Mayfield, Scott (can go in between 45-60)

He's tall, he can shoot hard... and he fights a lot. Unfortunately he plays in the USHL where his skills may not develop as well as they should. He will take a lot longer to develop into an NHL defender then anyone drafted from the CHL or European men's leagues. It is also necessary to point out that this 6 foot 4 defender finished the year as a -18 and his offensive totals took a drop down from the ones he put up in his rookie year.

McColgan, Shane (can go in between 25-45)

Shane entered the 2010-2011 WHL season as a prospect with a lot of potential. Many believed that he could be a top 15 pick at best, and early on he was living up to that. However he fell into a scoring drought for most of the season until later on when his offensive skills seem to have just re-appeared. He finished the year on fire and has not slowed down in the playoffs as he notched 8 goals in 11 games for a total of 19 playoff points. Although his points and goal numbers slightly dropped down from last years impressive rookie totals, his +/- has gone from a -15 to a +3 in just one year. He has shown great development in his two way game and perhaps that was the cause of his mid season slump. The Californian has great speed, and above average shot, and very soft hands, he just needs to learn how to make the most of his abilities and he'll become a very good NHL'er.

McNeill, Mark (can go in between 17-32)

McNeill is not just tall but he is built, which is unusual for a player his age, filling out will not be an issue. He is a power forward, this seems to be the soup du jour in this years draft, with good speed. He is very aggressive with or without the puck and he can flat out score goals (32 to be exact). McNeill could find himself in the NHL much sooner then most players in this draft simply because he is physically ready. He could easily rise in the draft and maybe even find himself in the top 20, he is a good teamate too and will stand up for anyone on his team.

Miller, Jonathan (can go in between 40-55)

Miller has been talked about all year as going in the first round, we personally don't see it. He has average stats in what is not a very good Junior league when you compare it to the CHL. I would not waste a first round pick on him, I would not even use a second round pick on him but some poor GM most likely will, and he will be very disappointed.

Misyul, Oleg (can go in between 55-70)

Decent sized defender playing in the Russian Junior league, he has 10 points in his 43 2010-2011 games, 3 of those are goals. He appears to be a very responsible defesemen in his own end as his plus minus is slightly above zero. It is hard to rank these Russian Junior League players because not all of them have too much written about them.

Morrow, Joe (can go in between 25-40)

Morrow is a big physical defensemen who is not afraid to make a big hit and then drop the gloves with an opponent who questions the hit. He is also a very good puck mover and finds the back of the net quite frequently. He still has a bit of filling out to do but Morrow should be a named called late in day one or very very early in day two of the NHL Entry Draft

Murphy, Ryan (can go in between 5-10)

Ryan Murphy finished the 2010-2011 OHL season just shy of the 30 goal plateau, very impressive for a 17 year defensemen. He was also one of the later cuts at team Canada's World Junior Camp, he demonstrated there that he was not just an offensive defensemen by laying a beautiful hip check on Brayden Schenn. He may be small but he makes up for his size with great positional hockey and amazing speed. He can run a power play and he is a disciplined player, taking only 36pims. If your team needs to boost its power play, he is your man.

Musil, David (can go in between 20-35)

Musil is a Giant, both in height and team association. The Vancouver defender comes in at 6 foot 3, still needing to fill out just a tad. He has shown signs of being a decent puck mover but his main style of play is defending his goal. He was a +33 last year but he dropped to an even 0 this past year, mainly due to the fact that the Giants were an atrocious team. Musil's stock has dropped over the season but he still remains a very sought after defensemen.

Namesnitkov, Vladislav (can go in between 15-25)

Namesnitkov is a very skilled Russian but plays a very good two way role as well. He finished the year as a +12 with 30 goals and 68 points, pretty good for the rookie. He has a great sense for the game and knows where to go to score goals. His English is as close as it gets to being perfect, it sounds like he has lived his whole life in North America. The knock on Vladislav is his size, his frame is not quite filled out yet and the muscle is not there just yet either. He himself is the first to admit that he must get stronger so his shot can get better. Size and strength is something that will come soon and all the other tools are there to make a complete NHL'er.

Nermark, Joachim (can go in between 40-55)

Joachim has been a prolific scorer in the international tournaments such as the U18 and U17 and should continue that trend in next years World Juniors. He has quietly had a great season and is one of many Swedes who will be taking the NHL by storm quite soon. Look for him to be draft very fast on day two, perhaps to a team like Detroit, Vancouver or Ottawa because we all know who loves the Swedes most.

Nesterov, Nikita (can go in between 45-60)

Nesterov is a offensive defensemen, he has put up fairly big numbers throughout his young hockey career. His offensive upside was good enough to earn him the 16th overall selection in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, although he chose to stay in Russia. The knock on Nesterov is his penalty minutes, they are way too high. The fact that he did not join Tri-City to start the year could hurt his draft stock, what with the "Russian Factor", but leaving that aside he seems like he could become a decent power play quarter back down the road.

Noesen, Stefan (can go in 35-50)

Noesen is a fairly well sized forward from the great hockey state of Texas. He came to the OHL to play for the Plymouth Whalers and surpassed the expectations of most scouts. In his short rookie season he only put up 8 points in 33 games, but this year he came out firing as he scored 34 goals to pile up a total of 77 points. He has flown under the radar all season but Stefan is a solid second round pick.

Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan (can go in between 1-4)

Hopkins, the most talked about player leading up to the draft, is a speedy playmaker with great offensive awareness. He makes plays happen out of nothing and has a great sense for the game. His defensive game needs to improve, that was the main reason why he was not selected to team Canada for the World Juniors. Hopkins has yet to bulk up, still weighing in under 170 pounds, but the muscle and weight will come soon enough. He is a can't miss player with his great sense for the game, and his ability to make great passes or to dangle through the defense. 

Ouellet, Xavier (can go in between 25-40)

Another great puck moving defensemen in this draft, Ouellet is an assist machine on the blue line. He is a very powerful skater and will jump into the rush from time to time but plays a generally sound defensive game. Xavier does a good job of staying out of the box and giving his team the best chance to win every night. Xavier is a first rounder in most peoples mind, but he could drop to the second round if teams late in day one are looking for forwards.

Phillips, Zack (can go in between 15-30)

Phillips is a pure sniper, quick and hard shot and a good sense of knowing where to be to get the best shot off. Not only that but he plays the game hard and never quits on a play. He was moved up to centre the first line part way through the season and bumped Huberdeau to the wing so you know he's good in the circle. Huberdeau and Phillips have extremely good chemistry and they can both controle the puck and the game. Philips had 16 goals last year as a rookie so his scoring touch is real and he is not just being made look good by Huberdeau, although it would be nice to see them both get drafted by the same team.

Prince, Shane (can go in between 20-35)

Prince got off to a blazing start with the 67's this year, and continued to produce all year with. He slowed his scoring pace down significantly near the end of the year and had a very sub-par playoffs scoring only one goal in three games before the 67's were upset in four games by the Sudbury Wolves. Leaving all that aside, Prince is a very talented hockey player who is not afraid to get his hands dirty working along the boards. He will do what ever it takes to make sure his team gets the puck across the goal line and every team needs a guy like that.

Puempel, Matt (can go in between 7-15)

Puempel is one of those guys who makes everyone around him better, he works hard and come game day hockey is all that's on his mind. He has a terrific offensive touch, scoring beautiful and timely goals for his Petes, who struggled all year. Puempel is a player that sits in the empty stands long before the game and visualizes how the game will go, meanwhile his team mates are joking around down below in the entrance tunnel. If you arrive one hour before warm up for a Petes game in any OHL city you will see this. There is also proof in the form of stats that show how Puempel makes players around him better; Alan Quine was acquired from Kingston 17 games into the season to play on the top line with Puempel. At the time Quine had 4 goals for 11 points, not bad. I saw Quine and Puempel play in late December and I remember seeing Quine's stats in the program, he had put up nearly double the points with Peterborough while playing in only 11 games at that point. Puempel was obviously responsible for this scoring pace, and Quine went on to finish the year with 22 goals for 42 points with the Petes. Back to Puempel, it is clear that he makes players better but he can also make plays happen all by himself. He has blazing speed and a very quick release and he terrorized OHL goalies all year long.

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