Central Scouting Hates Northeast Minnesota

The NHL Central Scouting Bureau is not the gospel when it comes to the NHL Draft.

That said, the analysis this group does is a good jumping-off point when discussing the draft's top prospects.

In January, CSB will release its mid-term player rankings, which will be heavy on detail and a good updated look at where the top players are at.

Tuesday, their first list of the year was released publicly. This one is simply a quick look at players to watch from North America.

In a rather surprising development, the breakdown of Minnesota high school players lists no one from our area.

Obviously, I'm exaggerating in the headline, as Central Scouting routinely lists players from the Northland. However, the fact that no one is listed indicates the potential for a rather rough year of high school hockey around these parts.

If things change in January, we'll certainly make note of that.

Only one UMD recruit is listed on the watch list. That is forward Tony Cameranesi, a small but highly-skilled player from Wayzata High School. He is in the group of "B" prospects, which means he is a player worth a look, but not thought at this point to be a first- or second-round draft pick.

Only teammate Mario Lucia is in the "A" grouping. Yes, he's Don's son. Oddly, he's not committed to a college yet. Hmm ...

Anyway, it's always fun to look at these lists. They don't mean much, but it's a chance to start getting excited for the upcoming high school season.