Bantam draft prospects

Published 8:32 am Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The bantam draft is tomorrow, with the Silvertips selecting ninth overall. With Everett selecting higher than it has since its first draft in 2003, I figured I’d compile a list of some of the top prospects in this year’s draft, since it seems likely the Tips will end up with one of them.

Here’s a list cobbled together by looking at a variety of other sources (Alan Caldwell, International Scouting Services, other newspapers, etc.), along with a brief comment:

– Michael St. Croix, forward, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Though there’s no consensus No. 1 player in this draft, St. Croix seems to pop up at the top of lists most often. He’s considered a skilled and intelligent playmaker.

– Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, forward, Burnaby, B.C. Considered the top prospect out of B.C. this year, he’s another highly-regarded playmaker.

– Ty Rattie, forward, Airdrie, Alberta. A little bigger than the previous two and is thought to be the best goal scorer in the draft.

– Brent Benson, forward, Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Rounds out the group of forwards who have generally made up the top four. He’s more of a two-way player.

– Mitch Topping, defenseman, Red Deer, Alberta. Perhaps the best defenseman in the draft, he has the skills to become a point man on the power play.

– Duncan Siemens, Sherwood Park, Alberta. He and Topping are considered the top two d-men in the draft. He’s more the bruising type of defenseman.

– Brendan Hurley, forward, Fort Saskatchewan. The Kyle Beach of this draft, a physical goal scorer who’s also an agitator.

– Shane McColgan, forward, Los Angeles, Calif. The latest in the line of playmaking forwards from the L.A. area (Tim Kraus, Colin Long, Mitch Wahl, Shane Harper, etc.).

– Colin Jacobs, forward, Dallas, Texas. Considered the complete package of skill and strength. Like McColgan and any other American, there’s questions whether he’ll ultimately choose the WHL route.

– Mark McNeill, forward, Edmonton, Alberta. Power forward is perhaps the riser in the draft after a dominating performance against the rest of Alberta’s top prospects at the Alberta Cup.

One other Everett note. The Tips will pick ninth in each round with the exception of the fifth (Everett has no fifth rounder this year) and sixth (Everett has Red Deer’s pick and will select second).