November CSS List, Button's Rankings, And McKeznie On Eichel

Four members of the Saint John Sea Dogs have made Central Scouting’s November list of players to watch for the 2014 NHL Draft.

Sea Dogs centre Matthew Highmore, defenseman Oliver LeBlanc, and winger Spencer Smallman were all given a “C rating,” indicating a 4th/5th/6th round candidate. Centre Juraj Siska was also listed and given a “limited viewing” rating.

Highmore has five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 22 games and has been in the league’s top 10 in shots for most of the season. LeBlanc has four goals and 11 assists in 22 games while Smallman has five goals and five assists in 21 games. Siska has not played a game this year and it’s unclear when, or if, he will this season.

LeBlanc also made Craig Button’s latest draft rankings, coming in at 68^th. The TSN analyst has him one spot ahead of Sherbrooke’s Daniel Audette who was taken first overall in the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft, the same draft LeBlanc was taken 11^th overall by Saint John.

Looking ahead to the 2015 NHL Draft, TSN’s Bob McKenzie had this to say about Sea Dogs property Jack Eichel in the latest Insider Trading column:

Everybody knows that the 2015 NHL draft is the so-called Connor McDavid draft and rightfully so. But keep an eye on Jack Eichel; a young American - a late 1996 birth date - who just tore up the Four Nations Cup in Finland. He had four goals and seven points in only three games for the Americans. He's slated to go to Boston University at some point. His CHL rights were initially owned by the Halifax Mooseheads but they dropped him when he committed to BU, and now the Saint John Sea Dogs hold his CHL rights. He's a big centre who could put points on the board.

I wouldn’t order that Eichel Sea Dogs just yet, but the Bob McKenzie didn’t exactly say that Eichel is 100% absolutely guaranteed for sure going to Boston University next year. So that’s something, right? RIGHT?

Photo: Marc Henwood/Station Nation