G. Marc Andre Fleury - Marc is the top goalie of his draft class. A butterfly goaltender in the mold of Roberto Luongo. He has an incredibly quick glove hand along with cat-like reflexes Many call him a sure fire NHL superstar. Marc had an incredible WJC this winter, winning MVP honors for the tournament and posting a GAA below 2.00 along with a stellar save percentage over .930. Although he may not be an instant impact player, he could make an impact within 3 or 4 seasons if not sooner.
F. Nathan Horton - Nathan is a physically mature beyond his years. The current 17 year old is 6�2" and over 210 lb currently. He has the tools to become a dominant power forward much the same as Todd Bertuzzi. He is a fast skater, with good hockey sense, a good shot, and loves to play with an edge. This season has been a bit of a "let down" in scouts minds because of injuries. Yeah, scoring a goal a game is a real "let down".
D. Braydon Coburn - A huge smooth skating defenseman that plays the physical side of things. A true all around defenseman, as solid offensively as defensively. Many believe he will become a better player than Florida�s promising youngster Jay Bouwmeester. Braydon has good on ice vision and fantastic passing skills. Although our system is stocked with defenseman, we lack a player of Braydon�s pure skill and all around ability on the blueline.
F. Milan Michalek - Milan is considered by many as the second best forward of this draft class. A very talented offensive player with good stickhandling and great speed. He is also solid defensively. He is considered the darkhorse of the draft because he has no strength that stands out above his peers, but his all around game is solid. He should develop into a top line scorer.
F. Robert Nilson - Robert is the true dark horse of the draft class. He could go as high as #1 overall, or he could drop to the mid 20�s. He plays in an adult league, which many prospects don�t, yet he still prospers. This may not be a great determination, most adult Euro leagues are filled with failed NHLers. Anyway, Robert is a good 2 way player. He has very good offensive skills, speed, stickhandling, shooting. You name it, he can do it. Many compare him to Peter Forsberg at the same edge, only lacking some of his physical play.
F. Eric Staal - The hands down best 2 way player of this draft class. He is very hardworking and possess great leadership skills. The guy has future captain written all over him. He is extremely hard to knock off the puck and pays both ends hard like every shift is his last. A player that will give you is all every shift of every game.
F. Nikolai Zherdev - And then there was Nikolai. Zherdev possess the best offensive skills of his draft class or of the draft class proceeding him. Many call him the best offensive prospect, other than Kovalchuk, since Paul Kariya. He is fast, has incredible stickhandling, and an accurate hard shot. Offensively, no one else comes close. Although his offense is astounding, his defense is appalling. If Nik had better defense, he would be the surefire #1 pick of the class.
No matter which of these lucky prospects gets selected as a Penguin, he will be a great addition to an already well stocked group of core prospects that only lack a true franchise player to put them over the top.
Written By John Berteri
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