Let's get 2 of: Gunler, Grans, Peterka, Wallinder, Guschin, Poirier, O'Rourke, Andrae and possibly Smilanic (played with broken hand this year)
45. Ty Smilanic — C, NTDP, 6-foot-1
Smilanic entered the year expected to lead this NTDP age group offensively. Unfortunately, a bout with mono, a high ankle sprain and a broken hand worked against some of those high hopes. After the BioSteel All-American Top Prospects Game, Smilanic spent the back half of the season with a cast on his top hand and the mitt of his glove cut out so that he could grip the knob. Eventually, NHL Central Scouting sent out a note to inform teams that he was playing injured. I was told that among his four outside fingers, only the index wasn’t in the cast. When he’s on, he’s got four-way quickness, standout puck protection skill and a knack for finishing plays around the net.