Each NHL Entry Draft brings a new sense of hope to each and every NHL team. From the 1st overall pick to the final pick of the two-day process, teams looks for genuine stars, grinders, stoppers, and diamonds in the rough. For many collectors, Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin are already on their want-lists. Their collectability is already on solid ground. But what about the other players taken through-out the draft? Although most teams draft between five and seven players, many of these young men never make it to the big league.

Today brings Part One of our look at the collectability quotient of the newest crop of potential future NHLers. Although many of these players are currently available within In The Game products, their first true rookie cards will not appear until they make an appearance in an NHL regular season game.

Taylor Hall (1st Overall – Edmonton Oilers)

Although no one will mistake Taylor Hall as the next-coming of Wayne Gretzky, he is a special player who wins everywhere he goes. With gold medals from the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, the IIHF World U18 Championships, and the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in 2008 and a pair of Memorial Cup MVPs in 2009 and 2010 with Windsor, Hall is one remarkable youngster. Having an excited collector base in Edmonton, as well as the hype that has followed him since he turned fourteen, Hall is on the cusp of hobby stardom.  Collectability Quotient (CQ) – A+

Tyler Seguin (2nd Overall – Boston Bruins)

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs management continues to say how excited they are to have Phil Kessel on their team, hockey fans have to believe there is a lot of regret for trading what eventually became the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. Instead, Seguin will look to succeed in a town where Joe Thornton could never please the fan base or the team. Although many scouts consider Hall to be the best player at this point in time, most of those same scouts believe Seguin will become the better player over time. Being in the hockey hot-bed of Boston helps. Being compared to Steve Yzerman doesn’t hurt either. Collectability Quotient (CQ) – A+

Erik Gudbranson (3rd Overall – Florida Panthers)

Gudbranson is a large Canadian defenseman with a great two-way game.  With a touch of offense and a nasty streak, he compares favourably to Chris Pronger or Larry Robinson. Unfortunately being drafted into a hobby wasteland hurts his collectability greatly. Just ask another large Canadian defenseman with a great two-way game who lived in virtual anonymity for years in Florida and just like Gudbranson had an odd surname. Jay Bouwmeester ring any bells? Collectability Quotient (CQ) – C-

Ryan Johansen (4th Overall – Columbus Blue Jackets)

Johansen quickly rose up draft boards over the past year and a half. Although Columbus got their man, it was rumoured that they were trying to trade down since they believed Johansen would still be available later. With size and skill comparable to Eric Staal, Johansen should become a good player, however like Staal he will play in a city without much big league history. While Rick Nash and Steve Mason have gathered some collectors since their rookie seasons, there is just not much buzz in the city. Collectability Quotient (CQ) – B-

Next Time – Draft Picks #5 thru #8