Sean Couturier remains at the top of the ISS Top 30
Centre Sean Couturier of the Drummondville Violtigeurs remains at the top of the ISS Top 30 pre-draft rankings, after the list was updated on Tuesday 15 November. Couturier is followed closely by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels and Adam Larsson
of Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish Elite League.
Couturier was born in Phoenix, Arizona while his father was playing for the International Hockey League’s Phoenix Roadrunners. However, he moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick after his father retired and currently plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Couturier has been considered the number one pick since the draft was previewed this summer, after he notched 96 points in only 68 games for the Voltigeurs in 2009-10.
Meanwhile, centre Nugent-Hopkins continues to be the second ranked prospect, named the Western Hockey League’s rookie of the year last season, after tallying 65 points in 67 games. The youngster also won a gold medal while playing with Team Canada at the
Ivan Halinka Memorial Tournament in 2010. So far this season Nugent-Hopkins has managed 30 points in 22 games.
Larsson rounds out the top three and is expected to be the first defenceman to go in the 2011 draft. The 6'2'' blue-liner had a strong 2009-10 campaign, registering 17 points in 49 games in just his second season in the SEL. This season the youngster has
managed three points in 17 games.
The top ten is rounded out with Kitchener Rangers left-winger Gabriel Landeskog at fourth, Rangers defenceman Ryan Murphy at fifth, Joel Armia of Assat in the Finish Minor League in sixth, centre Victor Rask of the Leksands in the Swedish Junior 18 in seventh,
Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades in eighth, Brandon Saad of the USHL Under-18 in ninth and finally Matthew Peumpel of the Peterborough Petes is ranked tenth.
The 2011 National Hockey League draft is set to take place in St. Paul, Minnesota on 24 June.
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