Ready, perhaps, for NHL Entry Draft history? Last year of course American defender Erik Johnson was tabbed no. 1 overall by the St. Louis Blues, and while the World Junior Championships always play a pivotal role in shaping the look of June’s draft, no one a month ago could have imagined the rise that has apparently visited American Patrick Kane. Check out the post-Worlds ruminations of TSN analyst Pierre McGuire in the January 15 Sports Illustrated:
“Watch for talented U.S. right wing Patrick Kane and Russian right wing Alexei Cherepanov to be the top two selections in this summer’s draft. Kane has a slight edge to go no. 1 because of his ability to score and make slick passes.”
Kane was not only the catalyst for the bronze-medal American offense in Sweden but one of the tournament’s top scorers — he finished fourth with 5 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Erik Johnson led all scorers and was named the best defenseman in the tournament by the IIHF directorate. He is only the second U.S. blueliner in the history of the event to receive the honor. Kane and Johnson were the American players represented on the six-member media all-star team. The sum of this is: should Kane go no. 1 in Columbus this June, Americans would have been selected first overall for the first time ever in consecutive drafts.
And the World Juniors was hardly his lone shining stage. When he left the London Knights in mid-December for the Worlds he was leading the entire OHL in scoring, and after missing more than two weeks of play there today he’s third in scoring, with 28 goals and 47 assists in just 35 games. He’s 5 ‘10, 170, putting him on that size fringe that gives pause to some scouts. His national team teammate, James Van Riemsdyk, has drawn more consistently high marks in large part, I wager, for his power forward size. Both will go in June’s top 5.
Kane is coached in London, incidentally, by former Caps’ captain Dale Hunter.
The International Scouting Service has released its January ranking of the top 30 prospects for the 2007 NHL Draft.
| # | Name | Pos | Birth Date | S/C | Hgt. | Wgt. | Team | League |
| 1 | Cherepanov, Alexei | RW | 1/15/89 | L | 6.00 | 183 | Omsk | RusE |
| 2 | Alzner, Karl | LD | 9/24/88 | L | 6.02 | 209 | Calgary | WHL |
| 3 | Van Riemsdyk, James | LW | 5/4/89 | L | 6.03 | 200 | USA Under-18 | NTDP |
| 4 | Voracek, Jakub | RW | 8/15/89 | L | 6.02 | 188 | Halifax | QMJHL |
| 5 | Couture, Logan | C | 3/28/89 | L | 6.00.5 | 188 | Ottawa | OHL |
| 6 | Kane, Patrick | RW | 11/19/88 | L | 5.10 | 162 | London | OHL |
| 7 | Turris, Kyle | C | 8/14/89 | R | 6.01 | 170 | Burnaby | BCHL |
| 8 | Petrecki, Nick | LD | 7/11/89 | L | 6.03 | 213 | Omaha | USHL |
| 9 | Gagner, Sam | C | 8/10/89 | R | 5.10.5 | 190 | London | OHL |
| 10 | Esposito, Angelo | C | 2/20/89 | L | 6.01 | 180 | Quebec | QMJHL |
| 11 | Gillies, Colton | C | 2/12/89 | L | 6.03.5 | 185 | Saskatoon | WHL |
| 12 | Negrin, John | LD | 3/26/89 | L | 6.02 | 198 | Kootenay | WHL |
| 13 | Ellerby, Keaton | LD | 11/5/88 | L | 6.03.5 | 194 | Kamloops | WHL |
| 14 | Katic, Mark | LD | 5/9/89 | L | 5.10 | 180 | Sarnia | OHL |
| 15 | Mayorov, Maxim | LW | 3/26/89 | L | 6.02 | 187 | Leninogorsk | RusS |
| 16 | O’Brien, Jim (Fr.) | C | 1/29/89 | R | 6.02 | 189 | Minnesota | WCHA |
| 17 | Plante, Alex | RD | 5/9/89 | R | 6.04 | 220 | Calgary | WHL |
| 18 | Veilleux, Keven | C | 6/27/89 | R | 6.04.5 | 195 | Victoriaville | QMJHL |
| 19 | Blum, John | RD | 1/30/89 | R | 6.00 | 163 | Vancouver | WHL |
| 20 | Sutter, Brandon | C | 2/14/89 | R | 6.02.5 | 170 | Red Deer | WHL |
| 21 | Hickey, Thomas | LD | 2/8/89 | L | 5.10.5 | 195 | Seattle | WHL |
| 22 | Doyle, Eric | RD | 4/5/89 | R | 6.02.5 | 194 | Everett | WHL |
| 23 | McCrae, Justin | C | 10/30/88 | R | 6.00 | 185 | Saskatoon | WHL |
| 24 | Shattenkirk, Kevin | RD | 1/29/89 | R | 5.11 | 193 | USA Under-18 | NTDP |
| 25 | Lavin, Joe | LD | 7/17/89 | L | 6.01.5 | 195 | USA Under-18 | NTDP |
| 26 | Ross, Nick | LD | 2/10/89 | L | 6.00.5 | 195 | Regina | WHL |
| 27 | Gratchev, Max | LW | 9/26/88 | L | 5.11 | 195 | Rimouski | QMJHL |
| 28 | Cunti, Luca | LW | 7/4/89 | L | 6.00 | 183 | Thurgau | SuiB |
| 29 | Aliu, Akim | RW | 4/ 24/89 | R | 6.02.5 | 207 | Sudbury | OHL |
| 30 | Repik, Michal | RW | 12/31/88 | R | 5.10.5 | 184 | Vancouver | WHL |
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