Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Top 5 Tuesday: CHL Rookies


The crop of rookie this year is looking pretty good so far. Here are the 5 in scoring from across the league as of Today.

5. Geoffry Schemitsch-Owen Sound
The blueliner from Owen Sound is starting to make scouts pay attention. Not ranked by ISS in their top 30 for the 2010 draft has 2 goals, 15 points in 17 games. He's 6.01 and 180 lbs and has the coveted right handed shot. He currently sits 5th in rookie scoring across the country.

4. Emerson Etem- Medicine Hat
I watched him play Saturday night against Edmonton and he scored a beauty of a goal, his 12th already this year giving him 16 points in 15 games for the Tigers. Etem picked up the puck shorthanded in the Oil Kings corner and powered his way to the net tucking it in far side. Some scouts have said he's a little soft, but I didn't see much of that Saturday. His current pace has him racking up 57 goals in a 72 game season, but I'm betting he misses some time for the World Junior Championship.

3. Nino Neiderreiter-Portland
I recently saw the swiss, who seems like he can't miss, product when the Winterhawks rolled through town a few weeks back. He was impressive. His 8 goals and 17 points are tied for 2nd in rookie scoring. Neiderreiter has good size and skates well. He's not in the top 30 for ISS but could sneak in as the season rolls on.

2. Ryan Nugent Hopkins-Red Deer
Some have him the number one prospect for the 2011 NHL draft. His 10 goals, including a hattrick are second only to Etem, and his 17 points are tied with Neiderreiter. A former first round draft pick has been great for a Rebels team that has only seen 2009 37 goal man Landon Ferraro in 5 games due to a knee injury.

1. Shane McColgan-Kelowna
The Rockets don't have Jamie Benn, Tyler Myers or Michael Backlund this year, but they do have rookie Shane McColgan, who's tied with Stepan Novotny for the team lead in scoring with 18 points. The 2011 draft prospect put together a 10 point scoring streak that was just snapped on Sunday, where he had 17 points. The only blemish on the 5.10 forward is he's -4.

Interesting note, no QMJHL players in the top 5 of scoring.

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