RWC Releases their Preliminary Prospect Rankings

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Article courtesy of Red Wings Central.

By Matthew Wuest - RedWingsCentral.com / November 26, 2009

Jakub Kindl has his shortcomings, but he also has a future with on the Detroit Red Wings’ blue line — and that future will begin in 2010.

The third-year pro checks in at No. 1 on Red Wings Central’s preliminary 2009-10 prospect ranking, in part because he’s about 10 months away from cracking Detroit’s opening-day roster next season and in part because he’s a 6-foot-3, 202-pounder with the raw skill to be a top-four NHL defender.

Kindl, who is still a work in progress with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, recently signed a three-year, $2.65-million contract extension that will most certainly put him in the NHL in 2010. It’s a one-way pact and he must clear waivers to be sent to the minors for a fourth season, plus the Red Wings may need to replace unrestricted free agent Brett Lebda.

He has a goal, nine assists and a plus-3 rating through 16 games this season.

When Kindl is confident and on his game, he’s a mobile puck-mover who can run a power play and take care of his own end. When he’s struggling, he’s prone to turnovers and defensive miscues. The Red Wings believe he plays better with and against better players, when he has less time and space with the puck and is forced to rely on instinct than try and do too much on his own.

The 22-year-old was selected 19th overall in 2005 — Detroit’s highest selection in two decades and ahead of Justin Abdelkader — but the Red Wings have been patient with his development and hope it pays off.

Here’s the rest of the ranking.

2. G Thomas McCollum, Grand Rapids (AHL). McCollum is the best goaltending prospect the Red Wings have had in decades. A former junior walk-on who ended up a first-round NHL draft choice, McCollum is already showing he can start in the AHL and is well ahead of the development curve.

3. F Tomas Tatar, Grand Rapids (AHL). The Red Wings liken Tatar to a faster version of Jiri Hudler, and Tatar came to training camp and earned himself an AHL job in Grand Rapids. With his speed, skill and spunk, Tatar is looking like a second-round steal and a future top-six forward.

4. D Brendan Smith, Wisconsin (NCAA). Bouncing back after being a healthy scratch earlier this year, Smith is simply too good offensively to keep down. Skilled defensemen such as the Rangers’ Michael Del Zotto and the Flyers’ Matt Carle are shining examples of why Smith has a bright future.

5. F Landon Ferraro, Red Deer (WHL). A knee injury has marred Ferraro’s progress, but he’s still a terrific prospect. Once he finds his legs, he should shoot the lights out in Red Deer. The Red Wings got first-round value on Ferraro in the second round and the goal-scoring center will be a great pro.

6. F Cory Emmerton, Grand Rapids (AHL). A young AHL sophomore, Emmerton has tremendous smarts and playmaking ability to go along with a reliable defensive game. He’s still learning to bring intensity on a nightly basis, but when he gets it fired up, he looks like a legitimate NHL forward.

7. F Joakim Andersson, Frolunda (SEL). Andersson sometimes gets forgotten because he plays in Europe, but he’s an outstanding prospect who is developing in the Swedish Elite League. He’s a big, strong checker with solid skills to boot and his skating — long a weakness — keeps improving.

8. F Gustav Nyquist, Maine (NCAA). An RWC favorite, Nyquist has plenty going for him and continues to make huge strides in the NCAA ranks. Nyquist’s hands, hockey sense and defensive smarts are his best assets, but he will need to get knocked around less to excel as a pro.

9. F Andrej Nestrasil, Victoriaville (QMJHL). The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is a top-20 scorer in the QMJHL and should absolutely dominate in 2010-11 as a 19-year-old. With his combination of size, hands and puck-protection ability, there is plenty to be excited about. Nestrasil could start rising quickly.

10. F Mattias Ritola, Grand Rapids (AHL). Blessed with terrific stick skills and natural hockey sense, Ritola continues to round out his game. It’s still not clear where he’ll fit in on an NHL roster, but he is showing he can play. When roster spots open up in Detroit next fall, Ritola will be a candidate to step in.

11. G Daniel Larsson, Grand Rapids (AHL). Larsson is a solid AHL goaltender who provides excellent depth for the Red Wings, already getting call-ups as their third-stringer. What isn’t clear just yet is whether Larsson has the stuff to start or if he’s more of a Joey MacDonald-type third-stringer.

12. F Dick Axelsson, Grand Rapids (AHL). Axelsson is an ultra-skilled project who will either figure it out and be a top-six scoring forward or spend his career as a point-producer in the Swedish Elite League. His early progress in the AHL has been positive, but he has yet to fully break through.

13. D Brian Lashoff, Kingston (OHL). In a late-season AHL call-up to Grand Rapids in 2008-09, Lashoff made more of an impact than the No. 1 guy on this list, Jakub Kindl. That’s a sign of Lashoff’s impressive upside, and the free-agent gem is a solid prospect in the Kyle Quincey mold.

14. D Max Nicastro, Boston U. (NCAA). He’s a long way from being on anyone’s radar, a project who is in the first of what will likely be four seasons at Boston University. But he’s a jack-of-all-trades defenseman who could assert himself as a blue-chip prospect as his raw skills come together.

15. F Jan Mursak, Grand Rapids (AHL). The numbers are still slow to follow, but Mursak is doing the a lot of things right and could be poised to bust out in the near future. He’s speedy and slippery with great skills but is still figuring out how to get the job done against big, strong AHL opponents.

16. F Brent Raedeke, Edmonton (WHL). Raedeke is likely never going to put big numbers on the board, but he’s showing the right stuff to become a checking-line role player with his progress in the WHL. A point-per-game player, the speedy Raedeke plays with hustle and spirit and is all over the ice.

17. F Francis Pare, Grand Rapids (AHL). Pare had an outstanding rookie campaign in Grand Rapids while signed to an AHL contract. But since he signed his two-year pact with Detroit, his production has slowed. He’s still a savvy, intelligent offensive player who fits the Red Wings’ style of play.

18. F Willie Coetzee, Red Deer (WHL). He’s a talented water bug with outstanding creativity, and he’s one of the most productive junior prospects the Red Wings have had in years. He’s a scoring-line prospect, but he’ll have to get more well-rounded and stronger to have an NHL shot.

19. D Sergei Kolosov, Grand Rapids (AHL). Compared to Andreas Lilja, Kolosov won’t make any headlines and goes about his business quietly. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder takes care of his own end first has a chance at being an NHL depth defenseman, if the Red Wings have room.

20. D Logan Pyett, Grand Rapids (AHL). Pyett still has a long way to go defensively before he’ll move up the charts, but he has improved this season and the points are starting to come, too. He is a highly-skilled power-play quarterback who the Red Wings compare in style to John-Michael Liles.

21. D Gleason Fournier, Rimouski (QMJHL). The swift-skating blueliner is putting up good numbers despite playing through a shoulder injury.

22. F Julien Cayer, Clarkson (NCAA). He’s a big, bruising forward who has yet to find consistency or a scoring touch in the NCAA.

23. F Mitchell Callahan, Kelowna (WHL). The scrapping, agitating winger has improved offensively and is working on his skating.

24. D Adam Almqvist, HV-71 (SWE-J20). His numbers are unreal in the Swedish under-20 league, but he’s not even a featherweight.

25. D Nick Jensen, Green Bay (USHL). He’s a very raw but very skilled defensive prospect who the Red Wings will be patient to develop.

GRADUATED/INELIGIBLE: Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino, Ryan Oulahen

Looks good to me aside from a few points:

--> It's insane that Larsson isn't even in the top 10, let alone the top 5. This kid's excelled at every level he's played-- over the last two years he's been the SEL top goaltender award winner and an AHL all-star. This season he's been fantastic.

--> McCollom is slightly overrated here due to his draft position, although he deserves to be top 5.

--> Andersson is overrated by 5-10 spots.

--> Axelsson's ranking seems to have been effected by the Swedish interview where he indicated he's not happy in the AHL.

--> Smith is overrated by about 5 spots. He's yet to put a healthy season together and hasn't even graduated from college hockey yet. I'm still waiting for him to break out.

--> Ferraro is slightly overrated based on draft position, but there hasn't been many hockey games since the draft and he was injured early, so I can forgive that.

Edit: spelling

Edited November 26, 2009 by Drake_Marcus