2013 Draft Eligibles: Is Aleksander Barkov the Finnish Eric Lindros?

By Jared Abbott
Posted on 04/26/2013 at 12:00 pm

If the 2013 draft did not headline a trio of top-tier prospects, Aleksander Barkov would be getting a lot more attention. Unfortunately, with the consensus number one overall pick in Portland Winterhawk Seth Jones, and the next two picks coming from the Halifax Mooseheads (Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon) little attention is being focused on European talent. My good friend Tom Zulewski earlier profiled Finnish defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is the top-rated defenseman among European skaters. Ristolainen’s countryman Aleksander Barkov is the number one draft-eligible European skater on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking that was released Wednesday. Despite conflicting rankings …

Image courtesy of www.eliteprospects.com

Draft Eligibles 2013: Rasmus Ristolainen, the European Seth Jones?

By Tom Zulewski
Posted on 04/16/2013 at 1:00 pm

Big, mean and Physical. Normally these are words one uses when describing a player from either Canada or the United States. However, for Finnish defensive prospect Rasmus Ristolainen these are the qualities that make him one of the best defensive prospect in the upcoming draft. In fact, many are comparing the game of Ristolainen to the consensus number one overall Seth Jones. I don’t think that’s a fair comparison at all, but I do see similarities in playmaking and skating ability. Seth Jones is a much better two-way player than Ristolainen in my opinion. At 6’3 210 pounds, scouts are …

Sunday funday: Who wants to play Armchair GM?

By Marcello De Feo
Posted on 02/18/2013 at 11:58 pm

I do, of course. I mean, who doesn’t? Any dedicated fan is going to have input on how to improve his/her favorite team. It goes without saying, though, that any Armchair GM is merely expressing an opinion. Nothing more, nothing less. And what better way to end a long week than by doing just that? When it comes to the makeup of the roster that comprises the current Philadelphia Flyers team, two things need to be taken into consideration: Not unlike the basement-dwelling 2007 Flyers, this team has a solid core of promising young stars that are starting to realize …