An excerpt from TSN Bob McKenzie’s analyse and top 10 prospect picks of the 2009 draft which will be held at the Bell Centre.
TSN video: http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip91523#clip91523
”It really could go either way,” one scout told TSN. ”So much of it will be based on performance. If Tavares plays like he did his first season (in the OHL), it’s going to be very interesting. He could easily be the (No. 1) guy. If (Tavares) plays like he did in the (OHL) playoffs last spring, kids like Cowen and Duchene could go right by him. It’s a big year (for Tavares).”
”It could come down to position,” another scout said. ”If you need a forward, you take Tavares. If you need a defenceman, you take Hedman. But neither of those guys is so much better than the rest of their class that they can afford to go on their reputations. Cowen and Duchene are big-time prospects, too.”
Cowen is a 6-foot-5 defensive defenceman. Duchene is a well-built pivot just shy of six feet tall, who has elite level speed and skill. While he is perhaps not quite as prolific offensively as Stamkos, there are a lot of similarities in their game in terms of playing both sides of the puck and using speed on both offense and defence.