Bowman, Collin - D - Kelowna WHL

Collin Bowman / Kelowna Rockets WHL

D-R / 6-2.25, 200 / 13-Jun-91

Skating: 30 / Skill: 40 / Sense: 55 / Compete: 50 / Tough: 50

Strengths: Good strength and size. Decent hands. Has shown flashes of solid d-zone play.

Weaknesses: Skating is a serious flaw. Overall game seriously regressed this season.

His draft year was pretty much a disaster. But I still remember the flashes of ability from late in the 07-08 season/playoffs and last summer's tournaments. And at the back of my mind is a little thought about his brother's draft year - which was also disappointing.

Summary: This guy is the speculative penny stock of this draft. Pick him up with a late pick and see if he's a late bloomer like his older brother.

Draft Day: I might think about him beginning in the 5th, but would prefer to spend a cheaper 6th/7th rounder if I think I'm the only one who sees anything in this guy. He's probably fallen off a number of NHL lists completely, but there's going to be a quite a few teams that will still take him somewhere.

McLeod, Wes - D - Prince George BCHL

Wes McLeod / Prince George Spruce Kings BCHL

D-L / 6-1, 185 / 30-Sep-90

Skating: 60 / Skill: 55 / Sense: 40 / Compete: 50 / Tough: 60

Strengths: Smooth skater, good mobility. Big shot from the point. Can play it rugged.

Weaknesses: Tweener size. Questionable hockey sense. Inconsistent physical play. One-dimensional offensive game.

This guy is a Rorschach player. Seems to be wildly differing opinion on him. Those who like him think he's got a lot of offensive potential. I'm not so sure, but he does have a tremendous shot. The lack of puck handling ability or a good passing touch is what's going to keep him from being a point producer from the back end. The only contribution he really makes on the PP is waiting to be fed the puck for a slap shot. He just can't seem to be able to move the puck inside the zone at all.

Only okay in his own end - gets caught flat footed too much. Tries to be physical at times, but doesn't quite have the size or strength to be a baggage-smasher at the next level. Has a bit of a long fuse too, but I do like that he'll drop the gloves to defend a teammate.

Summary: Just too much a tweener for my like. Not sure I'd argue hard for this guy at any point, but by about the 5th round I could be convinced to take a flier on him.

Draft Day: Who knows...if some of the love for this player I've heard from other scouts is sincere, he could go surprisingly early - maybe 3rd round. Otherwise there could even be a chance he doesn't go at all.

Callahan, Mitchell - RW - Kelowna WHL

Mitchell Callahan / Kelowna Rockets WHL

RW-R / 5-11, 175 / 17-Aug-91

Skating: 50 / Skill: 40 / Sense: 40 / Compete: 65 / Tough: 75

Strengths: Excellent fighter. Fearless style and works hard. Just enough skating and skill to be interesting.

Weaknesses: Might not have the frame to play his style at the next level.

Who'd have thought the toughest guy from the Dub in this year's draft would be from Southern California? The rugged style and fighting ability is the big draw here. But has just enough skating and skill to make for an intriguing middle round sleeper.

Great on-ice work ethic. Is strong defensively and a decent penalty killer. Lots of improvement from September to March this season. I think there could be some hidden offensive upside. Even if his best case upside is only a 5-10 goal scorer in the NHL, with the defensive play, physical style, and willingness to drop the gloves, that could be a really valuable guy to have.

Summary: I don't care that he's only 5-11, this guy can play it tough. I'd want to roll the dice on this guy with a late 3rd or a 4th.

Draft Day: Was previously listed as a late-91 birthdate, so he's gone under the radar a bit. But NHL teams have certainly noticed. There's a chance he goes shockingly early (2nd round isn't impossible). Otherwise I think he might be a middle rounder.

Ponich, Brett - D - Portland WHL

Brett Ponich / Portland Winter Hawks WHL

D-L / 6-5.75, 204 / 22-Feb-91

Skating: 55 / Skill: 30 / Sense: 55 / Compete: 50 / Tough: 60

Strengths: Huge, long-limbed frame. Decent skater. Good defensively. Underrated but reluctant fighter.

Weaknesses: Struggles with the first pass. No offensive upside.

At his best in his own end. Long reach and good instincts make him a pretty reliable shut-down guy. Is good in physical battles, but isn't as aggressive physically as you would want him to be.

Struggles with consistency with the puck. Occasionally makes a nice first pass to get the puck out of trouble, but too often he's indecisive and sloppy in moving the puck. Doesn't offer much on the offensive end.

Skating is about average - because of his size it's easy to overrate his skating. Has a long, smooth stride and okay footspeed. But by NHL standards he would be a barely adequate skater - his 2nd/3rd/etc step isn't real good and his pivots are a slightly rough. That said, his skating is more of a plus than a minus - and I don't think it's going to keep him from getting to the next level. Can really throw 'em in a fight - which makes me wonder why he doesn't drop the gloves more often. That and his under-used size makes you wish he didn't have such a long fuse and would get angry more often.

Summary: I've seen too much of this guy, so all the flaws and inconsistency are probably too prominent in my mind. But the more I look at my notes, the more I realize this is a pretty decent mid-round sleeper. I just wish he showed just a little more natural aggressiveness. If I'm in an organization that needs this role (big stay-at-home d-man), you'd have to argue pretty hard for this guy with your 4th...maybe even your 3rd, depending on who else is available.

Draft Day: I'd guess he goes somewhere in the 3rd or 4th. Some whispers around that he could sneak into the 2nd round, but that's iffy to me.

Dowling, Justin - LW/C - Swift Current WHL

Justin Dowling / Swift Current Broncos WHL

LW/C-L / 5-9.5, 182 / 01-Oct-90

Skating: 60 / Skill: 65 / Sense: 60 / Compete: 45 / Tough: 35

Strengths: Very good hands and is creative. Good offensive instincts. Decent skater with some quickness and elusiveness.

Weaknesses: Small and not physical at all.

Quick hands and I like his playmaking ability. Sees the ice well. Good skater and is a little shifty - but you want smallish guys like this to be pretty elite skaters - and he's not quite there. Thinks the game pretty well. Tends to avoid the heavy traffic, but he's not scared out there.

Summary: Higher on my list than the probable consensus on the hope that slick hands and good hockey smarts can carry him into the pro ranks. Might only be a career AHL player, but enough improvement over the last two seasons make him a worthy mid-round gamble to me.

Draft Day: Another guy that probably wouldn't have even got a look in the NHL Draft a decade ago. I think he'll go lower than I have him (probably 5th-7th rounds), but I'll be surprised if he doesn't go somewhere.

Mitchell, Garrett - RW - Regina WHL

Garrett Mitchell / Regina Pats WHL

RW-R / 5-10.0, 180 / 09-Feb-91

Skating: 40 / Skill: 25 / Sense: 50 / Compete: 80 / Tough: 70

Strengths: Tremendous competitiveness. Goes to war out on the ice. Loves to drop the gloves.

Weaknesses: No hands - just can't seem to contribute offensively. Skating is a problem.

Let's be honest here - this guy is only a prospect because of his desire to compete - that's it. He doesn't offer much else, but when you go to battle like this guy does, scouts will take notice.

Summary: You just want this guy to succeed so bad - but there's not much hope for improvement in the skill level. If he had any size or skated better, you could make a case for him, but with all the negatives (skill, skating, and size) it's three strikes in my book. I couldn't justify arguing for him before the 4th round at earliest, and I suspect he's gone before then.

Draft Day: Scouts love this guy and my guess is he's going to go surprisingly high on draft day. I'll be surprised if he doesn't go top 100.

Bennett, Spencer - LW - Surrey BCHL

Spencer Bennett / Surrey Eagles BCHL

LW-L / 6-3, 185 / 31-Oct-90

Skating: 50 / Skill: 60 / Sense: 50 / Compete: 45 / Tough: 40

Strengths: Big body and nice hands near the net. Underrated passing and playmaking.

Weaknesses: Does not use his big size as much as he could. Skating is average at best.

Good combination of size and hands. Excellent shooting touch - and not just near the crease, where most of his shots come from. Gets spot duty at the point on the PP because of his big shot. Shows flashes of some good finesse skill and creativity.

Skating is a bit of a puzzle - has a good long stride, but just seems to be slow-footed overall. Does not do a lot in transition. Most of his game is played down low. Hard to move from the crease, but he is not real physical. Does not initiate much contact and doesn't really battle for the puck along the boards.

Summary: Not sure where the consensus is on this guy - he's soft enough that it could be too much of a concern among NHL scouts. But once you get to the middle rounds there's no way you can ignore a 6-3 guy with this kind of touch around the net.

Draft Day: A real wild card - I have no idea where he'll go. I'd guess he'll be a 4th or 5th rounder, but he could go either direction.