What's left to sleuth?

Can it really be that the draft is starting so soon? I thought I had a ton more time to write long and in depth posts about prospects... but I guess not.

So, instead, I want to revisit a few posts from the past.

I finished up my prospect posts with a little roundup and a few of those players have come a long way.

Luke Shenn: Luke Shenn is a big story, to me. He has been called the best defensive desfenseman in this year's draft, one that is widely considered a very deep draft. I didn't have a lot to say about him in my earlier roundup, he is still, as he was then, outside my sphere. I don't follow the WHL and I'm not too familiar with their players.

Luke Schenn has been impressing people though, with his strong defensive play. A lot of teams , and players, have put an emphasis on offensive defense. The Norris candidates are almost always some of the top scoring defensemen. The stay-at-home defense is largely overlooked, but that's what Schenn does best. He isn't an offensive powerhouse, though he did have a good season points-wise, he's a shutdown guy.

I like to watch strong, offensive hockey, but playing a responsible game in your own end is obviously important. I think Schenn may go in the top 5, and definitely in the top 10, and I'm excited to see him in the NHL, or at the very least, back at the WJC next year.

Jared Staal: Staal was ranked 50th by TSN in their roundup of prospects, which would put him as a late 2nd round pick. I think that that's fair, considering his play for the past two years, but I still think that he has the potential and the size to develop into the same kind of powerhouse as his brothers. He didn't get the same kind of ice time, nor was he lucky enough to play on a team of the caliber that his brothers were in their early years. (Last year, when Marc was playing for the, arguably, much better Wolves, Jared was seeing very little ice time.) He also seems to have grown a little later that the rest, and is still growing into his size.

I, personally, think that Jared Staal will become an NHL caliber hockey player, and I will be surprised if he drops much lower than that in the draft (he could very well go higher).

I also want to talk about a prospect who I've mentioned more than once, but never posted about in my prospect sleuthing posts - Tyler Cuma.

Tyler Cuma is a defenseman for the Ottawa 67s and I was really impressed with his skating ability when I went to see the 67s play. He's good going both ways, and he also has good puck control and a good hockey IQ. He was rated 16th by TSN, though lower by some other, and some international, scouts. He's the prospect that I'll be watching for.

If you're looking for more you can check out some of my prospect sleuthing from earlier this year here or you can check out the list from TSN, which I have now read 3 times...

See you for the draft!