Jan 5, 2015
2015 Craig's List: McDavid, Eichel still neck and neck
Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel find themselves in the same place this month as last month on Craig's List - in a dead heat at No. 1.
Surely, the World Junior Hockey Championship paved the way for a clear cut declaration. There were times early on in the tournament when I felt that way and that surely Eichel was No. 1. There were also times later in the tourney when McDavid demonstrated he was destined for the first spot on the list.
It's precisely for those reasons they remain deadlocked. Each showed their tremendous abilities and made a case for why they should be the first overall pick, yet nothing convinced me that one has the edge on the other.
Two great players come to mind when I think of these two young stars - Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, basketball Hall of Famers who were instrumental in leading their teams to championship stature. Each was great, but in very different ways and with different skill sets. While neither was more important or less important to their teams, their impact on the NBA was renowned. The managers of their respective teams may have found themselves in the most unique of situations, that being they could only trade one for the other. They wore sweater numbers 32 and 33 respectively and that may have been the only thing that separated them by one.
Two players who stood out at the World Junior Championship took a significant leap forward. Mikko Rantanen was Finland's most productive player and showed an ability to play a well-rounded game where he could have an impact in multiple ways. Lawson Crouse - Canada's youngest player - became a very important cog in their lineup as the tourney progressed. He demonstrated his ability to contribute with his skating, smarts, size and strength and was part of a very important and formidable line that helped Canada to gold.
London Knights winger Mitchell Marner, the leading scorer in the Ontario Hockey League, is an electrifying talent. Erie's Dylan Strome has also been atop the scoring race since the beginning of the season and have both shown they can lead their teams to success in the absence of more highly-acclaimed teammates. They've established themselves as the next best two players after McDavid and Eichel. Noah Hanifin is a very good prospect, the difference between him and Michigan blueliner Zach Werenski is razor thin. Along with Sweden's Oliver Kylington and Russian defenceman Ivan Provorov of the Brandon Wheat Kings, they form a quartet of blueliner who embody what NHL teams are looking for.
The New Year begins with the countdown to the draft and if there is anything I know for certain, we can expect players to step up their games and continue to show that this draft class could be very special, not just at the top but throughout.
JANUARY RANKING
Player statistics are updated through Jan. 6, last month's ranking in parentheses.
1 (1) Connor McDavid, C - Erie (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 195 | 18 | 16 | 35 | 51 | 34 |
1 (1) Jack Eichel, C - Boston University (HE - NCAA)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'2 | 195 | 16 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 21 |
3 (5) Mitchell Marner, RW - London (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 154 | 38 | 32 | 45 | 77 | 30 |
4 (4) Dylan Strome, C - Erie (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 187 | 38 | 27 | 44 | 71 | 28 |
5 (3) Noah Hanifin, D - Boston College (HE - NCAA)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 201 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 |
6 (7) Zach Werenski, D - Michigan (HE - NCAA)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 201 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 9 |
7(6) Oliver Kylington, D - Farjestad (Sweden - SHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 180 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
8 (8) Ivan Provorov, D - Brandon (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 193 | 35 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 14 |
9 (9) Nick Merkley, C - Kelowna (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 188 | 40 | 13 | 48 | 61 | 18 |
10 (10) Kyle Connor, C - Youngstown (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 170 | 25 | 11 | 20 | 31 | -6 |
11 (22) Mikko Rantanen, RW - TPS (FIN - SM Liiga)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'4 | 211 | 31 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 20 |
12 (18) Lawson Crouse, LW - Kingston (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'4 | 211 | 24 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 0 |
13 (11) Jansen Harkins, C - Prince George (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 181 | 41 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 11 |
14 (12) Jeremy Roy, D - Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 189 | 34 | 4 | 31 | 35 | 0 |
15 (15) Brock Boeser, RW - Waterloo (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 187 | 26 | 19 | 16 | 35 | -11 |
16 (26) Anthony Beauvillier, LW - Shawinigan (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 5'10 | 171 | 40 | 29 | 24 | 53 | 12 |
17 (17) Pavel Zacha, C - Sarnia (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 210 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 0 |
18 (16) Mathew Brazal, C - Seattle (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 178 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 1 |
19 (13) Daniel Sprong, RW - Charlottetown (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 189 | 41 | 22 | 23 | 45 | -9 |
20 (14) Evgeni Svechnikov, RW - Cape Breton (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 180 | 29 | 13 | 24 | 37 | 4 |
21 (19) Colin White, C - USA NTDP (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 183 | 23 | 10 | 12 | 22 |
22 (21) Thomas Novak, C - Waterloo (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 174 | 25 | 4 | 20 | 24 | -3 |
23 (23) Nicolas Meloche, D - Baie Comeau (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'3 | 199 | 37 | 8 | 20 | 28 | -4 |
24 (42) Brandon Carlo, D - Tri-City (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'5 | 198 | 35 | 2 | 13 | 15 | -5 |
25 (24) Thomas Chabot, D - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 181 | 37 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 12 |
26 (25) Jakub Zboril, D - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 184 | 33 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 5 |
27 (30) Jake Debrusk, LW - Swift Current (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 171 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 40 | -4 |
28 (27) Jeremy Bracco, RW - USA NTDP (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 5'9 | 173 | 32 | 12 | 35 | 47 |
29 (28) Filip Chlapik, C - Charlottetown (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 194 | 37 | 17 | 26 | 43 | -2 |
30 (20) Travis Konecny, C - Ottawa (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 173 | 37 | 14 | 19 | 33 | -11 |
31 (25) Timo Meier, RW - Halifax (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 208 | 33 | 21 | 25 | 46 | 11 |
32 (36) Nicolas Roy, C - Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'4 | 202 | 37 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 3 |
33 (34) Guillaume Brisebois, D - Acadie (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 170 | 37 | 3 | 13 | 16 | -18 |
34 (38) Mitchell Vande Sompel, D - Oshawa (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 5'10 | 182 | 36 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 14 |
35 (-) Parker Wotherspoon, D - Tri-CIty (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 171 | 29 | 8 | 14 | 22 | -3 |
36 (40) Rasmus Andersson, D - Barrie (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 210 | 37 | 8 | 29 | 37 | 3 |
37 (39) Gustav Bouramman, D - Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 184 | 38 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 14 |
38 (29) Brendan Guhle, D - Prince Albert (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'2 | 184 | 40 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -6 |
39 (-) Roope Hintz, C/LW - Ilves (SM Liiga)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 185 | 26 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 |
40 (31) Jordan Greenway, LW - USA NTDP (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'5 | 222 | 22 | 2 | 15 | 17 |
41 (47) Jacob Larsson, D - Frolunda (Sweden J-20)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 191 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -5 |
42 (-) Jens Looke, RW - Brynas (SHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 180 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 |
43 (32) Adam Musil, C/RW - Red Deer (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'3 | 206 | 34 | 9 | 16 | 25 | -2 |
44 (49) Erik Foley, LW - Cedar Rapids (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 185 | 28 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 11 |
45 (52) Paul Bittner, LW - Portland (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'4 | 206 | 35 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 9 |
46 (37) Nikita Korostelev, RW - Sarnia (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 195 | 34 | 16 | 20 | 36 | 8 |
47 (57) Blake Speers, C - Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 177 | 34 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 10 |
48 (48) Yakov Trenin, C - Gatineau (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 192 | 31 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 7 |
49 (48) Andrew Mangiapane, RW - Barrie (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 5'10 | 170 | 37 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 5 |
50 (51) Christian Fischer, RW - USA NTDP (USHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 212 | 33 | 16 | 15 | 31 |
51 (-) Vladislav Gavrikov, D - Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 205 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
52 (46) Noah Juulsen, D - Everett (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 175 | 39 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 14 |
53 (41) Vince Dunn, D - Niagara (OHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 182 | 37 | 7 | 16 | 23 | -3 |
54 (43) David Kase, C - Chomutov (Czech Jr.)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 5'11 | 169 | 35 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
55 (33) Sebastian Aho, RW - Karpat (SM Liiga)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 5'11 | 172 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
56 (59) Ethan Bear, D - Seattle (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 202 | 36 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 0 |
57 (54) Felix Sandstrom, G - Brynas Jr. (Sweden - J20)
S | HT | WT | GP | GAA | SV% | S/O | W-L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 191 | 8 | 3.31 | .896 | 0 | 3-3-0 |
58 (45) Ryan Pilon, D - Brandon (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 212 | 37 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 13 |
59 (53) Ryan Gropp, LW - Seattle (WHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 184 | 37 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 2 |
60 (58) Adam Marsh, LW - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 160 | 37 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 10 |
61 (61) Callum Booth, G - Quebec (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 199 |
62 (69) MacKenzie Blackwood, G - Barrie (G)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 215 |
63 (66) Nathan Noel, C - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 170 |
64 (75) Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, C/RW - Ohama (USHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 192 |
65 (74) Alexander Dergachyov, RW - SKA St. Petersburg (Russia - MHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'4 | 200 |
66 (71) Glenn Gawdin, C - Swift Current (WHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 188 |
67 (78) Travis Dermott, D - Erie (OHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 5'11 | 197 |
68 (82) Dennis Yan, LW - Quebec (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 180 |
69 (56) Matthew Spencer, D - Peterborough (OHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'2 | 200 |
70 (55) Daniel Vladar, G - Kladno (Czech Jr.)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'5 | 185 |
71 (-) Ziyat Paygin, D - AK Bars Kazan (KHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'5 | 209 |
72 (-) Denis Guryanov, RW - Togilatti 2 (MHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 183 |
73 (-) Keegan Kolesar, RW - Seattle (WHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 217 |
74 (60) Michael Spacek, RW - Pardubice (Czech Jr.)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 187 |
75 (62) Jonas Siegenthaler, D - GCK Zurich (Swiss 2)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 220 |
76 (63) Caleb Jones, D - USA NTDP (USHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 194 |
77 (64) Reid Gardiner, C/RW - Prince Albert WHL (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 187 |
78 (73) Deven Sideroff, RW - Kemloops (WHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 171 |
79 (77) Lukas Jasek, RW - Trinec Jr. (Czech Jr.)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 165 |
80 (-) Dmitri Zhukenov, C - Omsk (MHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'11 | 169 |
81 (89) AleksiSaarela, C - Assat Pori (Finland Jr.)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 5'11 | 198 |
82 (68) Graham Knott, LW - Niagara (OHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'4 | 192 |
83 (76) Brent Gates, C - Green Bay (USHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 196 |
84 (81) Spencer Smallman, RW - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 184 |
85 (87) Gabriel Carlsson, D - Linkoping (Sweden - J20)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'4 | 183 |
86 (80) Brendan Warren, LW - USA NTDP (USHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'0 | 191 |
87 (90) Samuel Dove-McFalls, C/LW - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 207 |
88 (-) Yegor Rykov, D - SKA St.Petersburg (MHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 216 |
89 (99) Kyle Capobianco, D - Sudbury (OHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 178 |
90 (91) Brien Diffley, D - Boston University (HE - NCAA)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 176 |
91 (-) Dennis Godla, G - Slovakia U-18 (Extra)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 5'11 | 176 |
92 (88) Zachary Senyshyn, RW - Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'1 | 192 |
93 (67) AJ Greer, LW - Boston University (HE - NCAA)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'3 | 204 |
94 (84) Denis Malgin, C - Zurich (Suisse)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 5'8 | 163 |
95 (65) Julius Nattinen, C - JYP (Finland - Jr.)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 191 |
96 (93) Mathieu Joseph, LW - Saint John (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'1 | 166 |
97 (94) Kameron Kielly, RW - Charlottetown (QMJHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 180 |
98 (95) Tory Dello, D - Tri-City (USHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'0 | 187 |
99 (-) Christian Jaros, D - Lulea Jr. (SWE J20 Elite)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
R | 6'3 | 201 |
100 (-) Dmitri Yudon, D - SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
S | HT | WT |
---|---|---|
L | 6'2 | 185 |