11. Dion Phaneuf
Born: April 10, 1985, Red Deer, Alta.
2002-03: Red Deer
Pos: D | Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 205 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 8 North American skater

Scouts still talk about the check Dion Phaneuf threw at the Top Prospects Game in January.

"He really corked the guy," said one scout. "That check separated him from the pack," added another.

While scouts will tell you they never base an overall assessment on one game or one hit, it's obvious Phaneuf made a name for himself that night and it carried through all season.

"He is a real tough kid," said the first scout. "He is a real boss man in front of his net."

Phaneuf pretty much does everything well. His physical side is second to none and he has good hockey sense. He can read a play, has sound anticipation and is rarely caught out of position. Phaneuf's shot from the point is first-rate and he's often matched against an opponent's top line.

Anyone looking for a skilled physical defenseman need not look any further.

"He is exceptional. He's very tough and very good," said a scout. "He has blue-chip potential. We're talking a top-two NHL defenseman."

YEAR      TEAM        LEA.    GP    G     A    Pts.   PIM
'00-01    SSAC        Ban.    35    15    50    65    208
'01-02    Red Deer    WHL     67     5    12    17    170
'02-03    Red Deer    WHL     71    16    14    30    185

12. Dustin brown
Born: Nov. 4, 1984, Ithaca, N.Y.
2002-03: Guelph
Pos: RW | Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 195 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 2 North American skater

One of the best things a scout can say about a player is "he comes to play every night." Tired old cliche, we know, but that's the word on Dustin Brown.

"He's a heart and soul player," said a scout. "If he was 6-foot-3, he would be more of a force."

Brown gets involved from the opening faceoff. He's a fierce competitor who does the little things well, such as going hard to the net and standing up for himself when challenged. But not everyone is sold on his hockey sense.

"There are a lot of things to like, but you still get the idea he's a banger and will run into any situation without thinking about it," said a second scout. "He thinks he's playing football."

Offensively, Brown had a few stretches when nothing went right. He did not have a great performance for the Americans at the WJC and his offensive production in January was lacking.

But a late-season surge will serve him well heading into the draft.

"He mixes it up and gets on people's nerves," said the second scout. "I like that about him. You need guys like him on your team."

YEAR      TEAM      LEA.   GP    G     A    Pts.   PIM
'00-01    Guelph    OHL    53    23    22    45    45
'01-02    Guelph    OHL    63    41    32    73    56
'02-03    Guelph    OHL    58    34    42    76    89
          USA       WJC     7     2     2     4    10

13. Andrei Kastsitsyn
Born: Feb. 3, 1985, Novopolotsk, Belarus
2002-03: Central Army
Pos: W | Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 189 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 3 European skater

Andrei Kastsitsyn could be the sleeper of this year's draft. An epileptic, his ranking and status on draft day could be determined by the willingness of an NHL team to look past the condition's stigma.

Kastsitsyn, from Belarus, will be checked out by doctors in June; what they say will carry weight in the selection process.

He played with Moscow's Red Army this season, which speaks volumes about his promise.

"He is very smart. To be an '85 (born) and play in the Russian league is very good," said a European scout. "I saw him play a couple of very average games and he still scored. He has great skills and is a thinking-man's player."

Kastsitsyn made an impression at the WJC in Halifax. He was the dominant player on Belarus and went hard every shift. He did not have much of a supporting cast, but carried on despite being on the receiving end of constant mugging by his opponents.

He's not huge, but he's smart with the puck.

"He does not have the size, but I say he has the smarts and he could be great," said a scout.

YEAR      TEAM            LEA.   GP    G    A    Pts.    PIM
'01-02    Novopolotsk     Jr.    29    9    8    17     16
'02-03    Central Army    Rus.    6    0    0     0      2
          Belarus         WJC     6    2    1     3     14
          Belarus         WU18    6    6    9    15     28

14. Marc-Antoine Pouliot
Born: May 22, 1985, Quebec City, Que.
2002-03: Rimouski
Pos: C | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 188 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 13 North American skater

Most nights, Marc-Antoine Pouliot was the only reason scouts would take notice of the Rimouski Oceanic.

"He played on a poor team," said one scout. "He had to do it all himself."

Pouliot is a finesse player who pays attention to his end of the ice, an anomaly in the offense-minded Quebec League.

Part of the problem in assessing a good player on a bad team is judging his potential. In projecting Pouliot, scouts had to envision him with higher caliber linemates.

"You say to yourself, 'What would he be like if he had two wingers,' " said a Quebec-based scout. "He would be a heckuva prospect."

However, there were times when Pouliot wasn't in the game, which prompted scouts to wonder if he was taking the night off.

"He has lots of talent and some nights he just didn't use it," said one scout.

"I've heard people question his skating, but never his heart," said another scout. "He has as good a work ethic as anyone in the draft. He'll probably be a No. 2 center."

YEAR      TEAM        LEA.     GP    G     A    Pts.    PIM
'00-01    Ste-Foy     Mid.     38    16    39    55      52
'01-02    Rimouski    QMJHL    28     9    14    23      32
'02-03    Rimouski    QMJHL    65    32    41    73     100
          Canada      WU18      7     2     7     9       6

15. Konstantin Glazachev
Born: Feb. 18, 1985, Arkhangelsk, Rus.
2002-03: Yaroslavl Jr.
Pos: LW | Ht: 6-0 | Wt: 186 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 5 European skater

Konstantin Glazachev is a highly skilled forward who is ranked behind Nikolai Zherdev as the best offensive talent from Russia.

He has good hockey sense, good hands, is very shifty, has a great shot, is deceptive and has a natural scoring touch. He plays a high-energy style with plenty of confidence and intensity.

But he tends to over-handle the puck at times, which speaks to his immaturity.

His skating is also in question. "He does not have great open-ice speed," said a European scout. "From end to end, he's not going to win a race. But inside the blueline, he is dangerous."

Another downside is his size. Glazachev needs to beef up. He's a slight 186 pounds. But what he lacks in size, he makes up in skill, although he might need an attitude correction.

Glazachev has earned himself a reputation as a diver this season and the fact that he drops to the ice at the slightest hook or obstruction foul did not go unnoticed.

"He'll grow out of that because if he doesn't, he won't last," said a GM.

YEAR      TEAM           LEA.    GP     G     A    Pts.    PIM
'00-01    Yaroslavl      Jr.     16    11    14     25       6
'01-02    Yaroslavl-2    Rus.    13     4     7     11      12
'02-03    Yaroslavl      Rus.    13     3     4      7       4
          Russia         WU18     6     2     3      5      20

16. Jeff Carter
Born: Jan. 1, 1985, London, Ont.
2002-03: Sault Ste. Marie
Pos: C | Ht: 6-3 | Wt: 182 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 27 North American skater

Jeff Carter had to make the best of a trying time this season. The Greyhounds were not a top-end team and Carter carried himself well with no real supporting cast to rely upon.

Carter has a tremendous upside. At 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds, he's bound to get bigger and better. He's not a quitter, has sound hockey sense and good hands and is willing to play in traffic. Some scouts see a lot of Joe Thornton in him.

"He handles the puck well and is a good playmaker," said a scout. "He is a good all-around player and a good all-around guy."

Another scout said Carter reminds him of Ron Francis, the way he goes from forehand to backhand.

The feeling is Carter has the skill and abilities to be a player in the NHL, but he needs to mature physically. There's always a concern that added weight might slow him down or hinder his agility, but scouts figure he'll gradually grow into his body.

"He'll make a great No. 2 center," said a GM.

YEAR      TEAM                LEA.     GP     G     A   Pts.    PIM
'00-01    Strathroy           Jr. B    49    27    20    47     10
'01-02    Sault Ste. Marie    OHL      63    18    17    35     12
'02-03    Sault Ste. Marie    OHL      61    35    36    71     55
          Canada              WU18      7     2     4     6      2

17. Ryan Kesler
Born: Aug. 31, 1984, Livonia, Mich.
2002-03: Ohio State
Pos: C | Ht: 6-1 1/2 | Wt: 195 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 16 North American skater

Ryan Kesler is another big, two-way forward who will become a solid NHL depth player.

He's a strong all-around winger with a limited pro-level offensive upside.

"Offense is not high on his priority list," said a scout. "He sticks to his defensive game. You hope he'll crank it up, but he doesn't."

Kesler is a wide-based skater who needs to get a little stronger. He's feisty and accountable at both ends of the ice and is a no-nonsense guy. He is not afraid to use his stick and has good straightaway speed for his size. With a strong performance at the WJC (second in team scoring), Kesler followed that with a much improved second half for Ohio State.

"He has pro written all over him," said a scout. "I don't think he will ever be a point producer. He might be like a Joel Otto and there's nothing wrong with that."

"He'll be OK as far as toughness goes, but he has to move up on his offense. There's no real reason why he doesn't score. Maybe he listened to his coach too much," said the scout.

YEAR      TEAM          LEA.    GP     G     A   Pts.   PIM
'00-01    USA           U17     69    11    31    42    52
'01-02    USA           U18     62    19    38    57    35
'02-03    Ohio State    CCHA    40    11    20    31    44
          USA           WJC      7     3     4     7     4

18. Robert Nilsson
Born: Jan. 10, 1985, Calgary, Alta.
2002-03: Leksand
Pos: F | Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 183 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 9 European skater

Question: Name the player who broke Markus Naslund's record for the most points by a 17-year-old in the Swedish Elite League?

Answer: Robert Nilsson's 21 points this season for Leksand were two more than Naslund's showing in 1990-91 for MoDo, and four up on Peter Forsberg in the same season.

Nilsson is a major offensive talent and is very much in the mold of his father, Kent, arguably the most talented Calgary Flame ever.

"He wants to be a player. He goes to games with his father and we've been seeing him at the rink for years," said a European scout. "He is confident and at times cocky, but he just loves hockey and wants to be a player."

There have been comparisons to Detroit star Henrik Zetterberg, but the European scout says Nilsson is a better player at this age.

"It might be a roller-coaster ride because he has to grow up a little, but everything is there," he said. "He makes those great passes behind his back that you can't even see. He has a lot of hockey sense."

YEAR      TEAM       LEA.    GP     G     A   Pts.    PIM
'00-01    Leksand    Jr.     18    11    25    36     20
'01-02    Leksand    Jr.     21    13    18    31      2
'02-03    Leksand    Swe.    41     8    13    21     10
          Sweden     WJC      6     4     2     6      4

19. Anthony Stewart
Born: Jan. 5, 1985, Scarborough, Ont.
2002-03: Kingston
Pos: C/RW | Ht: 6-1 | Wt: 239 | Shoots: R
Central Scouting: No. 19 North American skater

A note of caution to those thinking of challenging Anthony Stewart: Don't. While he doesn't look for trouble, he can take care of himself and more.

Stewart had decent offensive numbers this season, but was plagued by inconsistency. He's projected to be a power forward, but will need a better work ethic to win over critics.

"His skating is a big part of him," said a scout. "He is fast and strong on his skates and he's hard to knock over."

Stewart played on an average junior team and the coaching staff thought enough of him to use him in all situations. At times when they needed something done, he was the go-to guy.

Another scout said it looks like Stewart bulked up a lot last summer and that added weight slowed his quickness off the mark.

"He's more likely a victim of a bad training regime than anything else," a scout said. "Those guys have to learn how to train properly. A year ago, his skating was a main asset and this season was not as good.

"But he's a player, no doubt."

YEAR      TEAM          LEA.    GP     G     A    Pts.   PIM
'00-01    North York    Ban.    34    30    70    100    n/a
'01-02    Kingston      OHL     65    19    24     43    12
'02-03    Kingston      OHL     68    32    38     70    47
          Canada        WU18     7     6     0     6      6

20. Patrick O'Sullivan
Born: Feb. 1, 1985, Winston-Salem, S.C.
2002-03: Mississauga
Pos: C | Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 190 | Shoots: L
Central Scouting: No. 14 North American skater

While no one doubts Patrick O'Sullivan's talent, scouts wonder about his character. The fact he was sent home by the Mississauga IceDogs for a month for off-ice issues still looms over him.

"There are some underlying things you have to explore thoroughly if you are going to take him in the first round," said a scout. "There may be some future difficulties there based on what has happened. I would not take him without an intensive battery of interviews."

From a talent perspective, O'Sullivan is near the top of the class. He has speed and delivers under pressure. His skating, shooting, hockey sense and skill level are all above average.

"He delivered night after night under pressure," said the scout. "He does it for me."

"You'll have to teach him how to play defense, but you can do that,'' said an Ontario scout. "But you can't teach someone to score goals and set up plays and he can do that."

But will his off-ice problems be a problem?

"He'll grow out of that. That wouldn't stop me from taking him," said the Ontario scout.