by Kathy K., Managing Editor, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC–With a little over ten days remaining before the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia, we sat down with Mark Edwards of Hockey Prospect (@ScoutingService) to get his thoughts on the next young stars, NHL drafting strategies, and the next season to come. Enjoy!

All Habs: Hockey Prospect’s NHL Draft Black Book is back again this year. What can fans expect to find in this year’s edition?

Mark Edwards: It’s much the same format-wise with a couple of key improvements that customers asked us to include. Firstly, we included a stats table in the player profiles. It has the players’ stats from the past two seasons. Secondly, it includes our ranking for the players in a box on that same table. It just makes it easier to find the info you’re looking for.  Other than that, it’s similar to last year’s book. We include about 330 player profiles on 2014 NHL Draft prospects and also profiles on prospects eligible for the 2015 and 2016 NHL Entry Drafts. We have 599 profiles in total, don’t ask me why we didn’t squeeze out one more. ;-)

AH: Are there players in particular you feel strongly about that others may not have regarded as highly? If so, tell us about them!

ME: The Draft gets so much coverage these days that it’s getting increasingly difficult to mention any player that someone doesn’t really like, but I’ll throw a few guys out there. Christian Dvorak of the London Knights is a player we saw a lot of early-on before he got hurt. Both myself and our London-based scout Ryan Yessie really liked him. He’s defensively responsible, which is impressive for a rookie, but he also has a lot more skill than some people give him credit for. We have him as an early 2nd rounder. A few other players we liked and may have ranked higher than some people are Brandon Montour from Waterloo, Blake Hillman from Dubuque and Dakota Joshua from Sioux Falls. All three played in the USHL and we have them ranked 57th, 74th and 76th respectively.

AH: The Canadiens’ situation has changed quite a bit from two years ago when they were drafting third. In their position, is any player worth making a move upwards for?  Or should they turn around and use their first round pick as currency to gain other picks further down the line?

ME: Tough question to answer until the draft is unfolding, but I’ll throw a few names out there that I would try to trade up a few spots for if they fell. If one of Adrian Kempe, Travis Sanheim, Sonny Milano, David Pastrnak, Alex Tuch or Nikita Scherbak slipped to the 20th spot I would probably get on my phone. I’m not sure any of them make it to 26th but if I had to pick one that would slip, it would be the Russian, Scherbak. I’m a fan of all those players.

AH: Last year’s QMJHL crop was unlike many in history in terms of top-level talent—but this year, that does not appear to be the case. Still, are there any local talents you see fitting with the Canadiens?

ME: You’re correct, it’s kind of slim pickings this year in the Q, especially for home-grown talent. I guess Nicolas Aube-Kubel would be the top local guy after the big Euros [Nikolaj] Ehlers and [Ivan] Barbashev. I really like [Julien] Nantel from Rouyn and I’ll add [Francis] Perron from that same team. Goaltenderwise, we have Mason McDonald as our top-rated goalie in the draft.

AH: We all know what they say on the record, but are you of the opinion that many teams draft based on need, or the best player they feel is still available?

ME: I think most take best the player available for the most part, but I’ll clarify with a few things that factor in. Some teams just don’t take Russian players. There are various reasons from the risk of the KHL always being there to simply not having the current infrastructure to make it logical (current Russians on roster as an example). So if Team A thinks a Russian player is currently the most talented player on the board when they are selecting, they might pass on him. Another situation that could arise is simply size. Let’s say for example that Winnipeg is on the clock and [Julius] Honka is the top rated player on their board. Given who they drafted last season (Josh Morrisey) they might not want to take another slightly undersized D-man. If we use the Habs, they have quite a few small players on their roster, they might pass over a guy like Robert Fabbri, as you can only have so many small guys on your roster. Calgary would be in the same boat with a guy like [Jon] Gaudreau ready to crack their lineup.

AH: Which draft-eligible player might move up from his projected slot on the board in the later rounds and surprise people?

ME: Hmm. Logan Halladay, a goalie from the NAHL. In my opinion, it’s a weak year as far depth goes in this year’s goaltending crop, but this kid is a player I like. I’m interested to see where he goes off the board.

AH: Finally, who of Montreal’s current prospect pool do you see sticking with the big club this season and why?

ME: Tough question for me because I see so little AHL hockey. I guess Tinner and Beaulieu don’t count, off the top of my head I can’t think of another prospect that will stick. None of the young ones I can think of would seem to be ready, de la Rose, Thrower, etc…Pateryn is a possibility.

NOW AVAILABLE: 

The 2014 NHL Draft Black Book is available NOW via instant download in PDF format in HockeyProspect.com’s online store.  The Black Book will also be available on Amazon in print edition.

Hockey Prospect (@ScoutingService) is an independent scouting service that provides hundreds of game reports and insights on players in the OHL, WHL, QMJHL, USHL, Europe, Prep, EJHL, OJHL and the BCHL.

Keep an eye on the Next Ones: become a Hockey Prospect Insider! Several options are available to choose from:

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Includes: Premium Newsletter, OHL Draft Premium Content, expanded rankings, game reports and more!	Includes: Premium Newsletter, QMJHL Draft Premium Content, expanded rankings, game reports and more!	Includes: Premium Newsletter, NHL Draft Premium Content, expanded rankings, game reports and more!	Includes: Premium Newsletter, OHL, QMJHL and NHL Draft Premium Content, expanded rankings, game reports, 50% discounts on NHL, OHL and QMJHL Draft Guides and more!

For more information and to choose the plan that most interests you, click here.

All Habs Hockey Magazine offers year-long coverage of the Montreal Canadiens as well as their coveted prospects.  Keep up with this year’s edition of the Hamilton Bulldogs as well as future Habs currently suiting up in the Canadian Hockey League right here at AllHabs.net.