With the season underway and the focus on the ice, let's now take a look at the future Fort Erie Falcons with part two of this month's prospect report.
In our last edition, we ran through the team's top five prospects and this week we'll review the team's next best, prospects six through ten.
6) Christian Fischer - the big power forward is exactly what the Falcons need going forward and could be a poor man's Blake Wheeler. That's a heavy burden to place on anyone and that's a good thing because Fort Erie already has the regular Blake Wheeler in its lineup for the foreseeable future. Fischer plays a heavy game and has shown the ability to score at all levels. He should spend at least part of next season on the Falcons roster as he's pretty close to earning his way into the league.
ETA: 2018-19
7) Cliff Pu- After a slow start to his junior hockey career, Pu found a near gear last season that saw him score 85 points. Pu is a brilliant skater and has the hands to match his speed. While not a big man, Pu does have decent size but will need to improve his strength in order to play with men in the CCHL. At this point it's hard to know whether his future lies at center or right wing at the highest level but there is no doubt he will play a top nine role at the highest level.
ETA: 2020-2021
8) Vadim Shipachyov- The Russian Crosby as he has been effectively dubbed was taken in the 2017 CCHL Entry Draft and has confirmed he has every intention of coming to North America next season. That's a good news, bad news scenario for the Falcons. With Dylan Strome expected to make the jump next year the lineup may not have room for Shipachyov going forward. He could be used as an effective trade piece and rumour has it Fort Erie would consider moving the "sure thing" for picks and or prospects.
ETA: 2018-19
9) Nic Hague- The gigantic Hague turned heads as a 16-year-old in the OHL with his ability to run a power play and become a top defender on an OHL club. While skating could be an issue with Hague at the highest level, his hockey IQ may be enough to allow him to play top four minutes. If he is able to correct the skating issues, he could become a top defenceman in the league.
ETA: 2021-2022
10) Alex Nedeljkovic- If Nedeljkovic were two or three inches taller, he'd likely move up five or six spots in our top ten. While undersized, Nedeljkovic has played well at every level and has even started for his country in the World Junior Championships. He has carried a poor team to the playoffs in his first year of junior and also led a team to an OHL final in junior. Nedeljkovic had an uneven first year in professional hockey and the Falcons are able to let him simmer in the minors for a few years given their young tandem of Gibson and Grubauer. Nedeljkovic was also Gibson's backup at the World Juniors and that could be a scenario the Falcons see again in a few years in the CCHL.
ETA: 2020-2021
That's it for this month's top ten prospects for the Fort Erie Falcons. I hope you have enjoyed the review and look forward to providing updates as the season progresses.
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