Thursday, June 19, 2003
THN bios: Prospects No. 51-60
The Hockey News
51. Jonathan Filewich
Born: Oct. 2, 1984, Sherwood Park, Alta.
2002-03: Prince George
Pos: RW | Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 208 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 24 N.A. skater
Jonathan Filewich helped salvage his season by having what one scout said
was a "great effort" at the world under-18 tournament, where he finished
with six points in as many games.
"(Filewich) has size and enough skill to become a good power forward in the
NHL," said the scout. "He plays at both ends of the rink. He could be a real
player."
One problem scouts had with Filewich was that he didn't focus on playing a
physical game, a trait that made him look somewhat ordinary.
"Filewich depends on his skills and he's a good enough skater. I would have
liked to see him throw his weight around a lot more."
Filewich was also inconsistent and scouts wondered about his work ethic.
"Some nights you would not notice him," said another scout. "But people
should not read into that too much. Most players are inconsistent at one
time or another."
"He's good around the net. He has size and I see some upside. It all depends
on whether he wants it or not."
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'99-00 S. Park Mid. 48 37 33 70 69
'00-01 P.George WHL 61 9 16 25 32
'01-02 P.George WHL 66 13 19 32 23
'02-03 P.George WHL 51 27 27 54 45
The Hockey News says: Power forward
52. Josh Hennessy
Born: Feb. 7, 1985, Rockland, Mass.
2002-03: Quebec
Pos: C | Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 180 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 29 N.A. skater
Josh Hennessy is another player that scouts are divided about in terms of
his pro potential.
"He's a very, very good skater. He's very noticeable because it's like he's
flying around out there," said the scout. "He has 33 goals and 84 points in
76 games and what's not to like about that?"
Besides skating, Hennessy's strengths include stickhandling and
competitiveness. He'll go into traffic and can handle the rough stuff.
"He competes and he's not afraid," said the scout. "He is an exciting kind
of a kid because of his skating, getting breakaways and scoring chances. He
has the skills to be a good scorer."
Hennessy's speed will be an asset teams won't overlook.
One scout said he could end up being a poor man's version of John Madden.
"If you taught him more about the defensive game, most teams would find room
on the roster for him," said the scout.
Another scout found his skills limited.
"He may only be a minor-leaguer," said one scout. "I worry about his range."
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'00-01 MSC USHS 28 30 30 60 20
'01-02 Quebec QMJHL 70 20 20 40 24
'02-03 Quebec QMJHL 76 33 51 84 29
The Hockey News says: Third-line forward
53. Mike Egener
Born: Sept. 26, 1984, Calgary, Alta.
2002-03: Calgary
Pos: D | Ht: 6-3 1/2 | Wt: 195 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 40 N.A. skater
Mike Egener is a player opponents just hate to face.
"He's tough as nails and not a lot of fun to play against," said one scout.
Egener missed more than 30 games this season and still racked up 210 penalty
minutes.
"You'll have to wait and see what he's like in a few years," said one scout.
"I'm not sure I want to bet my house on this guy, but you never know. I'll
give him credit for what we think he will be like."
Egener played in the Top Prospect's Game and fared well in the skills
competition.
He did not win any individual awards, but ranked no lower than ninth in any
category, including top-five rankings in the 60-foot dash, full lap,
combined skating, average shot and hardest shot.
Egener is also involved in a lot of community work in the Calgary area.
"There's some Ken Daneyko in him," said one scout of Egener. "He plays like
him, but he's a better skater.
"He is tough, real tough. He makes guys pay a price and he won't back down."
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'99-00 Calgary Ban. 40 30 45 75 40
'00-01 Calgary WHL 52 1 0 1 91
'01-02 Calgary WHL 68 2 7 9 175
'02-03 Calgary WHL 40 2 8 10 210
The Hockey News says: Character defenseman
54. Paul Bissonnette
Born: March 11, 1985, Welland, Ont.
2002-03: Saginaw
Pos: D | Ht: 6-2 1/2 | Wt: 211 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 59 N.A. skater
NHL scouts like players who stand up for teammates and Paul Bissonnette is
that type of guy.
The scouts recall how at the Top Prospects Game, Bissonnette fought Dion
Phaneuf after Phaneuf crushed Marc-Antoine Pouliot with a punishing check.
"He's a heart and soul kid who gives his all," said a scout. "He works hard
on a poor team."
"You have to admire this guy's willingness,'' added another scout. "It's the
real college try."
Bissonnette made major strides in his game this season. There were concerns
voiced before the year began that his development had stalled, but the
opposite wound up being the case.
Bissonnette plays a strong game in his own end and he's a dependable
blueliner who thinks of the team first.
"He ran that team this year," said a scout. "He was (Saginaw's) best player.
He was outstanding in the Top Prospects Game which moved him up many
notches. I liked him a lot."
One weak area for Bissonnette is his skating. He skates bent over, which
makes him appear to be off-balance.
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'00-01 Welland Ban. n/a
'01-02 N. Bay OHL 57 3 3 6 21
'02-03 Saginaw OHL 67 7 16 23 57
Canada WU18 7 0 1 1 0
The Hockey News says: Character defenseman
55. Stefan Meyer
Born: July 20, 1985, Fox Valley, Sask.
2002-03: Medicine Hat
Pos: LW | Ht: 6-1 1/2 | Wt: 194 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 45 N.A. skater
The age-old saying, RHe has a nose for the net,' applies to Stefan Meyer.
"He is all about goals," said a scout. "You see that when he is on the ice. He is always sniffing for the net."
Meyer goes hard to the cage and he's not afraid to take the punishment that
goes with hanging in the slot. He positions himself well for rebounds and
peels off his checks smartly.
There are knocks in Meyer's game, however. One is his skating. If he was
quicker and had better foot speed, he'd almost assuredly be a first-rounder.
"It's not that he's a bad skater, but there is room for improvement," said
one scout.
Meyer also lacks playmaking skills.
"He's not good at seeing the open man," said another scout. "You'd think
with 36 goals it would be nice to have as many assists. He needs to use his
teammates more."
Scouts are also concerned about his play away from the puck. "He could use
some work on the defensive side, but you can teach him that," said a scout.
"The good thing is he's all about goals and you can't teach that."
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'00-01 N.D. Mid. 50 36 32 68 71
Med.Hat WHL 4 1 1 2 0
'01-02 Med.Hat WHL 67 18 22 40 48
'02-03 Med.Hat WHL 70 36 16 52 90
The Hockey News says: Goal-scoring forward
56. Alexei Ivanov
Born: Jan. 5, 1985, Tynda, Rus.
2002-03: Yaroslavl Jr.
Pos: F | Ht: 5-9 | Wt: 185 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 31 Euro. skater
Size does make a difference in the case of this pint-sized Russian.
Alexei Ivanov has the tools to play in the NHL, but people are not sure he
will be able to handle the NHL grind on a regular basis.
He has good hands, great balance and can skate like the wind.
Ivanov also has great imagination and is shifty with the puck. He's a great
playmaker with a soft touch around the net.
On the down side, Ivanov can be knocked off the puck without a lot of
effort.
The Russian defensemen he has faced this year pale in comparison to the
stronger and bigger blueliners in the NHL.
"If he went up against Scott Stevens, it would not be pretty," said a scout.
"I'm just not sure he'll play. You would have to play this guy on the first
two lines and he doesn't have the size."
Detroit selected a skilled half-pint last year in Jiri Hudler (58th
overall), who produced points in the Czech Elite League. Ivanov will have to
prove he can do the same in Russia.
"He's a good little player," said a scout.
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'00-01 Russia WU17 5 2 1 3 2
'01-02 Yar.-2 Rus. 26 9 10 19 16
Yaroslavl Jr. 35 22 22 44 82
'02-03 Yaroslavl Jr. 6 5 3 8 0
The Hockey News says: Skilled forward
57. Alexandre Bolduc
Born: June 26, 1985, Montreal, Que.
2002-03: Rouyn-Noranda
Pos: C | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 178 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 46 N.A. skater
There was a time this season when scouts were extremely high on Alexandre
Bolduc.
He was ranked 18th at mid-season and was scoring and skating well. Nobody
questioned his character or intensity.
But Bolduc had a disappointing second half and he has paid the price. You might say a dark cloud has followed him around lately.
"He only scored about five goals in the second half,'' said a Quebec-based scout. "That tells you something. That almost scares you."
Bolduc played on Canada's under-18 team and had only one goal, but it was a big one. He scored in overtime to give Canada a 2-1 win over the U.S. in a tournament from which Canada emerged victorious.
But that was the only real highlight of his second half of the season, which
is a top measuring stick scouts use in assessing a player.
"We talked about how he tailed off and people didn't know what to think,"
said a scout.
There's still enough upside that some team could take a chance on him in the
second round.
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'01-02 R-N QMJHL 64 6 14 20 69
'02-03 R-N QMJHL 66 14 29 43 131
Canada WU18 7 1 0 1 8
The Hockey News says: RProject' forward
58. Corey Crawford
Born: Dec. 31, 1984, Montreal, Que.
2002-03: Moncton
Pos: G | Ht: 6-0 1/2 | Wt: 178 | Catches: L
Central Scouting: No. 6 N.A. goalie
Corey Crawford really caught the attention of the scouting world when he
went undefeated in January.
Crawford has strong fundamentals, positions himself well and does not lose
focus on the shooter.
He also has great natural ability and it is hard to knock him off his game.
"He's one of those great Quebec League prospects in net," said one scout.
"He's not as good as top-ranked Marc-Andre Fleury, but he impressed in the
second half."
At one point in late January, Crawford went undefeated in three starts.
But what was most impressive was his 0.67 goals against average and .975
save percentage over the three games.
"When he gets in a zone, watch out," said a scout.
Scouts feel Crawford has a good chance of playing on Canada's national
junior team at the 2004 WJC in Finland.
"He can steal a game. He makes saves he's supposed to make and then makes a
lot of saves that leave you wondering how he got to the puck," said the
scout. "He's a good one."
YEAR TEAM LEA. W-L-T SV% GAA
'00-01 Gatineau Mid. 17-3-1 .941 1.92
'01-02 Moncton QMJHL 9-20-3 .889 3.74
'02-03 Moncton QMJHL 24-17-6 .915 2.73
The Hockey News says: No. 1 goaltender
59. Grigori Shafigulin
Born: Jan. 13, 1985, Chelyabinsk, Rus.
2002-03: Yaroslavl Jr.
Pos: F | Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 185 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 7 Euro. skater
Grigori Shafigulin has the size and skill to be an NHL regular, but the team
that drafts him will need patience.
Scouts see no problem with his skating or his physical play. He likes to
work the corner and he's strong along the boards. He can be tenacious on the
forecheck and gets back in his end to help out.
Shafigulin will run people over to get the puck and he is agile on his
skates. He's intimidating with his size and hustles every shift.
He has a long reach and his poke-check is an effective tool. He has a heavy
shot, but accuracy is a problem.
"He works hard all the time," said a European scout. "But that's in Russia.
We'll see about the NHL. It has happened before with Russians. They get to
the NHL and they stop working."
Hogwash, says another European scout.
"It used to be that way. He's a kid who played a regular shift at the end of
the season in Russia's top league. He may not have great hands, but there's
a lot to like about him. He could move up the ladder to the second line."
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'01-02 Yaroslavl Jr. 40 18 16 34 77
Russia 5-Nat. 4 0 1 1 0
'02-03 Yaroslavl Jr. 11 0 1 1 4
Russia WU18 4 0 0 0 0
The Hockey News says: Two-way forward
60. Alexander Sulzer
Born: May 30, 1984, Kaufbeuren, Ger.
2002-03: Hamburg
Pos: D | Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 205 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 28 Euro. skater
A word of advice to Alexander Sulzer: Get yourself a dietician.
The buzz is Sulzer has what it takes to make it to the NHL. But he may miss
the boat unless he gets serious about fitness.
"He looks chubby and the (German) culture may have something to do with
that," said a European scout. "Somebody has to tell him he can't have a
sausage and a beer after the game.
"The problem is after the games he hangs out with his friends and there goes
the discipline."
Sulzer's upside is his skating and vision.
"He knows how to move the puck and he moves it well," said another scout. "He understands the game, but needs to get into a situation where he'll have more pressure."
Sulzer could keep the status quo. He'd make decent money in Germany and gain the status of local hero. It's not a bad lifestyle, but with a change he could succeed in the NHL.
"The trouble with German players like him is you wonder how good they will be," the European scout said. "Do they have the same goal of making it to the NHL?"
YEAR TEAM LEA. GP G A Pts. PIM
'00-01 Kauf. Ger.3 38 3 6 9 20
'01-02 Kauf. Ger.3 18 1 9 10 14
'02-03 Hamburg Ger. 18 0 1 1 4
Germany WJC 6 0 2 2 14
The Hockey News says: Two-way defenseman
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