A prospect’s draft season can be a rollercoaster. Some players respond to the pressures of being scrutinized on nearly every play while others crumble.
There are two sides to the coin. For every player like Ryan Strome, who has shot up the draft charts and into the top-10 due to some impressive play with the Niagara IceDogs, there is a player like Seth Ambroz, who has struggled to deliver on the hype in his draft season.
After an impressive sophomore season with the Omaha Lancers, Ambroz has failed to deliver in his third USHL season. Once considered a top-10 talent for this year’s draft, Ambroz could potentially fall into the third round.
But Ambroz isn’t alone in his struggles. Joining him are the likes of Leksand forward Victor Rask, Belleville pair Austen Brassard and Tyson Teichmann and Swift Current defenseman Reece Scarlett are among the top players who have failed to deliver on the draft hype this season.
C Victor Rask, Leksand, Sweden, 6’-1.5”, 195 Lbs
Same story with Rask as with Ambroz as he too was seen as a possible top-10 selection, especially after the 2009 U17 challenge where he was an impressive offensive leader for the Swedish entry. Rask has failed to live up to expectations and his development has not progressed this year as he as many projected. Rask is still seen as one with great potential and currently holds down the 49th overall spot on FC’s most current draft rankings.
RW Austen Brassard, Belleville, OHL, 6’-2”, 190 Lbs
The big power forward in the making has done nothing this season to earn a top-75 draft slot and looks to lack the work ethic and hockey IQ to be anything more than a checker at the next level. His upside is just as much an unknown as the previous two on this list but with less skill tools at his disposal his pro future is in doubt. Currently 84th overall in FC’s latest rankings.
D Reece Scarlett, Swift Current, WHL, 6’-1”, 170 Lbs
Scarlett was a highly hyped two-way defender coming into the year but over the course of the season he left scouts wondering what skill set he would bring to the next level. He has a real lack of size and strength as well as questions about his vision. His defensive play is strong but only when he is not getting physically overmatched. These questions have led to his slip to 88th overall in FC’s latest rankings for the one time first round candidate.
G Tyson Teichmann, Belleville, OHL, 5’-11.5”, 145 Lbs
The draft’s top goaltender in July of last year now is not even likely to be drafted come this June. His inconsistent play for a bad Belleville team and subsequent loss of his starting job to PK Subban’s brother Malcome has hindered his future development. Teichmann, currently outside of FC’s top 100, can only pray that an NHL organization likes what they saw from him in the summer with his gold medal performance at the Ivan Hlinka tournament to use a late draft pick on him.
Honourable mentions go to London Knight defenseman Scott Harrington and Kelowna Rockets forward Shane McColgan. Harrington has not been able to improve his overall game this season over last and has been overtaken by other prospects in the mean time. McColgan has people questioning if he is a player who can take his game to the next level or if he is just a solid junior aged player. His lack of strength and small frame look to be his biggest issue to overcome.
Dan Stewart is the scouting director of Future Considerations and can be found on Twitter. For all the latest Future Considerations news and posts, follow FC’s Official Twitter Feed, on YouTube and on Facebook!