[Sandman]

More Draft Thoughts (Anybody sick of me yet?):

-It will be interesting to see where C/W Easton Cowan gets picked after the postseason he just had with the London Knights, putting up 21 points in 20 games, after a regular season of 53 points in 68 games. Cowan and fellow draft-eligible Denver Barkey spent a lot of time together on a line this year, showing a lot of chemistry. EC is hovering around average in most categories, except his motor and compete level, which are pretty much elite. Despite being only 5'10", he's fearless, and he plays with relentless pace, seemingly never slowing down, and going all out every shift. His brain is fairly quick too, and he's able to make decisions at top speed with an above-average offensive toolkit- including quality playmaking vision and IQ. His shot is not the strongest, but he gets it off quickly and more importantly, with accuracy. He's not afraid to fight for loose pucks in the corners, or along the boards, against opponents much larger than him, and he's not afraid to engage them physically. He drives the net like he was 6'2", and plays hard on the forecheck, causing headaches for opposing players, and forcing them into turnovers. Cowan is very useful defensively, breaking up rushes with his stick, and his tenacity, but he also has good anticipation and awareness to be at the right spot at the right time- and he often kills rushes in the neutral zone. Skating-wise, he's somewhat average- he's quick and elusive, with good edges, and he's fine in a straight-line, but he needs more explosiveness, acceleration, and power in his stride to get more separation from checkers. His stride looks a bit clunky, maybe slighly choppy, and a bit bowlegged, but some time with a skating coach will help, and some of his other issues will get better as he gets stronger. This kid could concievably make it to the show as a bottom-6 checker if he improves his mobility, but his offense right now is hard to project. He will need time either way. 4th/5th round.

-6'1"176lb RHC Brad Gardiner (son of former NHLer Bruce Gardiner) has been getting some love, ranked #73 by MacKenzie, and #88 by Button. Playing for the powerhouse Ottawa 67's, one would imagine that he's playing down the lineup a bit, and he has indeed been everywhere from the 4th line to the top line. Still, he managed 39 points in 68 games, followed by a paltry 4 points in 11 playoff games. He is a Jack-of-all-trades, and his coaches entrust him on both sides of special teams, and every other situation there is in a hockey game. Gardiner already has size to work with, but he has some other transferable skills. First off, Gardiner plays a pretty cerebral style, highlighted by what some call a high-end off-puck game- he knows where to go to, and when, to make himself an option to recieve passes in high-danger, or to connect to other plays. His efforts open up space and time for himself and teammates, creating opportunities. He is intelligent, and highly aware in all situations. He also has a hard, accurate wrister with a sharp release. This sense and awareness extends to the defensive zone, where he uses smart positioning and a good stick to clog lanes and cause turnovers, securing possession for his team, and facilitating the breakout- where his off-puck play gives his D an option. Gardiner will stick his nose into any of the battle areas, and he has a good motor with high compete. Skating-wise, he's around average, as his stride lacks some power- limiting his acceleration and top-speed, but he's good in a straight line. His mobility will get better as he builds strength. This may be a player with a fairly high ceiling, as he still has more to show, but if all else fails, he has the tools to play a bottom-6 checking role, with a splash of offense. 3rd/4th round.

-Beckett Hendrickson is a 6'1",168lb LW who played in the USDP this year, and is the son of former NHLer Darby Hendrickson. He is still fairly young by Draft standards, not turning 18 until June. 50 points in 73 total games in the USDP, which is repectable, but not spectacular. He also registered 2 points in 7 games at the U-18's, where he hardly had any playing time, getting as low as 4:52 TOI in the Gold-medal game against Sweden. A comparable I've read is to Andrew Copp, although it's said that Hendrickson's game is a lot quieter at C, and that he looks better playing LW at this level. Hendrickson skates reasonably well, with a touch of agility to weave through traffic, excellent puck-protection, and plays a responsible 200-ft game. He is as tenacious on the forecheck as he is on the backcheck, and while he's not elite in any category, he seems to have good IQ and awareness in all areas, but his compete level might be his best asset. Very good PKer as well. He's not afraid to get his nose dirty, or battle in hard areas, and plays a grinding, physical game from the wing. Right now, he's projecting more like a bottom-6 checker, but he does have some above-average offensive tools, such as a hard shot, his nose for the net, and a touch of passing ability- although he keeps it simple. Looks to be a long-term project, but has a solid base of defensive skills, with the potential to grow his offense. 5th round.

-6'2"RHD Kaden Hammell started off the year with the 3rd-best team in the WHL, the Kamloops Blazers, putting up 10 points in 36 games playing down the lineup, behind some older players. His situation changed for the better when he was traded, along with 3 other players and 10 draft-picks, to the Everett Silvertips for Ryan Hofer and Olen Zellweger. With a little more ice-time and responsibility, he had over 0.5 ppg, with 16 points in 31 games. Hammell already has a strong base of defensive ability, but he's just coming in to his own on the other side of the ice. There's no shortage of hockey sense here, and he leaves his mark every game. Defensively, he plays an energetic and intense physical game, and is a regular PKer, but he's remarkably disciplined himself, with only 34 PIM's. He has no problem battling in the dirty areas, or in front of the net, and he's able to apply pressure to puck-carriers. His skating has improved by leaps and bounds over where it was last year, and can no longer be considered a weakness- however, he still needs some work in this area. He has a long, powerful stride, but needs to further upgrade his agility, and top-speed. Hammell exhibits good puck-protection and control, but he could use better puck skills, although he has a solid first-pass. Offensively, he is already able to disribute from the line, and he can extend offensive zone time by keeping the puck in, and not giving up on plays. The team that selects him must be willing to give him some time, but he's trending up on a steep curve. 3rd-5th round.