By Daniel Chan -
Finally, we reach the top of the rankings.
And if you want to watch the Wild prospects in action, catch them during the World Junior Championships. Guys like Johan Larsson, Mikael Granlund and Jonas Brodin are being showcased.
Earlier in the year, we did a readers poll on our top prospects. What has changed over the course of the last few months? Take the jump and find out!
Here were the results from the Readers Poll:
The now complete rankings are at the bottom of post!
"He's very calm," said Jeff, a 15-year NHL goalie. "He looked very calm in the net. He's got quick feet. They say that's his strength. As he's developing here as a pro, he's reading the play better. I think he just loves being a goalie. He loves the competitiveness of the position."Hackett has quietly built up an impressive resume, playing for the Houston Aeros last season.
He help lead the team to the Calder Cup Finals in his first year with the Aeros, and this season, he played two impressive games with the Minnesota Wild, picking up 2 wins, a 0.974 save percentage and a 1.01 GAA. These two games won him the NHL's second star of the week.
"Jason doesn't really have a weakness," Blais said. "He's a leader at the University. He's fast and tough, finishes checks and blocks shots. I can see a future for him in the NHL. He's a leader and he's the type of player who rubs off on others in a positive way."I doubt Zucker will become an offensive superstar, but does anyone care really? He skates hard, checks hard, blocks shots, great character, decent offensive potential. He is pretty much a jack-of-all-trades type of guy.
And you love guys like that on your team.
Zucker is the type of player you put on the 3rd line with your energy guys, but who also can be a real offensive threat. Who says you can't have 3 scoring lines AND two checking bottom lines? Zucker is the type of guy who can make that happen.
He has 24 points in 18 games, is the captain for U20 Team USA, and has pretty much accomplished everything that could have been accomplished. Don't be surprised to see the Wild trying to sign him by the end of the season.
Great stuff from Dan Stewart
He points out the great thing about Brodin: he plays great everywhere. He isn't the flashy dynamic offensive defenseman or that big hulky physical defensive defenseman, but he will move the puck swiftly up the ice, win the puck in his own zone, and that is really all you can ask for.
One flaw was that he was extremely skinny on draft day, around 166 lbs. Now, he is at 180lbs, so another summer of eating food and muscle building will have him at an acceptable 190lbs.
One major question is whether he could powerplay the Swedish team and produce offensively: he has 2 points in 1 game during his 9-4 win over Latvia, so it seems he is on the right track.
Probably a surprise at #2 since not many know who Johan Larsson is, but if you look at his resume, you'll understand why. He is the captain for the Swedish Team, and if you look at the graph below, you'll realize just how important he is to Sweden.
The graph shows who's the most important player, and who's the best player on the team, survery done by the players of team Sweden (thanks Joe89 from HFboards)
Like Zucker, Larsson is a guy you can put anywhere in your team and he'll do great. He can be an offensive threat but he can also be a defensive specialist.
Read the recent article I wrote on Larsson - Link
aka Baby Jesus
And hype there is!
Granlund has done everything he could possibly have done since being drafted by the Wild. There is no higher point than being considered one of the top players in the Finnish League. Sure, he could cement his spot as THE best player in the SEL, but just being considered as a 20-year old is more than enough.
Watch the Wild pursue him like crazy and sign him to the NHL. There are questions of whether he can adapt to the smaller North American rinks and the more physical play of the NHL. Will he be an immediate top six forward for the Wild, or will he need some time to develop with the Houston Aeros. We'll never know until he finally gets here, which is very, VERY soon.
Here is the updated rankings:
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