Yesterday, I picked up my copy of the annual Hockey News Yearbook. One of of the first things I do every year is peruse their rankings of the top prospects on every team. I must say that I often find myself in disagreement both with the rankings overall and the mini-descriptions of each player.
For instance, on the Flyers' page, the mention of Nick Cousins (the magazine went to press ahead of his legal problems) talks about his fast skating. The mention of Tye McGinn praises the way he crashes the net but says his hands need work.
However, from what I've heard from Flyers personnel and based on my own observations from the July camp scrimmages, skating and defense are the areas where Cousins' needs improvement before he'd be ready to make the jump to the pros. Meanwhile, the Phantoms' McGinn actually has good hands; it's his skating/pacing that need work.
My other issue each year with the THN rankings is that they are often too conservative. The rankings often tend to place low-ceiling prospects on the fringe of a team's current NHL roster (such as Ben Holmstrom) ahead of higher-ceiling players at lower levels.
In a recent blog, I gave my own rankings of the
top 10 Flyers prospects. Earlier this summer, I assisted the Courier Post's Randy Miller in compiling a preliminary pool of prospect about whom Randy interviewed Chris Pryor. Randy then came up with a final corresponding list and
article based on the Flyers' input.
Apart from the prospects mentioned in my blog and the Courier Post article, I'd like to add three more names to the mix:
1. Shayne Gostisbehere (D): I didn't place the Union defenseman into my immediate top 10 list, simply because I prefer to wait a year or two to see how non-first round picks develop. But Gostisbehere's skill level jumped out immediately at the Flyers' camp in July. It was a shame he got injured -- courtesy of a monstrous hit by 1st-round pick Scott Laughton -- early in the first period of the first scrimmage game. But "Ghost" bounced back quickly from the injury to put in an eye-opening performance at the World Junior Championship evaluation camp in Lake Placid. He's got a good chance of representing Team USA.
The only real drawback to Gostisbehere is his lack of size. But he has the physical tools and the
right mindset to become a pro despite it.
The Hockey News placed Gostisbehere in their top-10 Flyers prospect rankings. In light of his play in Lake Placid and the way he was the most polished defenseman at the Flyers' prospect camp (outside of Brandon Manning, who already has played in the NHL), I think THN nailed that one.
2. Michael Parks (RW): Most of the forwards at the Flyers' prospect camp in July were grinder or tough guy types. Parks was one who stood out for his skill level and hands. The 20-year-old University of North Dakota forward has already come a long way from where he was when the Flyers drafted him in the 5th round of the 2010 Draft. He still has a way to go, but he also has up to three seasons of NCAA eligibility remaining. The Flyers don't have to make a sign-or-relinquish rights decision until 2015.
3. Taylor Leier (LW): Junior hockey scoring statistics, especially those compiled in the early part of a player's career, are often not a very reliable indicator of a player's potential. In the case of Flyers' 2012 fourth-round pick Leier, his modest scoring numbers as a
first-year WHL player last year may well have been the product of playing on the third line of a stacked Portland Winterhawks club.
The team's lineup included the likes of top Calgary Flames prospect Sven Bartschi (33 goals, 94 points), St. Louis Blues 2011 second-round pick Ty Rattie (57 goals, 121 points) and Toronto Maple Leafs power forward prospect Brad Ross (42 goals, 86 points, 163 penalty minutes). As a result, Leier ended up playing a more defense-oriented third line role with linemates Taylor Peters (12 goals, 38 points) and an overage winger, Oliver Gabriel (20 goals, 42 points).
Leier's production was still good enough to rank 14th among WHL rookies last season. He was also a plus-11 in his role. This season, Leier's offensive duties will expand, and it will be a better gauge of his offensive upside.
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