Draft Rankings and Q&A With Jack Johnson

PuckCentralHQ's Rankings:

1- Seth Jones

2- Nathan MacKinnon

3- Aleksander Barkov

4- Sean Monahan

5- Elias Lindholm

6- Valeri Nichushkin

7- Hunter Shinkaruk

8- Jonathan Drouin

9- Rasmus Ristolainen

10- Adam Erne

11- Ryan Pulock

12- Robert Hagg

13- Nikita Zadorov

14- Max Domi

15- Darnell Nurse

16- Josh Morrissey

17- Anthony Mantha

18- Frederik Gauthier

19- Kerby Rychel

20- William Carrier

21- Zach Fucale

22- Ryan Hartman

23- Andre Burakovsky

24- Bo Horvat

   25- Nicolas Petan
   26- Eric Comrie
   27- Jacob de la Rose
   28- Curtis Lazar
   29- Alexander Wennberg
   30- Artturi Lehkonen

Honourable Mentions:

-Nick Sorensen
-Eric Roy
-Anthony Duclair

Interview with Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Here's a small Q&A we did with Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson!

PuckCentralHQ: You've been supporting the American World Junior team a lot since the tournament started, what was your World Junior experience like?


Jack Johnson: Both of my World Junior experiences were unbelievable. My first time in 2006 was in Vancouver. I've had a lot of great hockey memories in that city and the atmosphere of a WJC in a Canadian city can't be matched. It was a lot of fun and I fed off the Canada/USA rivalry, becoming public enemy #1 in Vancouver. For me personally it was a good tournament as I was named to the tournament all-star team. Unfortunately as a team we finished without a medal in 4th place. The following year was held in Sweden. I scored an OT goal against Sweden to get us to the medal rounds and then we played the epic shootout game with Canada in the semis. I went 2-for-2 in the shootout, but Jonathan Toews went 3-for-3 and won it in the 7th round for Canada. We ended up winning the bronze by beating the host Sweden. It wasn't what we set out to do, but everything was such a great experience. It was amazing to represent my country and it is a time I will never forget.

PuckCentralHQ: What advice would you give to the young players at the World Juniors right now?


JackJohnson: Go out and enjoy the experience. Play your game and try not to let the pressure get to you. It's a short tournament so anything can happen. Remember that it's an honor to play for your country and only the guys in the room with you will be able to say they represented USA at the 2013 World Junior Championships. Play with pride, respect the tradition, and go for gold!

Let us know what you think!
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Final Team Canada Mock Rosters

Trevor's Roster:

Forwards:

J.Huberdeau*- R.N-H -M.Scheifele*
C.Hudon- R.Strome* -T.Rattie
H.Shinkaruk/- B.Jenner* -B.Ritchie
J.C.Lipon- P.Danault -T.Wilson
+N.MacKinnon/

Defense:

M.Rielly-D.Hamilton*
S.Harrington*-F.Corrado
R.Sproul-G.Reinhart
+X.Ouellet

Goalies:

J.Binnington
M.Subban
+J.Paterson

*= Returning Player
/= Draft Eligible
N-H= Nugent-Hopkins

Bradley's Roster:

Forwards:

J.Huberdeau*- R.N-H -T.Rattie
M.Scheifele*- R.Strome* -B.Ritchie
C.Hudon- B.Jenner* -J.C.Lipon
A.Camara- P.Danault -T.Wilson
+N.MacKinnon/

Defense

M.Rielly-D.Hamilton*
S.Harrington*-F.Corrado
X.Ouellet-G.Reinhart
+R.Murphy

Goalies:

J.Paterson
M.Subban
+L.Brossoit

*= Returning Player
/= Draft Eligible
N-H= Nugent-Hopkins

Team Canada (World Junior) Mock Roster 1

In the next week and a bit we'll be posting various "mock" rosters for Team Canada's upcoming World Junior Championship team. Since there's two of us we'll each post a roster and then on the final day of the selection camp, we'll post one final roster, which we believe will be the roster Canada should take to Russia. The rosters we post prior to that may not reflect exactly who we think will make the team but rather different views the team could take.

Trevor's Roster:

Forwards:
J.Huberdeau*-R.NH-R.Strome*
C.Hudon-M.Scheifele*-T.Rattie
S.Monahan-P.Danault-C.Sissons
M.McNeill-B.Jenner*-T.Wilson
+N.MacKinnon

Defense:
M.Rielly-D.Hamilton*
X.Ouellet-S.Harrington*
R.Sproul-G.Reinhart
+R.Murphy

Goalies:
M.Subban
J.Binnington
+L.Brossoit

** Please note that Colton Sissons has been ruled out of the Selection Camp due to injury.

*=Returning player from last years team
R.NH=Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

The teams first line has the ability to score at will on any team they will face in the world juniors this year and barring an injury any of the 3 could lead this tournament in points, the second line although lacking in size has the ability to score goals in bunches with averaging 1.52 ppg. The third line featuring one of the top 2013 draft prospects in Sean Monahan are more then capable of scoring goals and are no slouches on the defensive end, with Danault and Sissons on this line the team has a potential shut down unit that will have no trouble scoring goals if that's what they are required to do. The fourth line of Jenner, McNeill, and Wilson will throw their bodies around and will scare almost anyone they come barreling in on. Potential 2013 1st overall pick Nathan MacKinnon will be the 13th forward but he will play a prominent role on this team.

On the back end they will rely on Dougie Hamilton who could be the tournaments top defenceman to carry the bulk of the defensive responsibilities. Morgan Rielly, and Ryan Murphy will be expected to create things from the back end and quarterback the teams powerplay. Xavier Ouellet and Scott Harrington will be this years shut down pair and should do a fine job of that, Ryan Sproul and Griffin Reinhart can both contribute offensively and play good defence making this years defence the strongest point of the squad.

Malcolm Subban will be expected to be the starting goalie but like every year the competition will be fierce in nets and it wouldnt surprise anyone to see Jordan Binnington take over as the starter.

Bradley's Roster:

Forwards:
J.Huberdeau*-R.NH*-N.Mackinnon
M.Scheifele*-R.Strome*-T.Graovac
C.Hudon-P.Danault-B.Ritchie
A.Camara-B.Jenner*-T.Wilson
+T.Rattie

Defense:
M.Rielly-D.Hamilton*
D.Pouliot-S.Harrington*
G.Reinhart-R.Sproul
+R.Murphy

Goalies:
M.Subban
L.Brossoit
+J.Binnington

*=Returning player from last years team
R.NH=Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

The roster I created is more of a "Shot in the dark" kind of roster but if I picked exactly who I thought should make it, it would look to similar to Trevor's.

On offence a lot of the roster spots are spoken for, and there's a lot of competition for those final spots. I'll skip the obvious players like Huberdeau and RNH because we all know why they should be there. There's some question marks surrounding Tyler Graovac and his health right now but if he's healthy you'd have to think he gets some strong consideration. He's had a break out year and has been a goal scoring machine for the Ottawa 67's of the OHL. Charles Hudon might not be a "lock" but his stand out performance this summer has him getting some strong consideration. The versatile winger can play a top 6 and bottom 6 role and brings a ton of leadership to the table. Philip Danault should get some serious consideration as well. The first rounder from 2011 is a leader and strong two-way presence on the ice. Much like Graovac, the big man, Brett Ritchie is having a breakout season and should get a serious look to fill a bottom 6 role for Team Canada. He's a complete player with lots of skill. Finally Anthony Camara can complicate the scary duo of Boone Jenner and Tom Wilson. Camara is a scary presence on the ice but he can also make it happen on offence, much like Jenner and Wilson.

On the back end there's a lot of great options. Hamilton and Harrington are returning players and will pick up a lot of the slack with injured star, Ryan Murray. Morgan Rielly was a stand out this summer and should be considered a lock for Team Canada, but he will have to have a good camp because there's a lot of able players trying to take his spot. Derrick Pouliot is a long shot but the 2012 top 20 pick could snatch up a spot with a good camp. Griffin Reinhart isn't having a great year but he's a big body who can play a great defensive game. Ryan Sproul started the year hot but got injured early. Now he's back and should get a lot of consideration because of his solid game. Ryan Murphy is taking his third and final crack at Team Canada. He was a stand out this summer and would be the backbone to the Canadian power play. The staff will have to decide whether his offence first type of play is worth taking to Russia, I personally think it is.

Subban is considered the front runner for the starting job, and likely has a chip on his shoulder after getting snubbed out of an invite last year. Laurent Brossoit was sensational last season and in the playoffs but his play fell off in the Memorial Cup and he wasn't exactly a shinning star at the Summer Camp (Canada-Russia Challenge). Jordan Binnington is one of,if not the best goalie in junior hockey and should challenge for the starting job, not just the backup position.

2013 PuckCentralHQ Draft Rankings (October)

1- Nathan MacKinnon
2- Aleksander Barkov
3- Sean Monahan
4- Seth Jones
5- Elias Lindholm
6- Hunter Shinkaruk
7- Rasmus Ristolainen
8- Valeri Nichushkin
9- Ryan Pulock
10- Jonathan Drouin
11- Adam Erne
12- Robert Hagg
13- Curtis Lazar
14- Josh Morrissey
15- Max Domi
16- Hudson Fasching
17- Kerby Rychel
18- Zach Fucale
19- Ryan Kujawinski
20- Jacob de la Rose
21- J.T. Compher
22- Nikita Zadorov
23- William Carrier
24- Bo Horvat
25- Eric Roy
26- Nick Sorensen
27- Artturi Lehkonen
28- Andre Burakovsky
29- Anthony Duclair
30- Bogdan Yakimov

Honourable Mentions:
Darnell Nurse
Madison Bowey
Shea Theodore

2013 Draft Prospects to Watch For

If you're out watching some CHL games (or games in Europe) trying to get your hockey fix, here's a list of 2013 Draft eligible players in each league you should watch out for:

QMJHL:
1- Nathan MacKinnon, Center/Right Wing, Halifax Mooseheads
2- Zach Fucale, Goaltender, Halifax Mooseheads
3- Adam Erne, Right Wing, Quebec Remparts
4- Jonathan Drouin, Left Wing, Halifax Mooseheads
5- Anthony Duclair, Left Wing, Quebec Remparts
6- Nick Sorensen, Right Wing, Halifax Mooseheads
7- William Carrier, Center/Left Wing, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
8- Anthony Mantha, Left Wing, Val-d’Or Foreurs
9- Samuel Morin, Defence, Rimouski Oceanic
10- Jeremy Gregoire, Center, Chicoutimi Sagueneens
HM:
Brandon Shea, Center, Quebec Remparts
Frederik Gauthier, Center, Rimouski Oceanic
Matthew Murphy, Defence, Val-d’Or Foreurs
Patrik Zdrahal, Center, Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Kurt Etchegary, Center, Quebec Remparts
OHL:
1- Sean Monahan, Center, Ottawa 67’s
2- Kerby Rychel, Left Wing, Windsor Spitfires
3- Max Domi, Center, London Knights
4- Ryan Kujawinski, Center, Kingston Frontenacs
5- Bo Horvat, Center, London Knights
6- Darnell Nurse, Defence, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
7- Nikita Zadorov, Defence, London Knights
8- Spencer Martin, Goaltender, Mississauga Steelheads
9- Ryan Hartman, Right Wing, Plymouth Whalers
10- Chris Bigras, Defence, Owen Sound Attack
HM:
Justin Bailey, Center, Kitchener Rangers
Jordan Subban, Defence, Belleville Bulls
Jason Dickinson, Center, Guelph Storm
Stephen Harper, Left Wing, Erie Otters
Nicholas Baptiste, Right Wing, Sudbury Wolves
WHL:
1- Seth Jones, Defence, Portland Winterhawks
2- Hunter Shinkaruk, Left Wing, Medicine Hat Tigers
3- Ryan Pulock, Defence, Brandon Wheat Kings
4- Curtis Lazar, Center, Edmonton Oil Kings
5- Josh Morrissey, Defence, Prince Albert Raiders
6- Eric Roy, Defence, Brandon Wheat Kings
7- Madison Bowey, Defence, Kelowna Rockets
8- Eric Comrie, Goaltender, Tri-City Americans
9- Morgan Klimchuk, Left Wing, Regina Pats
10- Shea Theodore, Defence, Seattle Thunderbirds
HM:
Alex Forsberg, Center, Prince George Cougars
Oliver Bjorkstrand, Right Wing, Portland Winterhawks
Connor Rankin, Left Wing, Tri-City Americans
Nicolas Petan, Center, Portland Winterhawks
Matthew Needham, Center, Kamloops Blazers
USHL:
1- Hudson Fasching, Right Wing, USA U-18
2- J.T. Compher, Left Wing, USA U-18
3- Will Butcher, Defence, USA U-18
4- Steve Santini, Defence, USA U-18
5- Ian McCoshen, Defence, Waterloo Black Hawks
6- Tyler Motte, Center, USA U-18
7- Luke Johnson, Center, Lincoln Starts
8- Michael Downing, Defence, Dubuque Fighting Saints
9- Ross Olsson, Right Wing, Lincoln Stars
10- Tyler Hill, Left Wing, Hotchkiss School
HM:
Taylor Cammarata, Center/Left Wing, Waterloo Black Hawks
Gustav Olofsson, Defence, Green Bay Gamblers
Brendan Harms, Right Wing, Fargo Force
Mike McCarron, Right Wing, USA U-18
Eddie Ellis, Center, Phillips Andover
Europe:
1- Aleksander Barkov, Center, Tappara
2- Valeri Nichushkin, Center, Chelyabinsk
3- Elias Lindholm, Center, Brynas
4- Rasmus Ristolainen, Defence, TPS
5- Robert Hagg, Defence, Modo Jr.
6- Andre Burakovsky, Left Wing, Malmo
7- Jacob de la Rose, Center, Leksand
8- Bogdan Yakimov, Center, Penza
9- Artturi Lehkonen, Left Wing, Kalpa
10- Anton Slepyshev, Left Wing, Novokuznetsk
HM:
Ville Husso, Goaltnder, HIFK Jr.
Gustav Possler, Left Wing, Modo Jr.
Marko Dano, Center, Bratislava
Viktor Crus Rydberg, Center, Linkoping Jr.
Tobias Liljendahl, Center, Djurgarden Jr.

Look for our October Draft Rankings to be posted October.15th and remember to follow us on twitter! @PuckCentralHQ

CHL Teams to Watch For

     With a potential NHL lockout looming, many of you will be looking for ways to get your hockey fix until the NHL resolves there dispute, and the best way to do that is to watch junior hockey. Most of the time it is better hockey to watch anyways, the players play for so much more and give it their all every game, the momentum can swing in just minutes and makes for a much more entertaining game. Here are the top 10 CHL teams you need to see play this year:

1- Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

Many think the Halifax Mooseheads will be the class of the QMJHL and one of the best teams in all of the CHL but if the lockout proceeds as expected then the Remparts will for sure get their best player in Mikhail Grigorenko back and pair him with Nikita Kucherov, they have had some chemistry in the past and will surely light the QMJHL up this year, include Anthony Duclair, Adam Erne and Nick Sorensen three potential first rounders in this year’s draft and you have the makings of a powerhouse team that could be a strong contender for the Memorial Cup. 

2- London Knights(OHL)

After coming so close to winning the Memorial Cup last season the Knights will be back at it this year trying to avenge their overtime loss and show they are still a force to be reckoned with. They lost some key players after last year’s run but expect potential first rounders Max Domi and Bo Horvat to improve upon their good rookie campaigns and help counter the loss of those players, they also boast the Rupert twins on forward and Seth Griffin who had a strong campaign, combine that with Olli Maatta, Scott Harrington and another potential first rounder in Nikita Zadorov and the Knights will be an exciting team to watch.

3- Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

A young Mooseheads team overachieved last season based on strong play from Zach Fucale and Nathan MacKinnon, add in Jonathan Drouin who had a phenomenal playoffs, Martin Frk who should be fully recovered from a string of injuries last season, newly acquired Stefan Fournier and rock solid defender Konrad Albethauser and you have a team that should be among the most exciting in all of the CHL with the potential to dominate, expect big years from Zach Fucale, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin, if you get the chance to see them play they will impress you no doubt and you should see why they are considered sure fire first round picks. This will be an exciting year for Moose fans.

4- Plymouth Whalers (OHL)

Expect Plymouth to challenge for top team in the OHL along with the London Knights and the Kitchener Rangers, it would come as no surprise to see them end as the top team when you look at the talent their roster possesses. First round picks Tom Wilson, J.T. Miller, Rickard Rakell and Stefan Noesen all have the ability to score and wreck havoc on offence while playing a responsible two-way game which will be key while Matt Mahalak gets accustomed to a bigger work load after the team saw Scott Wedgewood graduate to the professional ranks. The Whalers have the skill to make a run at it this year and if all put together they could come out on top.

5- Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

After dominating the WHL last year the Oil Kings will get most of their championship winning squad back and will be expected to do what they did last year and earn a berth in the Memorial Cup, with first round picks Henrik Samuelsson and Griffin Reinhart coming back along with Curtis Lazar a highly touted prospect for this year’s draft the Oil Kings are in a good position to succeed. Combine that with returning veterans Michael St. Croix, Dylan Wruck, Keegan Lowe and Martin Gernat the Oil Kings will have no shortage of talent this season especially with Laurent Brossoit returning between the pipes. 

6- Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

It seems that over the past fews years the Winterhawks and the Saint John Sea Dogs have produced amazing amounts of talent and it isn’t about to stop here for the Winterhawks, with potential number one overall pick Seth Jones and Pittsburgh Penguins first rounder Derrick Pouliot, Troy Rutowski and Tyler Wotherspoon on the backend they will have no shortage of talent add in returning goalie Mac Carruth and the Winterhawks will be tough defensively. They won’t have any shortage of offensive talent either with offensive dynamo Ty Rattie coming back and youngsters Chase De Leo, Nicolas Petan and European Import Oliver Bjorkstrand they will have more than enough offence to go around.

7- Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

The Rangers will try and slug it out for top spot in the OHL this year and with newly acquired Matt Puempel teaming up with Radek Faksa, Matia Marcantuoni and Tobias Rieder the offence will be there to take a run at it. The offence doesn’t stop there however with Ryan Murphy on the point the Rangers will most likely have the leading point getter for defencemen, team him up with their rock solid goalie John Gibson and you have a strong squad that can compete with anyone. They will surely be a team you want to see if they come your town.

8- Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

The Blades will be out to prove that they belong in the Memorial Cup and aren’t only there based on the fact they are the host team. They have quite a bit of talent up front in Matej Stransky, Josh Nicholls, Lukas Sutter and newly acquired Shane McColgan who will be looking for a fresh start after seeing his point totals drop each season since he came to the WHL. Duncan Siemens who is looking to bounce back after a pedestrian post draft campaign and Dalton Thrower who will try to improve upon last year’s numbers will be integral parts of this team’s success. In goal Andrey Makarov will be playing for a shot at the next level after being passed over in two consecutive drafts and this might be his last chance to make an impression. Saskatoon isn’t a team to take lightly this season and I am sure will be overlooked repeatedly but they shouldn’t be.

9- Erie Otters (OHL)

Now not many times will you see the worst team in the CHL on a list of teams to check out but there is finally something to cheer about in Erie with the additions of Oscar Dansk and highly touted player Connor McDavid, combine them with Adam Pelech, Travis Wood and Troy Donnay on the backend, Sondre Olden, Connor Brown and Dane Fox on offence and you have a team that just might be worth checking out. The main attractions to this team are Oscar Dansk and Connor McDavid both of whom should be worth the price of admission. 

10- Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

If you get the chance to see Kerby Rychel play you better do it because the talent and size he has will make him a high coveted player in the draft, add in Brady Vail, Ben Johnson, and high draft pick Josh Ho-Sang who was highly considered one of best talents in his draft and you have a highly skilled group of forwards who should all put up good numbers. If Nick Ebert plays like the Ebert who was considered a potential top 10 pick and not the one who was a seventh round pick in this past year’s draft then you will surely get more than the price of admission from this team.

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2013 PuckCentralHQ Draft Rankings: Preseason

This is our first "ranking" for the 2013 NHL Draft. We will update our rankings each month until the NHL Draft in June.

1- Seth Jones
2- Nathan MacKinnon
3- Sean Monahan
4- Aleksander Barkov
5- Hunter Shinkaruk
6- Valeri Nichushkin
7- Elias Lindholm
8- Kerby Rychel
9- Rasmus Ristolainen
10- Ryan Pulock
11- Adam Erne
12- Curtis Lazar
13- Jonathan Drouin
14- Zach Fucale
15- Josh Morrissey
16- Anthony Duclair
17- Max Domi
18- Robert Hagg
19- J.T. Compher
20- Hudson Fasching
21- Andre Burakovsky
22- Jacob de la Rose
23- Ryan Kujawinski
24- Eric Roy
25- Bo Horvat
26- Nick Sorensen
27- Madison Bowey
28- Bogdan Yakimov
29- Nikita Zadorov
30- William Carrier

Honorable Mentions:
Artturi Lehkonen
Eric Comrie
Darnell Nurse
Morgan Klimchuk

For more information on the players or the upcoming season make sure you check back each day for new posts, and follow us on twitter for up to date tweets on the upcoming season! @PuckCentralHQ