Top talents who can help hurting teams

These five prospects likely candidates for early pick at NHL draft, writes Ken Warren.

1. Rasmus Dahlin:

As consensus picks go, the six-foot-two, 181-pound Swedish defenceman is a no-brainer, first-overall selection. He had six assists in seven world junior games while being named as the top defenceman in the tournament, becoming the first 17-yearold to accomplish that feat since Gord Kluzak in 1982. He has also scored five goals and recorded 12 points with Frolunda — Erik Karlsson’s former team — in the top-tier Swedish Hockey League.

While NHL players won’t be at the Olympics next month, Dahlin will be representing Sweden, providing one compelling reason to watch.

2. Adam Boqvist

Compared to Dahlin, there’s considerably less fanfare surrounding the five-foot-11, 168pound defenceman, who didn’t play for Sweden at the world junior tournament.

Yet according to TSN scouting director Craig Button, Boqvist is an “Erik Karlsson clone” in his offensive abilities.

“Boqvist’s resemblance to Karlsson is marked,” Button has said. “The high-skill, brilliant creativity and daring that allow Karlsson to command a game and capture the attention of his audience is present in Boqvist’s game.”

Boqvist is currently on loan to Almtuna in the Swedish Allsvenskan.

3. Andrei Svechnikov

The well-rounded Russian right-winger, who plays for Barrie in the OHL, was on a tear to open the season, but lost two months due to a broken hand — perhaps losing some momentum in climbing past Boqvist in overall draft rankings. He is, however, ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s most recent Central Scouting list of North American-based prospects.

He had five assists in five games for Russia in the world juniors and has scored 19 goals and added 13 assists in 24 games for Barrie this season.

It’s worth noting that the Senators have not selected a Russian player since taking Ruslan Bashkirov 60th overall in 2007.

4. Filip Zadina:

The best strength of the Czech winger is his shot. He was a constant threat throughout the world junior tournament, where he scored seven goals and added one assist in seven games.

Zadina has scored 27 goals and added 26 assists in 38 games for Halifax of the QMJHL.

Zadina is rated second behind Svechnikov on Central Scouting’s list of North Americanbased prospects and fifth on Button’s list of overall prospects.

5. Brady Tkachuk

To begin with, the strong hockey bloodlines are clearly evident. Tkachuk is the son of former NHL star Keith and his brother Matthew plays a big role for the Calgary Flames.

Tkachuk is cut along the same lines, a power winger with solid offensive instincts and a mean spirit to go along with it. He scored three goals and added six assists at the world juniors and has five goals and 13 assists in his first season at Boston University.