The Draft Board: Evander Kane

In preparation for the NHL Draft, we're going to run down the top 15 players as ranked by the ISS and have our users vote for how good they think each player will become to help us prepare our draft board. We're starting to get some good momentum so up next is the ISS #5, Evander Kane.

Evander Kane is a pretty exciting player. Anyone that saw him at the WJHC knows that the kid has wheels. He's also put up some good numbers with the Vancouver (spits) Giants of the WHL:

He has also represented Canada at both the U18 and U20 levels including a 6 point performance in Ottawa which helped Canada to a fifth straight gold medal. At 6' 1", 178 lbs he is halfway to the physical frame that he needs in the NHL. Getting up to 200 lbs shouldn't affect his skating and suddenly that speed becomes that much more imposing. Apparently, the NHL agrees with what I wrote before reading their own scouting report. Somebody give me a job:

"He has power forward qualities from the blue line in. He's the type of player who doesn't like being denied access to the net. You can almost see when he's got the puck he's going to the net and defying people to stop him. He'll be a 200-pound forward in the National Hockey League. He plays like he's 6-2, 6-3, bigger than his size. He's surprised a lot of people with his strength going to the net."
Yesterday, in making the case for MSP, bkblades noted that his numbers put up against grown men were discounted while the numbers of players facing teenagers were held in high regard. I just bring it up because Kane is not the first Giant to put eye-popping numbers up in the WHL before getting drafted in the top 10:

In that way, he's like former Giants star centre Gilbert Brule. In their seven previous seasons of existence, Vancouver has had three first-round NHL picks. Brule, who went sixth overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005, is the only one to have gone in the top 10.

Yikes. That article also has a good story about how Kane wouldn't back down from some overaged bum and popped him in the mouth when he was 15. That probably explains the 166 penalty minutes which is definitely the kind of thing we like in a scorer. He is clearly held in high regard by Vancouver Giants fans since one made him his own tribute video. It's no Bacon Yada but it highlights the skills that have made him a possible top 5 pick:

In the 'totally random bits of information' bin I came across the fact that he was named after Evander Holyfield and is not related to Patrick Kane. I did not know that. That last name will make for some great photoshops though.

So PPPers how will good will Evander Kane become? Defend your vote in the comments.

Rate Evander Kane on a scale of 1-5. Highest average rating will be our #1 player and so on.