October 31, 2006
The central scouting bureau of the National Hockey League announced its first list of the 2006-07 season last week, and it was loaded with USHL talent. A total of 48 USHL players were noted in the list, which is divided into three parts - "A" Players, "B" Players, and "Limited Viewing" Players.
According to the bureau, an "A" player is a "must see player identified as a potential top three round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft." A "B" player is a "player to note if you are in the area, a potential later round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft." The list is just that, a list. It is not the official mid-term ranking; that will be available in November.
"It is well known that our league prides itself on its ability to develop players to play the college game, but it is also very important to us and our image that we continue to prepare players to play at the NHL level," said USHL President Gino Gasparini. "In recent years, we have seen a spike in our NHL draft numbers, so the things that we're doing to continue to keep our college numbers at the top, but also drive our NHL draft numbers up a little higher every year, are evidently working as is witnessed by the number of players from our league on this list."
Eight players are listed as "A" players. They are Jack Downing (Omaha), Tristin Llewellyn (Tri-City), Vince LoVerde (Waterloo), Brad Malone (Sioux Falls), Max Pacioretty (Sioux City), Aaron Palushaj (Des Moines), Nick Petrecki (Omaha), and Ben Ryan (Des Moines). In addition, three more who will play in the USHL before and after their high school seasons - Nick Larson (Omaha), John Lee (Waterloo), and Patrick White (Tri-City) - are also listed as "A" players.
"It's important to remember that this is just a list, it isn't a ranking," Gasparini said. "The opinions of the scouts will likely change throughout the season and there will be adjustments to the list that will appear in the mid-term and final rankings. Plus there will be the leagues that aren't listed here at this time that will also make it look a bit different."
Leagues such as the OHL, WHL, QMJHL, and all of Europe are not a part of this Players to Watch listing. They will, however, be a part of the mid-term rankings in November.
"Regardless of how many leagues are or aren't listed, we're extremely proud of the players that we have in this league and the fact that the scouts think highly enough of them to list 48 of them is a wonderful for junior hockey in the United States and the USHL as a league," Gasparini said. "The other part we look at is the number of players that we aren't counting right now that are on our futures list. The whole process shows that we're doing the right things in the areas of player development, and these players on our futures list will reap the benefits of everything that is happening right now with our league. The future, for our current and future players, is very bright."
NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch (Fall 2006)
"A" Players
Jack Downing - Omaha
Nick Larson - Omaha
John Lee - Waterloo
Tristin Llewellyn - Tri-City
Vince LoVerde - Waterloo
Brad Malone - Sioux Falls
Max Pacioretty - Sioux City
Aaron Palushaj - Des Moines
Nick Petrecki - Omaha
Ben Ryan - Des Moines
Patrick White - Tri-City
"B" Players
Matt Bartkowski - Lincoln
Matt Bourdeau - Ohio
David Brownschidle - Tri-City
Carter Camper - Lincoln
Bryce Christiansen - Tri-City
Baylor Dieter - Green Bay
Nick Dineen - Sioux Falls
Michael Dorr - Des Moines
Donnie Hallmark - Ohio
Danny Hobbs - Ohio
Brian Hogan - Lincoln
Blake Kessel - Waterloo
Dan Lawson - Chicago
Ryan Lowery - Lincoln
Billy Maday - Waterloo
James Marcou - Waterloo
Travis Oleksuk - Sioux City
Travis Paeth - Des Moines
Kent Patterson - Cedar Rapids
Tyler Pederson - Sioux City
Calle Ridderwall - Tri-City
Corey Toy - Omaha
Corey Tropp - Sioux Falls
Josh Turnbull - Waterloo
Jordan Willert - Tri-City
Tommy Wingels - Cedar Rapids
"Limited Viewing" Players
Robin Bergman - Cedar Rapids
David Boehm - Cedar Rapids
Mike Dalhuisen - Chicago
Alexei Dostoinov - Sioux Falls
Jason Gregoire - Lincoln
Anthony Hayes - Green Bay
Ryan Santana - Green Bay
Anthony Schooley - Waterloo
Craig Smith - Waterloo
Tyler Thompson - Cedar Rapids
Matt Tomassoni - Cedar Rapids
