There was near unanimous bewilderment among scouts, college coaches, and agents with Monday morning’s release of the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List.
There were players on the list that don’t deserve to be on any draft watch list of any sorts and there were other players left off who were far more deserving to be on the list.
Scouts can have differing of opinions. It’s healthy and it’s the reason NHL teams have numerous scouts to crossover and make sure there is somewhat of a consensus.
However, some of the inclusions and omissions on this edition of the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List were truly baffling. Far too often, NHL Central Scouting overvalues statistics and doesn’t take into account level of competition.
There seemingly always seems to be a few prep school players on the list who are no where near as good as players in the USHL or major junior. I think a good question that needs to be asked more is, “how would that player do if he was playing in the USHL or in the OHL?”
A lot of times, the answer is “not good.” There are countless recent examples where NHL Central Scouting and NHL organizations haven’t taken that into account. Playing in prep can hide a player’s flaws where those flaws are often exposed if in the USHL.
I won’t name names, but there was a prep school player a couple of years ago that NHL Central Scouting continuously had ranked when a former teammate had moved onto the NTDP and was not. The players were similar in skill sets, and the one with NTDP was always thought of more highly. However, he wasn’t putting up much in terms of production while the player who stayed in prep was having success in that regard.
Don’t get me wrong. Prep school is a terrific option for 99.9 percent of players in New England. It offers a great opportunity to play while getting a terrific education at the same time. There is structure surrounding the daily life of the hockey player, including away from the rink. If hockey doesn’t work out, the prep school environment sets the player up for life away from the rink.
Keeping in mind that I don’t think all of these players should be drafted, here is a look at just a few American players or those competing in the U.S. who are far more deserving of being on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List than some who did make it:
Snubs: NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Watch List
Zachary Uens
Merrimack, 5/13/01, D, left shot, 6-2/185
Uens had a huge first weekend in college hockey with scoring a goal and adding two assists as the Warriors dropped a pair of contests at Lake Superior. A smooth-skating, two-way defenseman, the Belleville, Ontario, native is almost certainly going to be drafted next June in Montreal.
Parker Ford
Providence, 7/20/00, C, right shot, 5-9/170
Ford had two assists in his first game for the Friars. An ultra competitive forward who hunts pucks, the Wakefield, R.I., native is a gamer. He has the intangibles and willpower to be a prospect more deserving of being on NHL Central Scouting over many of the prep school players and others on the list. He proved his mettle in two seasons with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers.
Gunnar Fontaine
Chicago, 9/16/00, LW, left shot, 5-10/176
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
Fontaine had a huge second half, including six goals in nine playoff games, for the Steel in 2018-19. He’s off to a hot start this year with three goals in his first three games. The East Greenwich, R.I, native is fast and can create offense on the rush. He’s undersized and has his flaws, but he’s certainly deserving and has proven more than many of the players on the list.
Cole Teleki
Lawrence Academy, 3/13/02, D, right shot, 6-1/185
NCAA Commit: Providence
The jump Teleki has taken in his game over the past six months is quite remarkable. The Dallas Stars Elite product is a good-sized defender who uses his length and feet to close on opposing forwards. He does a great job of limiting time and space. He also has offensive instincts, and an above average shot, and vision to go along with it.
Bayard Hall
Salisbury, 8/16/02, D, right shot, 6-1/185
Hall recently de-committed from Brown. Like Teleki, his game has improved quite a bit over the past year or two. The Oldwick, N.J., native skates well, makes a smart first pass, and has the ability to jump into the attack. While not flashy, he’s become a significantly better prospect and has pro upside with his size.
Nate Hanley
Cedar Rapids, 5/30/02, C, right shot, 5-10/174
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
Hanley is an undersized forward who hunts pucks and is strong on his skates. He’s heavy on pucks and does a good job recovering pucks and facilitating offense from there. The Rocky Point, N.Y., native is not necessarily a draft, but he’s proven he can play against much older competition in the USHL and is certainly more deserving of being on NHL Central Scouting than quite a few listed.
Justin Hryckowian
Cedar Rapids, 2/23/01, C/LW, left shot, 5-10/196
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
Hryckowian, from Quebec, had a nice season for Salisbury last year and earned a commitment to Northeastern early on in the fall. While his skating needs to continue getting better, he has an elite stick and can produce offensively. He has two goals and five assists in his first five USHL games with Cedar Rapids. While his skating needs to be better to get NHL draft consideration, he skates better than at least a couple of players listed.
Jack Jensen
Omaha, 8/31/00, C, left shot, 6-0/195
NCAA Commit: Minnesota
Jensen has three assists in his first four games for the USHL’s Lancers. Last season, he put up huge numbers leading Eden Prairie to within a small grasp of winning a state championship in Minnesota high school hockey. Jensen can produce offensively, but he plays a hard game. He’s heavy on pucks and will deliver bone-crushing checks that tilt the momentum of games in his team’s direction.
Alex Gagne
Cedar Rapids, 8/12/02, D, left shot, 6-3/194
NCAA Commit: New Hampshire
Gagne made the U.S. roster for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer after a quick rise from lesser known prospect. The Bedford, N.H., native made Cedar Rapids’ roster and has two assists in his first three games. He skates well for his size and has upside. While he needs to get more assertive to truly be an impact player, he’s far more worthy of being on NHL Central Scouting than some others listed.
Carter Mazur
Tri-City, 3/28/02, RW, right shot, 6-0/155
NCAA Commit: Michigan
Mazur was the most shocking omission in terms of first-year eligible players in the U.S. He still needs to bulk up and become more of a complete player, but he plays with a chip on his shoulder and can make plays. The Little Caesars product should get draft consideration.
Lynden Breen
Fargo, 5/31/01, C, left shot, 5-8/146
NCAA Commit: Maine
Breen, from New Brunswick, is a smart, playmaking center who can also put the puck in the back of the net. While he’s undersized, he is certainly better and has proven to be better against older competition than some of the prep school players listed.
