Lockedge,

Poulin is a very interesting prospect and I have learned a lot about him over the last few months. A couple of things from what you said...

"Sure, he'd sometimes try too hard and wind up out of position because he was thinking too much and trying too hard, but lately he's settled that back and has worked on his positioning and doesn't have to rely on his reflexes as much as he had to before."

This is exactly why he's a little lower on the list. Goalies that play in any of the CHL leagues, especially the Q, have all the talent in the world when it comes to reflexes and sheer ability to make the "desperate" save (I don't mean that as a bad thing). But most of them are missing a vital component to making it to the next level. They have to know how to manage their game and play in an efficient manner so that they have consistent energy throughout 60 minutes.

I have seen plenty video of the kid and even saw some video of him at work at the Isles' rookie training camp and I loved what I saw. Of course it was only training camp, not a real game, but one of the knocks against Poulin is that he exerts so much energy trying to make the most amazing save in the world, that he does get caught out of position a lot and is unable to stay consistent with his focus and his movements because of that energy drain.

"I swear, prospects who play for bad teams like that who learn to step it up that extra notch when he needs the team to survive...they excel when their team gets the least bit better because they're so conditioned to be incredibly focused all game and not having to pull out that extra gear makes them more consistent(well, consistent in their performance, not necessarily the result of the game)."

Couldn't agree with this more. Glad to hear this is what's happening with Poulin and Beskorowany. That's the kind of juice I am looking for, as obviously I do not get the luxury of watching full games. Some online feeds I have work decently but most are so scrambled or grainy, it's like watching a blob in the crease and I get all frustrated.

I am pretty sure Poulin will slowly rise in the standings as the months go on. I never dictate someone's placement in the rankings by stats alone, it all has to do with their ability to absorb information through games and experiences. I would say Poulin has awesome skill, but not the best situational awareness. It will come with time though, especially if he's performing so well and the technical foundation is already super solid!

And yes, Lehner is a rock. I wasn't sold on him at the time of the draft, but the fact he's playing so well and impressing everyone is a good sign for his future being very bright.

__________________