[sureLoss]

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/bob_mckenzie/?id=455555

For example, as good as the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Ekblad is, some scouts wonder if he an upside greater than being a steady, reliable two-way defender. Is there a dynamic quality there that is usually associated with a potential first overall pick?

Barrie head coach Dale Hawerchuk, a former NHL star, doesn't know about dynamic, but he does know impactful, because that's what Ekblad has been from the moment he showed up to Barrie as a 15-year-old who was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to enter the OHL a year early.

"He's been a top pair, shutdown defenceman who played against the best players in our league from the day he got here," Hawerchuk said, "and there's no doubt in my mind, none whatsoever, that he's going to be a really good top pair, shutdown defenceman who plays against the best players in the NHL. He's been impactful since Day 1. He does it all and he does it all consistently and he's going to be a 15 to 20 year top-pair NHL defenceman."

This year's top prospects earn rave reviews for some specific trait or quality, but the praise is accompanied by a question.

Reinhart's hockey sense, for example, is widely hailed, elite level, as good as it gets. But will his average speed and size put a second-line ceiling on him or reduce his effectiveness against men?

Bennett's complete game – equal parts skill, smarts, spirit, edge and work ethic – is lauded but can an average size centre translate that style to the NHL against men?

No. 4-ranked Leon Draisaitl, the Prince Albert Raiders' German-born and –trained centre, has a big NHL frame and can make plays but will the lack of a dynamic step keep him from being a first-liner?