Oct 16, 2015
Matthews still 'golden' en route to NHL draft
Auston Matthews stands alone at No. 1 and there's no reason to believe that will change. And he continues to wear the golden helmet on Craig’s List as the No. 1 prospect for the 2016 NHL draft.
By Craig Button
Auston Matthews stands alone at No. 1 and there's no reason to believe that will change. He is a franchise centre and no other player has shown that they are at his level for the 2016 NHL draft. He has excelled in the Swiss National League A, currently wearing the gold helmet as ZSC Lions’ leading scorer. He will continue to wear the golden helmet on Craig’s List as the No. 1 prospect for the 2016 NHL draft.
Jesse Puljujarvi is having his own success in the Finnish SM Liiga with Karpat, tallying three goals and four assists in 13 games. He is a dangerous scorer who has all of the elements required to be a star in the NHL. Jakob Chychrun is rounding into form after having off-season surgery. An outstanding athlete, the Sarnia Sting (OHL) defenceman is capable of controlling the game in its many facets. I always go with the defenceman over the winger when it’s close, but Puljujarvi is so dynamic that there is no edge given to Chychrun at this time.
Matthew Tkachuk of the London Knights finds ways to contribute. Not one-dimensional, Tkachuk can deliver in multiple ways. Exceptionally smart and a dyed-in-the-wool competitor, he simply helps teams win. Alexander Nylander of the Mississauga Steelheads has found the acclimation to the OHL seamless. Talented and competitive, he has the ability to be dangerous quickly that will see him drafted very high in June.
Two players who have chosen to go the NCAA route are going to be closely scrutinized this season. Dante Fabbro and Tyson Jost from the storied Penticton Vees’ organization of the BCHL are very highly regarded prospects. Fabbro is the top scoring defenceman in the BCHL this season and is an all-around player who can excel in all situations. He is headed to Boston University next season. Jost is one of the top scoring players in the BCHL with an ability to produce through shooting or playmaking. A clever player who has a ‘still waters run deep’ competitive fire, he is headed to North Dakota next season.
Dmitri Sokolov of the Sudbury Wolves has been one of the early disappointments. He is a very talented player but his conditioning has left him sluggish and his play has suffered accordingly. He has so much more to contribute but he has to give himself a chance to be the player he is capable of being.
Craig's List - October Ranking
| RK | NAME | TEAM | POS | HT | WT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auston Matthews | Zurich (Suisse A) | C | 6'1½ | 194 |
| 2 | Jesse Puljujärvi | Karpat (FIN-SM-Liiga) | RW | 6'3 ½ | 203 |
| 3 | Jakob Chychrun | Sarnia (OHL) | D | 6'2 | 215 |
| 4 | Matthew Tkachuk | London (OHL) | LW | 6'1 | 195 |
| 5 | Patrik Laine | Tappara (FIN-SM-Liiga) | RW | 6'4 | 206 |
| 6 | Alexander Nylander | Mississuaga (OHL) | RW | 6'0 ½ | 179 |
| 7 | Clayton Keller | USA NTDP (USHL) | C | 5'9 ½ | 168 |
| 8 | Dante Fabbro | Penticton (BCHL) | D | 6'0 | 189 |
| 9 | Kale Clague | Brandon (WHL) | D | 6'0 | 177 |
| 10 | Mikhail Sergachyov | Windsor (OHL) | D | 6'2 ½ | 206 |
| 11 | Tyson Jost | Penticton (BCHL) | C | 5'11 | 191 |
| 12 | Kieffer Bellows | USA NTDP (USHL) | LW | 6'0 | 196 |
| 13 | Samuel Girard | Shawinigan (QMJHL) | D | 5'10 | 160 |
| 14 | Michael McLeod | Mississuaga (OHL) | C | 6'2 | 188 |
| 15 | Pierre-Luc Dubois | Cape Breton (QMJHL) | LW | 6'2 ½ | 202 |
| 16 | Julien Gauthier | Val d'Or (QMJHL) | RW | 6'3 ½ | 225 |
| 17 | Charlie McAvoy | Boston U (NCAA-HE) | D | 6'0 | 208 |
| 18 | Logan Brown | Windsor (OHL) | C | 6'6 | 222 |
| 19 | Olli Juolevi | London (OHL) | D | 6'2 ½ | 179 |
| 20 | German Rubtsov | Russia U-18 (MHL) | C | 6'2 | 176 |
| 21 | Tyler Benson | Vancouver (WHL) | LW | 6'0 | 201 |
| 22 | Jake Bean | Calgary (WHL) | D | 6'0 | 173 |
| 23 | Mitchell Mattson | Bloomington (USHL) | C | 6'4 | 186 |
| 24 | Vitali Abramov | Gatineau (QMJHL) | LW/RW | 5'9 | 172 |
| 25 | Vojtěch Budík | Prince Albert (WHL) | D | 6'1 | 189 |
| 26 | Alex DeBrincat | Erie (OHL) | RW | 5'7 | 163 |
| 27 | Sam Steel | Regina (WHL) | C | 5'11 | 177 |
| 28 | James Greenway | USA NTDP (USHL) | D | 6'5 | 213 |
| 29 | Dillon Dube | Kelowna (WHL) | LW | 5'10 | 180 |
| 30 | Libor Hájek | Saskatoon (WHL) | D | 6'2 | 185 |
| 31 | Filip Gustafsson | Lulea (Sweden-J20) | G | 6'1 ½ | 184 |
| 32 | Luke Kunin | Wisconsin (NCAA-B10) | C/RW | 6'0 | 193 |
| 33 | Brett Howden | Moose Jaw (WHL) | C | 6'2 | 193 |
| 34 | Dmitri Sokolov | Sudbury (OHL) | C | 5'11 | 220 |
| 35 | Luke Green | Saint John (QMJHL) | D | 6'0 | 189 |
| 36 | Chad Krys | USA NTDP (USHL) | D | 5'11 | 185 |
| 37 | Max Lajoie | Swift Current (WHL) | D | 6'1 | 183 |
| 38 | Rasmus Asplund | Farjestad (Sweden-SHL) | C | 5'11 | 176 |
| 39 | Will Bitten | Flint (OHL) | C/RW | 5'10 | 167 |
| 40 | Janne Kuokkanen | Kärpät U20 (Finland-Jr) | LW | 6'1 | 175 |
| 41 | Carter Hart | Everett (WHL) | G | 6'0 ½ | 177 |
| 42 | Dylan Wells | Peterborough (OHL) | G | 6'1 ½ | 187 |
| 43 | Riley Tufte | Fargo (USHL) | LW | 6'5 | 205 |
| 44 | Taylor Raddysh | Erie (OHL) | RW | 6'2 | 203 |
| 45 | Keaton Middleton | Saginaw (OHL) | D | 6'5 ½ | 233 |
| 46 | Tim Gettinger | S.S. Marie (OHL) | LW | 6'5 | 206 |
| 47 | Max Jones | London (OHL) | LW | 6'3 | 205 |
| 48 | Otto Mäkinen | Tappara Jr. (Finland-Jr) | C | 6'1 | 178 |
| 49 | Jesper Bratt | AIK (Sweden-Als) | RW | 5'10 | 171 |
| 50 | Markus Niemeläinen | Saginaw (OHL) | D | 6'5 | 189 |
| 51 | Tage Thompson | Connecticut (NCAA-HE) | C | 6'5 | 185 |
| 52 | Carl Grundström | Modo (Sweden-SHL) | RW | 6'0 | 194 |
| 53 | Brandon Gignac | Shawinigan (QMJHL) | C | 5'10 ½ | 173 |
| 54 | Noah Gregor | Moose Jaw (WHL) | C | 5'11 | 180 |
| 55 | Nathan Bastian | Mississauga (OHL) | RW | 6'4 | 208 |
| 56 | Trent Frederic | USA NTDP (USHL) | C | 6'2 | 203 |
| 57 | Jacob Moverare | HV 71 (Sweden-J20) | D | 6'2 ½ | 198 |
| 58 | Tarmo Reunanen | TPS Jr. (Finland-Jr) | D | 6'0 | 178 |
| 59 | Lucas Johansen | Kelowna (WHL) | D | 6'1 | 174 |
| 60 | Joey Anderson | USA NTDP (USHL) | RW | 5'11 | 192 |