Who Is Valeri Nichushkin?
Jonathan Briggins looks at a top prospect for the 2013 Draft.
If you asked a casual hockey fan who the top rated players for the 2013 NHL entry draft are, chances are the most frequent answers would be Portland Winterhawks D-man Seth Jones and the Halifax Mooseheads forward duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin. Take a peak at International Scouting Services March rankings and you’ll see Russian forward Valeri Nichushkin at number two, his second month in a row that he has been directly behind Jones.
Call it being fortunate. Call it being spoiled. Call it all the right parents conceiving at the right time. Actually, don't call it that - I don't want to think of my parents procreating. Whatever it is you call it, the past three years have had a consensus No. 1 pick emerge by midway through the season. The 2007 NHL Entry Draft appears to be well on the way to breaking that streak.