Top 5 NHL Draft Prospects Not Named Taylor or Tyler

Everyone is raving about Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin for this year's upcoming NHL Entry Draft, taking place in Los Angeles, California in June. But what people seem to forget is that there are over 200 more players that will be drafted in addition to Hall and Seguin.

Does anyone truly know the names of the other top prospects for this year's draft?

Here is a list of the top five draft eligible players for the 2010 entry draft that are NOT named Taylor or Tyler.

Brett Connolly, F, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Injuries are a funny thing. Sometimes it kills a player’s draft stock, sending them pummeling down the boards of most NHL teams.

However, other times, it simply leaves scouts wanting more, teasing them just a little bit.

Brett Connolly seems to be in the latter category.

Having an incredible rookie season, Connolly—a member of the Prince George Cougars—became the first 16-year-old WHL rookie to score 30 goals in a season since Patrick Marleau in 1995-96.

This season, though, Connolly suffered a hip injury that has sidelined him for most of the season. Up to that point, he had put up 19 points in 16 games, on pace for extraordinary numbers that would be among the league leaders if he kept it up. In fact, the 2009 CHL Rookie of the Year probably is among the best of the WHL.

"He puts the puck in the net, he's got good size, great on-ice awareness," one scout said. "He's not a crasher or a banger, but he finishes his checks. He does everything well."

He is ranked third by NHL Central Scouting among North American players, which is where many NHL teams have him as well.

"He's going to be a special player," another scout said. "He's got it all. He can make things happen all by himself. He looks like he's going to be a natural leader. There aren't too many 16-year-olds that can step up and be a leader for a team, especially in the (WHL). He's just a young kid but he showed up to play every night for them."

The 6'2", 181 lbs right winger has been consistent when healthy, and is being looked at as a possible top five draft pick in this year’s entry draft in Los Angeles.

Connolly, a native of Prince George, won a silver medal at the 2009 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, and also was a member of Team Canada at the 2009 World U18 Championships.

“He has a great frame, but is still filling out,” one scout said. “Injury is killing him right now. But he has good puck control, finds open ice, good hand-eye coordination, and is smart and patient with the puck.”

He is incredibly strong on the puck, often able to maneuver his way through multiple defenders en route to the net. He also has great hockey sense and instincts in the offensive zone. He must work on his defensive game and, although he is not as fast as most NHL scouts would like, there is much room for improvement over the next few years.

Connolly is not expected to step into the NHL immediately in the 2010-11 season, so any team drafting him would have to have a fair amount of patience as he rehabs from his injury and further develops his skill. Either way, whichever team drafts Connolly will be happy with the product they get in return.

Cam Fowler, D, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

In the last few year’s we’ve seen a boom in prospects coming from the United States: Patrick Kane, James van Riemsdyk, John Moore, Zach Bogosian, Colin Wilson, and more.

However, defenseman Cam Fowler may be the best of them all.

Already being compared to Scott Niedermeyer, Fowler was a key member of the United States’ gold medal World Junior Championship team this past year. He is an incredible playmaker and one of the fastest skaters in the Canadian League.

“He has good poise with the puck,” says one scout. “He makes smart reads on the ice, shows good anticipation, is physical when he needs to be, and has a good point shot.”

Having been brought up through the US National Developmental program, NHL teams know he has been in good hands. In his second season with the US-NTDP, he scored 40 points in 47 games, then exploded in his rookie OHL season, averaging a point per game, scoring 55 points on 47 assists for the Windsor Spitfires. He hopes to lead them to another Memorial Cup championship this year.

Fowler had originally committed to play US College Hockey at Notre Dame when he was 15, then wound up breaking that commitment for a chance to play with Taylor Hall and a possible Memorial Cup.

"Notre Dame was very good to me,” Fowler said, “And Coach Jackson has been like a mentor. It was just decided, after a lot of talking and analyzing with my family and advisers, that the full schedule and competition of junior hockey was the best avenue for me."

But that hasn’t changed the scouts’ opinions of the dominant defenseman.

"Pure, pure talent," said another scout. "Before this season even started, I had him with Taylor Hall as the two players guaranteed to go in the first five overall picks. I think he would have benefited playing for Jackson in South Bend and it would not have had any effect on his draft ranking.”

Fowler has incredible speed, as is evident by his performance at the OHL Skills Competition and the NEXT Testing CHL Prospect game. His feet movement is dazzling, and his ability to keep control of the puck while turning through defenders is unprecedented in recent draft years.

Though he is the fifth-ranked player for the draft, you can guarantee that he will be a top tier defender for any team for the next decade-and-a-half.

Erik Gudbranson, D, Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)

Erik Gudbranson, a 16-year-old defenseman last season, began his rookie season as the captain of his Kingston Frontenacs.

Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Let’s read that again.

He was the captain of his Canadian Major Junior team as a 16-year-old rookie!

"Coming in as a rookie you don't ever expect that, it's never in the book that a rookie gets a 'C,'" Gudbranson said early last season. "It's a true honor and I'll wear it with pride."

He started that season winning gold with Team Canada at the Ivan Ilinka Tournament, then put up 22 points in his first 63 games. The 6'4", 195 lbs defenseman is a powerful prospect that has many NHL scouts buzzing.

“There's no mistaking his physical presence on the ice,” a scout said. “He's tough in front, tough along the boards, finishes checks with authority."
The Orleans, Ontario native likes to model his game after Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Dion Phaneuf and Anaheim Ducks’ defenseman Scott Niedermeyer. He is a two sport athlete, as he used to play soccer as well, before he became more serious about a hockey career.

Gudbranson is already a very strong skater with great speed. He is a power play specialist, as he can quarterback the man advantage to perfection.
On the other side of the puck, he is very inconsistent. Sometimes, he’ll make a great stick check and create a rush going the other way, while other times, he is found in the wrong position.

The other thing scouts are missing occasionally is the toughness aspect of his game. Sometimes it’s there, but other times, he seems soft. "The one thing I've seen in him [this year] that I didn't see last year was his toughness," another scout said. "He threw some solid hits the other day, big open-ice hits. You really like to see that.”

This season with the Frontenacs, he equaled his point total from his rookie year, while playing in 22 less games (23 points in 41 games). He was also a plus-11, with 68 penalty minutes, which shows just how physical a presence he can be on the ice. He stands up for teammates and leads his team, as every captain should. The fourth-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, Gudbranson will be ready to step into the NHL in another year, yet don’t be surprised if he is on NHL ice in the 2010-11 season.

Emerson Etem, F, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

Shattuck-St. Mary’s school has given way to top notch hockey talent for decades. From the likes of Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews to Zach Parise and Kyle Okposo, the school is one of the most prestigious in the world when it comes to grooming future hockey players.

Emerson Etem, the 17-year-old center from the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, also graduated from Shattuck-St. Mary’s, then went on to play for the US Developmental Program, where he put up 33 points in 40 games as a 16-year-old.

Drafted in the sixth round, 115th overall by Medicine Hat in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft, Etem made his draft stock fly as he scored 37 goals and 65 points in 72 games of his rookie WHL season. He has continued his hot streak in the playoffs, putting up seven points in just eight games.

The Long Beach, California native will have plenty of company at the NHL Draft when it takes place in Los Angeles later this year. However, he still has much work to do if he hopes to get his name called early in the first round.

"He's had a real quick adjustment," Medicine Hat coach Willie Desjardins said. "He really wants to be a player. He worked hard in the offseason so he's in great physical shape. He knew a lot about our league coming in. He studied it, he researched it, he knew what he was getting into. He's adjusted real quickly.

"I thought if he had 25 goals this year, 30 goals, he'd have a pretty good year for us," Desjardins continued. "He's certainly passed my expectations. He's an exceptional skater, got real good speed and he's strong. When he goes down the wall teams have trouble containing him because of his speed."

The 6'0", 194 lbs center also has a great work ethic, and his coach sees it.

"He'll come in lots of times and ask to watch video," Desjardins said. "There aren't many players I've coached that have come in and asked for video and watched it on their own. He'll say, 'Coach, do you have a tape of our last game?' and he'll come in and watch it."

"He has world-class speed and is incredibly creative off the rush,” Sports Illustrated says. “He doesn't need a lot of room to make something happen. He has a great release that makes him a dynamic finisher."

"I felt that I do want to make it to the next level, and the quickest way possible is playing in the Western league," said Etem. "This organization, I think it's going to help me a lot. It feels like everyone is watching here. It's a lot of pressure but I like to feel that pressure. I set high standards for myself."

Mikael Granlund, F, HIFK (Fin)

The NHL has not had a dominant young Finnish superstar since Teemu Selanne, arguably. That may all change when Mikael Granlund becomes the first European player to be drafted when the 2010 NHL Entry Draft arrives in June.

Playing for HIFK’s junior team in the Finnish Elite League in the 2008-09 season, Granlund dominated the competition, scoring 57 points in just 35 games. After being promoted to the big league for the 2009-10 season, the 5'10", 180 lbs center put up 40 points in 43 games as a rookie in the second highest league in Europe.

"He doesn't have the same kind of intensity [as Saku Koivu],” a Sports Illustrated writer says, “But he's very clever with the puck and has a good shot. I like his confidence. He's a 17-year-old kid playing in the top league in Finland and he's third on his team in scoring. He's not fancy but he makes things happen."

Granlund only had three points in six games at the World Junior Championships on a disappointing Finland team, but he was one of the 2010 U-18 World Championship players as named by the coaches, he has been the top ranked European skater since the beginning of the year and continues to be the top ranked European after Central Scouting released their final rankings.

Scouts say he could be one of the best players ever to come out of Finland, and for good reason. Granlund dazzles the crowd every time he has the puck. He is one of the fastest skaters in his league, has a powerful and accurate shot, and can increase the stats of the players around him. Simply go to Youtube and search his name, and you will see a string of highlights of him threading the needle perfectly with passes that only guys like Sidney Crosby can make.

He is not very big, and NHL teams would like him to increase his size before coming over to North America, but he has proven that he can play against bigger players.

As a rookie, Granlund had a plus-12 rating, tied for the lead on a team that finished towards the top of the standings. This shows that he can not only create offense, but he is defensively committed and backchecks hard off the rush to prevent goals against.

The North American prospects are plentiful and no NHL teams are complaining of a lack of talent in this year’s draft, but don’t count Granlund out of the draft lottery teams. He could go towards the end of the first round, but he can just as easily go in the top 10.

There are always murmurs and rumors of European players as far as their commitment to the NHL and such, but don’t believe these for one second. Granlund has stated his desire to play in the NHL, and with his track record, don’t be shocked if a team calls his name in the top fifteen in June.