Here are the Bass rankings for Nos. 1-5 for the 2008 NHL Draft prospects:
1. Steven Stamkos—C, 5'11", 176, 61-58-47-105-88, Sarnia Sting, OHL
Stamkos, ranked No. 1 by International Scouting Services Inc. (ISS), is the flat-out top prospect in this summer's draft, no questions asked. He is an unbelievable player on both sides of the puck. He has ability, talent, skating, agility, speed, and the physical body to play in the NHL. This is one No. 1 pick that won't be a bust.
2. Nikita Filatov—LW, 6'0", 165, 23-24-23-47-62, Central Army, Rus.2
Filatov is ranked No. 2 by the ISS. He is not going to be picked this high in the draft for the sole reason of the transfer agreement between Russia and the NHL. But, in my mind, he is the second-best player in this draft. If there were no problems getting him to North America, he could possibly challenge Stamkos for the No. 1 spot. He is fast, physical, and has all the moves of Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin combined.
3. Drew Doughty—D, 6'0", 219, 58-13-37-50-68, Guelph Storm, OHL
Doughty, ranked No. 4 by the ISS, is, in my mind, the best defenseman in this draft. If you go only on numbers and stats, then Zach Bogosian is higher. But Doughty is the complete defenseman. He can play defense in the slot, behind the net, and at the point, while having the speed to fly up onto offense and start a rush the other way. He can also pinch in the offensive zone without fear, because he has the speed to make it back onto defense quickly. The other plus? Doughty is still improving, meaning he can still play better hockey.
4. Alex Pietrangelo—D, 6'3", 206, 60-13-40-53-94, Niagra Icedogs, OHL
Pietrangelo, ranked No. 5 by the ISS, is also a great defenseman in this draft, easily a top-five pick. He is not as fast as Drew Doughty, nor Bogosian, but he is still an unbelievable defender that will be able to contribute on both sides of the puck. He will be a great find for whichever team grabs him.
5. Zach Bogosian—D, 6'2", 197, 60-11-50-61-72, Peterborough Petes, OHL
Bogosian, ranked No. 3 by the ISS, is just as good as the two defenseman ranked before him. However, I rank him this low simply because I think that Doughty and Pietrangelo's styles will work much better in the NHL. Don't get me wrong, Bogosian will be a great top defenseman in the years to come, but if I were a scout, I would rather take Doughty. Either way, Bogosian has great skating ability, great passing ability, and the great hockey sense that is needed to succeed in today's NHL.
All three of the defenseman that I ranked 3-5 are great finds, either way, and it is hard to figure out which one is better. Bogosian will have the best immediate impact, but it will be between Dought and Pietrangelo for who will have the best careers. I stand by my rankings, and this is how I would pick if I were an NHL scout or GM.
comments (2) write a comment »
write a new comment
4 months ago
Very nice article! Couldn't agree more about Filatov.
If there was a transfer agreement in place, and any other team besides TB was drafting, I think he'd go #1 overall.
4 months ago
Good article, you made some good points, but I still think Bogosian is going second overall. I have heard some rumblings (I watched nearly every game Bogosian played) and it seems that Bogosian will go second
write a new comment