Monday, September 23, 2013

Baillie finds extra motivation

If Tyson Baillie needed any extra motivation heading into his draft year, he received it Monday.
NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary rankings and the 17 year-old was left off the list.
Nothing.
No mention anywhere.
Central Scouting breaks down the prospects in three categories. An 'A' prospect is a potential first to second round pick. A 'B' prospect is a player that could go anywhere from the second to fourth round and a 'C' prospect is player who could go anywhere from the 4th to the 6th round.
You would think Baillie would, in a worst case scenario, slot into the 'C' category after scoring 26 goals in his second season in the WHL. The Fort, Saskatchewan product had 26 goals and 56 points last season, which would rank him second only behind Kootenay Ice forward Sam Reinhart, who is not only rated as an 'A' prospect but possibly the first player taken in the 2014 draft. Reinhart had 35 goals last season, which was a massive accomplishment for a Ice team that had little fire power. Baillie had more tools to work with, but if anyone was watching, they saw a pretty determined player who elevated his play in last years playoffs. That alone should have caught the attention of many.
Here is the breakdown of the 'A' rated WHL players and where Baillie fits into the mix on statistics alone: 

Sam Reinhart: Kootenay 35 goals - 'A' prospect
Tyson Baillie: Kelowna 26 goals - not rated
Leon Draisaitl; PA 21 goals - 'A' prospect
Chase DeLeo: Portland 18 goals - 'A' prospect
Jake Virtanen: Calgary 16 goals   - 'A' prospect

Rockets forward Rourke Chartier was rated as a 'C' prospect by NHL Central Scouting. The first of three lists of the top eligible players for next summers draft will be released in November.  

1 comment:

daryl said...

Pathetic really... Nhl scouting should give their heads a shake with a 2 x 4... Just my opinion!