Monday notes

Still plugging away on the prospects stuff. Looking at the poll, I think we might have some ballot-stuffing going on from a Brandon fan or two since that team went from about 10 votes to about 35 overnight. I have no way to enforce that people only vote once in this poll, so all I can say is just please play nicely. Every team is going to get done eventually no matter how many or few votes they might get.

For today, if you want an interesting read, you should check out Mike Remmerde's blog, NHL Draft Notes. Mike is a scout for the independant NHL scouting service, Red Line Report, and for the last few days he has been posting his analysis of a good number of the WHL's top prospects. Want to know what somebody who actually gets paid to scout possible NHL players thinks of some of your favourite draft-eligibles this year? Check it out.....

One more thing about Mike Remmerde's comments.....I know he sounds critical of some of the kids and I know that isn't going to play well with some fans. But you have to remember that an NHL scout's job is not to analyze how well a kid does against WHL competition but rather to project how he might do against NHL competition starting in three or four years. All of these players are very good players at the WHL level and sometimes as WHL fans it might look like they don't have many faults. But keep in mind that almost every single player in the NHL was also a big star when he was junior aged. At the WHL level, future NHL prospects are playing against (typically) no more than 2 or 3 future NHLers on each opposing team. At the NHL level, it will be like playing against a CHL all-star team. A defenceman who is a little slow of foot can probably get by at the WHL level because most of his opponents probably are too, but at the NHL level he'll get burned. A goaltender who is a little weak on high shots might be OK in the WHL because most WHL forwards can't consistently pick those top corners, but in the NHL they can and the kid will get lit up. A WHL forward who needs that extra half-second to find the open man can probably still put up the points in the WHL, but at the NHL level the defenceman will tie him up before he can get the pass away. It goes on and on...so scouts have to focus on those weaknesses. It's their job to come up with reasons why a kid might NOT play in the NHL just as much as it is to come up with reasons why he WILL. Just keep that in mind....