Here’s a review of TSN’s Top 10 Mid-Season Draft Rankings, beyond Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson and Michkov:
1. Connor Bedard. He isn’t as strikingly fast as Connor McDavid, he’s not as big and strong as Auston Matthews, he’s not as complete as Sidney Crosby, he doesn’t have the wingspan of Mario Lemieux, but his otherworldly release and shot combined with sublime vision and playmaking ability, plus the innate ability to rise to the occasion with moments of greatness on the biggest stage and somehow exceed excessive expectations has established him as “special,” a unique talent who has it, whatever it is.
2. Adam Fantilli. At 6-foot-2 and close to 200 pounds, the University of Michigan freshman centre from the Greater Toronto Area has elite size, strength and is an incredible skater, one of the very best in the draft. He’s a shoot-first goal-scoring pivot with some bite and projects as a potential lower-case No. 1 or upper-case No. 2 NHL centre.
3. Leo Carlsson. The Swedish centre, who can also play on the wing, is a smooth-skating, smart and skilled dual threat to score and make plays. His 6-foot-3, almost 200-pound frame provides a power element to his slick offensive game and he, too, like Fantilli, is projected as a 1B or 2A NHL centre.
4, Matvei Michkov. At 5-10 and 172 pounds, the Russian left-shot right winger may be the truest comparable to Bedard in this draft, an elite goal-scorer and gifted offensive talent who projects as a dynamic top-line NHL winger.
5. Zach Benson. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Winnipeg Ice left winger has elite hockey sense, skill and drive that allow him to make plays and score goals in high-traffic areas. His multi-faceted toolbox overshadows any question about his size, or lack thereof. He projects as a 1B or 2A NHL winger.
6. Will Smith. The U.S. National Development Team U-18 centre is a shade under 6 feet tall but many scouts identify him as having the highest hockey IQ in the entire draft. He uses a vast array of offensive skills to drive a line alongside fellow first-round prospects Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault (son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault). Scouts say the trio, led by Smith, is the most dominant line in all of junior-age hockey.
7. Brayden Yager. The Moose Jaw Warrior heady sub 6-footer is arguably the most proficient two-way centre in the draft. He generates notable offence, especially on the power play, but plays a committed and mature defensive game and can also kill penalties. Scouts are not saying he’s Patrice Bergeron 2.0 but they are saying he approaches the game with the same mindset as the NHL’s premier two-way centre.
8. Colby Barlow. The Owen Sound Attack captain has a big-time shot and effectively uses his sturdy frame in the corners, on the wall and in front of the net to play a prototypical pro goal-scoring winger game. He has great leadership and intangibles, but also happens to be one of the draft’s better goal scorers.
9. Dalibor Dvorsky. The 6-foot-1 Slovak centre who plays in Sweden is a physically strong and capable, heady two-way centre who is not without good offensive instincts. But scouts are trying to discern if he has the higher-end skills to put up bigger offensive numbers. Those scouts who believe he has a higher offensive ceiling than he’s shown are more likely to rate him closer to five than 10.
10. Ryan Leonard. The sturdy 190-pound right winger can play physically and do the required heavy lifting on a top offensive line, but his skill – especially his shot – is high end. He is projected as a top-six NHL winger.
