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Why not winning the NHL draft lottery would not be the worst thing. (SB Nation)

Kamloops Blazers starting goalie Cole Cheveldave might have a concussion, reports Gregg Drinnan. That would obviously keep Cheveldave out for tonight's crucial Game 3 vs. Portland and would factor into Winterhawks forward Oliver Gabriel's suspension (one game and counting). (Kamloops Daily News)

Facing Brandon in the Eastern Conference playoffs is a homecoming for Edmonton Oil Kings star centre Michael St. Croix, a Winnipegger. (Edmonton Journal)

Calgary Hitmen rookie defenceman Kenton Helgesen came out of near obscurity to be ranked by NHL Central Scouting, writes Kristen Odland. (Calgary Herald)

Paging the Brandon Wheat Kings power play (2-for-22 so far in playoffs). (Brandon Sun)

The Portland Winterhawks would prefer to not need a third-period rally to beat Kamloops as they take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 tonight. (Portland Tribune)

The Edmonton Oilers have some tough calls to make on whether to sign 2010 draft picks such as the Edmonton Oil Kings' Kristians Pelss and Kootenay Ice captain Drew Czerwonka. (Coming Down The Pipe!)

Top prospect Nail YakupovNHL's Central Scouting Service released their final rankings for the 2012 draft class on Monday morning.  And it was like Christmas  for those who closely follow the burgeoning would-be NHL prospects.

Sarnia Sting winger Nail Yakupov topping the North American skaters wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. The dynamic sniper has clearly separated himself from the rest of pack. He has scored 80 goals and 170 points in 107 games in his two seasons in Sarnia.

Yakupov has elicited comparisons to several different NHL superstars. The most accurate of those would seem to be New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

"I would compare Yakupov to Kovalchuk as they both want the puck, can score and also know how to use their linemates better," says David Burstyn, former NHL scout and current head scout for Mckeen's Hockey.

Sarnia's other top draft prospect, Alex Galchenyuk, officially made his way onto Central Scouting's rankings. The 6-foot, 190-pound centre is ranked fourth. Galchenyuk went unlisted in their mid-term rankings because of limited viewings due to a long-term knee injury he suffered last year.

Since there are so many elite blueliners in this year's NHL draft crop it's hard to tell which one of them has the edge. However, after Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray bumped Quebec Remparts centre Mikhail Grigorenko out of the second spot, it now seems Murray is clearly leading the way on the back end.

Belleville Bulls' Malcolm Subban stayed put as the No. 1 ranked North American goaltender. Like Yakupov, this should come to no surprise to anyone. Subban has been one of the top goaltenders in the CHL this season, maintaining a 2.50 goals-against average and .923 save percentage throughout 39 showings.

On the European side of things: Swedish centre Filip Forsberg topped the skaters list; Russian goaltender Andrei Vasilevski is ranked the best puck-stopper.

Here's a look at some of the players who surprised, rose, or fell in Central Scouting's final 2012 draft rankings:

Malte Stromwall of the WHL's Tri-City Americans (John Allen photo)Malte Strömwall might define the term draft sleeper.

Each draft class includes a handful of young players with great finesse who perhaps fly under the radar since they're still adjusting to junior hockey and might fill a secondary role with their club. Strömwall, a native of Luleå, Sweden who was barely 17 years old when he started his first season with the Western Hockey League's Tri-City Americans this fall, qualifies on both counts. The undersized right wing has shown flashes, though, that he could step into a scoring role next season. The NHL interest in him could pick up at that point.

Strömwall posted 11 goals and 27 points in 64 games while helping the veteran-laden Americans win a tight Western Conference race over the Portland Winterhawks. The Ams are currently tied 1-1 with state rival Spokane in their conference semifinal.

"My season has been up and down, it's a new league for me and I'm playing with older and bigger guys," says Strömwall, who was 162nd among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings which were released on Monday. "The biggest adjustment must be the size of the rink. I'm used to holding the puck longer, but here you have to be really quick and take fast decisions. But I'm used to it now and I'm used to the league.

"I learned a lot this season. It has been a developing year this far. The team has played great so far and we're hoping for a long playoff run."

Part of putting Strömwall's season into perspective is remembering that he had adapt to both a new level of competition and a new culture this fall. He was also only 160 pounds at the start of the season, very small by WHL standards. Americans coach Jim Hiller says the forward has made excellent strides.

"Malte fit in seamlessly with the changes in culture," says Hiller, whose team evened their series with an overtime win on Saturday His complete focus is hockey. He struggled with strength earlier in the season but has added 14 pounds from training camp and that is paying dividends now."

The Americans will bid adieu 100-point scorers Patrick Holland, Adam Hughesman and Brendan Shinnimin, the Canadian Hockey League scoring champ, after this season. Strömwall will be at the head of the line to fill their roles.

"His [Strömwall's] best and most consistent hockey has been the first round of the playoffs," Hiller adds. "We expect that to continue and for him to be one of our top offensive players next season with expanded ice time."

Stefan Noesen was out Sunday with an injury (OHL Images)Three of the four quarter-final series are tied after two games, while the Niagara IceDogs again held Brampton to a singleton while taking a 2-0 lead in their series. On with the post-game questions:

Plymouth 2 Kitchener 0 (Western Conference semifinal tied 1-1) — Have the Whalers adapted to John Gibson's austerity budget? The Rangers goaltender, with his 1.99 average and .953 save percentage in seven playoff starts, is showing little sign of cracking despite regular 35- to 40-shot workloads. So in the wake of a shutout loss in the series opener, Whalers coach-GM Mike Vellucci went with a seven-defenceman lineup and made sure Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, which had a small for its standard crowd of 5,500, was quieter than the University of Waterloo library.

Scott Wedgewood only had to face 26 shots for a relatively easy shutout. The only big takeaway on the Rangers' end was the aphorisms used to describe their lack of urgency, between coach-GM Steve Spott saying his team "played an October game in April" and leading goal scorer Tobias Rieder saying "we need to get to the blue paint."

How long will the Whalers be without Stefan Noesen and how much will they miss him? The Ottawa Senators first-rounder, who has 14 playoff points, missed the game and was espied wearing a soft cast on his left hand. It's a big loss for the Whalers, but between Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Rickard Rakell and veterans Andy Bathgate and Mitchell Heard, they're not exactly lacking in centres. So it is possible to replace some of Noesen's offence by committee. At the same time, in a series where scoring appears to be at a premium, Noesen offers a combination of skill and smarts that cannot be replaced easily.

Barrie Colts goalie Mathias Niederberger (OHL Images)No. 1 star: Mathias Niederberger, Barrie Colts (OHL)

The Dusseldorf native came out on top in a draining overtime contest for the second time in seven days and this was even more demanding than the first. The 19-year-old goaltender enabled the Colts to head home even in the Eastern Conference semifinal after making 65 saves — 25 of them during the nearly 30 minutes of extra time — in the Colts' 3-2 double-overtime win over the Ottawa 67's.

The sum total of the Colts offence came from the Mark Scheifele-Ivan Telegin-Colin Behenna line, which got all three of their goals. For much of the rest of the time, Barrie seemed to be hanging on by its fingernails. Niederberger kept them afloat in the contest time and again, helping his team win in what is the longest game so far in the Ontario league playoffs. As Don Campbell detailed, Ottawa seemed poised to end the game several times.

Just in the first overtime, 67's winger Steven Janes rattled a cross-bar. Sean Monahan had him point-blank. Dalton Smith had him dead to rites. Monahan took a second shot at the game-winner. Smith, again, forced Niederberger to make a huge stop in the final minute. Tyler Graovac could have been the hero late and Shane Prince tapped a rebound that somehow rolled along the goal-line, cleared eventually by Chris Buonomo. (Ottawa Citizen)

Niederberger, with a 2.19 average and .937 save percentage, has been outstanding in these playoffs for the Colts. It certainly seems like he raised his level of play to match Detroit Red Wings prospect Petr Mrazek, who was solid himself with 39 saves for the 67's.

Moose Jay Warriors captain Kendall McFaull (The Canadian Press)No. 1 star: Kendall McFaull, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

McFaull doesn't seem to get his name in the news as often as his blueline mate Dylan McIlrath, but his work in the Warriors' 6-1 Game 2 win over Medicine Hat conveyed his importance to his team. The Warriors captain had four assists, was +4 and helped set up the defensive forcefield that the Tigers could only get 15 shots on goals through.

Medicine Hat, trying to rally from losing 61-goal scorer Emerson Etem to a suspension for a kneeing major, actually led 1-0 after 20 minutes. However, the cagey McFaull, who's a Winnipeg Jets draft pick, got some smart shots through from the point, leading to scoring opportunities that Quinton Howden twice cashed in to put the Warriors ahead for good. Coming out to start the third period, McFaull set up Eric Arnold for a backbreaker goal just 13 seconds into the frame to open a 3-1 lead. Five minutes later, McFaull got another primary assist on a Kenton Miller tally that further ensured the Warriors would take a two-game series lead with them as the Eastern Conference semifinal shifts west.

McFaull turns 20 on Tuesday, the day of Game 3. A win is probably on the top of his wishlist.

No. 2 star: Kristians Pelss, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

The Edmonton Oilers pick scored two goals, both game-tying tallies, helping his Oilers-owned junior team eat Brandon 4-3 for their 17th consecutive win and a 2-0 lead in their conference semifinal. The native of Latvia first levelled for Edmonton early in the second period, then came back with a quick shot from the top of the slot after taking a feed from Tyler Maxwell.

Emerson Etem has been suspended for a kneeing major on Friday (The Canadian Press)One can only presume there was a sinking feeling among Medicine Hat Tigers partisans tonight when Moose Jaw Warriors right wing Torrin White was listed as a scratch for Game 2 of their Western Hockey League quarter-final series.

The injury often matters more than a player's intent on a borderline play. White being out, of course, means that the WHL's leading goal scorer, Emerson Etem, could face more severe supplemental discipline on Monday. The WHL suspended the 61-goal scorer indefinitely, along with also announcing Portland Winterhawks forward Oliver Gabriel is under review after bowling over Kamloops goalie Cole Cheveldave.

(Update: Cheveldave has been ruled out for Game 2 of the Kamloops-Portland series.)

It's a shocker to think Etem's series would be over after a handful of shifts, but that's where we are. From Matthew Gourlie:

[Etem] lasted two shifts before his knee-on-knee hit on Moose Jaw Warriors rookie Torrin White saw him pick up a kneeing major and a game misconduct.

"I was going to finish my check and he moved out of the way and put himself in a vulnerable position. I didn't expect him to move out of the way," said Etem who is arguably the fastest player in the WHL. Etem has 84 penalty minutes in 202 career regular season games.

"I'm one of the least penalized players in the league. I haven't got a game misconduct in my three years here so hopefully (the league) takes that into consideration. (Moose Jaw Times-Herald)

White, as Warriors coach Mike Stothers describe to Gourlie, tried to return to the game but "couldn't skate at all. He couldn't pivot; couldn't turn. It wasn't even a quarter of a shift." It goes without saying the Tigers' chances of taking out Moose Jaw without Etem, who factored into 107 of their 252 goals in the regular season, are probably slim and none. As his comments indicated, his best hope is probably that the league determines the knee-on-knee hit happened in a split second and could not have been avoided.

Roland McKeown was taken No. 2 overall by the Kingston Frontenacs on Saturday (OHL Images)KINGSTON, Ont. — Sitting in a conference room with a view of the Cataraqui River sparkling under a bright April sun, one could easily wonder why a teen hockey player would ever be reluctant to report to Kingston.

But upwardly mobile puck-chasers picturing themselves winning a MasterCard Memorial Cup before moving on to make NHL millions don't base their preferred place to play on creature comforts or its ranking in MoneySense magazine's ranking of best places to live in Canada. A franchise's reputation and recent track record carries more weight. Those elements are the baggage the Kingston Frontenacs are trying to shed. The players drafted into the Ontario Hockey League in Saturday's priority selection draft were toddlers in 1998, the last time franchise won a playoff round.

So for Roland McKeown — the defenceman whom the Frontenacs took No. 2 overall Saturday morning to begin a draft where they had four of the first 24 picks — it was vital to be really sure about his future team. The defender had known since the fall that he might go to Kingston, which began rebuilding from the outset of the season. But he wanted to make sure GM Doug Gilmour and coach Todd Gill's rebuilding was in earnest.

Fortunately for McKeown, whom GM Doug Gilmour described as "a right-handed Scott Niedermayer," he has the same adviser as a prominent former Frontenac. He and Boston Bruins prospect Ryan Spooner, the graduating centre who was traded to Sarnia in January for 17-year-old Ryan Kujawinski, are represented by Murray Kuntz.

"I met with Ryan [Spooner] and Doug [Gilmour] earlier in Kingston's season when Ryan was around and I came down to visit the city," the 6-foot-1, 180-pound McKeown said, sporting his new No. 20 jersey. "I knew right then that this was the place that I wanted to be and it was my goal to get to Kingston with the No. 2 pick.

"It's pretty cool," the Listowel, Ont., native added. "I'm new to all this in the OHL. Just moving in and trying to move forward with the Frontenacs is something special — just trying to rebuild with them."