While it would make my life much easier if the hockey world fast-forwarded to the NHL draft immediately after I published my draft prospect rankings in May, but that is not how it works. My rankings are a snapshot in time, not a living document, so I'm always re-evaluating from the moment I hit send.
New information comes from the games that took place the last few weeks of the season, the NHL draft combine, feedback I've received from scouts the past few weeks (ranging from "I agree" to very much the opposite) and sometimes it's just tilting your head a different way while looking at the same information.
All of that said, here are some amendments to my draft rankings as we close in on the June 24 event in Buffalo:
Mikhail Sergachev, D, Windsor (OHL)
Previous rank: 17
New rank: 16
People ask me, "How much can a good scouting combine help?" The answer is not too much, but it can move the needle a little. There was a little movement here for Sergachev. He looks incredibly physically developed, and has the stature of a man among boys.
Some might argue that this could be a negative because other players could catch up to him physically, and while that's reasonable, I disagree. For one, physical maturity is no guarantee, and second, it shows the attention to his off-ice work ethic in an era where athletes are differentiating themselves based on what they put in their bodies and how they treat it. Having a body as a under-18 player who's on the fringe of being NHL-caliber is worth a mild bump.
Max Jones, LW, London (OHL)
Previous rank: 30
New rank: 26
I've been impressed by Jones' talent level all season. I might have slightly hedged against him due to a lack of great point totals, but London's Memorial Cup run reminded me to not be too concerned.
Jones' skating, hands and shot combo is really impressive, but I was equally impressed by how well he dug pucks out of the corners and created chances through willpower. There are issues in his game, but his ability to take over a shift gives him a lot of value.
Jonathan Dahlen, C, Timra (Allsvenskan)
Previous rank: 53
New rank: 40
Dahlen was one player on whom I got a decent amount of "feedback" after my top 100 was published, mostly from people of a Swedish background, and upon listening to said feedback and rethinking it ... I might have been slightly too critical of Dahlen.
Ulf Dahlen's son was the leading scorer on a pro hockey team this season, and despite a sluggish stride and not having all-world skill, his hockey sense is of a legitimate top-end grade; he projects to play in all situations. I see the value in that kind of prospect, and so I'm going to give him a late bump into the top-40.
Josh Mahura, D, Red Deer (WHL)
Previous rank: 78
New rank: 73
Mahura missed almost the entire season because of a torn knee ligament suffered in the opening days of the WHL season. He came back in time for the playoffs, and not only was he capable, he was an important piece for Red Deer, and didn't look out of place during the Memorial Cup.
He also took part in every exercise of the scouting combine, inspiring confidence that the knee issues are a thing of the past. His puck movement looked quite solid, and the mobility did not seem substantially hampered by the injury.
Wade Allison, RW, Tri-City (USHL)
Previous rank: Not ranked
New rank: 99
The best player during the USHL playoffs, Allison turned me from a skeptic into a semi-believer of him being an NHL prospect. Allison is a pretty good skater (he finished toward the top in nearly every skating-related skills competition at the USHL top prospects game), showing a solid top gear and first few steps.
He's a smart player with the puck, being able to move it, but he generates more chances for himself than his teammates. Allison was a shots-on-goal machine during the season and into the playoffs, and could be a legitimate goal scorer as a pro.
Sean Day, D, Mississauga (OHL)
Previous rank: 79
New rank: 93
Day was the biggest topic of conversation at the combine, with scouts and executives trying to use that week to find out the real story of what happened this past year. What was behind the weight issues? How much did his brother’s incarceration impact his play? Some teams were pleased by his open answers, and his effort to take off more than 20-25 pounds from where he was at the start of the season, though he still showed up to the combine with a significant body fat percentage.
Other teams have him as a "no" prospect on their list. I lean toward the latter group. You can feel bad for the kid. Through an enormous amount of media scrutiny as a 15-, 16- and 17-year-old, he has held his chin up as he has gone through some turmoil. However, enough hockey people I talk to worried a lot about those issues, as well as a lack of recent high-end performance on the ice.
Tyler Parsons, G, London (OHL)
Previous rank: 8 (G)
New rank: 6 (G)
I wrote at the time of his initial ranking that I thought Parsons was a smart goalie but wasn't sure if he should get a top grade for IQ. I wasn't able to measure if he was just getting lucky or really getting in front of pucks.
Luck is always going to be a factor in measuring goalies -- after all, the position is one of playing the percentages -- but talking to a lot of people, Parsons' in-game intellect constantly comes back as a big positive. He's not a graceful net minder, but his championship run for the Knights was convincing.