Both of these guys fell quite a ways in our rankings this year. Part of that is due to additions at the draft. Part is due to improvement around them. And, another part of that is due to their slowing development.
12. (6) D Stanislav Svozil 6'0", 181 pounds. 3rd round (#69 overall), 2021 NHL Draft. Projection: bottom four two-way defenseman. Stats: 4g, 20a, 24pts in 63 games for Cleveland (AHL). Will return to the Monsters this fall unless he can secure an NHL job. How we ranked him: Curtis (13), Matt (11), Mike (11).
Why we ranked him here: Stanislav falls in our rankings because his year over year production didn't improve with the Monsters. The team just wasn't as good this year, and he was definitely expected to carry more of the workload to help them out. That's not to say he was bad, but his development seems to have reached a plateau for the moment.
Svozil is a "toolsy" defenseman who can dazzle the crowd with a dangle, dish off a nifty pass, score a goal, or throw a big hit. The key here is putting it all together and being consistent in his game. If he can do that, he'll eat up bigger minutes next season and, as a result, shoot back up these rankings. He has an outside chance of playing in the NHL, though that is far from guaranteed.
11. (4) RW Jordan Dumais 5'9", 174 pounds. 3rd round (#96 overall), 2022 NHL Draft. Projection: top two line scorer. Stats: 4g, 7a, 11pts in 21 games for Cleveland (AHL). Will return to the Monsters this fall. How we ranked him: Curtis (11), Matt (10), Mike (10).
Why we ranked him here: Jordan is the biggest faller in our rankings this year, losing 7 spots on this list because of a wholly forgettable first year after turning pro. He missed much of the season due to a lingering injury, and has only played in a combined 49 games between the CHL and AHL over the last two seasons. Still, he has a very high ceiling.
Dumais is a cerebral assassin on the ice, able to pick apart the opposition's defense and create offense from anywhere in the attacking zone. He will sit in the open space, waiting for his chance, often ready to make the next play before the puck even gets to his stick. When it does, he can dish off a pass for a quality scoring chance, or hang onto it and create in different ways.
In my opinion, there may be no other player in the entire system who has a higher offensive ceiling than Dumais. If he can rediscover his magic this season, his play could change the long-term plans for the Blue Jackets and their top two lines. He's that skilled.
Several players listed over these last two pages have legitimate NHL potential. Some of them could be close to making the cut. Tomorrow, we'll count down the top-10 prospects for the Columbus Blue Jackets. It's a much different list than last summer, and it's for a good reason. Stay tuned!