ISS Top 30
ISS Hockey Top 30 Ranked Prospects For 2013 NHL Draft
Published May 28, 2013
1 MacKinnon, Nathan C 9/1/1995 R 6.00 182 Halifax QMJHL
2 Jones, Seth RD 10/3/1994 R 6.03.5 208 Portland WHL
3 Drouin, Jonathan C 3/27/1995 L 5.10.75 185 Halifax QMJHL
4 Nichushkin, Valery F 3/4/1995 L 6.04 202 Chelyabinsk Traktor KHL
5 Barkov, Sasha F 9/2/1995 L 6.03 209 Tappara FinE
6 Nurse, Darnell LD 2/4/1995 L 6.03.5 189 S.S. Marie OHL
7 Lindholm, Elias C 12/2/1994 R 6.00 192 Brynas SweE
8 Zadorov, Nikita LD 4/15/1995 L 6.05.25 230 London OHL
9 Monahan, Sean C 10/12/1994 L 6.02 186 Ottawa OHL
10 Horvat, Bo C 4/5/1995 L 6.00.25 200 London OHL
11 Ristolainen, Rasmus RD 10/27/1994 R 6.04 207 TPS Turku FinE
12 Lazar, Curtis C 2/2/1995 R 5.11.75 193 Edmonton WHL
13 Shinkaruk, Hunter C 10/13/1994 L 5.11 175 Medicine Hat WHL
14 Pulock, Ryan RD 10/6/1994 R 6.00.5 211 Brandon WHL
15 Wennberg, Alexander C 9/22/1994 L 6.01.5 190 Djurgarden SweJE
16 Burakowsky, Andre LW 2/9/1995 L 6.01.5 178 Malmo SweAl
17 Santini, Steve RD 3/7/1995 R 6.01.5 207 USA Under-18 NTDP
18 Gauthier, Frederik C 4/26/1995 L 6.05 210 Rimouski QMJHL
19 Zykov, Valentin RW 5/15/1995 R 6.00 210 Baie-Comeau QMJHL
20 Rychel, Kerby LW 10/7/1994 L 6.01 200 Windsor OHL
21 Morrissey, Joshua LD 3/28/1995 L 5.11.75 182 Prince Albert WHL
22 Bowey, Madison RD 4/22/1995 R 6.00.75 200 Kelowna WHL
23 McCarron, Michael RW 3/7/1995 R 6.05 228 USA Under-18 NTDP
24 Mantha, Anthony LW 9/16/1994 L 6.04 190 Val-d'Or QMJHL
25 Domi, Max C 3/2/1995 L 5.09.25 193 London OHL
26 Compher, JT C 4/8/1995 R 5.10.5 184 USA Under-18 NTDP
27 Heatherington, Dillon LD 5/9/1995 L 6.03 196 Swift Current WHL
28 McCoshen, Ian LD 8/5/1995 L 6.02.5 205 Waterloo USHL
29 Petan, Nic C 3/22/1995 L 5.08.5 163 Portland WHL
30 Bigras, Chris LD 2/22/1995 L 6.00.5 189 Owen Sound OHL
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D5 Creation
Hey ISS world, I think you have a pretty solid list of first round talent. Just a couple of things that I would like to ask. On many lists I have seen Domi as high as 10 and this is probably the lowest I’ve seen him. I’d that based in how scouts believe his game will transition to the NHL, or size, or some other factor. Also what do you see him panning out to be in the NHL? Solid top 6 forward?
Also, how come Nurse is ahead of Lindholm and Monahan. I thought Lindholm was considered to be right behind Barkov, and that Monahan was considered to be right behind Lindholm. So in regards to this question, do you think Lindholm will project to being an average first liner in the NHL, and with Sean Monahan, do you think he has the talent of being a scoring first liner or more like a solid two way second line centre.
Thanks and I always enjoy seeing your rankings.
Cheers
[...] the tournament and title game belonged to MacKinnon, who was elevated to the No. 1 overall spot in International Scouting Services’ latest ranking last week. MacKinnon jumped Jones, a defenseman who was the hot commodity as 2013 rolled around. [...]
[...] Mooseheads of the Canadian Hockey League, Nathan MacKinnon recently supplanted Seth Jones in the ISS Top 30. MacKinnon is ready to make an immediate impact in the NHL as Dennis MacInnis of ISS alludes to [...]
[...] Nathan MacKinnon’s dominant performance at the 2013 Memorial Cup has boosted the Halifax Mooseheads forward back to the top of the International Scouting Services draft rankings. [...]
I’m surprised to see Horvat at the 10th, it’s interesting.
I would like to know a bit more about Michael McCarron. Does he looks like a Milan Lucic?
I Thought Morrissey would have a better ranking, may be instead of Horvat. Does Morrissey lost some ranks at the end of the season?
And finally, who could be the biggest surprise and be drafted really lower in these 30 prospects?
Thanks
Hi Dave,
Horvat has been gaining steam all season, and was lights out in the OHL playoffs. He is a complete player, and has quality leadership skills out there as well. Would be a solid pick up for any team….In terms of McCarron, I don’t think he is quite the physical player that was Lucic coming into the draft, but there may be some more offensive upside…..Morrisey is a good player, but our scouts felt he belonged at 21….As for the final question, you will need to pick up our draft guide and find out.
Curtis Lazar seems like a guy that can become a very solid player in the NHL. I noticed that he is little bit higher on this list than most. What makes him so high compared to other players?
Nichushkin in Dinamo 10 000 000$
[...] ISS: 16 [...]
–]No one else seems to have Horvat so high–why?
Why so low on Mantha? 50 goals even in the Q is impressive
Our scouts believe Horvat has all the around tools to be an immediate contributor in the NHL. His game well rounded, has solid leadership skills and his work ethic is terrific. Can’t speak for others, but our guys think Horvat will be a force….I won’t really comment much on Mantha, because I have not seen him play a lot, but I have been impressed with I have seen. I would not look so much as goals, and look at ceiling and role in the NHL. It’s not a knock at him at all, but guys like Nick Kypreos scored more than 50 goals in Jr., so not always wise to look only at stats.
With Mantha, it doesn’t always look like he cares or is working hard. They said the same about Mario, but it’s a concern.
[...] scouting services has Ristolanien ranked 11th overall among all skaters. TSN and NHL network’s Craig Button, who seems to be off the wall with some [...]
Rasmus is a very good prospect with a high end ceiling, but to look at him in the same way as Seth Jones is a reach. Jones is a special player, and while I still think Mackinnon may eventually play a bigger role in the NHL, there is no defensemen that really comes close.
I follow all major hockey leagues quite closely, and it’s such a treat to have my favourite teams in their respectable leagues, have so much top talent this year. Mooseheads’ MacKinnon, Drouin and Fucale, Traktor’s Nichuskin, Barkov from Tappara, and Lindholm from Brynäs. I’ve been spoiled watching these guys this year. That being said, I don’t think Drouin is as close of a talent to MacKinnon. Seeing every game, I believe Nate is and will be the far suprerior player. Jo has sick hamds but IMO, Nate will be more complete.
Hi Tendylife33. It is a great time of year to be a hockey fan with the NHL season winding down and playoff time in the CHL and NCAA. Lot of great hockey to watch all over the place….In terms of Drouin and Mackinnon, it’s a tough debate. Mackinnon is a poweful player, with exceptional speed and talent. Drouin’s vision, hockey sense and creativity are off the charts. With that said, I actually agree with you in terms of ceiling for each player. Mackinnon’s explosion, and doing everything with speed is a very special quality, and those flashes of #87 do exist. If he can be a bit more consistent, and let the game come to him a little more, he could be scary good.
tester…
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I like the rankings. I’m certainly loving the potential of a few sleepers in this draft class. First is JT Compher. I think he’s be a steal at 25th because of his versatility and work ethic. I see an all business, hard working kid who seems to have no glaring weaknesses. The kind of steady player that just plainly helps teams win. I also like Kerby Rychel as a sleeper. Strong skater, has a “sandpaper element” to his game, and can play in any and all situations and has great awareness and vision on the ice. Excited to see where these two go as they can be the steals of the first round. The only critique I have with these rankings is Sasha Barkov at 7th. I love the way he plays the game and commits to his defensive end. Great, balanced skill set that will only get better from here. Probably more of a top 5 skater. If he goes to the right organization, watch out for him to be future star of the NHL.
Hi Alex. Great feedback on the players. We like Compher a lot, and he is arguably the best US prospect in the draft, other than Jones of course. Rychel is a player that competes in all areas of the ice, and will certainly be a good piece to any team. We like Barkov quite a bit as well, but with the emergence of Drouin, Nichuskin and Nurse, Barkov has been pushed down the rankings. He is still a top prospect, but this is a deep top end, and guys will probably be moving up and down right up until the June draft.
I couldn’t agree more that this is a deep top end. I’m loving how dynamic the players are this year though. A great mix of all styles of play at so many different stages in the draft. There seems to be a little something for everyone in this year’s class. What do you think of Mirco Mueller? I see that he isn’t in your top 30 and he’s also missing on some of the nhl.com mock drafts. I’ve caught a couple of Everett games and this kid seems to have a below-the-radar skillset and can be just the puck-moving d-man that so many teams need. Another one that I’m seeing slide quite often is Oliver Bjorkstrand, talk about skill. The kid has an offensive upside that I’d put up against nearly anyone in this draft(keyword: nearly). He seems to do two things especially that stand out in my eyes: the speed of the game and lack of space don’t slow his skill down. He knows how to play in tight corners and at full speed. Can’t wait to see where his game goes once he gets stronger.
Thanks Alex. In terms of Mueller, he is a solid player, with hockey sense and a solid first pass. I have not seen him play often, but have been impressed with his skill level. I don’t see him as a top end guy, but should fall into a 4-6 role….Bjorkstrand has some high end talent, but has to put on some muscle. He is built like an RNH, and maybe even thinner. A lot of work to do in that area.
To add to what Alex Voihanski said, we have Mueller ranked at #46 as a solid 2nd rounder. We have Bjorkstrand ranked #74, making him a projected solid 3rd rounder.
Rychel will be a steal in the bottom half of the 1st, IMO.
Several pundits have questioned our selection of Valery Nichushkin as our #2 rated player. Scouting is an interesting profession, as it usually comes down to the opinion of one person against the opinion of another.
ISS has been doing this for over a decade and has gained an exemplary reputation in the industry for its work. We have one of the largest scouting staffs of any hockey operation in the world. We are not alway right, but we are always honest and call it like we see it.
Regarding Nichushkin’s move to #2 in our ISS Top 30, we thought it would make sense to discuss our reasoning. Also keep in mind that we are talking about 17 year old “boys”, so being in the top 30, top 10, top 5, top anything is an incredible achievement. Our job is to help our customers to make the best decisions they can when it’s their time to make their draft selections at the June NHL draft. There is still plenty of time between now and then to see these prospects in action, so movement will still occur in our ISS Top 30.
So we can use one word to describe Nichushkin: “UPSIDE”
This 17 year old is already playing in the KHL, the second best league in the world. He’s already 6’4″ and 204 lbs. We project him to be 6’5″ and 225 lbs. An experienced scout can see from his on ice swagger that he’s going to develop into a great hockey player. He has all the tools offensively (creativity, size, dynamic hands, and is a natural sniper). He is literally a highlight reel, with an ability to amaze with an up-ice rush.
His main issue right now is consistency shift to shift. We predict that he will overcome that as part of his development as he gets older and more mature.
We’ve been watching Nichushkin since he was 15, and we have been continually impressed by his development. If you’re not in any way convinced, take a look at this highlight video from a KHL game yesterday:
http://youtu.be/MIufJGCCPjQ
In hockey,
ISS Hockey
I wouldn’t apologize for a 2nd for putting Nichushkin in the 2nd slot. A skilled power forward is gold in the NHL. You cannot win a Cup without one and there aren’t very many to go around. Of course, the bigger issue with Nichushkin is the KHL. With a draft as deep as this one, you can’t afford to spend a top 10 pick on someone who many never play in No. America. I would either take Nichuskin #2 (behind MacKinnon) or in the 2nd round depending on how he answers the question “Son, where do you want to play hockey?” I would be more likely to question Jones at number 1 than Nuchuskin at 2. Jones just gets beat too often on the defensive end for my liking. Yes, you can teach defense easier than you can teach offense, but that question still remains for me.
Minnesota talent pool a little shallow this year?
mrraider18@hotmail.com Need a little more clarity on the question. Are you talking Wild prospects or current NHL lineup? Or are you talking about state of Minnesota prospects?
If you are talking Wild, both system and current have lots of talent. Their system is loaded with high end prospects like Coyle, Granlund, Dumba, Zucker, Lucia and more. Don’t need to mention the current talents they have, but they certainly will make some noise in the West this year.
As for MN Hockey. I would not say talent pool is thin, but may not be as deep as other years. Some MN players should go into the top 2-4 rounds though like Hudson Fasching, Connor Hurley and Teemu Kivihalme. Plenty of others as well for the later rounds.
With Jonathan Drouin play at the world JR’s he should be in the top 2. He has proven he can play with the top players, with his play on the top line he has show that he is a divers player. He play as a set up man or play as the key man. He has show that his defensive play is top notch.
Drouin had a very strong WJC
Sorry, pressed send a little too early. Drouin had a very strong WJC, and certainly did not look out of place playing with top guys. With that said, you can’t base things on one tournament. Have to look at the entire package, and what the ceiling of each player will be. Drouin may find himself in the top 3, but that will be determined on much more than WJC.