NHL 2013 Draft War Room Top 90 December Rankings (Part 6: 51-60)

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Guest post by Eldon MacDonald

Rimouski Océanic defenseman and 2013 NHL Draft eligbile Jan Košťálek plays a mature game (Photo: Rimouski Océanic)
Rimouski Océanic defenseman and 2013 NHL Draft eligbile Jan Košťálek plays a mature game (Photo: Rimouski Océanic)

This is the sixth in a series of nine postings ranking the top 90 prospects eligible for the 2013 NHL draft.

Background

  1. Picks 46 to 60 – about a 24%success rate: The historical success rate for players ranked 46 to 60 (as well as round 3) is 24%. This means that in a normal year 7 to 8 of the players below are not going to make it as an NHL regular.
  2. Vitals: The vitals reading left to right are:
    1. Shoots
    2. Position
    3. Height and weight
    4. Birth date
    5. Citizenship
    6. League
    7. Team and player number
  3. Rankings: Check out some of the web sites listed below if you want a different perspective on the rankings:

 

Round 2: 51 to 60 – Historical success rate of about 24%

51. Košťálek, Jan

a –Vitals: R – D – 6’0, 179 – 17-Feb-95 – CZE – QMJHL –Rimouski#3

b – Rank: NHL–QMJHL-10; CR-THW–50.

c – Commentary:Mr. Bunker Buster – A poised, mature defender of modest stature who plays a professional type of two-way game. Everything is smooth: skating, breakout passes, ability to move the puck up ice, and skill in keeping defenders at bay. Košťálek looks like a reliable 20 year-old defender playing in the CHL waiting for the NHL to finally get its act together. In fact, the only thing about his game that isn’t smooth is his bunker buster hits. Currently out with an injury.

d – YouTube video: Courtesy of hockeyfightsplus. Check out the bunker buster type hit. Ouch, that gotta hurt!

 

52. Müller, Mirco:

a – Vitals: L – D – 6’4, 182 – 21-Mar-95 – SUI – WHL– Everett #25

b – Rank: NHL–WHL-7; TSN-65.

c – Commentary: Mr. Swiss Defender – A poised, confident defender with an impressive stature (6’4) who can make impressive breakouts and can also be of service on the power play. Last seen boarding a Swissair flight toSwitzerland to have a few meals with his parents and then to join TeamSwitzerland for the U20’s inRussia.

d – Twitter: @25mueller

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of hockeyfightsplus

53. Subban, Jordan:

a – Vitals: R – D – 5’9, 177 – 3-Mar-95 – CAN – OHL –Belleville#14

b – Rank: NHL–OHL-17; TSN-66; OHL-OHL-17

c – Commentary: Mr. Subban 2 U – What’s being a Subban got to do with it? Everything – how to eat, how to train, how to swagger, how to behave off the ice, how to be a pro – everything has been passed down by PK Subban, Montreal Canadiens star defenseman, to his younger brothers, Jordan and Malcolm. Jordan has all the attributes of PK – great stick, wild untamed rushes with the puck, amazing skating, great footwork, spinorama-extraordinare, great work ethic, hard shot – except for his size (Jordan is only 5’9, 177 lb). However, the combination of Subbanness, great work ethic and amazing athletic ability is enough to satisfy almost all the critics other than those flat earth aficionados. Yes –Jordan did win a gold medal with TeamCanada at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

d – Twitter: @jordansubban

e – Youtube video:

54. Slepyshev, Anton

a – Vitals: R – LW – 6’2, 194 – 13-May-94 – RUS – KHL –Novokuznetsk#47

b – Rank: NHL–RUS-3; TSN-54

c – Commentary: Mr. Here We Go Again – Yes, he was the first person chosen in the 2011 KHL junior draft and yes he failed to show up for the NHL Combine for 2012. So maybe it should come as no surprise that Anton Slepyshev went undrafted in 2012 in spite of 1st or at least 2nd round skills – the shots, the skating, the dangle, the hands, the drive to the net. Where or if he goes in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft is a game for Russian roulette aficionados. He was Team Captain for TeamRussia at the 2012 U18 worlds. And, yes, he was named to the preliminary roster for TeamRussia at the upcoming U20’s.

d – Twitter: @Slep94

e – Video: Courtesy ofhockeysemin

55. Moutrey, Nick

a – Vitals: L – RW – 6’2, 208 – 24-Jun-95 – CAN – OHL –Saginaw#91

b – Rank: NHL-OHL-18; OHL-OHL-29.

c – Commentary: Mr. Almost There – A good-sized power forward with a decent skillset who started out slowly but appears to be gaining steam. Looks like a future NHLer as his size along with his skating, puck handling, hockey IQ and willingness to play physical are attributes in strong demand in the bigs. If he is given a few more offensive opportunities, I think you will see the results expected of someone with a future bound for the NHL.

d – Twitter: @Moutrey91

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of Spiritvideoclip

56. Downing, Michael  

a – Vitals: L – D – 6’3, 190 – 19-May-95 –USA– USHL –Dubuque#4

b – Rank: NHL-USA-6; CR-THW-48; TSN-63

c – Commentary: Mr. Wolverine – Offensive defenseman with good mobility and can throw the big hit too. Solid defensively with an active stick but needs to work on his strength and physicality to be all he can be. Captain of TeamUSA at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Committed to theUniversity ofMichigan.

d – Twitter: @M_Downing4

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of USHLinteractive

57. Westlund, Wilhelm

a – Vitals: L – D – 6’0, 179 – 15-Mar-95 – SWE – SWE J20– Färjestad J20 #12

b – Rank: NHL-SWE-8; TSN-57

c – Commentary: Mr. Solid – Solid but unspectacular two-way D who brings the right attitude and preparedness to the game, on and off the ice. Skates well, good agility, makes nice outlet passes and has the hockey sense to use them all correctly.

d – Twitter: @westlundwilhelm

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of gruvarbetarn

58. Dunn, Vincent

a – Vitals: L – C – 5’11, 175 – 14-Sep-95 – CAN – QMJHL –Val d’Or#26

b – Rank: NHL–QMJHL-12; TSN-51

c – Commentary: The Ice Warrior – He has that fiery, vocal character and on-ice intensity that makes you believe you have a true ice warrior out there. Gritty, good down low, will take on all comers, irritating to the point of inducing hatred in his opponents. Improving his shot and the ability to put up points and suddenly you have one of the mainstays of the attack. In short, he is a pest who puts up points and can be successful despite his modest dimensions.

d – Twitter: @vdunn26

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of hockeyfightsplus

59. Morin, Samuel

a – Vitals: L – D – 6’7, 200 – 12-Jul-95 – CAN – QMJHL –Rimouski#55

b – Rank: NHL-QMJHL-20; ISS-30; TSN-60

c – Commentary: Mr.High Tower – Hal Gill-like dimensions with Hal Gill-like characteristics. Skates better than Hal Gill, has decent outlet passes but needs to improve a lot in the other areas of the game to be up to Hal Gill effectiveness. Started the season off half decent, got injured, regressed, but has been coming on of late. A little more confidence and you will see a lot more consistency and a lot of skill improvement. At this stage, you would say late round results with 2nd round potential but teams are usually willing to pay pretty high for players of his size and promising ability.

d – Twitter: @samhockey0000

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of hockeyfightsplus

60. Oke, Scott

a – Vitals: L – RW – 6’3, 201 – 16-Mar-93 – CAN – QMJHL –Rimouski#71

b – Rank: NHL–Unranked

c – Commentary: The Castaway – Overlooked, tossed out guy who seems to have been forgotten by most. Well, the first couple of things you notice about Scott are his size (6’3, 201 lb.) and that he skates very well. He is also involved in the play at both ends of the ice, is a strong forechecker and can drive to the net or make some pretty decent passes. Scott is a team guy, a leader out there; teams should take another look at this guy.

d – Twitter: Okester71

e – YouTube video: Courtesy of alexlevesque96

Previously posted:

1 to 10

11 to 20

21 to 30

31 to 40

41 to 50

Next Up:

61 to 70