December 09 Prospects, 1-38

Written by Kyle Kujawa

Tuesday, 22 December 2009 23:53

The 2009 mid-season edition of Prospect Rankings is up and available for your viewing. Click Prospect Rankings at the top of the page to see ranking archives, as well as the full list, #1 to #38. To see just the second half of the rankings, click here.

Enjoy. Thoughts are always appreciated.

20. Francis Pare (-2) | Grand Rapids Griffins (WHL) ... Right Wing ... Age: 22
29 GP | 4G 11A, 15 PTS | +15, 4 PIM
Pare had a bit of a rough start to the season, but responded about as well as one can. After earning a contract from Detroit in the offseason, the former QMJHL MVP did not score a goal in the first two and a half months of the season. He then scored four in five games en route to winning the AHL Player of the Week award, and has since kept up his solid pace. His +15 is tops on the Griffins, as Pare continues to be one of those players who produces offense despite not having many elite qualities. Whether he ends up in the NHL, or as one of those consistent 50-60 point AHL players every year (the Darren Haydars and Alexandre Girouxes of the world) will be decided in the next two years.

21. Gleason Fournier (-1) | Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) ... Defense ... Age: 18
28 GP | 6G 18A, 24PTS | +6, 50 PIM
Fournier missed traning camp with an injury, but made up for lost time quickly, winning the QMJHL Defensive Player of the Week right out of the game. Despite his position, the Wings drafted Fournier for one reason -- offense. Fournier skates like the wind, moves the puck well, and makes great decisions in his own zone. Fournier has produced around the level that an elite offensive defenseman is expected too, but his real challenge will be to refine his defensive game, which is still very unpolished.

22. Sergei Kolosov (+2) | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) ... Defense ... Age: 23
30 GP | 1G 2A, 3PTS | -1, 6 PIM
Kolosov has picked up where he left off last season, with reliable, steady defensive play. Once a very raw prospect, since he's turned pro he's slowly started climbing the ladder. Detroit likens his game to Andreas Lilja's, and expect that Kolosov can be a bottom pairing defenseman who kills penalties. Kolosov is mobile and moves the puck well -- two qualities that made Lilja so successful. An injury kept Kolosov out of pre-season action, which is a shame as it would be nice to see how he does against NHL talent. Kolosov may get that chance before next September though, as he's considered a pretty safe bet for Belarus' Olympic team, to be announced on Wednesday.

23. Evan McGrath (-8) | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) ... Center ... Age: 23
30 GP | 7G 5A, 12PTS | -5, 10 PIM
It's looking more and more likely that McGrath is going to fall victim to the numbers game, and his future may lay outside Detroit's organization. Now a fourth year pro, McGrath has come a long way since Detroit was forced to send him to the ECHL as a rookie. McGrath has been vocal the past two training camps that he wants to prove he can play in the NHL, but was unable to crack the roster. This season, he had to clear waivers and did -- and so far has struggled in the AHL to prove that Detroit made the wrong choice. His contract is up again after this season, and with a lot of forward prospects slated to be rookies in Grand Rapids for next season, McGrath may try to find employment in another city.

24. Nick Jensen (+4) | Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), United States Jr. A (WJAC) ... Defense ... Age: 19
21 GP | 0G 8A, 8PTS | +10, 4 PIM
Jensen is Detroit's new long-term project, in his final season of the USHL before joining St. Cloud State next season, giving Detroit five years to watch him. Jensen is a no-frills defenseman who does everything right. He skates well and has a hard shot -- though his offensive totals don't necessarily reflect that. Still, Jensen is regarded as one of the most consistent defensemen in the USHL. Jensen also won gold this season in the World Junior A Challenge, scoring a goal and adding two assists as the United States captured their second straight gold medal.

25. Mitchell Callahan (+5) | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) ... Right Wing ... Age: 18
37 GP | 10G 16A, 26PTS | +5, 91 PIM
Detroit's resident agitator and middleweight scrapper is off to a fine start to his second WHL season. Last season saw a deep Kelowna team win the WHL, and Callahan played a limited 3rd/4th line role. This year he was expected to emerge as an offensive leader, possibly seeing some time on the second line. As you can see, his totals have reflected that, but they're nothing earth-shattering. Callahan's game is mostly physical, as you can see from the 90+ PIMs he's wracked up.

26. Stephen Johnston (-7) | Belleville Bulls (OHL) ... Center ... Age: 19
18 GP | 6G 4A, 10 PTS | -3, 16 PIM
Johnston is the lone Detroit prospect who needs to sign a contract in the offseason, otherwise Detroit will lose his rights. So far, Johnston has had a very poor season and looks to be on a path to not getting an NHL contract from Detroit. He's been injured on two separate occassions, currently still out of the lineup. But the OHL favors big players with speed -- something that Johnston has. Detroit expected something close to the development of Johnston's ex-teammate, Shawn Matthias, a 2006 draft pick that Detroit traded to Florida. Matthias exploded offensively in his final two seasons of juniors, but Johnston's totals will barely surpass what he put up last season. He doesn't appear to be a go-to offensive player in Belleville, and could be a candidate to be traded to a contending team at the deadline.

27. Travis Ehrhardt ( +7) | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL), Toledo Walleye (ECHL) ... Defense ... Age: 20
[AHL] 16 GP | 0G 2A, 2PTS | -2, 20 PIM | [ECHL] 3 GP | 1G 1A, 2PTS |+4, 0 PIM
The Wings could have sent Ehrhardt back to the WHL for a final overage season, but they felt he was ready for the professional ranks. It's been tough for Ehrhardt to find icetime in Grand Rapids, but he hasn't looked out of place in the AHL when he's played. He had one stint in Toledo, but was since recalled and has been able to get into a string of games with Doug Janik in Detroit. Easy to see what Detroit liked in him, but it's just a matter of continuing to adjust and making the most of the ice time he gets.

28. Bryan Rufenach (+4) | Clarkson Golden Knights (ECAC) ... Defense ... Age: 20
15 GP | 4G 7A, 11PTS | 31 PIM
Now a junior at Clarkson, the former 7th round pick is continuing to establish himself as one of the best offensive defensemen in the conference. Despite Clarkson being a weak club overall, Rufenach has found a way to chip in offensively and continues to grow with the ice time thrown at him. It's tough to say where he stands on Detroit's radar -- as the ECAC isn't known for being as tough a conference as the likes of the WCHA or CCHA, but Rufenach will most likely have his senior season to aid Detroit in the upcoming decision.

29. Sebastien Piche (-7) | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL), Toledo Walleye (ECHL) ... Defense ... Age: 21
[AHL] 9 GP | 0G 0A, 0PTS | -1, 4 PIM [ECHL] 8 GP | 2G 5A, 7 PTS | +6, 23 PIM
Piche was the second free agent defenseman that Detroit signed out of juniors and stuck in Grand Rapids. Early on, Piche battled Travis Ehrhardt for ice time, but Ehrhardt seems to have won that battle -- which is not great for Piche, a player who is a year older. Piche struggled in his own end in the QMJHL and seems to be having trouble adjusting his game to the professional ranks. As an offensive defensemen, zero points is not what was expected. Piche is now in his second stint in Toledo, one that looks like it might last for longer than the weekend they had him stay the first time. He's able to produce in Toledo, but was suspended one game for an elbow last week.

30. Julien Cayer (-5) | Clarkson Golden Knights (ECAC) ... Left Wing ... Age: 20
15 GP | 1G 2A, 3 PTS | 6 PIM
Cayer has taken a step back this season. Teammates with Bryan Rufenach at Clarkson, as one of the only drafted players, Cayer should be stepping up as an offensive leaders, despite the fact that he's only a sophomore. However, he hasn't been playing like it, with just three points on the season so far. Cayer isn't a writeoff though, as he's a strong skater with good size who's been a proficient scorer at other levels -- if the offense comes in his final two and a half seasons of college, he could be a top prospect.

31. Johan Ryno (-15) | AIK Hockey (SWE-2) ... Left Wing ... Age: 23
23 GP | 3G 3A, 6PTS | +1, 10 PIM
Ryno is the biggest faller on this edition of the prospect rankings and it should be pretty clear why -- he's likely done as a Red Wing. Ryno has all kinds of skill and at 6'5, has the size that makes him a sought after package. After leaving Grand Rapids after 15 games in the first year of his contract, Ryno got hurt last year in Sweden to burn of most of the second, but still had another chance from Detroit to pursue an NHL career. Instead, Ryno said he would go back to Sweden if he did not make the NHL, really showing that he does not understand the process of becoming a Red Wing. Detroit is high on Ryno, but they'd have to be absurdly fond of him to give him another contract after this, knowing that he has three times burned the AHL. To make matters worse for Ryno, he isn't in the top level of Sweden and his production is very poor -- a player who thinks he can play in the NHL should have more than three goals.

32. Jordan Pearce (-3) | Toledo Walleye (ECHL) ... Goalie ... Age: 23
14 GP | 6-6-1 | 3.82, .881
Notre Dame's star goalie the past few seasons, Pearce has found professional hockey to be a difficult adjustment. I expected he might be able to push Thomas McCollum for time in the AHL, given that he is three years older, but Pearce did not play up to that level in the pre-season and has since struggled in the ECHL. He's splitting time with Alec Richards, a Chicago prospect, and so far Richards has posted better numbers. Pearce's numbers were sky high for most of this season, but over the past few months have showed signs of trending in the right direction.

33. Jesper Samuelsson (-10) | Timra Red Eagles (SEL), IF Sundsvall Hockey (SWE-2) ... Center ... Age: 21
[SEL] 15 GP | 0G 1A, 1PTS | +0, 6 PIM [SWE-2] 18 GP | 1G 5A, 6 PTS | -9, 0 PIM
Curse of an awful last name? Sammy II drew all kinds of draft comparisons to Henrik Zetterberg, given where he was drafted from, his SEL club (Timra), and his draft position. However, this season Samuelsson has taken a step back in his development. Samuelsson has been back and forth between the SEL and SWE-2 all season, most recently sticking in SWE-2 after getting very little ice time with Timra. What's hurting Samuelsson the most is what he's doing with his SWE-2 minutes -- he could be a top six player there, but he hasn't produced like it and his +/- is among the worst on the club. With no transfer agreement, Samuelsson does not need to sign a contract this year, but if he did, he'd likely be in trouble.

34. Nick Oslund (+4) | St. Cloud State Huskies (WCHA) ... Left Wing ... Age: 22
18 GP | 3G 4A, 7PTS | 16 PIM
Oslund has been pretty low on this list almost every time, but he's finally showing signs of life. A big scorer in high school, Oslund not a factor in his first two seasons at SCSU. This season, while his totals aren't earth-shattering, he's set career highs and is among the top five scorers on a low scoring team. Oslund does have the tools -- size, skating ability, and grit -- of the type of grinder that Detroit likes, so he could be working his way back onto their radar as a junior.

35. Anton Axelsson (-) | Timra Red Eagles (SEL) ... Left Wing ... Age: 23
27 GP | 3G 6A, 9PTS | -4, 4 PIM
Axelsson is one of the most NHL ready players on this list, but there have always been concerns that he is not interested in coming to the NHL. As he gets older and older, that concern becomes more of a reality and the likelihood of him coming over decreases. One of the big bargaining chips Detroit had, which was the fact that brother PJ was having NHL success, is now gone as PJ Axelsson is also playing in the SEL. Axelsson's totals are impressive for a checking line player, but with no indication that he's changed his mind on his North American boycott, he'll continue to frequent the lower half of the list.

36. Ryan Oulahen (-5) | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) ... Center ... Age: 24
Injured
I suppose it's not fair to hurt his ranking because of it, but Oulahen has not played a game this season as he's still recovering from a horrendous hip injury he suffered late last season. He isn't expected back until next month. Also hurting his stock is the fact that he's 24 going on 25 -- making future NHL contracts in his future very unlikely. The rehab process is going to be very important for Oulahen's slim NHL chances. He was their top defensive forward who was more than capable of chipping in offense before he went down, so his stock could still rise if he can regain that form in the second half of the season.

37. Gennady Stolyarov (-1) | HC MVD (KHL) ... Right Wing ... Age: 23
Injured
Like Oulahen, Stolyarov has been held out of play this season because of injury, also out until January or February. And like Oulahen, that hurts his stock because he's not getting any younger. Stolyarov moved to a new KHL club this season, one where he will hopefully get more ice time. Detroit likely has an eye on him, but a contract is unlikely as long as he continues to live up to the skilled but lazy stigma that's followed him around his whole career.

38. Jamie Tardif (-1) | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) ... Right Wing ... Age: 24
31 GP | 8G 4A, 12 PTS | -9, 23 PIM
I hate ranking players "last," because no one deserves to be called the worst prospect in the organization. It's been easy in the past, with a chronically injured goalie, an unwanted Griffin, and a college senior who was eventually plain released -- Tardif kind of takes over by default. He's hardly as awful a prospect as the previous prospects in this slot, as the Griffins' captain and one of their top six wingers. But due to his age, average skating ability, average size, mediocre defensive play, and streakiness, I don't think he would make a career in the NHL. However, he's a valuable piece to the Griffins' success this season.