REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #9. Michael Dal Colle

 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 update of players we have looked at
(stats official as of February 12/14)

Sam Reinhart

6'1, 183 lbs

Kootney Ice- Games 44 Goals 29 Assists 49 Points 78

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad

6'4, 216 lbs

Barrie Colts- Games 42 Goals 19 Assists 23 Points 42

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 12 Goals 9 Assists 6 Points 15

Sweden U18- Games 4 Goals 4 Assists 2 Points 6

Roland McKeown

6'1, 195 lbs

Kingston Frontenacs- Games 50 Goals 8 Assists 27 Points 35

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Jake Virtanen

6'1, 210 lbs

Kingston Frontenacs- Games 56 Goals 35 Assists 19 Points 54

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Blake Clarke

6'1, 190 lbs

CHL- Games 40 Goals 2 Assists 7 Points 9

Nick Ritchie

6'3, 236 lbs

CHL-Peterborough Petes - Games 46 Goals 29 Assists 27 Points 56

Leon Drasatl

6'1, 198 lbs

Prince Albert Raiders - Games 47 Goals 22 Assists 45 Points 67

The player I listed in August at #9.

Michael Dal Colle

6'2, 180 lbs

Oshawa Generals - Games 54 Goals 33 Assists 45 Points 78

Dal Colle played for the gold medal-winning Team Canada U18 team in the 2013 before returning to Oshawa for his second OHL season. Playing like a a bull in a china shop he uses his natural talents well. Scouts say he has a  imposing frame and already shows great balance and strength on his skates. While 6'2 in height, his weight would be a concern for me to play at the next level and be imposing still. He does play a strong  two-way game, battles hard and shows soft hands around the net.

Many consider Michael to have High-end offensive tools to go with a great drive. Some have said he plays a style like Ryan Getzlaf but IMO it is more style then skill. Dal Colle likes to be creating his chances off the cycle and use his taller frame to an advantage. Getting to open spots on the ice well, he also utilizes coming off the wall and driving to the net with aggression. If he adds more size and strength to his frame, he's going to become a force. Michael tells a writer "I'm always looking to get faster, quicker," he said. "That was my weakness growing up. I was always a little bit sluggish. I still need to get bigger. I'm only 180 pounds, so if I want to be a successful at the next level I need to put on some muscle mass."

Michael is a left hander center and is considered a top 5-6 player for sure. If the Oilers were to select him he is more of a 2 year project likely. Another year in jr hockey followed by 1 season in the AHL should be just what the dr ordered. It's unlikely he is selected in a Top 3 pick and that is where they are sitting to pick at worst if a lower ranked team were to win the lottery draft in 2014. Good player but would fall in the second group of good players in this June's draft.

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

YAKCITY - "Nail Yakupov ready to step it up?"

Nail Yakupov has always been a enigmatic personality in and out of the dressing room and on the ice. What makes this young up and coming star player so good is not just the skill set, it's the drive to be the best or as some say, the drive to always be improving.

Here are Nail Yakupov's PPG over the past few years in the respective leagues he has played in;

2010-2011 CHL (101pts for 1.55 PPG)
2010-2012 U18 (13 pts for 1.85 PPG)

2011-2012 CHL (69 pts for 1.64 PPG)
2011-2012 U20 (9 pts for 1.28 PPG)

2012-2013 KHL (18 pts for .82 PPG)
2012-2013 NHL (31 pts for .65 PPG)

I had predicted on twitter and believe on a blog as well the PPG production Nail would likely produce both in the KHL and in the NHL. I had estimated Yakupov could produce .65 PPG in the KHL which he fared even better and in the NHL I said I believed he would produce around the .57 PPG. I had people saying I was out to lunch and no way this player had the skills yet or the size to produce like that at the NHL level. He covered both bets for me and this year it is likely we could see him more around the .80 PPG mark by the end of the NHL season of 2013-2014.

When looking at his Jr career and comparing him at that stage , let's look how he compares to a few other notable stars.

Steven Stamkos
2006-2007 CHL (92 pts for 1.46 PPG)
2006-2007 U18 (10 pts for 1.67 PPG)

2007-2008 CHL (105pts for 1.72 PPG)
2007-2008 U18 (5 pts for 1.25 PPG)
2007-2008 U20  (6pts for .86 PPG)

2008-2009 NHL (46 pts for .58 PPG)

2009-2010 NHL (95 pts for 1.16 PPG)

As we can see with Stamkos, it was his second season when his numbers began to soar. With a solid understanding of the game now and a larger sturdier frame he was better able to translate his jr career to the NHL level.

John Tavares 
(since John was brought in as a exceptional player into the OHL I will be exempting his early year to be more in comparison with the same age)

2006-2007 CHL (134 pts for 2.0 PPG)

2007-2008 CHL (118 pts for 2.0 PPG)
2007-2008 U20 (5 pts for .71 PPG)

2009-2010 NHL (54 pts for .66 PPG)

2010-2011 NHL (67 pts for .85 PPG)

John was one of the most incredible point producing jrs in the last couple decades. Very few reach his peak yet his game did not translate in his first year and even his second as you can see was somewhat reasonable.

Let's look at 2 more comparable players he currently plays with.

Taylor Hall
2008-2009 CHL (90 pts for 1.43 PPG)
2008-2009 U18 (8 pts for 2.0 PPG)

2009-2010 CHL (106 pts for  1.86 PPG)
2009-2010 U20 (12 pts for 2.0 PPG)

2010-2011 NHL (42 pts for .65 PPG)

2011-2012 NHL (53 pts for .87 PPG)

Taylor had a tremendous jr career but also while faring well in the NHL still took time to adjust to the style and speed of the game. His second year saw a increase in production like most stars do.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2009-2010 CHL (65 pts for .97 PPG)
2009-2010 U17 (5pts for 1.0 PPG)

2010-2011 CHL (106 pts for 1.54 PPG)
2010-2011 U18 (7 pts for 1.4 PPG)

2011-2012 NHL (52 pts for .84 PPG)

2012-2013 NHL (24 pts for .6 PPG)
*Fought with bad shoulder all season that ended early

Ryan IMO would have fared much better if not nursing a injury all season long. He fought through but likely his second NHL season was one that will not be seen again.

As you can see when comparing seasons to some other great players Nail is right on course and to under estimate his production this season would be to under value him as a player. The following is a quick look at the comparison's of jr career hockey to 1st seasons in the NHL.

CHL Career PPG
Nail Yakupov 1.59 PPG
Steven Stamkos 1.59 PPG
John Tavares 1.75 PPG
Taylor Hall 1.53 PPG
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 1.26 PPG

In looking at the PPG totals here in CHL hockey it's very clear Yakupov is on par with these players that many consider to be great. It should also be considered that both Yakupov and Stamkos did not play on a loaded team in their final year yet still produced well.

NHL 1st Season PPG
Nail Yakupov .65 PPG

Steven Stamkos .58 PPG
John Tavares .66 PPG
Taylor Hall  .65 PPG
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins .84 PPG

In observing the 1st year stats of PPG in these same players career's it can not be denied that Yakupov while playing only a shortened season produced equal to his earlier comrades in the NHL and shows very well against extremely high competition. 

Lastly, let's look at the 2nd years PPG production from the same players alongside my prediction of Nail Yakupov for the 2013-2014 NHL Season

NHL 2nd Season PPG
Steven Stamkos  1.16 PPG

John Tavares  .85 PPG
Taylor Hall  .87 PPG
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins  .60 PPG
Nail Yakupov .80 PPG (My prediction)

Looking at how Nail has compared well in at the same growth curve in his career, I believe it is reasonable to say he likely will be comparable in his 2nd NHL season as well. While Stamkos hit it out of the park on his second season RNH struggled a little. Despite that, when comparing, it definitely gives a good case of optimism for Oilers fans alike this coming season.

In the meantime, Keep your stick on the Ice!