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.

For Oiler and Baron news and 2013/14 NHL draft watch

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Oilers make minor trade

The Edmonton Oilers traded Ryan Martindale and winger Derek Nesbit, to the Florida Panthers in exchange for centre Steve Pinizzotto and Winger Jack Combs.

This trade is another minor trade most likely more for the farm than the big team.
Since December 14th this is the 5th trade the Oilers have made. All I can really say is at least MacT is tying somewhat to get this team to improve, I mean not a big deal today, but still we hated Steve Tambellini for not making trades at least MacT is trying.

Written by Noah Fuchs

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #5. Jake Virtanen

 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 34 Goals 18 Assists 35 Points 53

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad

6'4, 216 lbs

Barrie Colts- Games 31 Goals 14 Assists 17 Points 31

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 39 Goals 8 Assists 23 Points 31

Canada U18- Games 5 Goals 0 Assists 1 Points 1

The player I listed in August at #5.

Jake Virtanen

6'1, 210 lbs

Games 43 Goals 26 Assists 16 Points 42

Jake is a player who does not mind getting his nose dirty and has the size and strength to back it up. He thinks the game with a above average hockey IQ and has slick hands as some scouts have said. Has a dynamic shot that can catch goalies unexpectedly but even better is his strong stride with the combination of size , skill and speed. Jake can be rather dominating at times on the ice. Is in the mold of a power forward but like many others before him (including the NHL) can get a bad rap that they are not working hard enough at various times.

If the Oilers were to have a shot at Jake (as of right now in the NHL standings the Oilers are sitting 29th) he easily could be that power forward with a blend of size, grit, speed and skill this team has longed for. I have heard rumblings that Jake is a player the Oilers are very interested in and are watching him closely. It will all depend on where they finish the season in their draft ranking order. Should the Oilers pick anywhere other then top 3, Jake could be their likely pick. His season has started to slow down boxcars wise but is a player nonetheless that they do not have coming up in the system.

For Oiler and Baron news and 2013/14 NHL draft watch

www.twitter.com/revingev

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #4.Roland McKeown

 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 33 Goals 16 Assists 34 Points 50

Canada U20- Games 7 Goals 2 Assists 3 Points 5

Aaron Ekblad

6'4, 216 lbs

Barrie Colts- Games 31 Goals 14 Assists 17 Points 31

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

The player I listed in August at #4.

Roland McKeown

6'1, 185 lbs

Games 37 Goals 7 Assists 22 Points 29

One writer says  "Total package on the blueline; IQ on both sides of puck. Impressive +16 in 11 GP in Oct". That's pretty bold words on this young man. Is a solid plus player and while can push the puck up the ice offensively he can provide a shutdown presence on the blue line that has some teams anticipating this draft rather eagerly. Has proven to be a good leader in the jr ranks.

Has won some nice trophies to brag about. Won a U18 championship, Ivan Hlinka Gold medal, made all-rookie team. Has outstanding skating skills and can skate east/west or north/south with relative ease. His top end acceleration and speed make him a difficult player to stop at top speed coming into the offensive zone. Can execute crisp one time passes well but most often likes to lead the rush with his puck on the stick. A extremely smart defender with good positioning and good instincts.

Should the Oilers make a push up in the standings in the later half they stand a good chance of landing a player like Roland who could only be another solid player brought into the stable for the future years ahead. Not exactly what Edmonton fans want to hear ( future) but Roland could be a top end 2 d-man , likely will settle more into a 3-4 d-man role if he continues this trend in a upward arrow.

For Oiler and Baron news and 2013/14 NHL draft watch

www.twitter.com/revingev

REVS Top 15 2014 NHL Prospects #3. William Nylander

 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

Games 33 Goals 16 Assists 34 Points 50

Aaron Ebblad

6'4, 216 lbs

Games 29 Goals 10 Assists 15 Points 25

The player I listed in August at #3.

WILLIAM NYLANDER

At 5'10, 170 lbs, William is a rather smaller player of size and will likely have a difficult time adjusting his game at the NHL pro level. Craig Button in late September quoted the following... "William exudes confidence when he plays. Exceptional poise with the puck and is always looking to make threatening plays in the offensive zone. Excellent skater who is very difficult to check because of his agility and because he is always changing pace. Can make pinpoint passes in traffic and if you are his line mate, best be ready, as he will provide opportunities. Top line type player." 

Will be interesting to see if he can pick up his game in the second half. With 18 Games played and only 4 Goals and 4 Assists for 8 Points in the swedish jr league, William is likely to drop quite far back unless he can suddenly start putting up some points. He currently has played 10 games with 2 assists only in the SHL and that has got some scouts really concerned. Currently in my rankings , I have droped Nylander to the bottom double digits. Another scout has stated "He still needs some time to transition to the pro game to learn that he won't have as much time as he once did, but Nylander's offensive upside will be worth waiting for."

If he lacks scoring at this level, he isn't bringing much to the table anymore and this could see him drop back some spots from the beginning of the season.

For Oiler and Baron news and 2013/14 NHL draft watch

www.twitter.com/revingev