Habster:

I can almost guarantee you that Trevor Timmins will not pick Aaron Ness at #25. He won’t select another offensively skilled yet very undersized defenseman (5’9″ 165lbs). The Habs have a ton of defensemen who are offensively gifted in Subban, Weber and Carle. They won’t let an offensively gifted forwards like Nicolas Deschamps get by them (SI.com has him dropping down to #29).

They also have the top ranked goaltender, Thomas McCollum dropping down to the #30 position with three other goaltenders getting drafted ahead of him (???). I don’t have a problem with Chet Pickard being taken ahead of McCollum as there isn’t a big difference between the two players but Jake Allen ahead McCollum, a bit odd to say the least.

The NHL draft can be very unpredictable with so many teams/scouting departments having such varying opinions with their “Top 100” list, realistically anything can happen on Friday and Saturday………that’s what makes the NHL draft so special to watch!!!

Scouting information concerning Aaron Ness:

NHL Central Scouting’s Jack Barzee;

“Aaron is flamboyant and colorful. He is very quick, everything about him is quick – his hands are quick, his feet are quick. He is a very good skater and he is gritty and physical. He’ll step right in to you without fear – he picks his spot when he does it. He’s a little more polished than some of the other high school defensemen with his passing and playmaking. When I look at him he is quicker than Brian Leetch was at this age and he’s as fast as John-Michael Liles was at the same age.”

Hockey’s Future: 2008 prospects: Aaron Ness