WHL PROSPECTS AWAIT NHL DRAFT DAY
WHL.ca 2011 NHL Top Prospect Profiles
Mark McNeill, Prince Albert Raiders
Joseph Morrow, Portland Winterhawks
Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon Blades
Sven Bartschi, Portland Winterhawks
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Red Deer Rebels
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft takes place on June 24th and 25th in St. Paul, MN, as the National Hockey League’s 30 Clubs look to add to their pipeline of prospects.
One of the leading suppliers of talent to the NHL, the Western Hockey League again will see many of its top draft-eligible players selected by NHL clubs. Since the inception of the NHL Entry Draft in 1969, the WHL has seen 1,762 players drafted by NHL teams, representing over 18% of all drafted players in the history of the event.
This year, the WHL’s list of draft is topped by Red Deer Rebels’ center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The 6’0”, 165-lb product of Burnaby, B.C., has established himself as an elite-level offensive force, with superb playmaking ability, vision, puck-handling skills and intelligence. In his second season in the WHL, Nugent-Hopkins finished tied for third in the League in scoring with 106 points, including a WHL-best 75 assists, and earned a spot on the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.
“His vision, his creativity, his intelligence and his understanding of the game, and the skill package that goes with it is what make him so special,” said Red Deer Rebels’ head coach and VP of hockey operations Jesse Wallin. “He’s got tremendous hands and passing ability, he’s got a great release, he’s a great skater, he’s got tremendous agility…it’s just a really special package and a personality and make-up that allows him to utilize that skill set.”
The No. 1-ranked draft-eligible North American player on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings, Nugent-Hopkins has an opportunity to become the first WHL player selected first overall in an NHL Entry Draft since Chris Phillips in 1996.
Some of the WHL’s other top draft-eligible forwards include 18-year-old Swiss winger Sven Bartschi of the Portland Winterhawks. Bartschi is looking to become the second Swiss-born member of the Winterhawks to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft in as many years, following in the footsteps of teammate Nino Niederreiter.
Also among the WHL’s top-ranked forwards is Prince Albert Raiders’ power forward Mark McNeill and Bartschi’s Winterhawks teammate Ty Rattie.
Leading the group of draft-eligible defensemen from the WHL is Saskatoon Blades’ tough-as-nails defender Duncan Siemens. The 6’3”, 200-lb rearguard is known as a hard-nosed, hard-hitting force who will make life extremely difficult for opposing forwards. A very strong and smooth skater, Siemens plays with an edge and plays for keeps. Though mainly known for his defensive and physical play, Siemens also boasts good offensive instincts and puck-moving skills.
“He’s a very committed young man, he works extremely hard at all aspects of his game, and he’s very coachable,” said Blades’ head coach and general manager Lorne Molleken. “When he plays with that edge, he’s a very difficult player to play against. He likes to hit, he’ll punish players in front of the net and in the corners…he’s a good all-around player.”
Also among the WHL’s top draft-eligible defensemen is Portland Winterhawks’ smooth-skating, two-way blue liner Joseph Morrow. The Sherwood Park, AB, product boasts terrific mobility, agility and speed, and a heavy shot. His skating, strength and keen hockey sense make him very effective in the offensive and defensive zones.
Vancouver Giants’ defensive rearguard David Musil and Portland Winterhawks’ rugged shutdown rearguard Tyler Wotherspoon are also highly-regarded WHL defensemen prospects, heading into the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
At the last line of defense, four WHL goaltenders are among the top 30 draft-eligible netminders in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings.
18-year-old Laurent Brossoit of the Edmonton Oil Kings tops the WHL’s list of draft-eligible goaltenders, coming in at No. 7 in the rankings. The Surrey, B.C., product posted a 13-12-2 record with two shutouts along with a 3.32 goals-against average for the Oil Kings during the 2010-11 regular season.
Also among the WHL’s top draft-eligible goaltenders are a pair of Brandon Wheat Kings – Corbin Boes and Liam Liston. Liston, from St. Albert, AB, is the ninth-ranked goaltender on Central Scouting’s ranking list, while Saskatoon, SK, native Boes comes in at 20th on the list. Eric Williams of the Prince Albert Raiders is ranked 16th among draft-eligible North American netminders.
A total of 47 WHL skaters and four WHL netminders are among those that made NHL Central Scouting’s 2011 Final Rankings for North American skaters.
In 2010, 43 WHL players were chosen in the NHL Entry Draft, including seven in the first round.
