For the sake of the piece, players who were age 25 according to the WHL rosters were qualified.
#25 - Tye McGinn, Forward
The last of a dying breed: the Champlain Athletic Non-Import CHLer that wasn't grandfathered in by exemption. McGinn is a depth player and will likely be moved for a late round pick this summer if the club can find a suitor.
#24 - John Albert, Forward
A hard worker, Albert's likely upside is as a depth center, and age is not on his side. Even with his work ethic, he's not really big enough to be a grinder at this level, which is his only hope to stick with the team. He's a playmaker by trade, but the team already has Derek Stepan and Tyler Bozak at the established pro level, and Elias Lindholm waiting in the wings.
#23 - Richard Pánik, Forward
File this under "it seemed like a good idea at the time." Pánik hasn't panned out the way the team hoped he would, and at this point the Slovak seriously needs to get it all sorted out quickly, because he's 24 and running out of time to be a potentially useful player (and having a "AAAA" label slapped on him).
#22 - Carl Klingberg, Forward
The run on forwards continues, and like Pánik, Klingberg needs to get it together fast before being called a "AAAA" player. He's been a good piece for the team's bottom 6 the last couple years, but it's looking more and more like he won't cut it long-term. He still has time to prove me wrong, but not a whole lot of it. One thing both Pánik and Klingberg have going for them is the thought that big guys take longer to develop, and that may be true, but Champlain can't wait much longer.
#21 - Chad Ruhwedel, Defender
The lowest-ranked defender on the list, Ruhwedel is a bit of a wild card. He's got decent puck moving ability, which he's shown at lower levels. But is it good enough to compensate for his diminutive 5'11" figure at the defender position? Time will tell, but early returns seem to be suggesting "no." Again, Ruhwedel has time to prove me wrong.
#20 - Bryce van Brabant, Forward
van Brabant is unlike most of the forwards down here. Most of the forwards down here are guys who are better at other things that may need to rely on grit to get in the Champlain team. But van Brabant was always just a grit guy at Quinnipiac, and if he hits his potential he could be a solid bottom-6 grinder, but nothing more.
#19 - Igor Bobkov, Goalkeeeper
Bobkov was picked up as a spare part in a trade, and though he does have a winning pedigree (having won a World Juniors with Team Russia in 2011), he's projeted as nothing better than a depth or backup keeper, and at 24 he may be running low on time to prove he's anything else. Still nice to have the depth in goal, though...
#18 - Cody Kunyk, Forward
Kunyk's ceiling, like the other forwards down here, projects mostly as a bottom-6 energy player. In college, he was a pretty solid point-per-game scorer at Alaska, but at the pro level, he's not skilled enough to be that scorer, so he has to use his work ethic to try and grind his way to the bigs. Will Kunyk have what it takes? It's doubtful, but possible.
#17 - Johan Sundström, Forward
Sundström is an enigma. He's very well-rounded - good size, speed, strength, hands, and hockey IQ, and can play center or wing. However, he has trouble producing numbers on a consistent basis. At 22 years old, Champlain will be patient with the Swede, and even if he doesn't cut it, the team already has a decent bunch of young centers. Low-risk high-reward.
#16 - Radko Gudas, Defender
Finally, we start getting into the guys who have either been near or with the first team. We start with Gudas, whose rookie season was good but not great. He posted 35 points - uncharacteristically high for him - and 201 penalty minutes, about on par for him. He is a mean, physical, in-your-face defender who will clear the front of your net. Also, dat beard. We'll see where Gudas goes from here.
#15 - Dmitry Orlov, Defender
Orlov has a lot of talent, no doubt. He was downright dominant as a junior, a key part of a World Junior Champion Russian team and the MVP of the MHL playoffs a year prior. But Orlov's development has stalled with injuries. When he's healthy, he's a quality all-around defender who can hit and shoot. However, he's not healthy often enough. Let's hope he stops going full DiPietro soon.
#14 - Matt Nieto, Forward
Due to injuries, the BU product saw time on the Thunderbolts last year, and understandably didn't really do much. However, "Glory Glory" will likely see more time in years to come, as he is a quality two-way winger who will at least be a quality third liner. He still needs to fill out and improve his finishing, but he has quality hands and energy.
#13 - Matt Tennyson, Defender
Tennyson is slowly but surely blooming into a quality pro. His hockey IQ is through the roof, and just about everything in his skill set (especially skating) is a plus, though he could be a bit more physical. Within the next 2-3 years, Tennyson will likely find himself in the Champlain top-6, along with the power play.
#12 - Mattias Ekholm, Defender
Basically a repeat of Tennyson's, although Ekholm's ceiling is as a #3 or #4 and a second power play unit slot. However, Ekholm will likely be ready sooner, perhaps as early as next season.
#11 - Philipp Grubauer, Goalkeeper
The young German is Champlain's keeper of the future....if he hits his potential. Luckily for Champlain, he's quickly meeting said potential, and could be at least a backup within 2 or 3 years. He's got good size and solid technique between the pipes, and has quick leg reflexes that allow him to make outstanding saves.
#10 - Martin Marinčin, Defender
Marinčin is basically in the same boat as Tennyson and Ekholm, though he's a bit less effective offensively and a little more physical than those two. Marinčin benefits from better reach, and should easily be a middle-pairing defender who can play top pairing in case of injury.
#9 - Alexander Wennberg, Forward
Or the #3 center of the future. Wennberg is terrific in all three zones, and has soft hands and high hockey IQ. The Swede still needs to fill out, and perhaps shoot a bit more often. At best, he is a high-level playmaker; at worst, he's a reliable defensive specialist and penalty killer. We'll see which Wennberg we get.
#8 - Elias Lindholm, Forward
Another Swedish center, this time one that's seen a decent amount of time with the big club. Though he hasn't been impressive with the big club yet, he's got a lot of potential. Think Wennberg on steroids, but with a bit more offensive upside and leadership (and less handsomeness). Lindholm will go places....now it's time for him to prove it.
#7 - Ondřej Palát, Forward
Palát is a terrific playmaker who saw a lot of time on the top line this year. Unfortunately, his linemates were AWOL for the second half of the season, so Palát's efforts were wasted as the second line stole the show. That's not a knock on Palát...if his linemates find the net next year, Palát should see a jump in point production.
#6 - David Pastrňák, Forward
The run on forwards continues with Pastrňák. A truly outstanding scorer, he may be usable as soon as next season, and a bona fide top-6 forward within 2 or 3 years. Like most kids his age, he still needs filling out as he isn't really that big anyway, but with blistering speed and silky-smooth hands, he can evade everyone he needs to for the time being.
And now into the top 5...
#5 - Derek Stepan, Forward
Captain D-Step had a pretty forgettable 2014-15, but he's still young and the same guy that in 2012-13 won a Chairman's Cup and in 2013-14 made the Olympics. He'll bounce back, and he will still wear the C for Champlain next year, and he will still anchor the top line. He's too good in both ends not to rebound.
#4 - Kevin Fiala, Forward
Though Pastrňák will be ready earlier, Fiala has more long-term upside. And both are quite similar: they're both faster than fast and have moves on moves on moves. Fiala is even smaller than Pastrňák, but he's so fast and evasive it doesn't really matter. If he hits his potential, he could very well be a gamebreaker.
#3 - Vladimir Tarasenko, Forward
Snipes on snipes on snipes. Tarasenko's shot is brain-surgeon precise, and he can dance around defenders. The only thing keeping him off the top line is Phil Kessel being older, but with Tarasenko's skill set, he'll likely unseat the incumbent within the next year or two. He's that good. Stepan/Tarasenko from the Rink Rats for Duchene may go down as one of the most mutually beneficial trades I've seen in a while.
#2 - Jacob Trouba, Defender
Still Jesus Trouba in the GM's eyes. He had some growing pains in his first full season as a pro, but who doesn't? 44 points from a first year full-time defender isn't too bad, and he will only get better with experience. And, believe it or not, he's got a brother, Chris, who was recently invited to USNTDP camp. Brotherly reunion in Burlington in a few years? Who knows?
And the #1 Champlain Athletic player under 25 is...
#1 - Seth Jones, Defender
Yes, in the end, it all comes back down to Popeye's son. He didn't put up the sheer numbers Trouba did in his first year, but he was one of the few players on the team in the pluses. He's got a chance to be the next Chris Pronger. The team likes him so much that even after the banning and exodus of the CHL non-imports, the team let Jones stay. He's THAT good. And he'll be even better in 2015-16, perhaps on the top pairing, where he will likely be stapled for years to come. Seth Jones is the real deal people. Buy into the hype train.
Who will be added to the list in this summer's draft? Will it be Jack Eichel? Or Noah Hanifin? Perhaps Timo Meier? Stay tuned!
