Today's ramblings look at the Connor McDavid show, recaps the progress of 2014 1st rounders and applauds the Leafs' Mark Hunter addition...

 

Thursday, October 23^rd

 

Continuing from Tuesday’s ramblings, let’s get back to reviewing the progress of the prospects drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft.

 

***

 

Previously, John Quenneville (30^th) to Robby Fabbri (21^st) were covered and now it’s time to examine the start prospects Nick Schmaltz (20^th) to Kevin Fiala (11^th) have gotten off to.

 

 

20^th – Nick Schmaltz (Chicago Blackhawks) – An aggressive move to trade up to acquire Schmaltz on draft day, it will be interesting to see how this dazzling playmaker progresses in the Blackhawks system. North Dakota’s freshman is showing no problems transitioning to the collegiate game with one goal and four points through four games.

 

19^th – Anthony DeAngelo (Tampa Bay Lightning) – It’s an odd sight to look at the OHL’s defensive scoring leaders and not see Sarnia’s Anthony DeAngelo leading the pack but with one goal and eight points through his first half-dozen games, we’re not panicking. After impressing the Lightning during training camp, DeAngelo has returned to Sarnia rejuvenated. There has been a minor blip on his young season as the New Jersey defender has already served a two-game suspension for his altercation with an official.

 

Jonathan Drouin makes his NHL debut, Brendan Ross breaks down the early Calder standouts and looks at the progression of 2014 1st round selections...

 

 

Tuesday, October 21^st

 

 

 

Hockey is in the full swing of things with prospects stepping up their games, others disappointed and the unlucky experiencing some unfortunate injuries. Here are the latest rumblings around the hockey prospect world.

 

*

 

Before I dive into these ramblings, let’s just talk about Jonathan Drouin’s NHL debut after sneaking into his first game after Alex Killorn couldn’t go after the pre-game skate. While Drouin didn’t post any points and went minus-1 in 16:10 minutes of ice time, we certainly witnessed his special talent. Once Drouin gets some time to practice with the powerplay unit and then earns time with the man advantage, we are going to see the points trickle in…and trickle in very quickly. One of the best tweets of the night went to THN’s Adam Proteau…

 

{source}
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Drouin on the same line is going to be illegal one day. The NHL may have no other choice.</p>&mdash; Adam Proteau (@Proteautype) <a href="https://twitter.com/Proteautype/status/524405682414419968">October 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
{/source}

 

*

 

Over the next few days, each rambling will be kickstarted by quickly firing through some updates on the play of 2014 NHL Draft 1^st rounders starting with those prospects selected 21^st (Robby Fabbri) through 30^th (John Quenneville) this past June.

 

30^th – John Quenneville (New Jersey Devils) – Named to the WHL’s Subway® Super Series WHL Roster, Johnny Q used a strong Devils camp showing to turn that into six points in his first four games back with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. Playing alongside Panthers prospect Jayce Hawryluk, Quenneville should finish among the top league scorers.

 

29^th – Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings) – Playing on the same Modo squad as Leafs’ 2014 1^st rounder William Nylander, Adrian Kempe has posted one goal and four points in his first dozen games which is well on his way to eclipsing his 11 points from last season. The recently turned 18-year-old continues to show a strong power game while focusing on improving his defensive focus.

 

28^th – Josh Ho-Sang (New York Islanders) – With a six-game suspension carrying over from the 2013-14 season, Josh Ho-Sang has just recently took the ice with the Windsor Spitfires. Fortunately, Ho-Sang opened his season with a three-point effort followed by back-to-back two assist games for seven points in his first three games. Despite his delayed start, Ho-Sang should finish among the OHL’s top scorers and be a legitimate option for Canada’s World Junior team after finally getting an invite to a “try-out” type of an event as a member of the OHL’s Subway Super Series team.

 

27^th – Nikolay Goldobin (San Jose Sharks) – He almost forced his way onto the Sharks opening day roster but eventually the slick puck handler, Goldobin, was loaned to HIFK of Finland’s Liiga. In a league known for strict defensive play, Goldobin may benefit from rounding out his game inside his own zone. Playing on the larger ice surface, Goldobin has put up a pair of goals and assists in his first three contests.

 

26^th – Nikita Scherbak (Montreal Canadiens) – Russian born playmaker could’ve arguably started with the Canadiens as the entire organization was thrilled about his camp performances. With Scherbak returned to Everett (a team who traded for his services in the summer), he has four goals and eight points in four games. Here’s a player who should be among the CHL’s most productive players.