panoo

Bill Meltzer | NHL.com correspondent
Jun 6, 2007, 12:00 PM EDT

Many pundits have called the 2007 NHL Entry Draft a “down” year for high-impact prospects in general and a weaker-than-usual European crop in particular. While it’s true that there are no players from Europe in this draft who are can’t-miss future superstars in the NHL, the 2007 crop is filled with players with the potential to surprise the doubters.

On paper, the Czech Republic and Finland have weaker prospect pools this year than they’ve had in many years. Most of the top Czech prospects, in fact, are playing in the CHL and are rated on Central Scouting’s North American list. The same goes for Slovakia.

On the flip side, 2007 seems to be a stronger-than-average year for Sweden, even with two Central Scouting rated players in North American leagues. Five of the top 10 rated European skaters and three of the top seven goaltenders played in Sweden this season. Likewise, even though Russia has three rated players on the North American list, they also have the No. 1 rated European prospect and the most prospects overall who earned spots on the Central Scouting European rankings.

The 2007 Draft also marks the continuation of growth of secondary European hockey countries. For the first time, a player from Denmark stands a good chance of being a first-round draft pick. Switzerland has an all-time high for Central Scouting-rated prospects with 20 players on the Euro list. Germany checks in with 10 rated skaters and one goalie. Meanwhile Latvia and Belarus have a combined six players, and there’s even an Estonian player (playing in Finland) who made this year’s list.

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