World junior championship: Reinhart, Ekblad and Draisaitl lead the top NHL draft prospects

Although the world junior championship never entails all of the elite NHL draft prospects because of the top countries' superb depth, it is one of the best opportunities to get a look at some of the world’s top draft eligible players.

Canada leads the way this year as Kootenay Ice centre Sam Reinhart and Barrie Colts blueliner Aaron Ekblad are considered to be in a two-horse race to go first overall in June. But not far behind them is Prince Albert Raiders centre Leon Draisaitl of Germany, whom most regard as the top draft prospect born outside of Canada.

The tournament can have a big impact on prospects' rankings. In 2010, for example, Switzerland native Nino Niederreiter’s strong performance in Saskatoon boosted his draft stock, which ultimately played a major role in the New York Islanders selecting him with the fifth overall pick. Moreover, at the other end of the spectrum a poor showing can a drop a player’s value.

To get a more insightful perspective on the best draft prospects set to take part in the Sweden-based world junior tourney, BTN teamed up with scouts from International Scouting Services and NHL’s Central Scouting Service to put together a list of the top talents.

The fantastic five

Sam Reinhart, centre, Canada (Kootenay Ice, WHL) – As it stands, Reinhart is the consensus to go first overall. He started garnering chatter as one of the 2014 draft’s best while playing in the BCMML with the Vancouver NW Giants, where he scored 38 goals and 78 points in 34 matches. Over two years later in his third season with the Ice, the 6-foot-1, 183-pounder has blossomed into the WHL’s top forward draft prospect since Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whom the Edmonton Oilers picked first overall in 2011.

Reinhart, who has 16 goals and 50 points in 33 games with the Ice, is a big part of Canada’s offense. He will be expected to help lead the forward crew, along with returnee Jonathan Drouin, as he did at the Hlinka Tournament and WJC-U18 last year.

Scout’s take: “Reinhart is very versatile and could even be successful in a defensive role as he sees the ice incredibly well and positions himself perfectly away from the puck,” says ISS head scout Ross MacLean. “He’s a tremendous playmaker but he is also a very effective shooter and he could impress and surprise a few people with his ability to be a trigger man instead of the playmaker. He’s a great weapon for a coach in an event like this as he really can fit almost anywhere.

Aaron Ekblad, defence, Canada (Barrie Colts, OHL) –

The Belle River, Ont., native is touted as the top defender of the draft by a wide margin. Scouts think of him so highly because he’s the total package. He has the size, standing 6-foot-4, 217-pounds, hockey smarts, poise and offensive upside as he has potted 10 goals and 25 points in 29 games with Barrie this year.

Ekblad undoubtedly has the skill to play a significant role on Canada’s back end, but it’s possible he could also find himself in their five-six pairing. Ultimately, his play in the round robin games should dictate how many minutes he logs down the stretch.

Scout’s take: “Ekblad’s competitiveness is something that really stands out,” says MacLean. “He is supremely confident and has shown that he likes to identify the top talent he’s up against and make their lives hell for as long as he can. He’s a very well-rounded defender who reminds me a lot of a Rob Blake-type defender and he can contribute in a variety of ways on either side of the puck and in all three zones.”

Leon Draisaitl, centre, Germany (Prince Albert Raiders, WHL) – The 6-foot-1, 209-pounder has lived up to the high expectations laid on his shoulders since coming over the Prince Albert as the second overall pick of the 2012 CHL import draft. In his second season with the Raiders, Draisaitl has solidified himself as one of the top scorers in the Dub and of the 2014 draft class, scoring 18 goals and 51 points in 33 contests. He seems to be a lock as a top 10 pick with the odds in his favour to have his named called in the top five. With that said, he has the potential to be the best player to ever come out of Germany.

Scout’s take: “Draisaitl is an incredible playmaker with tremendous vision who really amplifies the skill sets of those around him,” says MacLean. “His vision with the puck is world class. He plays a style very similar to (Anaheim Ducks centre) Ryan Getzlaf and seems to find options that are not obvious even from watching above. He has good size, can skate the puck up ice and when he’s on, he’s near impossible to contain. If he could produce consistently, we would be talking about him at first overall. He has one of the highest ceilings of any draft eligible player this year.”

Kasperi Kapanen, wing, Finland (KalPa, FIN) – The son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen is in the running to have his name called with a top 10 selection. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder is an elusive player who excels at slipping past opponents and making pinpoint tape-to-tape passes. He has had trouble with the transition to the Liiga (Finnish Elite League) from the junior ranks with only four goals and eight points in 28 games, though.

Scout’s take: “Kasperi has had an up and down year in terms of consistency and staying healthy with KalPa,” says ISS Finland-based scout Steve Cocker. “In my opinion, the world juniors will be his coming out party and could put him amongst the elite prospects eligible in 2014. Considering who he has the potential to play with in Finland’s top six (Teuvo Teravainen and Atturi Lehkonen) he will have the freedom to utilize his creativity and quickness in generating offense. When he is at his best there isn’t many who can contain his elusive speed and gifted hands when navigating the puck up ice.”

Ivan Barbashev, centre, Russia (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL) – The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Barbashev is Russia’s consensus top prospect of the draft. He put himself on the map last year in his rookie season with the Wildcats as he scored 62 points in 68 games. This year, he’s taken a step forward as a more polished player, notching 13 goals and 37 points in 29 games along the way. A strong or poor showing in Sweden could cement him into the first half or latter half of the draft’s first round.

Scout’s take: “I would expect Ivan Barbashev to be a very valuable piece to Russia's squad,” says MacLean. “I see him as a second-line player on this squad but he could play on the power play and penalty kill as well. His speed will work very well in the tournament and he could factor well into their overall production. He will definitely turn some heads with his skill. It's a great platform for him to establish himself among the elite forwards for the draft this year.”

Potent notables

Anton Karlsson, wing, Sweden (Frolunda HC, SWE) – The 6-foot-2, 194-pound winger is a bit of a wildcard when it comes to scouts’ rankings. ISS ranked him sixth overall in their latest list, which would make one think he’s a lock to go in the first round. However, in a recent interview with Goran Stubb of NHL CSS, he pegged Karlsson to go in the second-third round. Stubb, who is based in Sweden, went onto describe him as ‘A hard working, strong two-way physical power-forward who isn’t flashy, nor a finesse type of player but a useful solid team player.”

Jakub Vrana, wing, Czech Republic (Linkopings, SWE) – The 17-year-old Vrana is headed into his second U20 world junior tourney. He will be heavily relied on the second time around to help lead the Czech Republic’s offense with his uncanny speed and skill. Vrana, who made the trek to Sweden from the Czech Republic two years ago to better is development, is regarded as a late first-round pick by most scouts.

Julius Honka, defence, Finland (Swift Current Broncos, WHL) – The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Honka, who turned 18 in early December, has made a silky smooth transition to the Dub this year from Finland’s junior league. He quickly became one of the league’s top puck-moving defenders, notching 12 goals and 36 points in 35 games. Honka’s results on the score sheet combined with his elusiveness and smooth skating abilities have him projected as a top-60 draft prospect.

Thatcher Demko, goalie, USA (Boston College, NCAA) – It seems inevitable that Demko won’t see any playing time because he’s behind Jon Gillies and Anthony Stolarz on USA’s depth chart; however, he still deserves a mention because he’s regarded as the best draft eligible netminder in the tournament. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound San Diego native was one of only two goalies (the other being the Plymouth Whalers’ Alex Nedeljkovic) that cracked CSS’ A-list.

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen