Sunday, May 30, 2010

Ryan Yessie's Top 50 for 2010: Part 1 - 31 to 50

Blog contributor Ryan Yessie has finalized his top 50 OHL players for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft...and he's sharing it with us. It's obviously going to be a little bit different than mine, but it's interesting to compare the two.

One thing to mention is that Ryan has not included goalies in his top 50, choosing to rate them separately as a Top 10. This is similar to the way a scouting publication like ISS does things.

This is the first installment of his list; players ranked 31 to 50.

Enjoy.

31 - Brandon Alderson - Right Wing - Sarnia Sting
Jan-22-1992 - 6’3.75” - 190 lbs.
Scouting Report: Alderson likely will be at 6’4” by the time he is drafted, Alderson has great patience and a decent shot in the goal area. His instincts around scoring goals seems to be strong. Along with his shot his top speed is impressive at his size however he will need to improve on his first few steps. His biggest knock at the start of the year was that he wouldn’t hit, that all changed midway through the season and Alderson became a much more willing participant. Alderson will likely be a project as he appeared to run out of gas with about 20 games left in the season, and needs to add about 15-20 lbs. in muscle along with becoming a disturbing presence in front of the goal for goaltenders.

32 - Sam Carrick
- Center - Brampton Battalion
Feb-4-1992 - 6’0” - 188 lbs.
Scouting Report: Carrick plays with an edge and really looks like a grinder/agitator in the making. What gives his some good NHL potential is his ability to shoot the puck as well as win battles along the boards for the puck. His effort is relentless and although he seems to fall in the background a lot in games, he puts forward a strong effort and goes into the dirty areas while appearing to be able to constantly agitate the opposition.

33 - Michael Sgarbossa
- Center - Saginaw Spirit
Jul-25-1992 - 5’10.25” - 171 lbs.
Scouting Report: Sgarbossa has good puck control ability, and his skating is decent. He’s also done fairly well in the face-off circle. Sgarbossa’s size will be a factor in where he’s drafted, and his lack of elite skating ability will likely have some effect on that. He has shown flashes of potential, but nothing that convinces me to move him any higher than he is right now.

34 - Joe Rogalski
- Defenceman - Sarnia Sting
Nov-29-1991 - 6’1.25” - 195 lbs.
Scouting Report: Rogalski has some decent skills along with good puck movement, excellent speed, and is capable of playing a solid physical game. He scored a couple nice goals over the course of the season. However Rogalski’s horrible consistency, occasional mental errors with the puck, and the need to improve in his own zone knocks him down the list compared to where he was earlier. The fact fellow potential draftee Chiarlitti scored more goals, and nearly caught Rogalski in points considering Chiarlitti’s defense first play, and Rogalski being his teams top offensive defenceman is not encouraging. Rogalski has all the skills to still be a solid offensive defenceman prospect, but needs to improve on his consistency and shift by shift effort.

35 - Phillip Lane
- Right Wing - Brampton Battalion
May-29-1992 - 6’2.25” - 194 lbs.
Scouting Report: Lane is excellent at driving to the net, and works hard in the corners. Lane can also deliver some very solid hits. Lane has a good shot in the goal area, and has been successful using it in close. Lane appears he may be limited in terms of potential, and his consistency appears to be an issue, but he will likely be able to secure a role player position at the highest level.

36 - Reid McNeill
- Defenceman - London Knights
Apr-29-1992 - 6’2” - 191 lbs.
Scouting Report: McNeill plays a simple game. He uses his size to play a smart positional game against oncoming forwards, as well as showing a willingness to throw the body around intelligently. McNeill’s NHL potential is in the bottom pairing as a safe defensive defenceman with good size, but will need to improve on his skating as well as becoming more comfortable with moving the puck up the ice.

37 - Adam Sedlak
- Defenceman - Peterborough Petes
Sep-21-1992 - 6’1.25” - 205 lbs.
Scouting Report: Sedlak has two sides to him. On the one side he has some solid puck movement, a willingness to play physical and a decent shot from the point. On the other side, Sedlak can be very inconsistent, and make the occasional horrible play with the puck. His defensive play needs to improve as does his willingness to hit considering his size.

38 - Cameron Wind
- Defenceman - Brampton Battalion
Jan-25-1992 - 6’1” - 200 lbs.
Scouting Report: Wind is an intelligent puck mover and helps his team transitioning the puck up the ice, and at times on the power play. He has good vision. Wind has a lot of frustrating parts about him. These include his unwillingness to impose his size onto his opponents enough, and not engaging offensively. Wind has all the elements to become a diamond in the rough as a physical two-way defenceman, but he needs to be more confident in his abilities and utilize them on a regular basis.

39 - Mike Schwindt
- Defenceman - Niagara Ice Dogs
Oct-17-1991 - 6’3.75” - 212 lbs.
Scouting Report: If you’re looking for offensive input you won’t find much of it from Schwindt. Schwindt is a big bodied physical defensive defenceman who has flown under the radar all year. He likely won’t play much more than a depth role at the top level, but he has size and presence to force his way onto an NHL roster to some extent.

40 - Greg Sutch
- Right Wing - Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors
Feb-9-1992 - 6’2” - 193 lbs.
Scouting Report: Sutch is an inspirational story, however this year injuries and the inability to get the ball rolling made this one a disappointing season, however he had a decent playoff. Sutch is legally deaf so the only way he’s able to play at this level is his outstanding hockey sense and anticipation. He’s a physically imposing opponent who can punish the opposition with his hitting as well as his willingness to fight. He drives to the net hard, and has a decent shot. He will have a long path and will have several obstacles to overcome but he has the hockey sense and the ability to do so. He is very likely to get drafted, but besides his disability, he will need to improve on his skating over the summer and he will need to try to stay healthy and put up some respectable numbers before being considered a legitimate prospect.

41 - Michael Kantor
- Right Wing - Saginaw Spirit
Feb-2-1992 - 6’1” - 190 lbs.
Scouting Report: Kantor was a late addition to the Saginaw line-up but he made an impact. Although ice time was limited he was able to display a very physical attitude towards his opposition and played a prototypical power forward game and was willing to fight without hesitation. Next year will give a much better insight into him. Due to limited viewing it’s hard to predict his true potential, but Kantor does bring a physical presence while displaying a decent shot.

42 - Corey Durocher
- Left Wing - Kingston Frontenacs
May-30-1992 - 6’1.75” - 173 lbs.
Scouting Report: What makes Durocher an NHL prospect is his speed for someone his size (who looks much bigger than his listing). He is able to skate up and down the ice and plays with energy, willing to hit, and just kept improving all season. He showed he has a bit of a scoring touch. Although his potential is as a bottom 6 forward, he does already have the skating and the attitude to play this role. He will need to add a fair amount of size, approximately 30-35 lbs. over the next couple years.

43 - Matt Petgrave
- Defenceman - Niagara Ice Dogs
Jan-29-1992 - 6’0” - 180lbs.
Scouting Report: Petgrave has some NHL potential in him being a two-way depth defenceman. He is decent moving the puck in the offensive zone, and has decent defensive abilities. On top of that he is a willing participant in the physical game. Petgrave could maximize his potential by gaining about 15 lbs. in muscle while improving his skating, also improving his decision making in the defensive zone. This cannot be done overnight, and Petgrave will need some time to develop, but could turn into an NHL defenceman one day.

44 - Kyle Flemington
- Defenceman - Sarnia Sting
Mar-26-1992 - 6’7” - 227 lbs.
Scouting Report: As we’re nearing the end of the list a wild card defenceman Kyle Flemington checks in. He makes this list due to his absolutely massive 6’7” - 227 lb. frame. He’s the biggest guy available out of the OHL and since being traded to Sarnia he seems to have been given an open green light to fight; much to the dismay of the opposition. Flemington has absolutely destroyed some opponents and may become the most feared fighter in the league before his time is done. His play defensively is noticeably safe, he makes a decent first pass, and makes the safest play possible when in possession with it. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He doesn’t have a lot if any offensive potential. He would be expected to be a 7 to 10 min per game defenceman in the NHL while racking up near the league high in penalty minutes at the highest level.

45 - Andrew Crescenzi
- Center - Kitchener Rangers
Jul-29-1992 - 6’4.5” - 200 lbs.
Scouting Report: Crescenzi is a large center who has solid two-way ability for the OHL, and could gain a role playing job in the NHL. He protects the puck decently, he throws his body around, and has a decent game along the boards and in the corner. At his size it’s surprising he does not have a larger amount of penalty minutes, especially since his high end talent isn’t high enough to make him anything more than a bottom 6 NHLer. Crescenzi will need to improve on skating, and will need to add a little more offensive contribution to truly solidify him as a true two-way prospect.

46 - Colin McDonald
- Defenceman - Plymouth Whalers
Apr-16-1992 - 6’3” - 184 lbs.
Scouting Report: MacDonald is a shot blocking machine. MacDonald prides himself, and enters a prospect status level due to his willing to help his team, which includes constantly throwing himself in front of shots. Although he has limited upside MacDonald has decent skating and plays a safe game. MacDonald would benefit from adding about 20 lbs. to his frame and becoming a more physical player.

47 - Alex Aleardi
- Center - Belleville Bulls
Jul-30-1992 - 5’9” - 165 lbs.
Scouting Report: Offensive potential isn’t the issue with Aleardi, it’s more so his size. Aleardi is expected to eventually become a solid offensive contributor at the OHL level, however the question is not only could he translate that to a higher level, but can he overcome his size concerns. His skating is very solid, but will need to add some muscle and become a more lethal point producer before entering legitimate prospect status.

48 - R.J. Mahalak
- Left Wing - Plymouth Whalers
Dec-23-1991 - 6’2” - 205
Scouting Report: Mahalak is a prototypical power forward. Mahalak is a physical player who throws the body around at will. He has shown some flashes of offensive potential but after a number of injuries and not enough offensive production it’s expected he’d land as a lower end role player if he does make the NHL.

49 - Derek Froats
- Left Wing - Kingston Frontenacs
May-21-1992 - 5’11” - 173 lbs.
Scouting Report: Froats plays an energetic game with decent skating ability and a willingness to battle for the puck. Froats has also shown flashes of goal scoring ability. Likely a role player at the next level Forats will need to get stronger and add muscle to his frame to play his game.

50 - Jeff Braithwaite - Defenceman - Peterborough Petes
Mar-2-1992 - 6’0” - 180 lbs.
Scouting Report: Braithwaite is a decent skating two-way defenceman who can also play a physical role. His NHL potential is limited but he will need to become better with his decision making if he wants that to become a reality.


Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow.

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