US Hockey season preview part 1 - Interview with Kirk Luedeke

Kirk Luedeke of Red Line Report and the New England Hockey Journal weighs in on hockey and top prospects for the 2013 draft from his area of expertise which is the Northeastern part of the US.

Ville Meuronen: It was tragic loss for draft fanatics when you quit blogging on Bruins Draft Watch and joined Red Line Report. How was your first season with them?

Kirk Luedeke: Thank you. I enjoyed writing the draft watch blog, but being officially with Red Line Report after previously doing some side work with them has been a fantastic experience. Being around Kyle Woodlief and the rest of the RLR staff reminds me that there is a great deal about the game and players I don't know. Being in the rinks is a constant learning experience and so I'm looking forward to this next season getting underway. 

Overall draft preview - Interview with Dan Stewart

Future Considerations' Director of Scouting Dan Stewart shares his thoughts on the 2013 draft's top guns and overall talent.

Ville Meuronen: It seems every draft is highly touted a year before Draft Day. Do you think if it's just media hype or is it difficult to get proper read on players before their draft year?

Dan Stewart: Ville, hope springs eternal for most talent evaluators. Every year scouts and media types can get a little excited about who is coming down the pipeline next, and with good reason, as every year there is a handful of raw future NHLers yet unclaimed as NHL property. Many of these prospects have shown very well in direct competition against those who where under the draft year microscope or whom might already be drafted by NHL teams.

When most talent evaluators scout kids that are draft eligible in that specific season they really tend to dig in and tear the layers apart in regards to both the strengths and weaknesses of each specific prospect. But when we look at the talent ahead of their draft seasons, evaluators tend to instead dwell more on ones strengths and positives instead of really digging into the nitty-gritty; getting into both the positives as well as the negatives. This tends to lead many to over inflate some of the prospects in line for the following draft before they even hit the ice for their actual draft season.

Other times the hype is warranted and these prospects are really as good as advertised.

OHL season preview - Interview with Brock Otten

The OHL has averaged slightly under 10 first rounds picks in the last five draft but Brock Otten from OHL Prospects says this seems to be a weaker year with only three consensus top30 picks in current rankings. Take a look what Brock has to say.

The interviews in this blog won't be translated and fans from outside sunny Finland will be able to enjoy them.

Ville Meuronen: Why is the OHL the best development league in the world in terms of producing NHL draft picks? Does Ontario have the best development program or are they in a fortunate position to pick the best quality out of the biggest quantity?

Brock Otten: It's hard to say really, but I think it has to do with a couple of reasons. 1. The league has the highest population density to select from. You've got the entire province of Ontario to select from (which has close to 40% of Canada's population), in addition to the states of New York and Pennsylvania, two other huge population centers. 2. The amount of money the league has. Many of these teams treat themselves like near professional franchises and are huge money makers, this allows them to bring in some talent that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to (because of the scholarship packages they can offer...or European transfer fees they can pay). 3. The league and commissioner David Branch are pretty revolutionary in their approach to league safety and implanting rules. It keeps the league fresh and innovative.