2008 Wrap - Kelowna

Kelowna Rockets

It will be a banner year at the draft for the Rockets, with two potentially very high first round picks getting called in Ottawa and possibly two other early round picks.

Luke Schenn: Am hearing he's likely to go between 4th and 7th overall. May be St. Louis' pick at #4 if they keep their pick. It's almost impossible for him to last beyond the 6th or 7th overall pick.

Tyler Myers: He's your first round wild card. Could be a top five. Don't be shocked if he goes before Schenn, I'm sure Central Scouting isn't the only group of scouts who like him more. If he isn't picked by about the 7th or 8th pick, phones will start ringing at tables as teams think about trying to move up to get him. Absolute worst case I can conceive for him would be to slide to about 12th overall or so.

Colin Long: Not sure where he'll go. Seems like 2nd or 3rd round is most likely. If teams are discounting his size and '89 birthdate more than I do, I suppose he could slide to the 4th or beyond.

Brandon McMillan: He's not high on my list, but I think there's some teams that see him as a 2nd rounder. So he could go there. I think the 3rd round is more likely, but I don't think he would slide much beyond the 75th pick.

Kyle St. Denis: Could be a late pick, maybe not at all. Not sure his first step quickness is quite what you would want it to be from such a small player.

Others: Riley McIntosh is not on my list, but he's got impressive size and showed a few flashes of ability. Possibly a late rounder. Tysen Dowzak was on my list two years ago just on pure projection. But he's now turned himself into a solid stay-at-home guy and could get a middle or late round call. Dylan Hood is also first year eligible and looks like a solid junior player, but I don't think he'll be picked.

Looking Ahead to 2009: Already arguing with my boss and colleagues over offensive blueline whiz Tyson Barrie. To me, he's not far behind where Thomas Hickey was at the same age, but his poor performance at the U-17 tournament has kept him lower on the '09 Red Line Report list than I want. Collin Bowman improved quite a bit between September and March and is knocking on the door of the 2nd round on my list. Evan Bloodoff works hard, has some speed, some hands, and will be worth keeping an eye on. Jesse Paradis is also on the radar.