The Toronto Maple Leafs showed the promise, attacking the Montreal Canadiens all night long, but Carey Price shut the down, leading the Habs to a 2-1 win over their bitter rivals.
Join Coach as he looks at the future of the Leafs and breaksdown the action.
In the last of his series of articles on the NHL entry draft, Mckeen’s hockey scout Rick Springhetti presents his mock draft.
1- Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad: Dave Tallon helped build the Chicago Black Hawks and he has seen first hand what a solid core at defence can do for a team. Ekblad can become the anchor at the position for the next 15 years.
2- Buffalo Sabres
Sam Bennet: Buffalo will be very happy to have a player who can not only become their top center but also has the potential to be the type of player that can become their leader.
3- Edmonton Oilers
Sam Reinhart: Edmonton has to start taking steps forward at some point. Reinhart has the type of intelligent two-way game that can help their talented forward better use their abilities.
4- Calgary Flames
Leon Draistil: The Flames have stated that they want to get bigger. Draistil has the size but also the talent that they need as they continue their rebuilding process.
5- New York Islanders
Michael Dal Colle: The Islanders will be happy to see Dal Colle available to them. A pure offensive talent that can really help them spread the offence with Tavares and soon enough, Ryan Strome.
6- Vancouver Canucks
Hayden Fleury: Canucks may consider going for a safer pick here as their system does not have a lot of depth right now so Fleury bcomes a good option for them.
7- Caroline Hurricanes
Jake Virtanen: Carolina can use a player like Virtanen who brings speed, scoring and an aggressive approach to the game.
8- Toronto Maple Leafs
Nick Ritchie: The Maples Leafs would love to have a big forward who can score goals and is willing to drop the gloves. He could become a favourite rather quickly.
9- Winnipeg Jets
William Nylander: The Jets could be looking for scoring up front and may decide to go with one who plays center. Nylander has the potential to be an electrifying player going forward.
10- Anaheim Ducks
Nikolaj Ehler: Anaheim will take the best player on the board and Ehler is the man. A fantastic skater who can shine playing an uptempo game.
11- Nashville Predators
Brendan Perlini: Nasvhille are known for their focus on defence but at this point, they want to really find somc goal-scoring ability. Perlini fits the bill rather well.
12- Arizona Coyotes
Jarred McCann: Coyotes like their player reliable and hard working in all aspects of the game and McCann brings those qualities in spades.
13- Washington Coyotes
Robbi Fabri: Washington will want to add a talented players that has demonstrated a good deal of character this season on and excellent Guelph team.
14- Dallas Stars
Travis Sanheim: Raw players who has improved by leaps and bounds during the season, Dallas will be happy to draft this youngster who can help their skilled forward produce from the back end.
15- Detroit Red Wings
Kevin Fiala: Very skilled forward who will fit in well with the players in their system, Detroit feel that Fiala is a classic Red Wings player.
16- Columbus Blue Jackets
Alex Tuch: Columbus are getting bigger and this pure goal scorer will fit in well with the team they are building.
17- Philadephia Flyers
Dylan Larkin: Brian Hextall will want to put his stamp on the Flyers early and getting a potential two-way who can be physical is a great start.
18- Minnesota Wild
Tatcher Demko: Wild have a lot of depth in their organization besides in nets. Demko will be the one to change all that.
19- Tampa Bay Lightning
Julius Honka: Tampa Bay Lighting could use a pure offensive defenseman in their system that will one day help Stamkos, Drouin, Kucherov and others play to their strengths.
20- San Jose Sharks
Nikita Sherback: San Jose is retooling and they would be happy to such a talented player fall in their lap.
21- St-Louis Blues
Kasperi Kappanen: The Blues have drafted a lot of skilled players and Kappanen fits the mould very well. He will help provide solid secondary scoring for them.
22- Pittsburgh Penguins
Ivan Barbashev: Two-way player with some grit to his game, Barbashev is a safe bet to play in the NHL who is smart enough to be used in any role.
23- Colorado Avalanche
Jakub Vrana: High-end talent who relies on his offence at times but should fit in well with the current group of young forwards.
24- Anaehim Ducks
Dominick Masin: Teams never have too much depth at defence and the Ducks can use this type of two-way defenseman in their system.
25- Boston Bruins
Sonny Milano: While the Bruins are known for their toughness and physicality they are not adverse to drafting such an extremely skilled player.
26- Montreal Canadiens
Adrian Kempe: Habs go with the Swedish player that is raw but is a smart, hard working forward who can help in any situation.
27- Chicago Black Hawks
David Pasternak: Pasternak is the best player available at this point so the Lightning add more skill to their system.
28- Tampa Bay Lightning
Brendan Lemieux: A little sandpaper to go with their skilled forward won’t hurt and Lemieux does have some talent.
29- L.A Kings
Nick Schmaltz: Not only do the Kings win the cup but the very talented Schmaltz falls in their lap. Still has some developing to do but they are in a position where they can afford to be patient.
30- N.J. Devils
John Quenneville: Not the most spectacular player that will be drafted but his steadiness and intelligence makes him the type of safe pick that the Devils may chose.
To order the Mckeen’s hockey draft guide and all our other great products, please visit http://www.mckeenshockey.com/
In anticipation of the 2014 NHL entry draft, Mckeen’s hockey scout Rick Springhetti shares his personal rankings of his top 30 NHL draft prospects. Today’s article focuses on his top 15 NHL entry draft prospects.
15- Nikita Schcrback, RW, Saskatoon
Extremely creative forward who makes excellent reads, Scherback has the hands and skating ability to manufacture offence and almost every shift.
14- Robby Fabbri, Centre Guelph
While there are some concerns over his smaller frame, Fabri has constantly improved his play during the season. A quick skater who is always moving his feet, he’s fearless and quick to take advantage of scoring opportunities.
13- Jared McCann, Centre, Sault St-Marie
Coaches love McCann’s attention to detail, work ethic and two-way play. At worse, he can be a very good two-way player but there could be some untapped offensive potential.
12- Jack Dougherty, Defence, USNTDP
Diligent, hard-working defenseman, Dougherty can really contribute offensively while still taking care of business in his own end.
11- Brendan Perlini, LW, Niagara
Pure offensive player with size and skating ability, Perlini is a finesse player who always looks to take a shot on net with no hesitation.
10- Brendan Fleury, Defense, Red Deer
Big defenseman who helps produce offence in many ways, be it with his ability to rush the puck up the ice, a solid first pass or a hard shot that hits the net
9- William Nylander, Centre, Sodertalje (Sweden)
Smaller forward who uses all areas of the ice to create scoring opportunities. Very unpredictable with the puck on his stick and excels at zone entries
8- Nick Ritchie, LW, Peterborough
Big, tough winger who can overpower almost any opponent, Ritchie also possess underrated skating and puck handling ability
7- Jake Virtanen, RW, Calgary
Physically aggressive forward with excellent speed, Virtanen will barrel through anyone when he gets a scoring opportunity
6- Nikolaj Ehler, LW, Halifax
A fantastic skater who handles the puck very well, Ehler is an undersized forward with an uncanny ability to make creative plays while moving at full speed.
5- Sam Reinhart, Centre, Kootenay
Probably the most intelligent forward at the draft, Reinhart makes great reads in all areas of the ice and his vision and passing ability while not spectacular but very effective.
4- Michael Dal Colle, LW, Oshawa
An extremely creative player in the offensive zone, Dal Colle has the abilities needed to take advantage of every scoring opportunity that comes his way.
3- Leon Draistail, Centre, Prince Albert
German forward with size, he excels at creating offensive due to his vision and soft hands.
2- Sam Bennet, Centre, Kingston
Intense center with a ton of skills, Bennett plays the game with speed, courage and smarts. Hard-nosed warrior who makes his teammates better.
1- Aaron Ekblad, Defense, Barrie
Complete two-way defenseman who can log a ton of minutes at a very young age, Ekblad is the total package both mentally and physically.
To order the Mckeen’s hockey draft guide and all our other great products, please visit http://www.mckeenshockey.com/