Mock Draft #1: Puck Prospectus

It’s that time of year again, prospects lining up for the 2010 Entry Draft have been ranked, and scouts will continue to adjust these rankings right up through June. Corey Pronman of Puck Prospectus takes his first look at this year’s first round class, using the current NHL standings as draft position. With the 14th pick, Corey has the Rangers selecting US U-17 defenseman Jon Merrill.

Merrill, soon to be 18, is listed at 6’4 190 lbs. He is a very solid positional defenseman, and makes a solid first pass up the ice, sometimes joining in on the rush. He is very smart, and has committed to Michigan for his college career.

Pronman notes that the Rangers can take their time with Merrill, and let him develop on the World Junior stage and in college. Merrill would be a 4-5 year project for whichever team takes him.

The Rangers have the luxury of being stocked with defensive prospects, so they can take a project like Merrill and take their time with him. With the plethora of good offensive talent selected in 2008 and 2009, the Rangers don’t necessarily have a “need” to take a forward in this draft. Depending on where the Rangers sit, I would assume they take the best player available, and not hone in on a specific position. Merrill sounds like a legitimate prospect, and is already being called the real deal. I would be wary of his size/age though, as players his size do tend to excel in the younger levels because their size is their advantage. It will be very interesting to see how he adjusts in college, especially with Michigan.

Just thinking out loud, the Rangers taking Merrill sounds a lot like the Rangers taking Chris Kreider last year. The talent is there, and is a long term project. I haven’t done enough research on the prospects yet, I’m waiting for the TSN and HF rankings to come out before I go deep into the research. But from what I’ve read, I like the sound of Merrill.