REVS 2013 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS #7. Jonathan Drouin

#7. Jonathan Drouin

Drouin came onto the CHL scene later then usual last year as he choose to stay awhile in midget hockey and not report to the Mooseheads early in training camp. For whatever the reason, Jonathan and his agent felt the need to make the jump in the middle of the CHL season. He jumped ship and looked pretty good after only a few games in. Granted he did not light it up but did score close to a ppg. Within no time he was paired with #1 Draft prospect MacKinnon and the two have been making headlines ever since.

During the playoff run the two excelled and had a incredible run for young 16 year old players. Drouin in the shadow of Nathan did not make believers out of all the scouts and media type. Some believed he was riding some on the coattails of one Nathan MacKinnon. I am one who did not believe that to be true. If you check his draft ranking before the season began, most had him out of the top 15, a couple 10-15 and maybe 2 or 3 said they believed he deserved a top 10 ranking. His playoff performance was no 'one time thing'. This kid is for real and I gave him his due in my draft rankings early. I have been asked, 'if you believed in him why not rank him higher?' Have you seen the top 6 in front of him? It's a tough group to crack! Because I am not doing a mid-season ranking, he will sit here at #7 but unless something changes this kid is moving up the ranking big time. Currently I have him ranking in the top 4 and he is still pushing his way upward.

Some Scouts have gone as far to say that his upward trend is looking much better as he grows and matures at the CHL level. He has been continuely growing in his skill and his strength and he plays against the much stronger opposition defencemen. Drouin is a highly skilled and creative player. His Hockey IQ is right up there with the best at his age if not the top 2 in the world currently. Even though he is a smaller stature player at 5'11 and 185 lbs he seldom gets knocked around by players who are 6'1 or 6'2 weighing in around the 200 mark.

His speed on skates is above average but his agility on the blades reminds me alot of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Drouin's  shot is pretty accurate but as a playmaker he makes any power play dangerous. It should be noted that Nugent-Hopkins considers Jonathan's game to be elite level with very high end skill. He really enjoyed playing with him.

Jonathan started this season with 15 pts in his first 7 games before a shoulder injury sidelined him for 6 games. Since returning from injury, Drouin has continued to be on fire and last time I looked is the highest ppg player in the entire CHL. His greatest asset is his ability to excel in close to the net and in breakaway situations where he can utilize his lethal backhand shot.  

Not too many players posses his ability to use shoulder fakes to quickly change angles and open up seams that catch penalty killers off guard when on the PP. Drouin's game remains effective down low and along the boards as he is very shifty and able to pivot, and spin himself out of trouble more often than not. This is where he and MacKinnon wreck havoc on any team they face when they really start to cycle the puck together down low. It was very evident on Team Canada when given a few shifts together how that chemistry was displayed and they both brought out the best in one another.

It's funny cause a couple months back at a Beer League hockey game I was subbing for, I had a discussion with some of the guys in the locker room about this player and how impressed I was with his play. Gave them a heads up to be watching for this guy to be rising in the coming months and then it continued into a debate with the teams coach. (he knows who he is if he is reading this blog....lol) His argument was lots of players who are small may put up big numbers offensively but that doesnt mean lots. It's not about numbers he told me. While I agreed its not, its about the full body of work (As Tom Renny so often told us). Don't think he was a believer or even agreed with me on this player in the slightest but today he has got to take notice because believe me, the rest of the hockey world is taking notice! It was interesting cause he is a big believer in Curtis Lazar and while I really like his game as well, their total body of work has dropped Lazar in the draft rankings and increased Drouin's.

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	TP	PIM	+/-		Postseas.	GP	G	A	TP	PIM	+/-
2010-11	Lac Saint-Louis Lions	QMAAA	38	22	36	58	38		|	Playoffs	15	11	17	28	18
2011-12	Lac Saint-Louis Lions	QMAAA	22	22	31	53	35		|
	Halifax Mooseheads	QMJHL	33	7	22	29	12	-5	|	Playoffs	17	9	17	26	4	6
	Canada Québec U17	WHC-17	4	2	3	5	2		|
2012-13	Halifax Mooseheads	QMJHL	24	19	29	48	16	21	|
	Canada U20	WJC-20	6	2	2	4	0	4	|
Tournament Statistics
2010-11	Lac Saint-Louis Lions	Telus Cup	7	2	4	6	12		|
	Team Québec	CWG	6	2	4	6	2		|
2012-13	Canada U18	MIH	5	0	5	5	2		|

	GP	G	A	TP	PPG	PIM	+/-		GP	G	A	TP	PPG	PIM	+/-
	Regular Season							Postseason
CWG:	6	2	4	6	1.00	2	0	|
MIH:	5	0	5	5	1.00	2	0	|
QMAAA:	60	44	67	111	1.85	73	0	|	15	11	17	28	1.87	18	0
QMJHL:	57	26	51	77	1.35	28	16	|	17	9	17	26	1.53	4	6
Telus Cup:	7	2	4	6	0.86	12	0	|
WHC-17:	4	2	3	5	1.25	2	0	|
WJC-20:	6	2	2	4	0.67	0	4	|

For Oiler prospect news and the 2013 or 2014 NHL draft watch, go to www.twitter.com/revingev

Edmonton's 'Next Captain'?

Oil Country has been buzzing for the last two years on who our next Captain should be. Should it be Taylor Hall? What about Jordan Eberle? Maybe Whitney? (well that was two years ago to be fair?) How about the case for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?

At the time of Hall being selected 1st OV at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, their was discussion and talk that Taylor Hall should be that man. His drive, passion, his work ethic is unbelievable. He has never been a Captain in his past so we really don't know his potential in that role but we do know he wants to be a leader, he has stated such.

Whitney? I believe with his injury uncertainty , that has pretty much pushed him out of the equation even though it was small chance it would happen anyway. His demeanor on the ice and in the dressing room and his Hockey IQ made him a good candidate but this is the here and now so that bus has really passed. 

In the consideration of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, this WJHC was his first opportunity to take on that role since he was 15 years old. He did a splendid job but some would argue there was not much to do on ice but the off ice stuff is where he truly excelled in that role. Coach Spott was more then pleased with how Ryan led this team. Several of the younger players stated the same. His competitive level is second to none but may not always appear so to those on the outside.

In the Case of Jordan Eberle,  he has been a assistant several times in his past, leads by being one of the last players on the ice, continually working on his skills late after practice or early before. He appears to work well when having to deal with the officials. This is where I see Jordan being different then Hall.

We all know Hall can push the envelope when it comes to complaining with the officials but Jordan is a much calmer person who seldom has a altercation with a official who skates away instead of actually having a conversation. Ryan is a awesome player but being so young and not having a strong personality could make things difficult when leading older veterans especially in the off ice activities.

Maybe I am reading between the lines of what I hear and what I see but to me JORDAN EBERLE is more poised to be the next Captain of the Edmonton Oilers. Be it 1 or 2 years away yet, Jordan 'Clutch' Eberle IMO is the perfect material you want for a captain. Having Hall and RNH carrying A's along with Smid and you pick the fourth alternating player.

That's my take on the next captain of the Edmonton Oilers, whats yours? Share your thoughts or opinions.  Disagree, agree? Give us your take!

For Oiler prospect news and the 2013 or 2014 NHL draft watch, go to www.twitter.com/revingev

Nail Yakupov MIA?

There are some rumors that Nail Yakupov might be staying over in the KHL.



From what I heard and by what I think, I'm sure that he will probably not stay in Russia, because he was so happy to be drafted by the Oilers and he wants nothing more than to have a long and prosperous NHL career. Why would he just drop it all to because the NHL has a lockout for a couple months? He wouldn't.



Unless he is getting extra money from his team to play with them till the end of the season like it is rumored other players are, I really don't see him staying.

There has been rumors that Kovalchuk might stay and there is a small handful of others that have said they will. But you'd think Nail is different than them, as he will honor his contract, unlike the others. I still think Kovalchuk will come over to play back in the NHL this season, but I guess we will see.

All I know is I'd fully believe we will see Nail Yakupov wearing the #64 for the Edmonton Oilers this year.



This was written by Noah Fuchs!

Edmonton, home of 'Next Hockey Phenom'?

Tyler Benson

5'11 / 180lbs / 14 yrs old

Tyler Benson is scoring at a rampant pace in Alberta Bantam AAA. In fact he is on pace to break the record holder Ty Rattie, who just recently played a couple outstanding years in the WHL and is coming back from the U20 World Jr Championship. It is likely Ty Rattie will be challenging for a spot on the NHL's St.Louis Blues either this year or next.

The following is some extra information on Ty for those who may not be too familiar with this Alberta boy...In the 2007-08 season of Bantam AAA in Alberta, Ty Rattie played for the Airdrie Xtreme. He scored 75 goals , had 56 assists for 131 points in 33 games while racking  up 101 penalty minutes. In his 10 playoff games, he scored 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. Ty Rattie ended up being chosen second overall in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft by the Portland Winterhawks just behind...wait for it....'Ryan Nugent-Hopkins'. Other players selected behind Ty were Duncan Siemens,  Michael St. Croix, Mark McNeill, Colin Smith, Ryan Murray, Tyler Wotherspoon, Laurent Brossoit,  Dalton Thrower, 

 Lukas Sutter, Travis Ewanyk,

So it was a good year in the WHL Bantam Draft. This year could very well see a better bumper crop with the highly touted Tyler Benson going 1st OV. He has some other competition in BC and Sask but likely he appears to be this years Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. While some are worried his dominance may be because of his size, having seen him play, he has some real hockey sense. The bigger question will be how he fares in the WHL when his opponents are bigger then him with high end speed and skill as well.

At the 17 Game mark Tyler was leading 2nd place points leader Sam Steel by 26 points. That is insane numbers as Tyler does not get extra PP time and his coach rotates his 4 lines every game. Very seldom he is put out to win a game for his team or given extra ice time. In contrast Ty Rattie was given just that treatment as his coach played him like a star. Tyler Benson does not receive that kind of treatment with his club.


Top 10 Alberta AAA Bantam Leaders

	PLAYER	GP	G	A	PTS
1	Benson, Tyler	17	35	47	82
2	Steel , Sam	16	31	25	56
3	Shaw, Mason	17	13	37	50
4	Jevne, Ryan	17	27	21	48
5	Taupert, Jordan	20	12	34	46
6	Phillips, Matthew	17	27	18	45
7	Clarke, Michael	19	23	20	43
8	Aucoin, Parker	17	28	13	41
9	Rotundo, Alex	18	24	17	41
10	Clague , Kale	18	16	25	41

At Tyler's 22 game mark he has now taken a commanding 35 point lead over still 2nd place points leader Sam Steel. A feat that just seems impossible considered just the sheer difficulty in scoring those kind of points in so few games. At 4 plus points a game, should Tyler be able to play a 33 game schedule like Ty Rattie did, he would be poised to finish the year around 150 plus points. Looking at the schedule , I believe he will only get 28 games in, giving him approximately 128 points. (Just looking at how many games I could find slated I dont think he is able to play more then that). Tyler is more of a playmaker then Rattie was but don't let that fool you, he can score with the best of them.

Top 10 Alberta AAA Bantam Leaders

	PLAYER	GP	G	A	PTS
1	Benson, Tyler	22	39	61	100
2	Steel , Sam	20	33	32	65
3	Jevne, Ryan	22	37	25	62
4	Aucoin, Parker	22	43	18	61
5	Shaw, Mason	22	17	43	60
6	Phillips, Matthew	22	31	27	58
7	Taupert, Jordan	24	16	42	58
8	Doneff, Michael	24	27	26	53
9	Rotundo, Alex	23	32	19	51
10	Volcan, Nolan	22	27	23	50

Benson has size, extremely quick feet and slick hands. Has a wicked shot, and this young man possesses that hockey sense that only the best display. With his strength , agility in his skating and top end skill level, who knows what the future holds for young Benson. Regardless of where and when Tyler Benson plays, he produces and dominates. Good luck to this young kid with his future in hockey, it's been a treat to see him come through the ranks of the great City of Edmonton.

Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	TP	PIM	+/-		Postseas.	GP	G	A	TP	PIM	+/-
2010-11	SSAC Bantam AA 2	ERBHL	12	13	8	21	0		|
2011-12	SSAC Lions Bantam AAA	AMBHL	33	34	50	84	44		|	Playoffs	11	12	19	31	4
2012-13	SSAC Lions Bantam AAA	AMBHL	21	39	61	100	44		|

#17 Game Action

edit: As I go to  post this Tyler has played 1 more game and scored 8 more points. Notching 3 more goals and 5 assists in 1 game, Tyler now sits at 108 points. Also looking at the schedule it appears he is playing  8 more games following, giving him a possible 32 games to play this season. Maybe I missed a game on the schedule for 33 game total? Assuming he plays 32 games he is on pace to score 150 point season. I am guessing he finishes with about 145 points by seasons end and sets a new record.

For Oiler prospect news and the 2013 or 2014 NHL draft watch, go to www.twitter.com/revingev