Prince George CougarsDale Hunt: His skating has hurt his ability to be productive in the WHL, but his hands are good enough for a middle round pick on their own. Could go anywhere in the second half of the draft.
Alex Poulter: Was on fire early and had NHL guys making extra trips to see him, but there's enough trouble with his skating and effort level that might cause him to get passed over completely. But he could be a late pick.
Ian Curtis: High expectations on him coming into the season in Swift Current, but the trade to the Cougars and the spotty playing time hurt his development and made him hard to see. It's possible someone will take a late flier on him just on his size and natural ability, but I'm doubtful that will happen.
Parker Stanfield: Hard working guy has some hands and could be a last round pick.
Others: Patrik Magnusson was passed over the last two drafts, but the mere fact that NHL guys got to see a lot more of the mammoth blueliner this year might be enough to get some team to finally grab him. Jan Kupec and Trevor Bauer weren't very noticeable and aren't likely to be on any lists. And Joel Danyluk probably didn't have more than a handful of scouts who even saw him once this season.
Looking Ahead to 2009: Justin Maylan looked very slick and skilled after coming over from the Warriors in a trade, but he'll have to bulk up a bit to move into the early rounds. Art Bidlevski has some toughness and enough puck skill that he'll be a guy who would move up next year. His mediocre skating makes him a middle rounder at best, as of now. Corey Tyrell has his brother's good skating stride, but not quite his hands. But he'll still be on the radar. And hard working Ryan Kowalski will be worth watching, but he'll have to improve his skating a bit and find a way to chip in offensively next year.
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