Two Spits make the grade

 

by Rob Benneian

Two members of the Windsor Spitfires cracked the preliminary rankings released by the Central Scouting Bureau for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The draft, which will be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., will give the 30 NHL franchises a chance to add the best hockey players the world has to offer from the 1995 birth year.

Spitfires leading scorer Kerby Rychel was ranked third among Ontario Hockey League skaters, behind Ottawa 67’s centre Sean Monahan and Soo Greyhounds defenceman Darnell Nurse. Both Rychel and Monahan, by virtue of their late-1994 birthdate, are considered members of the ’95 class.

“Kerby has that prototypical NHL style of game,” said NHL scout Craig Button. “He’s rambunctious, he’s physical, he’s determined, he scores in the really difficult areas around the net. You can always count on him … He’s always going to be a factor in the game. If you want a player that’s going to help you win at the National Hockey League level, who’s going to be productive, and you’re never going to have to worry about what you’re going to get on a game-by-game basis, Kerby Rychel fits that label 100 per cent.”

Rookie Jordan DeKort was ranked fourth among OHL goaltenders, behind Mississauga’s Spencer Martin, Peterborough’s Michael Giugovaz and Barrie’s Alex Fortinos. DeKort is still searching for his first OHL win after spending the majority of the 2011-12 season with the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s LaSalle Vipers, the Junior B affiliate of the Spitfires. He was Windsor’s second round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection.

“One of the hard things with young goaltenders, especially ones that haven’t played a lot, is being able to assess what you think their potential is,” Button said. “Certainly Jordan is a goaltender who has athletic ability, he has technical ability in terms of playing the position and being able to develop in the position.”

DeKort has played just seven games this season, serving as the backup to starter Jaroslav Pavelka. Button said it is important for goaltenders like DeKort to perform well in practice to earn the trust of the coaching staff and to impress scouts.

Spitfires second year forward Jordan Maletta was left off of CSB’s rankings after a first season-and-a-half in the OHL marred by leg and head injuries. Button said despite that, Maletta is a player who is on NHL team’s radars and once he matures physically and grows into his 6’3” frame his stock will rise.

Central Scouting’s next set of rankings is scheduled to be released in mid-January.