separated himself out from the rest of the weak goaltending crop. He's clearly the top guy in our book.

Falling:
Nick Ross: We've tried to keep an open mind while everybody touts Ross to us, but we just can't see the attraction. He's a finesse, offensive defenseman who turns the puck over a bunch. Hasn't been much progression.
David Skokan: Just not producing offensively the way we expected and hasn't shown as much abrasiveness and grit as last season either.
Vitaly Karamnov: Tough to look good playing with a pair of selfish puck hogs on the wings, but he's just invisible and never produces any offense.

February 2007

Rising:
Ian Cole: The best player in the draft whom no one ever mentions. We believe several teams are quietly hoping to steal him early in the second round. After his play at the Five Nations, it won't happen.
Josh Kidd: No one has improved more since the season's start than this massive blue-liner. Wasn't even an afterthought until two months ago. Now he's cracked our top 100.
Oscar Moller: We've loved his gritty style all year, but he's also shown more skill — including a terrific shot — than we earlier thought.
Nick Palmieri: Has been keeping Erie's offense afloat without much help. Thought his somewhat heavy feet would hurt him, but he keeps them moving and gets to the right spots in time.
Lars Eller: The Great Dane has really taken off in the second half. Filled out his frame nicely, scoring a lot, and is a terrific skater.

Falling:
Patrick White: Whether due to his nagging injuries this season or simply stalled development, the bottom line is he simply hasn't stepped up as RLR expected.
Tristin Llewellyn: Has not progressed one iota since he dominated at the U.S. Select 15 Festival in 2004. Unless he develops more in the next three months than he has in the past three years, stock will plummet.
Egor Averin: At this time last season, RLR considered him to be the best of a dynamic group of Russian 1989-born forwards. Now, he's in the middle of the pack of a decidedly mediocre crop of Russian forwards.

January 2007

Rising:
Alexei Cherepanov — Again, for the second straight month. Just one month after cracking our first round, his dynamic showing at the World Juniors has rocketed him all the way up into the top five. Oozes skill and offensive instincts.
T.J. Brennan — Totally raw blue-liner was playing for Philly Jr. Flyers last season. Now he's taking charge in the Quebec League, leading the rush and running the PP. Has a nice combination of size and skating ability.
Dana Tyrell — Has been doing a little bit of everything as the sparkplug driving Prince George. Intelligent two-way winger can score, hit and defend.
Kevin Marshall — Just keeps improving and rounding out his game. Absolutely love both his physical and mental toughness. Fearless and a leader.
Pat Kane — We've liked him for three years now, but honestly… when we did our preseason rankings, we thought of him as a late first-rounder. Never as someone who would be in our top three. Has really kicked it up a notch this year.

Falling:
Michal Repik — His indifferent, inconsistent league play and lack of desire this season spilled over onto the big stage at the World Juniors and has us truly fed up with this complete waste of talent. This Micky plays like a mouse.
Zach Hamill —He's still producing points, but his play away from the puck has been a liability and the smallish center has shown some reluctance to cut into the middle and drive through traffic.

December 2006

Rising

Kevin Veilleux— Early on he looked like a huge "tools" guy with no heart. Now, he's geared it up a few notches and is scoring the type of goals reserved for natural snipers.
Jeremy Smith— Might be the most athletically gifted of all the goalies this year. Lean and limber and comes up with spectacular saves often — now he needs to work on making the easier saves more consistently.
Juraj Valach— We knew it would take a while for this huge, awkward looking blue-liner to start putting together all the parts of his game; now he's blasting that huge point shot cannon on the PP and confidence is soaring.
Maxim Mayorov— Came out of nowhere and arrived on the scene with a bang at last month's Jr. A Challenge in Yorkton. Was a revelation, showing a combination of great size/strength with occasionally dazzling flashes of speed and skill. Great balance and impossible to knock off the puck.
Stefan Legein— He is one nasty little dude to play against, and every time we see him play he's scoring goals by the truckload. Pest extraordinaire.

Falling

Cade Fairchild — What in the hell happened here? Last season, looked like a star in the making and perfect fit for the new NHL as an underager playing up on the U.S. U-18 Team. Now he can't get out of his own way.
Brett Sonne— We stuck with him through a slow start, but see no signs that he's picking up his game yet. Can't wait any longer.

November 2006

Rising:
Sam Gagner:  Off to a blazing start leading the OHL in scoring through six weeks while showing dynamic skating, vision, and a willingness to work both ends of the ice.
Kyle Turris:  What a performance on a big stage in front of over 100 scouts in Yorkton. Scored four goals in first game vs. Russia and hit posts twice. Dominant the whole tourney and did amazing things on a nightly basis.
Robert Bortuzzo:  Huge and very raw, but has lots of poise and handles the puck well, and will stand up for teammates.
Luca Cunti:  Nobody helped himself more this month, or improved more since last season, than the Swiss center who led his countrymen to a huge upset win at Four Nations.
Nick Ross:  Skilled blue-liner just keeps getting better, and he's starting to warm up to the physical aspect of the game a bit as well.

Falling:
Yves Bastien:  We love small and speedy, but two goals in nearly two months isn't enough to overcome his lack of size. Needs to get it in gear and make his speed more functional.
Ruslan Bashkirov:  Looked like a sure-fire first rounder as an underager in Russia last season, but in Quebec he makes the same outside move on every rush, is a puck hog and doesn't play at all in his own zone. Oops.
Colton Gillies:  Yeah, yeah ... we know: He's got the dreaded "great tools." Trouble is, he never produces anything, and doesn't look very strong on his skates either.

October 2006

Rising:
Randy Cameron— Has been a real revelation for us in the early going, and is putting up points despite a dearth of quality offensive talent around him.
Casey Pierro-Zabotel— It may only be the BCHL, but 30 points in 10 games is going to get our attention in any league? even if it's at the PeeWee level.
Martin Ylven — Big Norwegian power winger (now there's a phrase you don't hear every day) is dominating physically in the Swedish junior ranks with his aggressive, take-no-prisoners style. Plus he's got scoring ability, too.
Maxime Tanguay— Has come out of the gate on fire and is firing goals from every angle. Sniper is super dangerous on the PP and is always around the puck. Pounces like a cat around the net.
Nick Larson — He's raw, but has a lot of great tools that he's just learning how to harness. Could make a very rapid ascension up the charts if he accelerates the learning curve.
Lars Eller— Skilled Danish winger has a good-sized frame to fill out and plays with a lot of jump. Has fabulous speed and moves and has already scored some of the best highlight reel goals of the season.

Falling:
Scott Brannon— Simply not performing with the grit and determination that attracted us to him last season.
Brendan Smith— The broken arm he suffered this past Summer looks to still be affecting his puckhandling and confidence level.
Ondrej Roman— He's definitely a skilled player, but as we feared, has been a perimetre player in the physical WHL who isn't making enough plays despite lots of quality icetime.

September 2006

Rising:
Jonathon Blum - There's no faster riser in the field based on his play at the Eight Nations last month. Terrific offensive skills and jump and plays physical style despite reed-thin frame.
Colton Gillies - Has dramatically improved skating and balance since last year to become a real horse. Impossible to move off the puck.
Sergey Korostin - Best surprise of the Eight Nations tourney. His explosive skills jumped right out and made him the most dangerous player on the ice virtually every shift.
Brett Sonne - Had a very productive month of August, both at the camp in Calgary and the tourney in Czech Republic. Has shown more offensive skill than we gave him credit for last year.
Oscar Moller - Wow! What a shot. Has pure goal scoring ability. Very dangerous from the top of the circles on in. Follows up by driving through checks to get to net.

Falling:
Juraj Valach - Last season we kept noticing his great size and good skating ability, but he doesn't seem to have progressed over the summer and we're starting to question his hockey sense.
Stephen Lund - What the heck has happened to the huge Maritimer? Was awful at Canada's camp and has been even worse in PEI's training camp. Seems to literally have forgotten how to play this game.
Egor Averin - Our personal favourite from a Russian U-17 squad that was jam-packed with talent last year, but he did next to nothing at the first big test of his draft season.

International Scouting 2007 NHL Draft 1 P. Kane LON 2 J. vanRiemsdyk USA 3 K. Turris BNBY 4 A. Cherepanov RUS 5 J. Voracek HFX 6 K. Alzner CGY 7 S. Gagner LON 8 M. Mayorov RUS 9 K. Ellerby KAM 10 M. Backlund SWE 11 A. Esposito QUE 12 C. Gillies SAS 13 L. Couture OTT 14 N. Petrecki OMA 15 D. Perron LEW Players on rise: J. vanRiemsdyk M. Backlund

McKeen's Hockey 2007 NHL DRAFT RANKINGS 1 - Patrick Kane LW 2 - Kyle Turris C 3 - Jakub Voracek RW 4 - Karl Alzner D 5 - Alexei Cherepanov RW 6 - James van Riemsdyk LW 7 - Kevin Shattenkirk D 8 - Sam Gagner C 9 - Ryan McDonagh D 10 - Zach Hamill C 11 - Angelo Esposito C 12 - Bill Sweatt D 13 - Logan Couture C 14 - Keaton Ellerby D 15 - Brett MacLean RW Players on rise: Jakub Voracek Kevin Shattenkirk Ryan McDonagh Bill Sweatt

Some interesting observations by islesinfo.com(Jan. 9):

Sometimes a player will slip through the cracks until there is a forum for him shine, where there will be lots of eyes to see him. That is apparently what has taken place with Russian sniper Alexei Cherepanov. To be honest, the only real trusted source for draft rankings is the Central Scouting Bureau, which is operated by the NHL. They had Cherepanov ranked as the #1 Russian player when they released their preliminary rankings in late November. But now after he opened some eyes with his performance at the 2007 World Junior Championship's, finishing 5th in scoring in the tournament and leading Russia to the Silver Medal, he should get noticed by the independent scouting services.

In fact, there are a few voices who have expressed that Cherepanov may go #1 overall in June 2007. It's still too early to tell as the list of possible #1's is growing every month. Angelo Esposito and Jakub Voracek have both held the top ranking but their positions have fluctuated within the top 10 due to up and down play within their respective leagues and following the WJC's which Voracek took part in with the disappointing Czechs.

One player whose stock has risen and is highly regarded by islesinfo.com is Team USA's Patrick Kane. Kane decided against going the college route and has followed in the steps of past American stars like Pat LaFontaine and Jeremy Roenick by playing in the CHL. While he's not honing his skills, which are very impressive if you saw him in the World Juniors, in the US National program, Kane is lighting it up with the OHL's London Knights. He and teammate Sam Gagner, another 2007 future first rounder, are currently 1 and 2 in league scoring.

For more on Kane and Cherepanov, go to the islesinfo.com 2007 World Junior Championship's page.

2007 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Participating Players

(Jan. 4th) The Canadian Hockey League and National Hockey League today announced the 40 players who will participate in the 2007 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday January 17 in Quebec City.

The game will showcase 40 of the CHL's top players that are eligible for selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. The players were selected by the National Hockey League’s 30 teams. The players will be separated into two teams prior to the event.

Some interesting observations by islesinfo.com(Dec. 1):

Katic could move ahead of one or two of them when the season is done. At the same time, Ellerby was recently rated as the #1 prospect in the WHL by the CSB, so perhaps McKeen's is onto something that the other two services missed. Another player McKeen's may be more on the money with than the other two services is Patrick Kane, an offensive American born player and teammate of Gagner with the OHL's London Knights. McKeen's ranking of Logan Couture at 10th may be a bit too low. What they do all agree with, in a season where there is no apparent #1, is that Jakub Voracek is the top prospect for the 2007 NHL Draft.

Central Scouting:

Family Ties

Colton Gillies of Saskatoon (WHL) - nephew of New York Islanders' Hall of Famer Clark Gillies. 

Brandon Sutter of Red Deer (WHL) - son of former New York Islanders captain Brent Sutter and nephew of Brian, Darryl, Duane, Ron and Rich.

Logan MacMillan of Halifax (QMJHL) - nephew of former New York Islander Bill MacMillan, son of Bobby.

Calle Ridderwall of Tri-City (USHL) - brother of New York Islanders draft pick Stefan Ridderwall.

Marcus Carroll of Owen Sound (OHL) - son of former New York Islanders checker Billy Carroll.

Jordan Nolan of Windsor (OHL) - son of New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan.

Sam Gagner of London (OHL) - son of former Minnesota North Star Dave Gagner.

Maxime Tanguay of Rimouski (QMJHL) - brother of Calgary Flames' Alex Tanguay.

Keaton Ellerby of Kamloops (WHL) - cousin of Phoenix Coyotes' Shane Doan and Montreal's Carey Price.

Vladimir Ruzicka of Slavia (Czech Republic) - son of former Boston Bruin Vladimir Ruzicka.

Brendan Brickley of Texas (NAHL) - cousin or nephew? of former Boston Bruin Andy Brickley.

Blake Kessel of Waterloo (USHL) - brother of Boston Bruins' Phil Kessel.

Michael Biega of Salisbury (HS) - brother of Buffalo Sabres' prospect Alex Biega.

Justin Vaive of USA-U18 - son of former Buffalo Sabre Rick Vaive.

Lyon Messier of Texas (NAHL) - son of former Ranger Mark Messier.

Justin Courtnall of Burnaby (BCHL) - son of former Canuck Geoff Courtnall

Brad Malone of Sioux Falls (USHL) - dad, Jim, drafted by NY Rangers; uncle Greg played 11 NHL seasons; cousin Ryan.

Dwight King of Lethbridge (WHL) - brother of St. Louis Blues prospect D.J. King

Mickey Renaud of Windsor (OHL) - son of former Hartford Whaler Mark Renaud

The 2007 NHL Entry Draft will take place on Saturday, June 23, in Columbus.

2007 Draft Preview: More Islander Kids Coming
Gillies & Sutter to continue the trend

June 29, 2006: Now that the 2006 Draft is done, we look ahead to the 2007 NHL Draft which is to be held in Columbus on June 23, 2007. With the next draft only 51 1/2 weeks away, let's take a look at the top players available:

LW Angelo Esposito, 6'1", 170 lbs.: Was the top rated player this year and early consensus to go #1 in 2007. But he is already getting caught up to by a few other players. But will definitely be a top 5 selection.
Video: Angelo Esposito scores vs. Moncton at the 2006 Memorial Cup Final

D Karl Alzner, 6'2", 200 lbs: Has already played two seasons in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen. He's considered an all around workhorse with great smarts and plays like a seasoned veteran.

C Logan Couture, 6', 191 lbs: a mature two way forward with great hands. Plays for the Ottawa 67's. He's very responsible defensively and some, like ISS, believe he is the consensus #1 for 2007.

D Keaton Ellerby, 6'4", 174 lbs: A rangy, physical blueliner with the Kamloops Blazers. A big defenseman who continues to fill out his frame.

C Jim O'Brien, 6'3", 184 lbs: If he's on his game he can be a force. When he gets mad he plays with a him against the world mentality. Played for the U.S. Under-18 Team last year.

D Nick Petrecki, 6'3", 200 lbs: along with Ellerby and Alzner this draft could be stronger at the defense position than the 2006 Draft. Petrecki played with Omaha of the USHL in 2005-06 and is bound for Boston College. He is projected as an impact defenseman.

LW Michal Repik, 5'11", 175 lbs: Czech Republic import played with Vancouver of the WHL last year. He adjusted quick to North America and scored some highlight reel individual goals. Projected as a top line player.

RW Jakub Voracek, 6'1", 175 lbs: was drafted #1 by the Halifax Mooseheads in the 2006 CHL Import Draft June 28, 2006. Voracek is aggressive with a great scoring touch. He's big, strong and competes.

C Colton Gillies, 6'3", 190 lbs: Clark Gillies' nephew plays for Saskatoon of the WHL. He's a swift skating, hard hitter who plays with plenty of energy. "He's the best big-guy skater I've seen in a while," says one scout. Top 5 pick.

Colton Gillies can score goals like his Uncle Clark

RW Brandon Sutter, 6'2", 171 lbs: Brent's son is a good two way player. He needs to fill out more but should definitely be a first round pick in 2007 and possibly even a top ten selection.

Brandon Sutter continues the Sutter family legacy