REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #8.Leon Draisatl

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

1.Sam Reinhart

2.Aaron Ekblad

3.William Nylander

4.Roland McKeown

5.Jake Virtanen

6.Blake Clarke

7.Nick Ritchie

8.Leon Draisatl

9.Michael Dal Colle

10.Jakub Vrana

11.Ivan Barbashev

12.Jared McCann

13.Anton Karlsson

14.Joshua Ho-Sang

15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:

Oskar Lindblom

Haydn Fleury

Nick Schmaltz

RECAP to date of players we have looked at

Sam Reinhart

6'1, 183 lbs

Kootney Ice- Games 40 Goals 24 Assists 41 Points 65

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad

6'4, 216 lbs

Barrie Colts- Games 38 Goals 17 Assists 21 Points 38

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 2 Assists 2 Points 4

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 1 Assists 1 Points 2

William Nylander

5'10, 170 lbs

MODO J20- Games 1 Goals 0 Assists 0 Points 0

MODO- Games 11 Goals 0 Assists 2 Points 2

 Rögle- Games 18 Goals 4 Assists 4 Points 8

Södertälje-  Games 11 Goals 7 Assists 6 Points 13

Sweden U18- Games 4 Goals 4 Assists 2 Points 6

Roland McKeown

6'1, 195 lbs

Kingston Frontenacs- Games 47 Goals 8 Assists 24 Points 32

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Jake Virtanen

6'1, 210 lbs

Kingston Frontenacs- Games 51 Goals 32 Assists 18 Points 50

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Blake Clarke

6'1, 190 lbs

CHL- Games 37Goals 2 Assists 7 Points 9

Nick Ritchie

6'3, 236 lbs

CHL- Games 37Goals 2 Assists 7 Points 9

The player I listed in August at #8.

Leon Draisatl

6'1, 198 lbs

 Prince Albert Raiders - Games 43 Goals 19 Assists 41 Points 60

Leon will be rising quite considerably from the #8 spot but definitely not into the top 2 player ranking for my ranking for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Drasatl is a good player but is IMO a different class outside of Reinhart and Ekblad. 

ISS hockey says "Off the charts vision and smarts combined with a power frame. Leading the way in PA". Craig Button says "Leon is a blend of skill and power and comfortable in either element. His skill derives from excellent hockey sense and the ability to make plays and recognize what is unfolding. His power is more along the lines of being hard to deter and imposing himself on opponents, with a serious determination to make a difference. Skating is good with much room to improve. A Top 2 line type forward." While back in August before the season began Future Considerations stated "Draisaitl is a playmaking center who isn't overly physical but uses his size effectively to shield himself and the puck. He has excellent vision and knows where his options are. He has soft hands and a steady stride, but his smarts are his most important asset."

I have not followed Leon much until the last 2 months and while he shows lots of promise the question I have is, can he still display that kind of ability when competing against bigger, stronger and more skilled players consistently. His lack of discipline at the U20 world jrs and his inability to shine at the Prospects game send off a couple caution signs. I still see this player good, just not as a elite player in the NHL.

Seeing as time goes by the Oilers seemed destined for a top 2 pick, it's highly unlikely he will be selected by the Oil. That is, unless a team other then Buffalo or Edmonton win the lottery and they end up selecting 3rd overall. At third overall, he may be a player the Oilers consider.

For Oiler and Baron news or 2014 NHL draft watch check out www.twitter.com/revingev

Where do the Oilers go from here?

The Edmonton Oilers season has gone down the toilet in a big way and we are looking at one of, if not the worst season record in the history of the organization. There is no way to spin this thing and nothing I can say here will change. This city (Edmonton) and Oilers fans worldwide have found places to cast blame and some seem like good possibilities but many of those places they are looking to cast blame I do not believe are the reason for the poor results on the ice.

Let's walk through some of the possibilities that are ailing the Edmonton Oilers and possible solutions that could be made to see improvement this year and the year's to follow.

Possible Problems:

1) President Kevin Lowe;
While I agree that Lowe should be made accountable for the mess that is the Oilers, he is not. There has been no repercussion for his bad decisions or lack thereof. On the other hand other then just making people feel good, do we really believe this team improves if he is fired or let go? Nope! It's about time we stop looking at Lowe as the problem. The past may be his fault, heck even where we are now. If we have to let MacT go cause he fails as a GM then that would be Lowe's fault for 2 bad GM hires and that should fall on him. Until then? Exactly, let's look for a different on ice reason for a lack of results with this skilled of a team

2) GM Craig MacTavish;
How can we blame MacT for this? Because he hired Eakins is the reason we have tanked? Maybe, but since very little growth occurred with the other coaches I highly doubt it would have added more then another 5 wins in the old win column. In fact MacT has not even been in his job a year and took over a disaster of a rebuild. Sure he has made some errors as fans like to point out, but if we are all honest, the current state of affairs of this team is not MacT. He doesn't have much time to stand pat that is for sure. He has to make at least 2 big moves still to even see the Oilers become a playoff team IMO.

3) Head Coach Dallas Eakins; 
MacT, Quinn, Renney, Kruger and now Eakins and we think this all falls on Eakins. I did not like what i thought sounded like arrogance when he first came in but in recent interviews he sounds a little more humbled and I for one, don't see changing head coaches as a way of improving. It's a decision that needs to be followed through for 2 full seasons.

4) Assistant Coaches Buchberger and Smith:
I like both as people and as players in their day but don't see how they add more then another assistant coach would who is real good at their job and come with a top end resume. Could it be they have been trained by bad mentoring? It's time to move on here and hire someone with a proven track record who has had success at their level of coaching.

5) Goaltending;
Has been and continues to be a problem for a long time. It's time the Oilers get a goalie who can steal a game every 10-12 games. Someone who can have a Save % of at least .915 and not let in soft goals at times when they break the back of the team's momentum. A clutch save at the right time is more important then just a save. btw…contrary to most people's thoughts with goalies, there is no goalie who we can get (or afford) that is on top of the world when we get him. You need to take a chance on a Goalie who may need to re-establish himself sometimes.

6) Defence;
As upset as some may be here, you can't bring in elite talent without paying through the ceiling with your young forwards who are considered untouchable to Oiler fans. The future is shaping up well and defencemen always take time to develop. My preference is still to get Ekblad in the draft and let him get 1 extra year in jr before bringing him up. In the meantime Klefbom has more time to develop (he will come around IMO) Marincin and Gernat in the minors and let's not forget Nurse.

7) Team is too small and not gritty enough;
While I agree we need to get bigger and or tougher, what does that mean? Ever watch Crosby? What about Nathan MacKinnon this year? Some of you Oiler fans really like Perron's game. I could walk through at least 15 other NHL players easily who are tough to play against yet they are not extremely tall or over 200 lbs. So what does bigger or tougher mean? Is it height or weight? I think what people mean is they can protect the puck, not get tossed around when they get hit and can win the battles in the corners coming out with the puck on most occasions.

Having said all that, none of us really know the answer and if we really believe we are smarter then the professionals we need to give our head a shake. But since this is only a blog and we like to discuss these kind of things let me take a stab at where I think the Oilers should go from here…

Stay the course and do not trade the pick;
My preference would be to draft in order if they are available when the Oilers step up to the podium, Ekblad, Reinhart or Sam Bennett. Should the Oilers draft out of the top 3 then Drasaitl would be next. It's likely we will be drafting top 3 in June. Drafting one of the other of Reinhart 1st or Bennett allows us to draft for a 2nd line center for the future as well. Don't be deceived, Reinhart will not be pushed around at 6'1 even though he is 185 lbs about. He would be a perfect fit IMO on that second line but i would send him back to jr for 1 more year before bringing him in full-time even though I believe he will be ready this next year.

Trade Yakupov;
I absolutely do not personally want to send him packing but something tells me his game will not fit what the Oilers are building. The trade with a top quality prospect and or pick for a top end defencemen or big center who can fill in the #2 line spot. I realize some may think his value is low but it's just a sophomore jinx some may say. Most the other players taken high in his draft year are not faring much better and it is rumoured that many GM's actually believe that Edmonton does not handle their development well with some of their players. His value is high out there on the market and this summer will be a good time to explore what the options are.

Try to resign Scrivens and get a solid UFA #1 Goalie or make a trade for one;
This will not be easy but let's hope the Oilers can somehow convince someone who hits the market July 1st that coming to Edmonton will be where they can excel. Until this can happen the Oilers will always muddle around in the middle of the pack at best.

Trade 2 defence prospects for a 3-4 d-man;
We are stock piling some d-men and eventually something will have to break. The Oilers can land a few different defencemen as a possibility but truth is a player in the ability of a Petry can be had it will mean the Oilers will have to give something good up (other then their 1st round draft pick or Nurse).

The players I do not even consider to move unless someone goes crazy and overpays are the following;
Taylor Hall / Ryan Nugent-Hopkins / David Perron / Darnell Nurse / Justin Schultz / Jeff Petry. Everyone else is available for the right deal if it means we improve the team. I love many of the other players as well but you will have to pay a high price if you want to bring in a franchise type player who can take this team over that bump in the road.

I know many of you will have varying opinions on this. Shoot away at your suggestions or thoughts. It's all subjective anyway but nothing wrong with voicing our thoughts or idea's or opinions. What's your thought's? You see things different or are you thinking along the same lines? What about Oilers management? What do you think they are actually going to do?

For Oiler and Baron news and 2013/14 NHL draft watch

www.twitter.com/revingev

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #6. Blake Clarke

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

1.Sam Reinhart

2.Aaron Ekblad

3.William Nylander

4.Roland McKeown

5.Jake Virtanen

6.Blake Clarke

7.Nick Ritchie

8.Leon Draisatl

9.Michael Dal Colle

10.Jakub Vrana

11.Ivan Barbashev

12.Jared McCann

13.Anton Karlsson

14.Joshua Ho-Sang

15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:

Oskar Lindblom

Haydn Fleury

Nick Schmaltz

RECAP to date of players we have looked at

Sam Reinhart

6'1, 183 lbs

Kootney Ice- Games 36 Goals 21 Assists 36 Points 57

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad

6'4, 216 lbs

Barrie Colts- Games 33 Goals 14 Assists 18 Points 32

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 2 Assists 2 Points 4

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 1 Assists 1 Points 2

William Nylander

5'10, 170 lbs

MODO J20- Games 1 Goals 0 Assists 0 Points 0

MODO- Games 11 Goals 0 Assists 2 Points 2

 Rögle- Games 18 Goals 4 Assists 4 Points 8

Södertälje-  Games 6 Goals 5 Assists 3 Points 8

Sweden U18- Games 4 Goals 4 Assists 2 Points 6

Roland McKeown

6'1, 195 lbs

Kingston Frontenacs- Games 42 Goals 8 Assists 24 Points 32

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Jake Virtanen

6'1, 210 lbs

Kingston Frontenacs- Games 45 Goals 28 Assists 17 Points 45

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

The player I listed in August at #6.

Blake Clarke

6'2, 196 lbs

 CHL - Games 30 Goals 1 Assists 7 Points 8

Traded to the Spirit from the Battalion a few games into this season Blake is now playing with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, Blake has really taken a back seat to his game. His offence was expected to go up but the exact opposite has happened. 

Clarke plays a pretty solid hard north-south game in the power forward mold. Has high skill and compete level mixed with a strong shot shot and a willingness to battle anywhere on the ice. Blake has still greater potential scouts are saying to play with even more grit and needs to work on consistency more then anything. He definitely knows how to use his strong built frame to knock others off the puck when battling in the corners. In my year end rankings unless Blake has a incredibly big turn around his ranking will drop drastically but will likely still make that Top 15.

While Blake does play a role similar to the power forward role the Oilers could use, there are far too many players in his mild with higher end skill and even grit and speed at the higher order of the top 5 where they are likely to pick. Chances are slim we see the Oilers call out Blake's name at the draft in June 2014.

For Oiler and Baron news and 2013/14 NHL draft watch

www.twitter.com/revingev

REVS 2014 Draft Prospects (#2 "Aaron Ekblad")

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

1.Sam Reinhart

2.Aaron Ekblad

3.William Nylander

4.Roland McKeown

5.Jake Virtanen

6.Blake Clarke

7.Nick Ritchie

8.Leon Draisatl

9.Michael Dal Colle

10.Jakub Vrana

11.Ivan Barbashev

12.Jared McCann

13.Anton Karlsson

14.Joshua Ho-Sang

15.Sam Bennett 

Aaron Ekblad

6'4 216 lbs

Aaron Ekblad is a CHL player in the OHL playing for the Barrie Colts.He was selected 1st overall in the 2011 OHL Entry Draft.His application for "exceptional player" status was approved unanimously. The only other players given such eligibility were John Tavares in 2005, Connor McDavid in 2012 and recently Sean Day.

Todd Cordell says - "I've seen Aaron Ekblad over 100 times and he is the real deal. Simply put, he can do it all. He's 6'4, 200+ pounds and he can skate very well. He's big, not afraid to be physical and is a rock defensively. He can move the puck, QB a power play and has a booming shot. He's also extremely smart and can play and exceed in all situations."

I would tend to say his greatest assets are his strength, accurate passing skills, powerful shot or his high hockey IQ not to mention his intelligence off the ice where he generally gets all A’s in school. As for coaching , his mentoring has come from Dale Hawerchuk, a former 1st OV in the NHL. 

Aaron has been compared to Seth Jones. Maybe some look at size, some look at him as a strong skater who can shoot but let's look at offence. 

This is where some believe Seth is more gifted in the offensive rush unlike Aaron who will be more cautious. Aaron produced an .46 PPG as a under ager and .63 PPG as 1 year younger then Seth Jones who posted an .92 PPG total on a loaded Portland Winterhawk team. The question is , 'will Aaron come in with comparables in his PPG as Seth did in his draft year?' IMO I see Aaron coming in around the .80 PPG but really like his defensive game most and his physical play.

Ekblad is a very humble but large defender and if he continues the growth curve over the next few years he could very well project as a top 2 defender in the future. It's pretty certain among most scouts that Aaron will at least fit well into a 3-4 role but his upside is a 1-2 role down the road.

In the meantime, 'Keep your stick on the Ice'!

REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

It may seem early for some fans but not for those who follow the NHL draft eligible players for this upcoming season. A couple years ago I started this here at Oilers Jambalaya. Here is the history of my Prospect list

This list occurs anywhere from 1-2 months in advance of the actual playing season and a final list I put out just before draft time. It can be a real difficult challenge evaluating and ranking players so early but it is a enjoyable thing to watch as the season progresses right through to the draft day selections.

I have the early september ranking I produced with the actual players selected in their positions to their right side. While not perfect these past two years the top 15 still has produced well. The exact draft order can be difficult due to a team's preference. Some players as you can see fall off the map or come on late.

 REVS 2012 NHL Draft Prospects

1.Nail Yakupov (Nail Yakupov)

2.Mikhail Grigorenko (Ryan Murray)

3.Ryan Murray (Alex Galchenyuk)

4.Alex Galchenyuk (Griffin Reinhart)

5.Morgan Rielly (Morgan Rielly)

6.Mathew Dumba (Hampus Lindholm)

7.Nick Ebert (Mathew Dumba)

8.Filip Forsberg (Derrick Pouliot)

9.Griffin Reinhart (Jacob Trouba)

10.Martin Frk (Slater Koekkoek)

11.Derrick Pouliot (Filip Forsberg)

12.Cody Ceci (Mikhail Grigorenko)

13.Olli Maatta (Radek Faksa)

14.Zemgus Girgensons (Zemgus Girgensons)

15.Jacob Trouba (Cody Ceci)

**Selected 11 of 15 of top selected players**

 REVS 2013 NHL Draft Prospects

1. Nathan Mackinnon (Nathan MacKinnon)

2. Seth Jones (Aleksander Barkov)

3. Sean Monahan (Jonathan Drouin)

4. Aleksander Barkov (Seth Jones)

5. Hunter Shinkaruk (Elias Lindholm)

6. Curtis Lazar (Sean Monahan)

7.  Jonathan Drouin (Darnell Nurse)

8.  Ryan Pulock (Rasmus Ristolainen)

9.  Elias Lindholm (Bo Horvat)

10.  Valeri Nichushkin (Valeri Nichushkin)

11.  Anthony Duclair (Samuel Morin)

12.  Max Domi (Max Domi)

13.  J.T Compher (Josh Morrissey)

14.  Josh Morrissey (Alexander Wennberg)

15.   Adam Erne (Ryan Pulock)

**Selected 10 of 15 of top selected players**

The following is my early ranking this year for the 2014 Draft class. I will be starting a write up on all the 15 players very soon. This years class may not be a deep top end talent as last year but they all will hold their own in the top 20.

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)

1.Sam Reinhart

2.Aaron Ekblad

3.William Nylander

4.Roland McKeown

5.Jake Virtanen

6.Blake Clarke

7.Nick Ritchie

8.Leon Draisatl

9.Michael Dal Colle

10.Jakub Vrana

11.Ivan Barbashev

12.Jared McCann

13.Anton Karlsson

14.Joshua Ho-Sang

15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:

Oskar Lindblom

Haydn Fleury

Nick Schmaltz