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RISING & FALLING STARS (by Bruce Lockie)

September 1, 1999

We at Mr. Shark's would like to welcome Bruce Lockie to our staff of fine writers, this is his very first article and I'm sure you'll all appreciate the youthful exuberance he brings to his article. We believe in "letting" fantasy hockey fans get a well rounded approach, so here is Bruce's first article.

Here is a look at the rising and falling stars of the National Hockey League, both should merit your attention! In the first category I thought that I should spend some time reviewing some of the NHL�s �Rising Stars�. To qualify for this category, players must be talented, skillful players, who have not yet reached NHL super stardom, and are under the age of twenty-five.

1 - Adam Deadmarsh Col LW/RW/C- although it seems like this guy has been around forever (5 NHL seasons), he was drafted only one year earlier than fellow Rising Star, Chris Drury. Deadmarsh is big, quick, and he can play all three forward positions. As long as he gets a chance to play with All-Star centers Peter Forsberg, and Joe Sakic, he has the ability to put a lot of points on the board. Prediction: 73gp 25-35-60

2 - Jamie Langenbrunner Dal RW- Watch out for this guy. Like Deadmarsh, Langer is a twenty-four yrs old with five NHL seasons under his belt. With several Dallas veterans gone, Jamie should see more time on the second line at his natural right wing postposition; That in addition to Langer coming off an exceptional playoff run, could be signs of real good things to come for this budding superstar. Prediction: 80gp 25-37-62

3 - Patrick Marleau SJ C- This super talent did nothing but impress as a teenager. Marleau, now 20, has solid speed, good hands, good size, and he played 81 games last season. He and teammate Jeff Friesen are the corner stones of a very bright future in San Jose. Prediction: 80gp 29-30-59

4 - Olli Jokinen NYI C- Traded to the Island in the Ziggy Palffy deal, this 6�3 207lb. Twenty-year-old looks like he has potential to be a superstar. Not yet ready to turn the Isle into a contender, he should show some signs this season of why he is being heralded a Rising Star. Prediction: 80gp 22-32-54

5 - Jan Hrdina Pit C/RW/LW- Had 42 pts. in his rookie season, Hrdina is a good playmaker who keeps his head in the game. If Hrdina keeps seeing power play time, plus time playing with Jagr, the sky is the limit for this guy. Prediction: 78gp 20-35-55

The next five players are other young Rising Stars, who should not be over looked on Draft Day.

AGE PREDICTIONS:

6- Brendan Morrison (24yrs) NJ C - prediction 22-25-47

7- Marian Hossa (20yrs) Ott RW - prediction 24-35-59

8- Marc Savard (22yrs) Cgy C - prediction 20-22-44

9- Jarome Iginla (22yrs) Cgy RW - prediction 28-31-59

10- Chris Drury (23yrs) Col LW - prediction 22-24-46

The second category is �Falling Stars�. These are players whose offensive stats this year, should not match their stats from last year, and as a result, these players should not be overvalued.

1 - Shawn McEachern Ott LW- Playing beside Alexei Yashin, Tie Domi would probably score 45 pts. So if Alexei Yashin sits out this year, Shawn�s goal totals may drop from a career high of 31 last year, to 18-20 this year. Pick him with great caution on your draft day. Prediction: 74gp 19-24-43

2 - John McLean NYR RW- Simple, no GRETZ, less points. The loss of The Great One combined with the loss of 1st line status to Theo Fleury, should mean that McLean�s 28 goals and 55 pts. totals should drop considerably this season. Prediction: 78gp 18-20-38

3- Adam Graves NYR LW- 38 goals last year; One word to describe his season: WOW!!!. But I am skeptical as to weather or not he can do it again. Fortunately for Graves, playing with Nedved and Fleury should mean that his point totals won�t drop too much, but watch out for his goal totals to take a fall. Prediction: 80gp 25-23-48

4 - Igor Larionov Det C- Larionov enjoyed a great season in �98-�99. Although, at the age of 38, playing on an aging team that is not afraid to utilize four lines, one must wonder if this phenomenal playmaker can put in a repeat performance this year. Prediction: 73gp 11-35-46

5 - Steve Thomas Tor RW- Thomas falls under last season�s category of �Who�d have thunk it?�. 28 goals, 73 pts., Thomas was one of the main reasons that the Leafs made the Eastern Conference Finals last year. Can Thomas duplicate last years� magic, perhaps, but likely not. Prediction: 69gp 23-37-60

Other players that should not be over valued on draft day:

6 - Luc Robitaille LA - Luc still has good hands, so don�t be afraid to give him a shot on draft day, just not too high up on you list.

7 - Ray Whitney Fla - Back to back 60 pts. seasons, but be careful, because now that Bure is the go to guy in Florida, Ray�s totals may suffer as a result, but maybe not.

8 - Miroslav Satan Buf - Huge numbers in goal department last year SHOULD drop this year, but Miro�s skills cannot be denied. So don�t be afraid to take a chance on him if he falls to a spot that you are comfortable taking him at.

9 - Cliff Ronning Nas - Not much of a supporting cast in Nashville, Ronning should drop from his 60 point output last year

10 - Larry Murphy Det - Loss of 1^st line defense status a possibility with Chelios in the line up, which should lead to drop off from 52 point performance last season.

Watch for my top one hundred predicted scorers� list coming soon. Questions or comments, E-MAIL me at Robert-Bruce@home.net