Slip in rankings no slight to Couturier's talent

"Sean Couturier is a good hockey player, but there were players who got better," Chris Bordeleau, Central Scouting's chief QMJHL scout, told NHL.com. "This was Sean's third year in the league and (Ryan) Nugent-Hopkins is such a great, skilled player, so there's nothing you can do about that. Right now as a group (at Central Scouting), we all feel Gabriel Landeskog will probably play in the NHL next year -- he's ready. We have Nathan Beaulieu and Jonathan Huberdeau, who have both taken giant steps and improved immensely. Huberdeau has NHL hands right now.

"Dougie Hamilton has really shown what he's capable of doing. Thing is, yes, Couturier is sixth, but that doesn't mean the sixth guy couldn't go first or the first guy go sixth. We're just projecting that these guys will play in the NHL, so the first one could be as good as the sixth."

Read the full story on nhl.com

WJC - Sweden Vs Canada

When it comes to draft eligibles, this was billed as Adam Larsson vs Sean Couturier, even though it was an exhibition game. But let's not forget Gabriel Landeskog of the Kitchener Rangers and Rickard Rackell of the Plymouth Whalers were also in this game.

The two teams had over a dozen combined power plays through the game and only Canada was able to convert on one, a 5 on 3 advantage. If either of the two teams want to compete with the favored Americans, they will have to improve their power plays.

As for the players, Couturier had a quiet game and maybe he was slowed by playing on consecutive nights. Defensively he was his usual self but the Swedes kept him in check offensively. He worked himself to the front of the net in the offensive zone and was his usual force in front of the net, hard to move, hard do contain.

Larsson was hard to notice in the first period, if not for a couple of giveaways with a very noticeable one at the end of the period where he had to take a penalty to recover. They continued through the second and the third as well. Obviously, a lot of the Swedes were suffering jet lag, but Larsson himself has had nagging injuries all season that have prevented him from having the same offensive out put as last season. You have to wonder how much that is affecting his game.

The Air Canada Center in Toronto was full of scouts and general managers and between periods Bob McKenzie talked about Adam Larsson and Gabriel Landeskog as "two players going in opposite directions" referring to Landeskog climbing the rankings and Larsson dropping.

Landeskog himself didn't have any travelling to do. He didn't play the night before, so he was rested. What you see from him in the OHL is what you saw in this game. Grit, a strong back check and fore check, great skating and puck handling and creating offensive chances.

Of the three potential top four picks Landeskog stood out the most on this night. But it is what it is, an exhibition game. And if he can carry it through the tournament and his team mate continues his struggles he could seriously contend to be a top 2 or even top pick.

Rackell too had a quiet game. A potential second round pick could vault himself into the late first round with a strong tournament. A point per game player for the Whalers in the OHL, he'll be counted on to provide some offense for Sweden. But it didn't happen on this night.

It's a short tournament and there is no room for error. Not for the countries involved or for the players looking to solidify their positions to play in the NHL.

We are still over 6 months away from the NHL draft, but this could be the tournament where we can see some separation, or at least a consensus on where the players belong in the rankings.

For highlights and analysis of the game, visit tsn.ca

To view the game in its entirety visit watch.tsn.ca

Sean Couturier Looks Comfortable

Sean Couturier is not only the youngest player for Team Canada's World Junior Squad, he is quickly becoming the consensus number one choice for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The only draft eligible player for Team Canada didn't look out of place last night in helping his team to an 8-0 victory over Switzerland. Granted, some will say it's just Switzerland, but when you lead your team with a goal and 3 assists and were dominant defensively, you have to keep your eyes focused on him.

For a full recap, video and interviews with players visit tsn.ca.

Team Canada will face stiffer competition Tuesday when they play Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Larsson and Team Sweden. The game will be shown on TSN beginning at 7:30 pm.

Couturier headlines talented draft class in QMJHL

The last time the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League produced as many as four first-round Entry Draft picks was 2007, when forwards Jakub Voracek, Logan MacMillan, Angelo Esposito and David Perron were taken among the top 26 selections.

There's a good chance that mark will be equaled, if not surpassed, on June 24, when the opening round of the 2011 Entry Draft is held at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Heck, don't be surprised if as many as four players are selected from the same team -- the Saint John Sea Dogs. There's also center Sean Couturier of the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He's collected 50 goals and 127 points in 126 games over two seasons and is considered the can't-miss prospect from the QMJHL.

"I think this year is going to be an outstanding year for the 'Q,'" Sea Dogs coach Gerard Gallant told NHL.com. "Couturier is obviously a big guy in there, but just from seeing some of the teams already, there's real good young talent in the league. Last year, we weren't too happy with the talent in the Q that went in the draft, but from what I'm seeing, it's going to be a good draft year for the Q in the NHL. We'll have more high-end talent in the league this year, for sure."

Gallant, who led the Sea Dogs to their first QMJHL President's Cup Final with a league-best 109 points and was named the 2010 Canadian Hockey League Coach of the Year, can sense a few of his top players gripping their sticks a little tighter in their draft year.

"I think some of these kids are feeling some pressure and not just the top prospects … we're coming back from an outstanding year in 2009-10 where we finished first overall in our league," Gallant said. "We might have started the season a little bit cocky and weren't doing the things we needed to do to play good hockey. When you start thinking about the team first, good things will happen and there's a lot going on in their heads right now. We're going to get there. It's a long season."

Here's a look at some of the top draft-eligible prospects who will be scrutinized, publicized and lauded leading up to the draft.

For a look at the prospects, click here