June 19, 2012

2012 NHL Draft: Prospect Previews

Inside College Hockey's coverage of the National Hockey League Entry Draft annually looks at some of the best current collegians eligible for this weekend's draft. In the past, we've highlighted draft-eligble incoming freshmen, but this time around we opted to stick with players who already have at least one year of college experience under their belts.

We also offer "Scout's Take," Inside College Hockey's exclusive evaluation of the player from one or more NHL scouts. Scouts were granted anonymity in exchange for their candor.

Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.


Forward
5-8 | 142 lbs.
AUSTIN CZARNIK
Miami

Washington, Mich.

2011-12 Statistics: 40 GP, 10-27—37

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "He's smaller in stature, kind of in the mold of Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) and T.J. Tynan (Notre Dame). He's not quite as dynamic offensively as those guys and not quite as good all around on offense as they are, but he's got a nose for the net. As good a year as Reilly Smith had, Czarnik was a big part of that. He also has a competitive streak—he has a hit-you-before-you-hit-them-mentality."

 

Forward
6-1 | 200 lbs.
PHIL DI GIUSEPPE
Michigan
Maple, Ontario

2011-12 Statistics: 40 GP, 11-15—26

Central Scouting Service Rank: No. 22 among North Amercan skaters

Scout’s Take: "He had a good year as a true freshman. If he plays in the USHL last season, those point totals would have been quite a bit higher. He works hard with and without the puck—it's just as important to be good without the puck these days. He's got a good skating stride and a good shot and even though he's a good player now, he has room to get better. At Michigan, he will."

 

Forward
5-10 | 180 lbs.
SAHIR GILL
Boston University
Terrace, British Columbia

2011-12 Statistics: 39 GP, 12-19—31

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "He's in his last year of draft eligibility, so if he slides through the draft this year he'll be a free agent. He's a skilled, smart player ... a really good offensive player. He improved from his freshman to his sophomore year in terms of consistency and got stronger for sure."

 

Center
5-11 | 160 lbs.
SHAYNE GOSTISBEHERE
Union
Margate, Fla.

2011-12 Statistics: 41 GP, 5-17—22

Central Scouting Service Rank: No. 148 among North Amercan skaters

Scout’s Take: "He got a lot of exposure with scouts coming to check out (Jeremy) Welsh, (Kelly) Zajac, and (Troy) Grosenick. Gostisbehere skates well, moves the puck well, and creates with the puck. He can be explosive. He got better as the season progressed because of how much he played. His style is similar to (former Michigan defenseman) Matt Hunwick."

 

Defenseman
6-1 | 200 lbs.
MATT KILLIAN
Yale
Basking Ridge, N.J.

2011-12 Statistics: 31 GP, 1-5—6

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "He was better earlier in the season than he was later on but, in general, that team struggled late as a whole. He's got size, can move the puck, and see the ice. He needs to improve his strength, quickness, foot speed, and pivots. Even though there are a lot of inconsistencies with him, there's also a lot to like there."

 

Defenseman
5-10 | 180 lbs.
JOEY LALEGGIA
Denver

Burnaby, British Columbia

2011-12 Statistics: 43 GP, 11-27—38

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "From an offensive standpoint, he's as good as it gets in college hockey. He's got vision, creativity, the ability to run the power play and get the puck up the ice. I think he's bigger than he's listed. He's got holes in his game from a defensive standpoint, but what he does offensively at an elite level overshadows that. You just don't see freshman defensemen come in and score 40 points."

 

Defenseman
5-11 | 172 lbs.
JORDAN OESTERLE
Western Michigan
Dearborn Heights, Mich.

2011-12 Statistics: 41 GP, 2-6—8

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "He's a lot like (draft-eligible Cornell defenseman) Joakim Ryan in that he's a steady player who makes the right decisions. You'd like him to be a little bit bigger and he needs to get stronger, but he's going to get better playing for (WMU assistant coach) Pat Ferschweiler and getting more minutes in different situations as he gets older."

 

Forward
6-4 | 205 lbs.
ADAM REID
Northeastern
Chino Hills, Calif.

2011-12 Statistics: 33 GP, 6-3—9

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "Reid's got a really big body and should be able to fill out at around 215 pounds. He's not the most skilled guy out there, but he plays hard, finishes checks, takes the puck to the net, and isn't afraid to go to the dirty areas. He became a more effective player for Northeastern as the season went on. He probably projects to a fourth-line forward in the pros."

 

Defenseman
5-10 | 182 lbs.
JOAKIM RYAN
Cornell
Rumson, N.J.

2011-12 Statistics: 34 GP, 7-10—17

Central Scouting Service Rank: Not ranked

Scout’s Take: "He's a smart player with or without the puck. Makes the first pass all day long. I'd like him to be a little more assertive and a little more steady and maybe you'd like a little more offense and a little more tenacity on defense, but he was effective as a freshman. He's just a steady, good puck mover. What you see is what you get."

 

Forward
6-0 | 180 lbs.
AUSTIN WUTHRICH
Notre Dame
Anchorage, Alaska

2011-12 Statistics: 36 GP, 7-10—17

Central Scouting Service Rank: No. 94 among North Amercan skaters

Scout’s Take: "He was inconsistent last season—at times he was really good and other times he disappeared. But he's got some tools and intangibles. He's a big guy who needs to get stronger, and he'll do some things in the dirty areas. He's a guy who'll benefit from playing for Jeff Jackson."