21. Guillaume Latendresse
TEAM: Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
POSITION: Left Wing
HEIGHT: 6'2
WEIGHT: 215 lbs.
BORN: 05/14/87 - Ste-Catherine, QC
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Named to the 2003-2004 QMJHL All-Rookie Team...Scored 53 goals and 137 points in 118 games in two seasons with Drummondville...Helped lead Canada to a silver medal at the 2005 World-18 Championship. (Photo: Getty Images)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The Drummondville winger is a tough skater, but if you think he can get there, then Latendresse will go much higher than his consensus ranking of 21, perhaps even in the top 10. He excelled at the U-18 world championship in the spring, a top offensive player who at least one team has rated in the top 10. But skating concerns often translate into a long wait on draft day, although his strength and competitiveness are high end.
22. Matt Lashoff
TEAM: Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
POSITION: Defence
HEIGHT: 6'2
WEIGHT: 205 lbs.
BORN: 09/29/86 - Albany, N.Y.
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Missed games at the beginning of 2004-2005 season with mono, but managed to play 44 games...Was named to 2004 U.S. Junior Evaluation Camp roster...
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The Kitchener Ranger defender likely would have been a high end first rounder last year if he were eligible, but his second year in the OHL was injury plagued and inconsistent. He suffered from mononucleosis early in the year and got a concussion to finish it off. In between, he wasn't as good as he was a year ago so some scouts have dropped him into the second round while others think he could still go in the first half of the first round.
23. Tuukka Rask
TEAM: Ilves Tampere (Fin Jr)
POSITION: Goaltender
HEIGHT: 6'1
WEIGHT: 190 lbs.
BORN: 03/10/87 - Savonlinna, Fin.
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Appeared in four major tournaments as a 16-year old - the 5-Nations in Switzerland, the Viking Cup in Camrose, Alberta, the 5-Nations in Pori, Finland, and in the 2004 U-18 World Championship in Minsk. (Photo: Jouni Valkeeniemi/Pakkalan Mediatalo)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The consensus choice to be the second goaltender selected, behind Carey Price, Rask was initially penciled in as a top 10 pick. Now, he's more likely to be a late first rounder. The bloom started to go off the Rask rose early in the season because of lack of activity -- his senior team in Finland wasn't playing him but wouldn't permit him to play for the junior team -- but as the season wore on, he re-established his credentials as a top stopper.
24. Brendan Mikkelson
TEAM: Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
POSITION: Defence
HEIGHT: 6'2
WEIGHT: 177 lbs.
BORN: 06/22/87 - St. Albert, AB
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Earned a spot on the Portland roster as a 16-year-old in 2003-2004...his father Bill was a defenseman for four seasons in the NHL...chosen to play for Team Pacific in the 2004 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge...played for Canada at the 2004 Under-18 Junior World Cup in Slovakia. (Photo: Portland Winter Hawks)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The strength of the Portland Winter Hawk defenceman's game is skating or passing the puck out of his own end, but he should not be confused with an offensive defenceman. He's rated as just okay defensively, in large part because he has to get a lot stronger to play at the pro level.
25. Ondrej Pavelec
TEAM: Kladno Jr. (Czech)
POSITION: Goaltender
HEIGHT: 6'2
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.
BORN: 08/31/87 - Czech Rep.
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Backstopped Czechs to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 Under-18 Championship, posting one shutout, a 2.05 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in seven games...taken 11th overall by the QMJHL's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in 2005 CHL Import Draft. (Photo:
www.hokej.cz)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The Czech netminder is, like Dominik Hasek, an acrobatic, athletic and competitive goalie who was named to the all-tourney team at the U-18 world championship in April. He also played well for the Czechs at the U-18 challenge last summer, but the Czechs chose not to start him in the championship game against Canada for reasons that still have scouts scratching their heads. At least one team has him rated as the No. 1 goalie in the draft, but he is the consensus No. 3 behind Price and Rask.
26. Devin Setoguchi
TEAM: Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
POSITION: Right Wing
HEIGHT: 6'0
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.
BORN: 01/01/87 - Taber, AB
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Helped lead Canada to a silver medal at the 2005 World-18 Championship...was a member of Canada's Under-18 team that won the gold medal...as a rookie, he netted 13 goals and 31 points in 66 games. (Photo: Getty Images)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: A top offensive player, Setogouchi can finish but did so in unbelievably streaky fashion this season. When he was hot, no one was hotter, but his game lacked consistency and he suffered through a horrendous slump. Some wonder if he can deliver offensively on a consistent basis at the next level, though his supporters would point out he always gets his goals.
27. Michael Blunden
TEAM: Erie Otters (OHL)
POSITION: Right Wing
HEIGHT: 6'4
WEIGHT: 210 lbs.
BORN: 12/15/86 - Gloucester, ON
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Selected 18th overall by the Erie Otters in 2002...helped Team Ontario to a bronze medal at the 2003 Canada Winter Games...represented Canada at the Under-18 Junior World Cup in the Czech Republic. (Photo: Getty Images)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The assessments on the Erie Otters' late 1986 birth date are all over the map. Some teams have him as a mid-first rounder, others wouldn't take him in the top 30. He's a big, strong power forward type who can skate but there are concerns about offensive limitations. He had off-season back surgery last summer and didn't round into form until late in the season, when he was at times dominant.
28. Ryan Stoa
TEAM: USA NTDP
POSITION: Centre
HEIGHT: 6'3
WEIGHT: 200 lbs.
BORN: 08/13/87 - Bloomington, Minn.
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Helped lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team to gold at the 2005 Under-18 Championship in the Czech Republic. ...won gold with the U.S. Under-18 Team at the Four Nations Cup...also helped the Under-17 Team capture gold at the 2003 U-17 Four Nations Cup...has committed to play next season at the University of Minnesota. (Photo: Getty Images)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: A member of the U.S. under-18 program, Stoa is one of those prospects who has all the tools to be a good one, but doesn't seem to put it all together. That is, he is not yet the sum of his parts. Scouts would like to see him be more aggressive on a consistent basis and compete harder. As a result, he is a candidate to slip out of the first round.
29. Scott Jackson
TEAM: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
POSITION: Defence
HEIGHT: 6'4
WEIGHT: 200 lbs.
BORN: 02/05/87 - Salmon Arm, BC
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Had a plus/minus rating of plus-26 with 49 penalty minutes in 2004-2005...invited to participate in Canada's National Junior Team Development Camp for the 2006 World Junior Championship...played with Team Pacific at the Under-17 World Championship in St. John's. (Photo: Getty Images)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The Seattle Thunderbird blueliner received the same rating from every scout TSN interviewed -- a late first round pick. Not a second rounder, a late first rounder, to a man. The big blueliner isn't a pretty skater, but he exhibits great leadership, plays in all key situations and has good hockey sense and defensive positioning.
30. Dan Bertram
TEAM: Boston College (HE)
POSITION: Right Wing
HEIGHT: 5'11
WEIGHT: 175 lbs.
BORN: 01/14/87 - Calgary, AB
NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Played 2003-04 season with Alberta Junior Hockey League's Camrose Kodiaks and took Rookie of the Year honours...played for Canada in the 2005 World Under-18 Championship and won a silver medal...one of 44 players going to Canada's National Junior Team Development Camp in August. (Photo: Boston College)
BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The Boston College freshman -- he fast-tracked to play in the NCAA this season -- played well for Canada at the U-18 world championship, but he has neither blinding speed nor great size, so he is considered a borderline first rounder who could easily slip into the second round. Still, he plays the game hard and smart. This is a character player who coaches love to have on their team. Where some players are not yet the sum of their parts, Bertram would be greater than the sum of his.