Olli Matta is done, but Brett Ritchie, Teemu Pulkkinen and William Nylander are just getting started.

Welcome to another ramblings. I’ll be writing these every week on Mondays, so be sure to stop on by! While you are here, make sure to check out some recent updates (click on the modified date button a couple of times to sort). Our writers are always sending in updates, with a mix of frequency and quality that is unmatched anywhere else on the web.

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Has Olli Maatta had the unluckiest year of any 20 year old prospect, ever? Mumps, tumor and shoulder surgery? Come on. Yes, that run of injuries can give you some pause in terms of value, but I think he is actually an excellent buy low right now. With nine points in 20 games this year, while seeing slightly fewer offensive zone starts and better competition and getting 16 even strength minutes and 1.5 PP minutes on a stacked team… Maatta was on pace for an excellent age-20 season.

He has played 97, 85, and 85 games respectively the last three seasons, so durability really isn’t as much of a concern as it seems. If you can snatch him from someone in contention, do it.

Statistical leaders and reports from our team-scouts.   *   In spite of life, today’s ramblings are jam-packed with useful information, not just from me but from some of the most knowledgeable team-specific prospect writers [...]

Mitch Marner dominating the OHL, Connor McDavid comes alive and Jets prospects impress

Saturday, January 3rd

Happy New Year to all of our dedicated DobberProspects readers! As we turn a new calendar year, I speak on behalf of the entire DobberProspects staff, including Associate Editor Austin Wallace, when I say that we hope to continue bringing you some of the best prospect coverage out there. As a new resolution, Austin and I are planning on ramping up the frequency of our ramblings so be sure to keep checking back.

Before I dive into the World Junior Hockey Championships, there are few non-WJC related prospect stories that need to be addressed…

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In an NHL draft class that features to projected superstars in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, it’s extremely difficult to top the daily news that surfaces daily on those two players. In saying that, how about London Knights’ draft eligible forward Mitch Marner’s surgence? The young right winger has been absolutely sensational since the end of October.

He started the season off on a slow note with just four points in his opening 10 games which required me to remind the hockey world that he would be alright and not to worry, sending people to re-read my article on him late last summer. On October 24th, Marner picked up three assists against an Ottawa 67’s squad which sparked a 16-game point streak tallying 21 goals and 44 points before he was held pointless on December 5th against the Soo Greyhounds, ending that impressive run. Since he was blanked, Marner has picked back up from his storybook month that witnessed him become the OHL’s November Player of the Month.

In his past 10 games, the slick playmaking forward has dominated the gamesheet posting 10 goals and 28 points, including 5-point and 6-point nights in back-to-back games against the Sarnia Sting. Do the math and you quickly find out that Mitch Marner has racked up 31 goals and an astonishing 72 points over his last 27 games, with only one pointless game.

In any other draft, Marner would be a lock for a top 5 selection but the likes of McDavid, Eichel, Hanifin, Crouse, Werenski, Strome and Zacha are still making it tough to crack. Outside of maybe McDavid, I haven’t seen many draft eligible skaters with Marner’s ability to create offense and it’s going to be arguably the best Top 10 in the drafts recent history. What a class of players! Marner sits with a seven point cushion in the OHL scoring race (77 points in 37 games) ahead of Dylan Strome (70).

Great goaltending, great games, not so great teams.

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Welcome to my second ramblings in as many days. Instead of covering a lot of things broadly, I am going to take a deeper look at the two games today as well as the Leon Draisaitl escapade. I focus mainly on drafted NHL prospects; Brendan Ross will be posting his own ramblings in the days to come with much more of an emphasis on 2015 and 2016 eligibles.

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Denmark and Switzerland played a massively, unexpectedly entertaining game filled with highlights, great plays, sloppy plays and an improbable, unprecedented win.