With the junior evaluation camps in Lake Placid, New York, and Montreal in the rearview mirror, it's time to roll out my initial top 100 drafted prospects rankings for 2014-15. I provide a separate ranking for goalies due to the fact that I rank most of them fairly low relative to skaters. For example, my top two on this list would be ranked at about No. 50 and No. 80, respectively, in the overall top 100.
As part of this prospects package, we will also have the organization pipeline ranks, and will have the top 10 prospects by team running next week.
The following ranking and analysis are based on my own observations and include notes I've picked up in conversations with scouts and other NHL sources:
Top 100 index | No. 1-50 | No. 51-100 | Top 10 goalies
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
2013-14 team: Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)
2013-14 stats: 28 GP | 2.21 GAA | .923 SV%
I'm not exaggerating when I say this: Vasilevskiy is one of the best goalie prospects of the past 20 years. He's a special player who has excelled if not dominated at just about every level and major event he's participated in during the past five years, including the KHL playoffs. Vasilevskiy has good size -- 6-foot-3, 201 pounds -- elite athleticism, and a high hockey IQ and technical refinement you don't typically see in a goalie of his age (20).
2. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
2013-14 team: Anaheim (NHL)
2013-14 stats: 3 GP | 1.33 GAA | .954 SV%
Gibson continued to dominate at multiple levels, with a great AHL season and playoffs, and a brief but impressive NHL playoff appearance (including a 1.45 GAA and .955 save percentage in six games). Gibson is a very good all-around goaltender with size -- 6-3, 220 pounds -- fine quickness and great hockey sense that lets him square up a lot of pucks. He also handles the puck at an impressive level and just seems to really have an advanced feel for the position. He's in the mix to be Anaheim's starter in 2014-15.
3. Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
2013-14 team: HPK (Liiga)
2013-14 stats: 44 GP | 1.76 GAA | .923 SV%
Saros was simply fantastic this past season, being the top goalie at the IIHF World Junior Championship and making Finland's senior-level world championship team as a 19-year-old. He's an outstanding talent with elite athletic abilities in terms of lateral movements and reflexes. He has great hockey IQ, and seems to always square up pucks. Saros' main criticism has always been his 5-10 frame and how that would do versus NHL shots, but so far, he has shown he can overcome it. He was among the top standouts at the Lake Placid world junior championship evaluation camp earlier this month.
4. Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings
2013-14 team: Detroit (NHL)
2013-14 stats: 9 GP | 1.74 GAA | .927 SV%
The Czech Republic native has played very well for AHL Grand Rapids the past two seasons, and has been a player who has continued to trend up and experience success. His athletic ability is high-end, and though he can sometimes try to do too much, he has a pretty good head for the game in terms of anticipation and mental toughness.
5. Zach Fucale, Montreal Canadiens
2013-14 team: Halifax (QMJHL)
2013-14 stats: 50 GP | 2.26 GAA | .907 SV%
Fucale has all the tools you want in a goaltender. He's an athletic, agile player who reads the game well, battles for pucks, and has a very calm demeanor in net. He doesn't make you jump out of your seat too often with highlight-reel saves, but makes saves using intelligent positioning and reads. Poor-to-mediocre save percentages seem to follow Fucale around at the tournament and league-play levels, but the scouting on him indicates that trend should change.
6. Martin Jones, Los Angeles Kings
2013-14 team: Los Angeles (NHL)
2013-14 stats: 19 GP | 1.81 GAA | .934 SV%
The main issue for Jones at this stage is similar to one that befell Jonathan Bernier before him: He's blocked by Jonathan Quick. Jones is a competitive goaltender who reads the play well and has above-average lateral quickness. He doesn't have a particular elite quality to his skill set, but does mostly everything you want to see in a top young goalie. The undrafted Jones enters his fifth pro season in 2014-15, and the clock is ticking for him to force the Kings' hand.
7. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2013-14 team: UMass-Lowell (NCAA)
2013-14 stats: 29 GP | 1.79 GAA | .941 SV%
Connor "Raising" Hellebuyck has put up spectacular numbers, following up a .952 save percentage in 2012-13 with a .941 in 2013-14. The 6-4 goaltender is an extremely smart player who plays his angles at a high level and seems to need very little movement in net in order to square up every shot. Hellebuyck isn't a dynamic reflex goalie, but he battles well and knows how to make the most of his big frame in positioning.
8. Malcolm Subban, Boston Bruins
2013-14 team: Providence (AHL)
2013-14 stats: 33 GP | 2.31 GAA | .920 SV%
Middle brother in the Subban clan -- older brother P.K. Subban just got a nice payday, while younger brother Jordan was selected by the Canucks in 2013 -- Malcolm is a gifted athletic goaltender who has rounded out the over-aggressiveness and technical wonks in his game to be more consistent. However, he still has more to give in that area. Given his consistently strong save percentages, it may not be too long before he forces Boston's hand to make an NHL decision on him.
9. Jack Campbell, Dallas Stars
2013-14 team: Dallas (NHL)
2013-14 stats: 1 GP | 6.00 GAA | .872 SV%
Campbell is incredibly tough to read. At one point, he was one of the best goalie prospects of the past decade, but his performance has varied wildly; after a 1.49 GAA and .942 save percentage in 16 AHL games, he didn't fare as well in a short NHL trial. He's so gifted athletically that it's tough to not see him in the NHL relatively soon, however.
10. Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues
2013-14 team: Chicago (AHL)
2013-14 stats: 52 GP | 2.03 GAA | .928 SV%
At age 23 in 2013-14, Allen was the top goalie in the AHL, following a 2012-13 season that included 15 NHL appearances. He has great athletic ability when it comes to his lower-body explosiveness and he makes stops on pucks that aren't square to his body. He can let second shots get away from him a little too much, and his reads/consistency can still get a little better. He's in line to be the No. 2 for St. Louis this season behind Brian Elliott.
Honorable mentions
11. Jon Gillies, Calgary Flames
12. Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver Canucks
13. Eric Comrie, Winnipeg Jets
14. Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues
15. Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina Hurricanes