Junkyard IceDog

Luca Caputi
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Country: Canada
Position: LW
League: OHL
Team: Mississauga IceDogs
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 190
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: The IceDogs sleeping giant has a wonderful frame that he has yet to grow into .. has received good icetime on an adequately talented team, playing on both the PP and PK .. takes draws on the PK with Legein on his wing .. has a long reach which is valuable on the kill .. a more reactive type of forward who cruises until he sees an opportunity to pounce on a loose puck .. first step quickness needs a lot of work as he has a slow pickup .. owns deceptive speed as his 3rd stride and on escalate his speed rapidly .. great along the boards with wingspan, long legs, and a quick stick .. crashes the net and stays there, which is becoming a lost art .. has the reaction and hands to make something of loose pucks that squirt loose in front of the net .. rebound goal hound .. surprising vision and pinpoint passing ability .. able to find open teammates and feather passes through traffic .. loses balance easily due to light weight and is not an effective hitter yet .. a mystery with regards to asserting himself physically .. sometimes willing to fight, sometimes willing to let teammates like Osala fight for him .. needs to find a balance between playing with both edge and skill .. Mississauga’s big LW is an underrated forward for this year’s draft who has the tools to become an impressive power winger.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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68 games 27 goals 38 assists 65 points +22 66 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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5 games 2 goals 1 assist 3 points +1 0 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Caputi is a guy who is hard to get a read on; some rate him as high as the second round, some rate him as low as the fourth. We see him going late second-early third round. DraftBuzz likes his package of size and skill, and ranks him in the 40-50 range. Consistency is a normal issue with guys this young, so you have to project some and hope he puts it together. If the delivery does not get lost in the mail, a team could see themselves with a talented 6'3'' power forward who does the "little things."

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(photo courtesy of www.mississaugaicedogs.com)

Juicy Couture

Logan Couture
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Country: Canada
Position: Center
League: OHL
Team: Ottawa 67's
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 195
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: The 67’s pivot had a rough year health wise as he was sidelined with mononucleosis and a skate cut to the leg .. never really got into any sort of groove but did play well at the U18 .. skating is usually the first knock on him but this area should not be of much concern .. not an explosive skater or shifty mover, but generates impressive power with short and compact strides .. is well-built and looks very sturdy on his skates .. a methodical worker whose movements always look comfortable and controlled .. has a good hockey IQ .. causes turnovers with an active stick and smart, well-timed pressure .. owns above average hands and vision .. makes many nifty passes on both backhand and forehand, with pressure or without, looking or not looking .. solid on the draw and is a reliable center man .. makes a conscientious effort defensively but is not a standout in his own zone .. sets up at the half boards and waits to unleash his scary one timer on the power play .. has a sneaky wrist shot as he loves to cut into the middle and use defenseman as a screen .. does not look for trouble and seems to be focused solely on his offensive efforts .. not a physically punishing player by any means but is not afraid to take a hit .. a solid center who has many likeable qualities but needs to show a consistent, healthy, and successful post draft year.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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54 games 26 goals 52 assists 78 points -1 24 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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5 games 1 goals 7 assist 8 points -1 4 PIM

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2007 WJC U18 - Team Canada

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6 games 2 goals 2 assists 4 points +3 2 PIM

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Draft Day Status/Projection: Logan Couture is a solid hockey player who should go on to have a steady NHL career. There have been some comparisons to Brad Boyes floating around, and there are some similarities, but we think he has the same on ice mannerisms as Patrik Elias. Because of his generally rocky season, DraftBuzz ranks him 16th but can see him going anywhere in the range of 7-20 on draft day. He will need to ramp up his offensive production a level higher, but if the stars align, we see him as a steady top six forward.

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(photo courtesy of http://photoblog.ohlphotos.com)

Legein of Doom

Stefan Legein
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Country: Canada
Position: RW
League: OHL
Team: Mississauga IceDogs
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 170
Shoots: Right
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Scouting Report: Forget all the one dimensional labels you have heard, Mississauga's charming RW is a very complete player .. a somewhat rough skater around the edges but has effective speed .. played PK with Caputi .. is a PK threat showcasing speed, quick hands, and skill.. has an enduring motor and will to compete .. a small guy whose fire makes his size irrelevant .. looks a bit light on his skates .. a good passer and makes sound decisions with the puck .. a dangerous forward with a healthy combination of anticipation, stickwork, and hustle .. great forechecker is routinely first to puck and shows no fear when defensemen line him up .. surprisingly is always mindful of not getting caught too deep while pressuring .. consistently yaps and loves to get involved in scrums .. dishes out checks but is selective in expending his energy .. knows when to shoot and when to pass especially on the PP .. played with Caputi and Owens on the man advantage .. Oakville native needs to show more go-to dominance offensively, add more weight, and smooth out his skating .. an under appreciated winger in this year’s draft who will get better with maturity.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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64 games 43 goals 32 assists 75 points +31 115 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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5 games 2 goals 3 assists 5 points +0 0 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Legein is one of DraftBuzz's favorites and acknowledge he may even be too low in May's ranking at 30. Much more than a "pest," Legein has all of the parts to make it in the NHL as a great supporting top six line player ala modern day Sean Avery. We think he may surprise on draft day and can see him going in the 15-35 range to a team who needs a multitool, resilient player.

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(photo courtesy of www.mississaugaicedogs.com)

London's Armored Knight

Sam Gagner
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Country: Canada
Position: C
League: OHL
Team: London Knights
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 190
Shoots: Right
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Scouting Report: The second ingredient to London’s double headed monster exudes the on-ice charisma of a sure captain .. an all around force who meshes with Kane extremely well because of smarts and skills .. a great skater with impressive acceleration, agility, and straight line speed .. always in the “mix” and has that sixth sense on developing plays .. buzzes along in all three zones ready to initiate an offensive attack or support his defensemen .. is solidly built and athletic .. can transport the puck with a great lead pass or confident rush with a head of steam .. has extremely soft hands which often get overshadowed by his linemate’s .. is able to pull off some highly skilled moves in motion .. is the linemate who is relied on to go into danger areas and be the one to absorb contact in order to move the play .. admirably sticks with heavy checks and jostling .. a skilled passer with necessary vision to be a force blue line in .. plays the power play, penalty kill, and 5 on 5 .. is an opportunistic shooter who is a reliable threat to score .. superb on breakaways .. could stand to stick out more offensively .. needs to round out skating just a little more .. Gagner is a coach’s dream who has little to no visible flaws in his game.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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53 games 35 goals 83 assists 118 points +32 36 PIM

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2007 Playoff Stats

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16 games 7 goals 22 assists 29 points +1 22 PIM
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WJC - Team Canada (Limited Icetime)

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6 games 0 goals 0 assist 0 points +/-0 8 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Gagner is a pretty safe bet to be drafted top 10 and DraftBuzz has him rated 4th overall. If Kane moves on to the NHL, we are anxious to see Gagner get his chance to carry the London offense as the team's centerpiece. He is just a great all around pro prospect with top flight skills and mental game; it is obvious Gagner "gets it," and some team is going to be very happy in a month or so with his selection.

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(photo courtesy of Feldman)

Sugar Kane

Patrick Kane
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Country: USA
Position: RW
League: OHL
Team: London Knights
Height: 5'10''
Weight: 160
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: London’s electrifying right wing has done nothing but improve his draft stock week-to- week .. this special forward offers the most impressive array of offensive skills in the draft .. has an innate offensive sense about him that cannot be taught .. has resolute confidence when the puck is on his stick .. can sidestep, spinorama, deke, toe drag his way around anyone, anytime .. is proactive and can create a rush on a whim .. gets the green light from coach Hunter to press the play at all times .. not the most textbook skater but earns his dough with his shiftiness .. elusive and slippery to the utmost degree .. plays in all situations and can log longwinded shifts .. elite stickhandler .. shows impressive offensive zone fundamentals to back up his offensive flair .. takes basic shots and reinforces his knack for scoring goals .. can beat goalies with a snap, slap, wrist, backhand, or redirect shot that is accurate and hard .. is a light backchecker to say the least .. is muscled off the puck easily along the boards due to light weight .. is a target for heavy checks at times .. only has a willingness to go into rough areas of the ice when a scoring opportunity presents itself .. Kane is a prospect whose ordinary defense should not be a roadblock to success in the NHL .. he is a rare and dynamic talent who will soon be an exciting NHL player.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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58 games 62 goals 83 assists 145 points +42 52 PIM

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2007 Playoff Stats

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16 games 10 goals 21 assists 31 points +2 16 PIM
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WJC - Team USA

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7 games 5 goals 4 assist 9 points +2 4 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Kane is deserving of the number one overall selection. In our estimation, there are only two players who could overtake him as the top draft pick: Voracek and Van Riemsdyk. If a team like CHI or PHI prefers a little more brawn, while not minding a slight drop off in finesse, Kane may slip a spot or two. However, DraftBuzz ranks him #1 overall and expects him to be the first draft eligible selected on June 22nd.

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(photo courtesy of DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)

DraftBuzz's May Top 30 Ranking

Here is DraftBuzz's list of the top 30 draft-eligible prospects for the NHL's 2007 Entry Draft:

(1) Patrick Kane ----------RW------London (OHL)--------5-10/160
(2) Jakub Voracek --------RW------Halifax (QMJHL)-----6-1/190
(3) Kyle Turris ------------C--------Burnaby (BCHL)------6-1/170
(4) Sam Gagner -----------C--------London (OHL)--------5-11/191
(5) James vanRiemsdyk --LW/C---NTDP (USA)---------6-3/200
(6) Karl Alzner ------------D--------Calgary (WHL)-------6-2/206
(7) Alexei Cherepanov ----RW------Avangard (RUS)------6-1/183
(8) Zach Hamill -----------C---------Everett (WHL)------5-11/180
(9) Lars Eller --------------C---------Frolunda (SWE)-----6-1/198
(10) Thomas Hickey ------D---------Seattle (WHL)-------5-11/182
(11) Billy Sweatt --------LW--Colorado College (WCHA)--6-0/180
(12) Ryan McDonagh -----D---Cretin-Derham (USHS)----6-1/200
(13) Mikael Backlund ----C--------Vasteras (SWE)-------6-0/194
(14) Oscar Moller ---------RW---Chilliwack (WHL)-----5-11/179
(15) Nick Petrecki --------D--------Omaha (USHL)-------6-3/213
(16) Logan Couture ------C---------Ottawa (OHL)--------6-1/195
(17) Colton Gillies --------C--------Saskatoon (WHL)-----6-4/189
(18) David Perron --------C/RW----Lewiston (QMJHL)---6-0/180
(19) Dana Tyrell --------C/W-------Prince George (WHL)-5-10/185
(20) Maxim Mayorov ----LW/RW--Leninogorsk (RUS)----6-2/187
(21) Kevin Shattenkirk --D---------NTDP (USA)----------5-11/193
(22) Jeremy Smith -----G----------Plymouth (OHL)-------6-0/160
(23) Patrick White ------LW/C-----Grand Rapids (USHS)--6-1/186
(24) Logan MacMillan ---C---------Halifax (QMJHL) -----6-1/172
(25) James O’Brien -------C--------Minnesota (WCHA)-----6-2/184
(26) Simon Hjalmarsson -LW/RW-Frolunda (SWE)-------5-11/161
(27) Angelo Esposito ------C-------Quebec (QMJHL)------6-1/180
(28) Max Pacioretty ------LW------Sioux City (USHL)-----6-2/203
(29) Keaton Ellerby ------D--------Kamloops (WHL)-------6-4/186
(30) Stefan Legein -------RW------Mississauga (OHL)-----5-9/170