Yesterday NHL.com released the Central Scouting Mid Term rankings for this years NHL draft. We covered the Barrie Colts that made the list shortly after it was announced. If you missed it, see it here!
We will work our way through all 3 players who made the North American Skaters list and finish it off with The North American Goalies list.
In this post we will take a look at Andre Mangiapane and his positioning on the list, how he compares to others on the list (mostly in the OHL) and if he is positioned correctly.
The Bolton, Ontario native landed the 147th spot on the list of North American Skaters. 47 of the players on this list play in the OHL. Let's first see how he compares to ranked players that play in the OHL first
Of the 47 players in this ranking that play in the OHL, Mangiapane was selected 40th. Currently, Mangiapane sits in 6th place in the OHL for points with 27 goals, 38 assists for a total of 65 points in 42 games.
There is more then just looking at a players points to judge his value. Though most of the players who rank higher than Andrew in OHL points play for stronger teams it is good to look at when and how a player is getting these points.
One thing that is a huge asset to Mangiapane's game is his power play. He is 4th in the OHL with 12 power play goals on the season. That is almost half of his goal total. He also has 21 assists on the power play. His ability to find open spots when on the man advantage is incredible. Not only is he scoring with the man advantage but he is tied for 2nd in the league with 2 short handed assists as well. Makes you wonder if scouts are not seeing his special teams upside?
Not only is he scoring on the power play but he also is known for scoring important goals. When the team is up by one it is usually Mangiapane that gets them a much needed insurance goal. He has scored 5 insurance goals this season. That makes him tied for 2nd in the OHL.
This is Andrews 2nd season in the OHL. In that time he has 116 points in 110 regular season games. Andrew is incredibly consistent and even his one playoff appearance saw him total 7 points in 11 games.
One area I could see scouts overlooking Andrew is his size. Standing at 5'10 and weighing 170 lbs makes him one of the tinier guys on this list and many believe the NHL to be a "big boys" game. Only thing that may go against that mentality is the fact that Mitchell Vande Sompel, a blue liner for the Oshawa Genarals is about the same size as him and was ranked at #33. Also, could you imagine a team right now overlooking a player like Martin St.Louis because of his size? Size doesn't always matter.
In 42 games this season, Mangiapane has had 8 nights where he had at least 3 points.
Things to look for in Mangiapane's game is that he always seems to be around the puck. Is it because the puck finds great players or because he is always moving? He is a great skater and very strong on his feet for a guy with his build. He has a great shot and anytime you see him he is working hard. He is the kind of player that will practice hard and it shows in his game.
There are many things to take in consideration when making these lists and to say that these numbers suggest that Mangiapane was ranked wrong is tough to prove. Though we follow other CHL teams, we mostly focus on the OHL.
Was Mangiapane ranked properly? We are not in a position to make that call. What we do know is that his numbers and performance don't lie. Whether he is picked in the first round or last overall any team that lands Andrew Mangiapane will improve their team in doing so. He has been nothing but incredible for the Barrie Colts!
What are your thoughts on Andrew's ranking? Do you feel he is over valued, where he should be or should be higher on the list? Let us know in the comments, on our Facebook page or on Twitter!
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