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TSN Director of Scouting

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The only suspense heading into the NHL Draft Lottery is the team selecting first overall. There is no suspense as to who will be the first two players selected in the 2015 NHL Draft. The No. 3 selection is where the suspense really begins.

It could be Dylan Strome - a prototypical lead centre who scored four goals and added two assists on the season’s final day to secure his spot as the OHL scoring champion - or Mitch Marner - a highly creative and elusive forward who chipped in six points of his own in a playoff game against the Kitchener Rangers and sits atop the OHL playoff scoring list with fifteen points in six games.

Any comments about Strome riding the coattails of his Erie teammate McDavid is preposterous. He carries his own game with a sound foundation rooted in discipline, smarts, competitiveness and a high-end skill level.

We knew Mitch Marner was good, but didn’t quite know how good he is. The certainty with Marner is the uncertainty of opponents playing against him. His creativity sees the enormous potential - both seen and unseen - in every play and his elusiveness allows him to remain at arm’s length of his opponents.

Strome is the foundation centre of every championship team, while Marner's the embodiment of what makes the game beautiful and brings people out of their seats. So while the first two players have separated themselves from the rest, these next two very well may have as well. 

Thomas Chabot played on a bottom team as a 16-year-old but forged a strength to become a key player in a turnaround season for Saint John. His promise at the outset may not have been as well known, but that promise has seen a steady rise up the rankings this season. His command of the game from a mental perspective is exceptional. Combined with his ability to maneuver out of trouble and into advantageous positions, it allows him to meet the game's challenges and contribute regardless of the situation.

They were bypassed in their first year of draft eligibility but that will not be the case this year as they have both demonstrated promise.

 

CRAIG'S LIST - APRIL RANKING

 
RK NAME TEAM POS HT WT GP G P
1 Connor McDavid Erie (OHL) C 6'1 195 47 44 120
2 Jack Eichel Boston U (NCAA) C 6'2 195 38 24 67
3 Dylan Strome Erie (OHL) C 6'3 187 68 45 129
4 Mitch Marner London (OHL) RW 5'11 160 63 44 126
5 Ivan Provorov Brandon (WHL) D 6'0 193 60 15 61
6 Zach Werenski Michigan (NCAA) D 6'1 201 35 9 25
7 Kyle Connor Youngstown (USHL) LW/C 6'1 170 53 32 74
8 Brock Boeser Waterloo (USHL) RW 6'1 187 55 34 65
9 Timo Meier Halifax (QMJHL) RW 6'1 208 61 44 90
10 Thomas Chabot Saint John (QMJHL) D 6'1 181 66 12 41
11 Lawson Crouse Kingston (OHL) LW 6'4 211 56 29 51
12 Noah Hanifin Boston C (NCAA) D 6'2 201 37 5 23
13 Nick Merkley Kelowna (WHL) C 5'11 188 72 20 90
14 Mikko Rantanen TPS (SM Liiga) RW 6'4 211 56 9 28
15 Evgeni Svechnikov Cape Breton (QMJHL) RW 6'1 180 55 32 78
16 Jansen Harkins Prince George (WHL) C 6'1 181 70 20 79
17 Anthony Beauvillier Shawinigan (QMJHL) LW 5'11 171 67 42 94
18 Mathew Barzal Seattle (WHL) C 6'0 178 44 12 57
19 Thomas Novak Waterloo (USHL) C 6'0 174 45 14 48
20 Jakub Zboril Saint John (QMJHL) D 6'1 184 44 13 33
21 Jérémy Roy Sherbrooke (QMJHL) D 6'0 189 46 5 43
22 Jake Debrusk Swift Current (WHL) LW 6'0 171 72 42 81
23 Nicolas Meloche Baie Comeau (QMJHL) D 6'3 199 44 10 34
24 Travis Konecny Ottawa (OHL) C 5'10 173 60 29 68
25 Paul Bittner Portland (WHL) LW 6'4 206 66 34 71
26 Daniel Sprong Charlottetown (QMJHL) RW 6'1 189 68 39 88
27 Erik Foley Cedar Rapids (USHL) LW 6'0 185 53 26 52
28 Filip Chlapik Charlottetown (QMJHL) C 6'0 194 64 33 75
29 Oliver Kylington Farjestad (SHL) D 6'0  180 18 2 5
30 Pavel Zacha Sarnia (OHL) C 6'3 210 37 16 34
31 M. Vande Sompel Oshawa (OHL) D 5'10  182 58 12 63
32 Rasmus Andersson Barrie (OHL) D 6'0 210 67 12 64
33 Colin White USA NTDP (USHL) C 6'0  183 45 16 42
34 Noah Juulsen Everett (WHL) D 6'1 175 68 9 52
35 Gustav Bouramman S.S. Marie (OHL) D 5'11 184 67 5 44
36 Ryan Pilon Brandon (WHL) D 6'2 212 68 11 52
37 Travis Dermott Erie (OHL) D 5'11 197 61 8 43
38 Jack Roslovic USA NTDP (USHL) C 6'1 182 67 21 67
39 Andrew Mangiapane Barrie (OHL) RW 5'10 170 68 43 104
40 Vladislav Gavrikov Lokomotiv (KHL) D 6'3 205 16 0 1
41 Jacob Larsson Frolunda (SHL) D 6'2 191 20 1 3
42 Christian Fischer USA NTDP (USHL) RW 6'1 212 57 28 53
43 Felix Sandström Brynas Jr. (Swe-J20) G 6'2 191 8 2.19 .916
44 Conor Garland Moncton (QMJHL) RW 5'8 163 67 35 129
45 Brandon Carlo Tri-City (WHL) D 6'5 198 63 4 25
46 Jens Lööke Brynas (SHL) RW 6'1 180 43 2 6
47 Jeremy Bracco USA NTDP (USHL) RW 5'9 173 56 26 75
48 Blake Speers S.S. Marie (OHL) C 5'11 177 57 24 67
49 Vince Dunn Niagara (OHL) D 6'0 182 68 18 56
50 Guillaume Brisebois A. Bathurst (QMJHL) D 6'2 170 63 4 28
51 Zachary Senyshyn S.S. Marie (OHL) RW 6'1 192 66 26 45
52 Denis Guryanov Togilatti 2 (MHL) RW 6'3 183 23 15 25
53 Yakov Trenin Gatineau (QMJHL) C/LW 6'2 192 58 18 67
54 Kyle Capobianco Sudbury (OHL) D 6'1 178 68 10 40
55 Brendan Warren USA NTDP (USHL) LW 6'0 191 52 17 34
56 Nathan Noel Saint John (QMJHL) C 5'11 170 66 24 62
57 Roope Hintz Ilves (SM Liiga) C/LW 6'3 185 42 5 17
58 Dennis Yan Shawinigan (QMJHL) LW 6'1 180 59 33 64
59 J. Forsbacka-Karlsson Omaha (USHL) C/RW 6'1 192 50 15 53
60 Mackenzie Blackwood Barrie (OHL) G 6'4 215 47 3.09 .906
61 Brendan Guhle Prince Albert (WHL) D 6'2 184      
62 Sebastian Aho Karpat (SM Liiga) RW 5'11 172      
63 Michael Spacek Pardubice (Czech Jr.) RW 5'11 187      
64 Adam Marsh Saint John (QMJHL) LW 6'0 160      
65 Callum Booth Quebec (QMJHL) G 6'3 199      
66 Jordan Greenway USA NTDP (USHL) LW 6'5 222      
67 Ethan Bear Seattle (WHL) D 6'0 202      
68 Brad Morrison Prince George (WHL) LW/C 6'0 154      
69 David Kase Chomutov (Czech B) C 5'11 169      
70 Parker Wotherspoon Tri-City (WHL) D 6'0 171      
71 Nicolas Roy Chicoutimi (QMJHL) C 6'4 202      
72 Tyler Soy Victoria (WHL) C/LW 6'0 172      
73 Jonas Siegenthaler GCK Zurich (Swiss 2) D 6'3 220      
74 Julius Nattinen JYP (Finland Jr.) C 6'2 191      
75 Ryan Gropp Seattle (WHL) LW 6'2 184      
76 Aleksi Saarela Assat Pori (Finland Jr.) C 5'11 198      
77 Ziyat Paygin Ak Bars Kazan (KHL) D 6'5 209      
78 Jérémy Lauzon R. Noranda (OMJHL) D 6'2 193      
79 Tate Olson Prince George (WHL) D 6'2 174      
80 Austin Wagner Regina (WHL) LW 6'1 178      
81 Colton White S.S. Marie (OHL) D 6'0 180      
82 Spencer Smallman Saint John (QMJHL) RW 6'1 184      
83 Christian Jaros Lulea Jr. (Swe-J20) D 6'3 201      
84 Gabriel Carlsson Linkoping (Swe-J20) D 6'4 183      
85 Alexandre Goulet Charlottetown (QMJHL) C 6'0 195      
86 Erik Cernak Kosice (Slovak Extra) D 6'3 203      
87 Dryden Hunt Medicine Hat (WHL) C/LW 6'0 199      
88 Giorgio Estephan Lethbridge (WHL) C 6'0 188      
89 Samuel Montembeault Armada (QMJHL) G 6'2 164      
90 Daniel Vladar Kladno (Czech Jr.) G 6'5 185      
91 Gabriel Gagné Victoriaville (QMJHL) RW 6'5 186      
92 Adam Gaudette Cedar Rapids (USHL) C 6'1 170      
93 Mathieu Joseph Saint John (QMJHL) LW 6'1 166      
94 Anthony Richard Val-D'or (QMJHL) C 5'10 163      
95 Alexander Dergachyov St. Petersburg (MHL) RW 6'4 200      
96 Adam Musil Red Deer (WHL) C/RW 6'3 206      
97 Samuel Dove-McFalls Saint John (QMJHL) C/LW 6'2 207      
98 Alexandre Carrier Gatineau (QMJHL) D 5'11 174      
99 Yegor Rykov St. Petersburg (MHL) D 6'1 216      
100 Nikita Korostelev Sarnia (OHL) RW 6'1 195