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We're working on our 2013 Fantasy Draft Rankings as part of our Fantasy Prospects DB and it's challenging as this year's draft class is pretty stacked. So we thought we'd reach out to the FHS community for a little assistance. Here is how it shall roll: I'll lay out some profiles of the viable draft eligible candidates and you vote for who the best fantasy prospect is among that group. Then rinse and repeat. After a series of posts like that we should magically have ourselves a tidy little top 10 list.
The criteria here is that we're looking for the best fantasy prospect, so not the best player but who we believe will be the best player from a fantasy perspective over the long-term (next 10 years) amongst those eligible for the 2013 NHL draft. So essentially you should be voting for who you would pick in a fantasy prospect draft, all factors taken into consideration.
So with the 3rd pick in any fantasy prospect draft, Gary Bettman would like to announce that we have selected Seth Jones.
Here is who is off the board:
Here are your candidates for the 4th pick:
Aleksander Barkov, C, Tappara (FIN)
NHLE: 40.5
Visuals: Aleksander Barkov #16 Highlights 2012-13
FHS Scout Says: So young and yet nearly unprecedented productivity in SM-liiga this year makes him a curiously underrated top 5 pick. You might be able to hit the jackpot here. But then again, maybe the Finnish league isn't what it once was if a 17-year-old is tearing it up.
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Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Chelyabinsk (KHL)
NHLE: 20.0
Visuals: Valeri Nichushkin 2013 WJC Highlights
FHS Scout Says: Here is where the serious questions start as Val shows a lot of potential but the production leaves me wanting more. I think there is bust potential here as he could be more flash than finish.
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Sean Monahan, C, Ottawa (OHL)
NHLE: 33.1
Visuals: Sean Monahan Highlights
FHS Scout Says: Has a lot of intangibles that NHL scouts love like great hockey sense, defensive conscience, strong on draws, etc. but that's not necessarily a great calling card for his fantasy potential. His numbers this year were very solid, especially given that Ottawa was a crap team, as Monahan was in on 44% of Ottawa's goals... lofty! But a little extrapolating is going to have to be done to determine what he will do when surrounded by more talent.
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Elias Lindholm, C, Brynas (SEL)
NHLE: 36.9
Visuals: Elias Lindholm 2013 WJC Highlights
FHS Scout Says: There is a lot to like here as Lindholm played regularly (16 mpg) in the SEL as an 18-year-old and had numbers that would make Mika Zibanejad jealous. His career path is similar to Nicklas Backstrom with Lindholm putting up slightly better numbers the past two years... and we all know how that turned out! So I think we have an underrated offensive talent here that is getting lost in the hype surrounding The Big Three.
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Hunter Shinkaruk, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)
NHLE: 31.4
Visuals: Hunter Shinkaruk Highlights
FHS Scout Says: He's on the smallish side (5'10" & 181) but has put up big numbers the past two WHL seasons including 49 goals in 2011/12 when he formed a dynamic duo with Emerson Etem. I like the skills, shiftiness & tenacity and think he could be one of the most productive scorers in this class.
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Alright, so there you have your five options. Who would you take 4th overall in a fantasy prospect draft? Do your homework, come to your own conclusions and make your vote count. We want to hear some different opinions here, so please flood the comment section with your thoughts and if you like someone else in this slot then choose the Write-In Vote and make your case in the comments.
Once we get #4 sorted out, we'll move on to the 5th pick on Monday.
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