Online sports book enthusiasts find it difficult to get excited about the NHL draft because drafted players in the NHL do not normally make the immediate impact on their teams that NFL or NBA drafted players do. The online casino wagering crowd knows that it can take several years of farm team development before a player even sees an NHL sweater. But NHL draft followers know that the draft represents the future of the league and is an extremely important annual process. The top NHL prospects may not get the same media attention that the NFL picks get, but if you are a hockey fan then you should be hearing these five names for many years to come.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a playmaking center for the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL. Most scouts feel that Nugent-Hopkins will have to switch to a wing position when he gets drafted, but the transition should be an easy one for him. He is one of the few prospects in this draft that nearly every NHL general manager feels could jump right to the NHL.
Nugent-Hopkins is coveted more for his playmaking than his goal scoring, although he can score goals as well. In the 2010-2011 WHL season, Nugent-Hopkins had 31 goals and 75 assists for a total of 106 points in 69 games. He also picked up 51 penalty minutes which shows an aggressive streak to him that NHL scouts like. In Edmonton, there are already rumblings of the second-coming of Wayne Gretzky.
Jonathan Huberdeau
Jonathan Huberdeau may be the one NHL prospect that some NHL fans have heard of. He was relatively unknown until he scored 43 goals and racked up 65 assists for the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2010-2011 QMJHL season. Huberdeau’s only knock seems to be that it took him a couple of seasons to become a top prospect where Nugent-Hopkins has been on the NHL radar for a while. One aspect of Huberdeau’s game that scouts love is his versatility. He knows how to back-check just as much as he knows how to set up a scoring play. He can be put on the power play as well as the penalty kill.
Huberdeau will go to the Colorado Avalanche in the second spot, and he may only need a few weeks in the minors before he is ready to contribute to the Avalanche.
Adam Larsson
Once you get past Huberdeau and Nugent-Hopkins, things get a bit unpredictable. The Florida Panthers may have an interest in defenseman Adam Larsson for his calm demeanor and expert ability to get the puck out of his own end. Larsson is a strong skater and knows his position very well. If the Panthers do not take Larsson, then look for him to fall no farther than seventh or eighth.
Gabriel Landeskog
Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, they cannot take a coach in the 2011 NHL draft. The arrival of Jacques Lemaire in December of 2010 literally saved the Devils’ season and made New Jersey the talk of the league. Lemaire resigned immediately after the season was over, and now the Devils take to the task of rebuilding without him. The biggest problem the Devils had last season was scoring goals. Ilya Kovalchuk could not seem to get himself motivated enough to score, and the rest of the Devils’ roster had lost their scoring touch completely. Landeskog is a no-brainer for the Devils because he has the traits of a leader and the ability of a playmaker. If the Devils develop this kid properly, he could be the next hard-nosed Devil to lead the team to a playoff berth.
Dougie Hamilton
Not to take anything away from defenseman Dougie Hamilton’s accomplishments to this point, but anything the New York Islanders do will be an improvement. Hamilton is a Brian Campbell-esque defenseman who plays in the middle of the ice and gets the puck to goal scorers. He is not ready for the NHL just yet as he needs to gain some size and get some more experience banging along the boards. But he could be just what the Islanders need at defense to pick up a team that cannot seem to do anything right.
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