April means a lot for online sports betting fans, as it brings
the March Madness betting national title game, the Masters odds and, of course,
the Stanley Cup betting playoffs. In a tough league like the NHL, only 16 of 30
teams make the postseason. As a result, the eliminated teams are thinking about
two things right now: golf and the draft.
Who are the most desired prospect entering June’s
NHL draft? Let’s look at the top five.
5. Brayden
Schenn – center, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
The younger brother of 2008 top-five NHL betting draft pick
Luke, Brayden doesn’t have the same size and strength, though it’s not too late
for him to fill out. He has good goal-scoring touch for a center and could
develop into a power forward in the mold of Eric Staal.
4. Evander
Kane – center, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
The fast, slick-skating center was a late addition
to Canada’s World Junior Championship team a few months ago and didn’t
disappoint, notching six points in six games. A gifted sniper and physical
forechecker despite his relatively small build, he’s the kind of player every
team would want.
3. Matt
Duchene – center, Brampton Battalion (OHL)
Here’s yet another smallish center who gets by on
blinding speed. Duchene is living in John Tavares’ shadow entering the 2009 NHL
betting draft, but some hockey fans are betting at the sportsbook that
Duchene could leap to the top pick. I wouldn’t bet on it, but no one can deny
Duchene’s skillset, which is comparable to Patrick Kane or, because of his
goal-scoring ability, Jonathan Toews.
2. Victor
Hedman – defenseman, MoDo (SweJE)
Now, we get to the “big two” and we start with the
towering Hedman. Scouts see aspects of Zdeno Chara, Chris Pronger, Jay
Bouwmeester and even Nicklas Lidstrom in him, and any team would be thrilled if
Hedman embodied just one of those players. He’s a beast but he can already
skate at an elite level, meaning he’s more like Chara 2009 than Chara 1999. No online betting fan could blame an NHL team
for passing on John Tavares for Hedman; he’s the type of physical specimen no
team will give up on even if his NHL career starts rockily. A future
30-minute-per-game pillar.
1. John
Tavares – center, London Knights (OHL)
He’s the big prize, arguably the most hyped
prospect since the Malkin-Crosby-Ovechkin drafts, and the reason so many teams
want to win the NHL draft lottery. Scouts definitely question his skating, but
the fact that he puts up astronomical offensive numbers despite his physical
limitations suggests he could become one of those truly special scorers who
uses his vision and anticipation to find the net again and again. He’s listed
at 6’0” but he plays bigger, not in his hitting ability but in the way he uses
his frame to protect the puck. He’s capable of becoming a perennial 100-point
scorer and teams will trip over themselves to get him in this year’s NHL betting draft.
Also worth
watching: Jared Cowen, D, Spokane Chiefs; Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi, LW,
Timra; Ryan Ellis, D, Windsor Spitfires