TSN's Top 60 Draft Prospects

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie interviewed more than a dozen NHL scouts in order to put together a list of the top 60 prospects to look out for on draft day. Widely regarded as the media's foremost draft expert, McKenzie has covered every NHL Draft since 1980 and his annual TSN rankings are considered the most accurate indicator of how the draft will unfold. In addition to TSN's ranking (TSN), others are listed for comparison, including NHL Central Scouting (CSB), International Scouting Service (ISS), Red Line Report (RLR), McKeen's (McK) and The Hockey News (THN).

1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-50 | 51-60 | Hon. Mentions | McKenzie's Analysis

41. JEREMY SMITH

Goaltender Catches: L Height: 6'0" Weight: 160 lbs. Born: 4/13/1989 From: Dearborn, MI Team: Plymouth (OHL) RANKINGS TSN: 41 CSB: 1 G ISS: 49 RLR: 29 McK: 41 THN: 42	The TSN Insider's Forecast: There is little or no consensus on a No. 1 goalie in this year's draft class - support for the goalies seems to be spread amongst many candidates -- but the closest you come to is it Plymouth netminder Jeremy Smith. Our survey indicates that no goalie is considered a solid first-round prospect, but that doesn't mean Smith or one of the others couldn't be chosen in the first round, especially by a team that has multiple first-round picks and/or a strong need for a young goalie in the system. Smith may be the best bet on that count. Although he lost his No. 1 job in Plymouth as the year wore on, the young American stopper is a big and agile and put up solid numbers with the Whalers. He was outstanding in the Under-18 tourney last summer and if he's the first goalie taken, no one should be too surprised. From NHL Central Scouting: A butterfly goalie. Composed and strong in his crease. Is very well positioned on first and second shots. Handles the puck well and has excellent low-net coverage. Needs to improve his ability to track the puck through traffic and screens. Could challenge the shooter more often. Was second in the OHL and second among rookie goaltenders during the regular season with a .923 save percentage in 2006-07. Had only one loss in his last 18 games of the 2006-07 season, dating back to Nov. 25, 2006. Currently holds the fifth longest shutout streak in Plymouth's franchise history at 151:37 (Oct. 13 - Oct. 29, 2006) - four of his 23 wins this season were shutouts (23-6-0-1). Recorded the win at the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Red, stopping 14 of 15 shots.
	Year	Team	GP	W-L-T	GAA	Sv%	SO
	2006-2007	Plymouth (OHL)	31	23-6-1	2.59	.923	4
	2007 Playoffs	Plymouth (OHL)	5	3-2-0	3.22	.877	0

42. RUSLAN BASHKIROV

Pos: Left Wing Shoots: L Height: 5'11" Weight: 186 lbs. Born: 3/7/1989 From: Moscow, RUS Team: Quebec (QMJHL) RANKINGS TSN: 42 CSB: 35 NA ISS: 45 RLR: 43 McK: 49 THN: 43	From NHL Central Scouting: A skilled forward who handles the puck well. Plays an aggressive style and goes to the net. Strong in the corners and along the boards. Needs to improve his agility and mobility. Completed his first season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Quebec Remparts alongside his twin brother, Roman, in 2006-07. Prior to the QMJHL, played the 2005-06 season with Spartak Moscow of the Russian Superleague, totaling 96 points in 70 games (68-28-96). Was named Team Red's Player of the Game, after helping his team to a 5-3 victory by scoring two goals in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game. Played on Team Russia for a two-game series against the QMJHL All-Stars in the 2006 Canada-Russia Challenge.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	Quebec (QMJHL)	64	30	37	67	117
	2007 Playoffs	Quebec (QMJHL)	5	1	3	4	6

43. TYSON SEXSMITH

Pos: Goaltender Catches: L Height: 5'11" Weight: 209 lbs. Born: 3/19/1989 From: Calgary, AB Team: Vancouver (WHL) RANKINGS TSN: 43 CSB: 8 G ISS: 90 RLR: 96 McK: 75 THN: -	From NHL Central Scouting: Led all WHL goaltenders with a 1.79 goals-against average in his second full season in the league in 2006-07 - posted 31 wins (31-12-2-6) along with a .915 save percentage. Was named the CHL Goalie of the Week on Mar. 11, 2007 after compiling two shutouts, three wins and a 0.33 goals-against average along with a .981 save-percentage. Participated in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects game, stopping all 15 shots he faced for Team White. Was a member of Team Pacific at the 2006 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.
	Year	Team	GP	W-L-T	GAA	Sv%	SO
	2006-2007	Vancouver (WHL)	51	31-12-8	1.79	.915	10
	2007 Playoffs	Vancouver (WHL)	22	14-7-0	1.79	.914	4

44. TREVOR CANN

Pos: Goaltender Catches: L Height: 5'11" Weight: 199 lbs. Born: 3/30/1989 From: Oakville, ON Team: Peterborough (OHL) RANKINGS TSN: 44 CSB: 2 G ISS: 75 RLR: 80 McK: 60 THN: 73	From NHL Central Scouting: A butterfly goalie. Gets set very quickly for shots. Shows good durability and focus. Has good rebound control and is aggressive with covering up loose pucks. Plays with confidence. Needs to be more consistent. Needs to increase communication with his defenders. Finished the season with 23 wins (23-32-1-4) and a .909 save percentage. Was the youngest goalie selected to attend the Canadian National Junior Team selection camp in 2006. Was the starting goaltender for Team Canada at the 2007 Under-18 World Championships in Finland. Was named to the Eastern Conference Team for the OHL All-Star Classic in 2007. Recorded a shutout with 23 saves for Team OHL at the Canada-Russia Challenge in 2006 - the OHL All-Stars beat the Russian All-Stars 5-0 in the first of two games. Participated in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game as a member of Team White. Backstopped Canada with a 0.67 goals-against-average and a .967 save percentage, including a shutout in the gold medal game against Team USA at the 2006 Under-18 Junior World Cup. In his first season with the Peterborough Petes, posted 16 wins in 20 games played.
	Year	Team	GP	W-L-T	GAA	Sv%	SO
	2006-2007	Peterborough (OHL)	51	23-32-5	3.69	.909	0
	2007 Playoffs	Peterborough (OHL)	0	0-0-0	0.00	.000	0

45. NICK ROSS

Pos: Defence Shoots: L Height: 6'1" Weight: 188 lbs. Born: 2/10/1989 From: Edmonton, AB Team: Regina (WHL) RANKINGS TSN: 45 CSB: 18 NA ISS: 42 RLR: 95 McK: 37 THN: 58	From NHL Central Scouting: A skilled playmaking defenseman. Very good at reading the ice and making smart plays. Has a strong physical presence and can make the big hit. Has good speed and is able to jump into the rush. Sometimes appears too casual and needs to play with more urgency. Completed his third year in the WHL with the Pats. Selected as one of 40 draft-eligible players to play in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game. Finished third among all 16-year-old WHL defensemen in scoring with seven goals and 23 points in 62 games for the Pats in 2005-06. Played for Team Pacific at the 2006 Under-17 Junior World Cup. From ISS: Ross loves to step up and lay a hit on the opposing forward. His defensive awareness needs work, but his coachability has never been questioned. His physical fitness level and body conditioning is an area that Ross needs to commit to. His less-than-stellar performance at the annual CHL skills testing confirmed his physical conditioning problem. He can correct this issue with hard work in the off-season.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	Regina (WHL)	70	7	24	31	87
	2007 Playoffs	Regina (WHL)	10	1	5	6	14

46. PATRICK WHITE

Pos: Centre Shoots: R Height: 6'1" Weight: 186 lbs. Born: 1/20/1989 From: Grand Rapids, MN Team: Tri-City (USHL) RANKINGS TSN: 46 CSB: 23 NA ISS: 23 RLR: 37 McK: 21 THN: 60	From NHL Central Scouting: A skilled forward with the ability to make a difference. Strong player with a physical presence. Plays tough in the corners and in traffic. Is good on the right wing and gets his wrist shot off with ease. Sometimes lacks urgency in his play. Named Associated Press Player of the Year for Minnesota boys hockey in 2007. Named to the All-Tournament Team of the Class AA State Championships in 2007 after leading his team to the title game for the second consecutive year. Played 12 games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL totaling nine points (8-1-9) in 2007. Will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall. Selected to play in the 2007 Under-18 World Championships.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	Grand Rapids (HS-MN)	17	11	25	36	16
	2006-2007	Tri-City (USHL)	12	8	1	9	4

47. KEVIN MARSHALL

Pos: Defence Shoots: L Height: 6'1" Weight: 191 lbs. Born: 3/10/1989 From: Boucherville, QC Team: Lewiston (QMJHL) RANKINGS TSN: 47 CSB: 47 NA ISS: 56 RLR: 23 McK: 62 THN: 59	From NHL Central Scouting: A stay-at-home defenseman with a good work ethic. Has good balance and agility. Has a steady style and likes to keeps it simple. Moves the puck well. Needs to improve his puck handling skills. Needs to make better offensive decisions. Was one of 40 draft-eligible players selected to play in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects for Team White. Attended the Team Canada Selection Camp for the 2006 Junior World Cup. Second among all QMJHL defensemen in plus/minus (+34). Participated in the 2006 Canada-Russia Challenge as a member of Team QMJHL. From ISS: Marshall plays with confidence and under control. He is truly a solid d-man who moves the puck well and rarely gets beat. He is a good skater who showed decent mobility. In the D zone did a nice job of getting his body into the shooting lanes and his stick into the passing lanes. He's always in good position and he doesn't get rattled. He's got good transition skills in that he can step up from backing out and make a very good pass.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	Lewiston (QMJHL)	70	5	27	32	141
	2007 Playoffs	Lewiston (QMJHL)	17	0	7	7	38

48. TEDDY RUTH

Pos: Defence Shoots: R Height: 6'1" Weight: 199 lbs. Born: 2/14/1989 From: Naperville, IL Team: US U-18 (USDP) RANKINGS TSN: 48 CSB: 32 NA ISS: 70 RLR: 121 McK: 30 THN: 64	From NHL Central Scouting: A stay-at-home defenseman with good mobility. Has a good wrist shot from the point that gets through to the net. Plays the body hard and hits with authority. Quick to get to the puck in the corner and strong one-on-one. Completed his second season with the U.S. National Training Development Program in 2006-07. Won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2006 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Played for Team Illinois Midget Major of the Midwest Elite League posting 33 points (16-17-33) prior to attending the U.S. Under-17 Team. Will attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	US U-18 (USDP)	39	5	11	16	64

49. NICK SPALING

Pos: Centre Shoots: L Height: 6'0" Weight: 180 lbs. Born: 9/19/1988 From: Palmerston, ON Team: Kitchener (OHL) RANKINGS TSN: 49 CSB: 24 NA ISS: 84 RLR: 125 McK: 51 THN: 94	From NHL Central Scouting: Has good energy and the ability to make plays. Willing to take the puck into traffic and battles at both ends of the ice. Tracks down rebounds and makes plays around the net. Good in the face-off circle and on the penalty kill. Needs to increase his physical presence and his ability to protect the puck. Needs to improve his footwork and mobility. Completed his second season in the OHL with the Rangers and was third on his team with 59 points (23-36-59) in 2006-07. Competed in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game. Had 10 goals and 25 points (10-15-25) in his rookie season with the Rangers in 2005-06.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	Kitchener (OHL)	61	23	36	59	41
	2007 Playoffs	Kitchener (OHL)	9	2	3	5	4

50. JOAKIM ANDERSSON

Pos: Centre Shoots: L Height: 6'2" Weight: 198 lbs. Born: 2/5/1989 From: Munkedal, SWE Team: Frolunda (SWE Jr.) RANKINGS TSN: 50 CSB: 5 E ISS: 36 RLR: 66 McK: 40 THN: 21	From NHL Central Scouting: A hard working two-way forward with good vision. Has soft hands and the ability to make good plays. Is a versatile player and dependable in all zones. Needs to learn to use his size to his advantage. Played for Team Sweden at the Under-18 World Championships in Finland. From ISS: A solid two-way center. Not a finesse player, but plays simple and makes good decisions. Plays the physical game very well. Creates space for his linemates. Great around the boards, wins a lot of 1-on-1 battles. His play this season has earned him the admiration of the scouting community and a steady rise up ISS rankings. We believe several teams are quietly hoping to steal him late in the first round. After his play at the Five Nations, it won't happen. A tremendous 2 way player that is excellent in all 3 zones. He has developed into a very good face-off guy and has the ability to elevate his play in important situations.
	Year	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	Pim
	2006-2007	Frolunda (SWE Jr.)	41	20	26	46	60
	2007 Playoffs	Frolunda (SWE Jr.)	8	0	7	7	4

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