Team Orr Takes It

Photo by Brad Watson

Last night, 40 of the Canadian Hockey League's players took part in the Top Prospects Game and given that there would be people in the NHL watching this game, expectations were certainly high for the potential first round picks.  Team Orr took home the 4-3 win over Team Cherry and Jared McCann of Sault Ste. Marie took home player of the game honors, as he scored the game winner for Team Orr.

The top ranked player in the NHL Central Scouting midterm ranking amongst North American skaters Sam Bennett of Kingston did not participate in the game due to injury.  However, his teammates Roland McKeown and Spencer Watson did participate, with each player on opposite teams.  Chase De Leo (ranked 26th) hopes to make it five straight years in which a Portland Winterhawks player has been drafted in the first round, and his lone contribution to the game was two penalty minutes.  Peterborough's Nicholas Ritchie also played in the Top Prospects Game, and he ranks seventh in the most recent NHL Central Scouting rankings amongst North American skaters.  He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Jordan Staal (2006), Zach Bogosian (2008), Zack Kassian (2009), Austin Watson (2010), Matt Puepmel (2011), and Slater Koekkoek (2012) as recent first round picks to have come from Peterborough.  The QMJHL breaks into that category at number 12 with Moncton's Ivan Barbashev, who also participated in the game.  As for North American goalies, Alex Nedeljkovic of Plymouth is the top ranked of the Canadian Hockey League at this point in the season.

Clearly, at this point in the season, it looks like it will be neck and neck between the OHL and the WHL as to who will be best represented at the NHL Draft in June, and don't be surprised if it also happens for the first overall pick.