Top 100 Prospects: 91-100

Over the next month or so, I will be unveiling my official Top 100 prospects list. These 100 players are players already drafted by NHL teams (so Taylor Hall, etc. aren’t on there) and players still considered to be prospects (no Tukka Rask, for example).

Players are listed in the format as follows:

Name, position, NHL team (Team they spent most of 2010 with-league/conference)

100. Corey Tropp, W, Buffalo (Michigan State-CCHA)

The name Corey Tropp is unfortunately most associated with an ugly incident last year in Ann Arbor when Tropp and teammate Andrew Conboy cheap-shotted Michigan’s Steve Kampfer. Tropp ended up taking the rest of the season off, but returned and rehabilitated his image a bit, all while playing exceptional hockey. Tropp was 3rd in the conference in scoring this year with 20 goals, and he did it in fewer games than each of the top 2 scorers, one of whom we will look at in a subsequent post. And Tropp did it in the CCHA, which is the most defensive conference in Division 1 hockey.

99. Cam Atkinson, RW, Columbus (Boston College-Hockey East)

Atkinson won a national championship this year with BC, and did so as their leading scorer. He ended up leading the country with 30 goals, though he did it in quite a few more games than the couple guys below him. He was also named a 3rd team All-American by a very reputable source. Atkinson is a small player (5’9″, 265 lbs) but smaller players have gotten a lot more run in the NHL these days. I’ll try not to cliche it up too much, but Atkinson is a winner. In BC’s four NCAA tournament games he had 6 goals and an assist, and had 2 goals in the national championship game vs. Wisconsin. He handles the puck well and is pretty tough for such a small kid. Expect to see him in Columbus in 2 or 3 years.

98. Tyler Cuma, D, Minnesota (Ottawa-OHL)

Cuma was a first round pick in 2008, and has enjoyed a very successful career in the OHL. He was his OHL team’s Rookie of the Year in 2006-07 and he was their only defenseman with a positive +/- the next year. He played in the 2008 U-18 World Championship and if not for a knee injury would have been on Canada’s WJC team the next season. Cuma has a high offensive upside and good hockey smarts, but a smallish frame and previous knee injury might hold him back a bit.

Rest after the jump:

97. Zach Budish, RW, Nashville (University of Minnesota-WCHA)

I am sure many people will question Budish’s inclusion on this list. He didn’t have a very good rookie season at Minnesota and he also has a knee injury in his past. Still, he stands 6’3″, weighs around 230 lbs and can really move. Even though the scoring wasn’t there for him last year, he was able to play very well in his own zone, especially for a Freshman stepping from high school hockey right into the best conference in college hockey (think SEC football on steroids). Budish has shown very good maturity and has an NHL ready body. Still, it will be a couple years before he is ready for that level.

96. Linus Omark, LW, Edmonton (Moscow Dynamo-KHL)

Omark has poor man’s (ok, homeless man’s) Ovechkin written all over him: flashy, great hands, offers nothing in the neutral and defensive zones. He is a very unpredictable player with great hands and a good shot. Definitely has a flair to his game but isn’t strong enough at his current size to make it in the NHL I don’t think. Has some great upside however.

95. Marc Cheverie, G, Florida (Denver University-WCHA)

Marc Cheverie took the best league in the NCAA, with tons of scoring talent, and laughed at it. The Junior had a .932 save percentage, a 2.08 GAA and an NCAA 2nd best 6 shutouts despite missing time due to getting his leg slashed by a skate. Cheverie led Denver to the WCHA regular season title and the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. There is no doubt in my mind he will be an above average starting goalie in the NHL.

94. Eric O’Dell, C, Atlanta (Sudbury-OHL)

A point per game scorer in the OHL, O’Dell has seen his stock rise lately. He was traded from Anaheim in the deal that brought back Eric Christensen, and so far he is doing his best to get the Ducks to regret that trade. He does need to add some size and his skating is average, but with his shot he is going to get plenty of looks.

93. Robin Lehner, G, Ottawa (Sault Ste Marie-OHL)

Lehner is a solid butterfly goalie who goes down impressively well for a guy who runs 6’4″, 220. Lehner has played for Sweden’s U-18 team, as well as winning the SuperElit title in Sweden. Lehner does struggle with his rebounds and his numbers aren’t great this year, but his size and upside place him slightly higher than Cheverie, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cheverie turn out better.

92. Kyle Palmieri, RW, Anaheim (Notre Dame-CCHA)

Palmieri had a rough Freshman season at Notre Dame, but he did play a role on the United States’s surprising gold medal winning WJC team. Palmieri’s upside isn’t great as he doesn’t have phenomenal puck handling ability, but he has good size and is very responsible defensively. There are however some maturity questions, as he was recently arrested for underaged drinking and was kicked off the NTDP.

91. Jamie McBain, D, Carolina (Albany-AHL)

McBain was the 2009 WCHA player of the year at Wisconsin and has pretty high offensive upside. McBain had 40 points in 68 AHL games, as well as 3 goals and 10 points in 14 NHL games this year. McBain still semi-struggles in his own end, and there were some whispers out of Madison that he wasn’t the greatest leader during his time in college.

Check back in a couple days as we will unveil numbers 81-90