Morgan Reilly on Leafs versus Sean Day on Steelheads

A 19 year old in the NHL is a rough equivalent to a 15-year old in the OHL, so it has been interesting to watch the relative progress of Morgan Reilly and Sean Day.

Sean has 2 goals and 8 assists and is -26 with Mississauga Steelheads (Team +/- is -51 GF/GA), while Morgan has 1 goal and 10 assists in 31 games with the Leafs, and is a -6 on a team with a -6 GF/GA. As a Reilly comparison, note Seth Jones (Popeye's son) of Nashville also has 11 points, and is -14 in 38 games. Jones has played more minutes but also been on the ice against tough competitors.

 Look for both Reilly and Day to lengthen their stride in 2014.

Leafs News: Kadri to wing, Raymond to sign extension

Bozak set to return, Holland surging in faceoff circle

Based upon his last 5 games, Nazem Kadri may have to get used to taking some shifts on the wing. Here are his numbers:

DEC 27 '13 BUF @ TOR - 37.50%

DEC 23 '13 TOR @ NYR - 29.41%

DEC 21 '13 DET @ TOR - 28.57%

DEC 19 '13 PHX @ TOR - 20.00%

DEC 17 '13 FLA @ TOR - 36.84%


Now, here are the recent numbers for Peter Holland, a center drafted the same year as Naz (Holland went 15th overall in 2009, Kadri went 7th):

DEC 27 '13 BUF @ TOR - 72.73

DEC 23 '13 TOR @ NYR - 70.00%

DEC 21 '13 DET @ TOR - 58.33%

DEC 19 '13 PHX @ TOR  - 30.77%

DEC 17 '13 FLA @ TOR - 45.45%


Nazem is -1 with 1 point over that stretch, while Peter is +1 with 3 points. It is a small sample but may be indicative of personal momentum. With Dave Bolland out until late January, Kadri may have a wee bit of breathing room now, but if he can't get fiercer in the circle, he'll be playing on the wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs come playoffs time.

NOTE: Though all the focus has been on Phaneuf's extension (Update Jan 1: 7 years for $49 mil). Look for Mason Raymond to sign a 3-year, $9 million deal ($2.5, 3.0, 3.5 mil) before the middle of January.

2015 nhl draft prospect rankings

Here are some contenders for my upcoming rankings of top prospects for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft:

Connor McDavid, Erie

Travis Konecny, Ottawa
Mathew Barzal, Seattle
Mitchell Marner, London

Jack Eichel, USA Juniors
Rasmus Andersson, Malmo


Dylan Strome, Erie
Maxim Tretiak, KAM
Jordan Greenway, USA Juniors / U17



More names to watch include:

Aleksi Saarela, Mikko Rantanen, Ryan Pilon, Noah Hanifin, Dante Salituro, Zach Werenski, Nathan Noel, Nicolas Roy, Felix Sandstrom


Keep an eye on:

Paul Bittner, LW
Kyle Connor, C
Matt Spencer, D
Jeremie Roy, D
Adam Musil, C
Glenn Gawdin, C,
Robin Kovacs, LW
Oliver Kylington, D
Mitchell Stephens, C 
Tyler Soy, C
Pavel Zacha
Yevgeni Svechnikov
Nikita Korostelev, RW
Gustav Franzen, C
Daniel Sprong, RW
Jansen Harkins, C


Which 2015-eligible players are having a great season and are not listed above? Please post your comments and suggestions below, thanks kindly.

December 2013 National Hockey League Top Teams Rankings

DEC 3rd 2013 NHL Team Rankings

Teams moving up 3 or more places include Chicago, St. Louis, Boston, Los Angeles Washington, Winnipeg, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Teams dropping 3 or more spots include Colorado, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Phoenix and New York Islanders.

2013-14 NHL Rankings by Team - October    (Last Week)            ( % Playoffs)

Dandy Dozen: 48%- 78% chance of playing 2014 Stanley Cup games

1. (4.) Chicago (73)
2. (2.) San Jose (70)
3. (6.) St Louis (68)
4. (1.) Colorado (63)
5. (5.) Anaheim (62)
6. (3.) Pittsburgh (78)
7. (11.) Boston (48)
8. (13.) Los Angeles (45)
9. (10.) Detroit (50)
10. (7.) Phoenix (50)
11. (8.) Tampa Bay (48)
12. (12.) Vancouver (48)

Contenders: 32% to 45% chance of being in Stanley Cup playoff games

13. (15) Minnesota (45)
14. (14) Montreal (43)
15. (11) Toronto (41)
16. (19) Washington (45)
17. (16) Nashville (38)
18. (21) Winnipeg (36)
19. (18) Dallas (38)
20. (24) New York Rangers (38)
21. (20) Ottawa (32)
22. (26) New Jersey (36)
23. (27) Philadelphia (36)
24. (22) Carolina (32)

Lottery Picks: Below 40% chance of making NHL playoffs
25. (17.) New York Islanders (28)
26. (23.) Calgary (27)
27. (25.) Columbus (30)
28. (28.) Florida (23)
29. (29) Edmonton (23)
30. (30.) Buffalo (17)

NOV 2013 OHL HOT 40 Future Hockey Pros

Top 2013-14 Ontario Hockey League Players

This list of Ontario Hockey league players is a ranking of top 2013-2014 OHL performers most likely to make a career out of playing hockey. Our ratings are biased towards forwards, as many defensemen mature in their early 20s, and junior hockey is a tough environment for goaltenders. In light of this, many OHL defenders and goalies not mentioned here may go on to stellar NHL careers.

1. Connor McDavid, Erie (2015)
2. Aaron Ekblad, Barrie (2014)
3. Michael Dal Colle, Oshawa (2014)
4. Darnell Nurse, Sault Ste. Marie (2013, Edmonton)
5. Sean Day, Mississauga (2016)
6. Travis Konecny, Ottawa (2015)
7. Connor Brown, Erie (2012, Toronto)
8. Anthony DeAngelo, Sarnia (2014)
9. Mitchell Marner, London (2015)
10. Matt Murray, Sault Ste. Marie (2012, Pittsburgh)

11. Brock McGinn, Guelph (2012, Carolina)

12. Carter Verhaeghe, Niagara (2013, Toronto)

13. Dane Fox, Erie (Undrafted free agent)

14. Sergey Tolchinsky, Sault Ste. Marie (2013 Free Agent signing, Carolina)

15. Slater Koekkek, Windsor (2012, Tampa Bay)

16. Bo Horvat, London (2013, Vancouver)

17. Kirby Rychel, Windsor (2013, Columbus)

18. Dylan Strome, Erie (2015)

19. Stefan Leblanc, Sudbury (2014)

20. Scott Laughton, Oshawa (2012, Philadelphia)

21. Trevor Carrick, Mississauga (2012, Carolina)

22. Brendan Perlini, Niagara (2014)

23. Matt Finn, Guelph (2012, Toronto)

24. Nick Maygar, Kitchener (2014)

25. Nick Ritchie, Peterborough (2014)

26. Scott Kosmachuk, Guelph (2012, Winnipeg)

27. Jason Dickinson, Guelph (2013, Dallas)

28. Jared McCann, Sault Ste Marie (2014)

29. Sam Bennet, Kingston (2014)

30. Nikolay Goldobin, Sarnia (2014)

31. Nicholas Baptiste, Sudbury (2013, Buffalo)

32. Anthony Stolarz, London (2012, Philadelphia)

33. Henri Ikonen, Kingston (2013, Tampa Bay)

34. Roland Mckeown, Kingston (2014)

35. Ryan MacInnis, Kitchener (2014)

36. Mathew Campagna, Sudbury (2014)

37. Nathan Pancel, Sudbury (2014)

38. Vladisla Kodola, Sarnia (2015)

39. Francesco Vilardi, Plymouth (2014)

40. Cristiano DiGiacinto, Windsor

OHL Hot Future Pros Honourable Mentions:

Nelson Armstrong, Peterborough

Jordan Subban, Belleville

Brandon Devlin, Peterborough

Nick Ebert, Windsor

Blake Siebenaler, Niagara

Andrew Mangiapane, Barrie

Mitchell Stephens, Saginaw

Chris Bigras, Owen Sound

Spencer Watson, Kingston

Mackenzie Blackwood, Barrie

Devin Williams, Erie

Daniel Altshuller, Oshawa

Oscar Dansk, Erie
Justin Nichols, Guelph
Daniel Altshuller, Oshawa

Top 30 NHL Teams Rankings - OCTOBER 2013

We are now at the point in the season where it makes sense to switch from weekly rankings to monthly, to increase the sample data size for each reporting period. Here are how the National Hockey League teams stacked up at the end of October, 2013.

Phoenix made a big move, up five spots to 7th overall, while Tampa moved from 11th into 8th. Vancouver also surged five places, while Nashville and Washington each began finding their game. Teams on the skid included Montreal, Dallas and Florida.


2013-14 NHL Rankings by Team - October    (Last Week)            ( % Playoffs)

Dandy Dozen: 48%- 82% chance of playing 2014 Stanley Cup games

1. (2.) Colorado (65)
2. (1.) San Jose (70)
3. (3.) Pittsburgh (82)
4. (4.) Chicago (70)
5. (5.) Anaheim (62)
6. (6.) St Louis (68)
7. (12.) Phoenix (52)
8. (11.) Tampa Bay (52)
9. (10.) Toronto (52)
10. (9.) Detroit (52)
11. (7.) Boston (48)
12. (17.) Vancouver (50)


Contenders: 41% to 50% chance of being in Stanley Cup playoff games

13. (15.) Los Angeles (45)
14. (8.) Montreal (48)
15. (18.) Minnesota (45)
16. (22.) Nashville (45)
17. (16.) New York Islanders (50)
18. (13.) Dallas (45)
19. (26.) Washington (45)
20. (14.) Ottawa (42)
21. (19.) Winnipeg (45)
22. (20.) Carolina (42)
23. (23.) Calgary (42)
24. (27.) New York Rangers (42)



Lottery Picks: Below 40% chance of making NHL playoffs

25. (24.) Columbus (39)
26. (25.) New Jersey (35)
27. (29.) Philadelphia (35)
28. (21.) Florida (31)
29. (28.) Edmonton (29)
30. (30.) Buffalo (26)

October Report: Top 30 Toronto Maple Leafs players

While the Toronto Maple Leafs have shown they can score goals with the NHL top teams, and play net like there's no tomorrow, the ice between the blue paint area has been a problem. This is not the type of team Randy Carlyle wants, and the schooling provided by the Canucks last night and the Blackhawks last week were all the evidence the coaching staff needed that this may be one of the worst-performing 10-5 teams in a long, long time.

So far in the 2013-14 National Hockey League season, we have been providing weekly updates for the Top 30 Leafs players list, however some weeks the game sample is too small, so frm here on we shift to monthly. Here is our first monthly ranking, determined by value to the Maple Leafs hockey team over the past month.

Top 30 Toronto Maple Leafs Players Rankings



October 2013 - This Month (Last Week)

1. (1.) Dion Phaneuf - Playing a solid game as shutdown D, +10 is 6th among all defensemen in NHL.

2. (2.) Phil Kessel - Unselfish, slick passer has now found scoring touch.

3. (6.) Jonathan Bernier - Steady as a rock.

4. (3.) Joffrey Lupul - On fire since last year, sniper ultra-dangerous.

5. (4.) Dave Bolland - Has led with efforts, faceoffs, grinding and key goals

6. (5.)  James van Riemsdyk - Power forward could score 40 goals, Kessel chemistry.

7. (9.) James Reimer - 4-1 to start season, Leafs have top young goalie tandem.

8. (7.) David Clarkson - Leafs need to emulate his style as a team.

9. (10.) Cody Franson - Slick passer building assists total, helping Reilly along.

10. (8.) Nazem Kadri - Has had moments but few if any real dominating games yet.

11. (14.) Carl Gunnarsson - Best when not noticed, has been solid against top players.

12. (15.) Jay McClement - Defensive whiz has Leafs among top penalty-killing NHL teams.

13. (11.) Mark Fraser - Leafs +/- leader last year sorely missed; may be paired with Gardiner upon return.

14. (12.) Tyler Bozak - On Injured Reserve. Solid 2-way game against league's top players.

15. (13.) Jake Gardiner - Finding his stride, sometimes paired with Reilly on PP now.



16. (16.) Morgan Reilly - Making smarter decisions, has stuck with big club.

17. (17.) Mason Raymond - Strong skater, 2-way game, may be offered an extension soon.

18. (19.) Colton Orr - Steady play, will need to alternate with McLaren, to keep both fresh. 

19. (20.) Paul Ranger - Improving but not smooth yet, may end up as Leafs 7th D-man.

20. (21.) Frazer McLaren - Off the injury list, adds hitting and enforcement.

21. (--) Nikolai Kulemin - Team needs his 2-way game to catch on.

22. (18.) Carter Ashton - Would be wise to emulate Clarkson, but stay out of box.

23. (23.) Trevor Smith - Marlies captain ready when required, up and down.

24. (22.) Josh Leivo - Has been steady in early season callups.

25. (24.) Troy Brodie - Will likely play for Marlies when injured fowards get back.

26. (25.) David Broll - Dark horse Brolldozer will get shot in bigs.

27. (26.). TJ Brennan - Marlies top D-man will get first callup if needed.

28. (27.) John-Michael Liles - Strong depth insurance, or may be moved by deadline.

29. (28.) Jamie Devane - Needs AHL seasoning, can fight and hit in bigs.

30 (29.) Spencer Abbott - Building confidence in AHL, needs to dominate there.



Other Toronto Marlies to watch:

Drew McIntyre, Stuart Percy, Jerry D'Amigo, Tyler Biggs, Greg McKegg, Peter Granberg, Andrew MacWilliam, Korbinian Holzer, Garrett Sparks


Notable prospects:

Connor Brown, Erie Otters - Leads all OHL scorers, now with 14 goals and 20 assist for 34 points in 16 games.

Frederik Gauthier, Rimouski - 16 points in his first 17 games this year.

Matt Finn, Guelph - 4 goals and 12 assists has him 3rd among all OHL D.

Carter Verhaeghe, Niagara Falls - 28 points in 17 games puts him 8th in OHL!

Andreas Johnson, Frolunda - Leading his Swedish Hockey League club in scoring.