Showing posts with label Blake Clarke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blake Clarke. Show all posts

Monday, February 3, 2014

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #8.Leon Draisatl

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)
1.Sam Reinhart
2.Aaron Ekblad
3.William Nylander
4.Roland McKeown
5.Jake Virtanen
6.Blake Clarke
7.Nick Ritchie
8.Leon Draisatl
9.Michael Dal Colle
10.Jakub Vrana
11.Ivan Barbashev
12.Jared McCann
13.Anton Karlsson
14.Joshua Ho-Sang
15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:
Oskar Lindblom
Haydn Fleury
Nick Schmaltz

RECAP to date of players we have looked at
Sam Reinhart
6'1, 183 lbs
Kootney Ice- Games 40 Goals 24 Assists 41 Points 65
Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad
6'4, 216 lbs
Barrie Colts- Games 38 Goals 17 Assists 21 Points 38
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 2 Assists 2 Points 4
Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 1 Assists 1 Points 2

William Nylander
5'10, 170 lbs
MODO J20- Games 1 Goals 0 Assists 0 Points 0
MODO- Games 11 Goals 0 Assists 2 Points 2
 Rögle- Games 18 Goals 4 Assists 4 Points 8
Södertälje Games 11 Goals 7 Assists 6 Points 13
Sweden U18- Games 4 Goals 4 Assists 2 Points 6


Roland McKeown
6'1, 195 lbs
Kingston Frontenacs- Games 47 Goals 8 Assists 24 Points 32
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Jake Virtanen
6'1, 210 lbs
Kingston Frontenacs- Games 51 Goals 32 Assists 18 Points 50
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Blake Clarke
6'1, 190 lbs
CHL- Games 37Goals 2 Assists 7 Points 9


Nick Ritchie
6'3, 236 lbs
CHL- Games 37Goals 2 Assists 7 Points 9

The player I listed in August at #8.
Leon Draisatl
6'1, 198 lbs
 Prince Albert Raiders - Games 43 Goals 19 Assists 41 Points 60

Leon will be rising quite considerably from the #8 spot but definitely not into the top 2 player ranking for my ranking for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Drasatl is a good player but is IMO a different class outside of Reinhart and Ekblad. 

ISS hockey says "Off the charts vision and smarts combined with a power frame. Leading the way in PA". Craig Button says "Leon is a blend of skill and power and comfortable in either element. His skill derives from excellent hockey sense and the ability to make plays and recognize what is unfolding. His power is more along the lines of being hard to deter and imposing himself on opponents, with a serious determination to make a difference. Skating is good with much room to improve. A Top 2 line type forward." While back in August before the season began Future Considerations stated "Draisaitl is a playmaking center who isn't overly physical but uses his size effectively to shield himself and the puck. He has excellent vision and knows where his options are. He has soft hands and a steady stride, but his smarts are his most important asset."

I have not followed Leon much until the last 2 months and while he shows lots of promise the question I have is, can he still display that kind of ability when competing against bigger, stronger and more skilled players consistently. His lack of discipline at the U20 world jrs and his inability to shine at the Prospects game send off a couple caution signs. I still see this player good, just not as a elite player in the NHL.

Seeing as time goes by the Oilers seemed destined for a top 2 pick, it's highly unlikely he will be selected by the Oil. That is, unless a team other then Buffalo or Edmonton win the lottery and they end up selecting 3rd overall. At third overall, he may be a player the Oilers consider.

Monday, January 20, 2014

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #6. Blake Clarke

 REVS 2014 NHL Draft Prospects (August 10/13)
1.Sam Reinhart
2.Aaron Ekblad
3.William Nylander
4.Roland McKeown
5.Jake Virtanen
6.Blake Clarke
7.Nick Ritchie
8.Leon Draisatl
9.Michael Dal Colle
10.Jakub Vrana
11.Ivan Barbashev
12.Jared McCann
13.Anton Karlsson
14.Joshua Ho-Sang
15.Sam Bennett 

Honourable mentions:
Oskar Lindblom
Haydn Fleury
Nick Schmaltz

RECAP to date of players we have looked at
Sam Reinhart
6'1, 183 lbs
Kootney Ice- Games 36 Goals 21 Assists 36 Points 57
Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad
6'4, 216 lbs
Barrie Colts- Games 33 Goals 14 Assists 18 Points 32
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 2 Assists 2 Points 4
Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 1 Assists 1 Points 2

William Nylander
5'10, 170 lbs
MODO J20- Games 1 Goals 0 Assists 0 Points 0
MODO- Games 11 Goals 0 Assists 2 Points 2
 Rögle- Games 18 Goals 4 Assists 4 Points 8
Södertälje Games 6 Goals 5 Assists 3 Points 8
Sweden U18- Games 4 Goals 4 Assists 2 Points 6

Roland McKeown
6'1, 195 lbs
Kingston Frontenacs- Games 42 Goals 8 Assists 24 Points 32
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

Jake Virtanen
6'1, 210 lbs
Kingston Frontenacs- Games 45 Goals 28 Assists 17 Points 45
Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

The player I listed in August at #6.
Blake Clarke
6'2, 196 lbs
 CHL - Games 30 Goals 1 Assists 7 Points 8

Traded to the Spirit from the Battalion a few games into this season Blake is now playing with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, Blake has really taken a back seat to his game. His offence was expected to go up but the exact opposite has happened. 

Clarke plays a pretty solid hard north-south game in the power forward mold. Has high skill and compete level mixed with a strong shot shot and a willingness to battle anywhere on the ice. Blake has still greater potential scouts are saying to play with even more grit and needs to work on consistency more then anything. He definitely knows how to use his strong built frame to knock others off the puck when battling in the corners. In my year end rankings unless Blake has a incredibly big turn around his ranking will drop drastically but will likely still make that Top 15.

While Blake does play a role similar to the power forward role the Oilers could use, there are far too many players in his mild with higher end skill and even grit and speed at the higher order of the top 5 where they are likely to pick. Chances are slim we see the Oilers call out Blake's name at the draft in June 2014.

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