NHL Central Scouting final report has Brady Tkachuk-sized problem
NHL Central Scouting has released their final rankings for the year and they got one player completely wrong. Brady Tkachuk is not the second-best North American skater.
The NHL Central Scouting Rankings are not the end-all be-all for the NHL draft. There is still a lot of time between now and the draft on June 22 in Dallas, Texas. Some prospects will be playing the Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup or the IIHF World Championships. Following those tournaments, all of the top prospects will travel to Buffalo New York for the annual scouting combine.
There is no question who the top two players are at the top of this year’s draft. Rasmus Dahlin has been a lock for first overall all season and Andrei Svechnikov has answered every possible question about his play this season, separating himself from the rest of the pack.
Once you get past those two players it really opens up. Slots three through seven are completely unpredictable. Even with the unpredictability, calling Brady Tkachuk the second-best North American skater is puzzling.
Tkachuk is a good prospect and whichever team takes him in the draft will be happy with what it gets. He just doesn’t have the same difference-making power that other prospects around him have. Tkachuk plays a heavy style power forward game that wears down opponents. He also has a skill element to his game that is impressive. But he lacks maturity in his game and can sometimes get himself into penalty trouble.
A player who deserves to be ahead of Tkachuk is Filip Zadina. Zadina played this season in the QMJHL and dominated. He scored a total of 82 points in 57 games and lead the Halifax Mooseheads on an impressive playoff run. Tkachuk was an important player for Boston University but he was not nearly as impactful.
Evan Bouchard has climbed up the scouting rankings since the beginning of the season. The defenseman from the London Knights in the OHL had a breakout season scoring 87 points in 67 games. When players are this close together at the top of the draft, the players who should stand out are the ones who make a substantial difference night in and night out. Evan Bouchard was the spark for the London Knights and should be ranked ahead of Tkachuk.
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Even though half of the league is enjoying the playoffs right now, half of the league is on the outside looking in. The draft is a great springboard to rebuild or retool a franchise. The draft lottery is just weeks away, and teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes will be looking forward to figuring out which top prospect they will be able to add to their team.