NHL Scouting Combine 2012: Future Stars You Must Know Before Draft Day

With the 2012 NHL draft scheduled to commence on June 22 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, it’s time to get down to business and scout some prospects with the help of the NHL combine.

Just like the NFL combine, this is the perfect chance for scouts to get a great overview of the talent pool. With players from all over the world in one spot, scouts will be on a feeding frenzy to find the next big star.

All of the following talents will be household names sooner or later, so as a fan of the NHL, you need to learn all you can about these future stars.

NHL Scouting Combine Schedule

Where: International Centre in Toronto, Canada

When: Monday, May 28 through Saturday, June 2

Watch: Friday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TSN

No. 1: Nail Yakupov

There is no better player coming out of this draft than Nail Yakupov. The “Fail for Nail” campaign was in full swing last season, especially after the young star scored 80 goals and 170 points in 107 games over his two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League.

The Russian-born right wing played for Sarnia in the OHL and dominated the league like few others have. While some scouts are concerned by the 19-year-old’s size (5'10"), he more than makes up for it with grit and determination.

The most flattering comparison I have found about him is to fellow Russian star Pavel Bure. Yakupov is a huge fan of Bure, but NHL faithful will become ever bigger fanatics of the young star if he arrives in the NHL and dominates like his hero.

No. 2: Filip Forsberg

The top European player of 2012 is Leksand, Sweden’s standout center Filip Forsberg. While he is not related to NHL great Peter Forsberg, there are many similarities between their games.

While the younger Forsberg has the size (6'2") to be a dominant force in the NHL, his lack of production in big moments (one assist in six games during the 2012 World Junior Championships) has many teams concerned about the transition to the NHL.

There is no questioning his raw talent, but Forsberg needs to find a team that can put in a long-term plan to develop the star properly. Rushing this young skater along will be nothing but a detriment to his progress.

No. 3: Ryan Murray

While there is nothing surefire in any sport’s draft, whatever team grabs Ryan Murray will be snagging arguably the best defenseman coming out this year.

With that said, Murray is so much more than that.

After captaining his junior team as well as Team Canada at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships and becoming an on-ice leader while representing Canada at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships, Murray is the best leader of 2012.

In summation, Murray is not only one of the best defensive defensemen in this draft, he can add goals and assists (62 points this season) while leading the team on and off the ice to a higher level. In other words, Murray will be the best player in hindsight from the 2012 draft.

Check back for more on the National Hockey League as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s NHL page to get your fill of all things hockey.

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