Last Updated:  2010 Jan 22
Each player is projected on making it to
the NHA on a grading scale of 1-10.
PLAYER LEGEND - (HIGHLIGHT COLOUR DEFINES LEAGUE PLAYING IN)

Playing in the N.H.A.
Playing in the N.H.A. Farm League
Playing in N.A. Development League (Prospect)
Playing in the NCAA or other Amateur League (Prospect)
Playing in Europe (Prospect)
Toronto Gladiators

Organization Ranking  (3)
              Change  (-1)
Top Prospects
Other Notables
Graduated
Summary Strength Even Weakness
       
Goaltending X    
Defense XX    
Centers XX    
Wingers X    
Drafting X    
Draft Picks   X  
Left Wing Center Right Wing
1) Milan Lucic  7.0 A 1)  Jonathan Toews  9.0 B 1)  Bobby Ryan  8.0 B
2)  Daniel Paille  6.5 B 2) James Neal  7.5 B 2)  Chris Stewart  7.5 B
3)  Billy Sweatt  7.0 C 3) Ryan Stoa  7.5 C 3)  Christian Hanson  6.5 B
4)  Mike Hoeffel  6.0 B 4)  Angelo Esposito  7.5 D 4)  Patrick Kaleta  5.5 A
5)  Patrick Thoresen  6.5 C 5) Brodie Dupont  6.0 B 5)  Dale Mitchell  6.5 C
6)  Ryan Donally  5.5 C 6)  Petteri Nokelainen  6.5 C 6)  Erik Condra  6.5 C
7)  Alex Foster  6.0 D 7)  Tom Pyatt  6.5 C 7)  Byron Bitz  6.5 C
8)  Konstantin Zakharov  6.5 F 8)  Tony Lagerstrom  6.0 C 8)  Hugh Jessiman  7.0 D
9)  Dylan Hunter  6.5 F 9)  Chris Lawrence  7.0 F 9)  Greg Moore  6.0 C
10)  Mathieu Melanson  6.5 F 10)  Eric Hunter  5.5 C 10)  Juraj Simek  7.0 F
11)  Greg Watson  5.0 C 11)  Stephen Dixon  6.0 D 11)  J.D. Watt  5.5 C
  12)  Joel Perreault  4.0 B 12)  Marc-Andre Cliche  6.0 D
    13)  Matthew Ford  6.5 F
    14)  Petr Kanko  5.0 D
     
Defense (L) Defense (R) Goaltenders
1)  Cam Barker  7.5 C 1)  Mike Green  8.0 A 1)  Carey Price  8.5 B
2)  Theo Peckham  6.5 B 2)  Brent Burns  7.0 A 2)  Leland Irving  7.0 C
3)  Nigel Williams  7.0 C 3)  Alex Grant  7.0 C 3)  Timo Pielmeier  6.5 C
4)  Brendan Mikkelson  7.0 C 4)  Phil Oreskovic  6.0 B 4)  David LeNeveu  6.5 F
5)  Brett Festerling  6.0 B 5)  Ben Lovejoy  6.0 B  
6) John DeGray  6.0 D 6)  Corbin MacPherson  6.0 C  
7)  Michal Sersen  5.5 D 7)  Josh Godfrey  6.5 D  
8)  Kyle Wharton  6.0 F 8)  Tyson Strachan  5.0 B  
  9)  John Doherty  5.0 D  
     
Windsor
Centurions
Draft Review  -  Toronto Gladiators                                                                                                           by Mark Stefenelli

Transactions (leading up to and throughout the draft):

     OUT:  Glen Metropolit (C); Pat Rissmiller (RW); Keith Carney (D); Derek Meech (D); Andre Roy (LW);
                5th Round Selection in 2008 (from Gladiators)

     IN:      2nd Round Selection (40th OV); 2nd Round Selection (51st OV); 5th Round Selection (128th OV); 5th Round Selection (138th OV)

The Gladiators were involved in a few minor transactions during the NHA entry draft this season.  GM Mallen moved several veteran depth players and a 5th round pick in the '08 draft for a pair of 2nd round and 5th round selections in this season's entry draft.  Though these trades did not have a significant impact on draft day, they did however allow Toronto to add some more depth to their already impressive farm system.

Organizational Weaknesses (prior to Draft):
     Scoring wingers

NHA Draft Preview Prediction:     No 1st Round Selection
Actual Result:                                 No 1st Round Selection

2007 NHA Entry Draft Selections
     Billy Sweatt, LW            (NCAA)          [2nd Round (40th Overall)]
     Angelo Esposito, C         (QMJHL)       [2nd Round (51st Overall)]
     Alex Grant, D                 (QMJHL)       [2nd Round (53rd Overall)]
     Mike Hoeffel, LW          (USNTDP)     [3rd Round (77th OVerall)]
     Christian Hansen, RW                           [3rd Round (79th Overall)]
     Ben Lovejoy, D                                    [3rd Round (81st Overall)]
     Josh Godfrey, D              (OHL)            [3rd Round (83rd Overall)]
     Byron Bitz, RW                                    [4th Round (93rd Overall)]
     Dale Mitchell, RW          (OHL)            [4th Round (100th Overall)]
     Corbin McPherson, D     (BCHL)          [4th Round (109th Overall)]
     Timo Pielmeier, G          (DEL)            [5th Round (116th Overall)]
     Brett Festerling, D                                [5th Round (128th Overall)]
     Tyson Strachan, D                                [5th Round (138th Overall)]

Who didn't the Gladiators draft this offseason?  With an astounding 13 draft picks Toronto was able to secure a boatload of talent that adds even more youth to one of the richest prospect systems in the entire NHA.  The most prominent among the new Gladiators are Billy Sweatt and Angelo Esposito.  Sweatt is a highly-touted young winger with all of the tools necessary to become a future top 6 forward; he has blinding speed, great hands, excellent vision, and to top it off, he can play both ends of the ice.  Sweatt is a coach's dream and should make one hell of an impact for this team in the future.  Angelo Esposito is a very gifted playmaker with a good set of wheels; he is a perfect compliment to a player such as Sweatt and could easily find himself on the pro team in the near future.  The only real roadblock this kid is facing, aside from experience at the pro level, is the overwhelming depth at center in this organization, as with the likes of Vinny, Carter and Toews already in the system the Gladiators can afford to be very patient with Espo.  The Gladiators have consistently made an impact on draft day and did not fail to impress this time around.  GM Mallen has earned quite a reputation for his ability to spot talent at the lower levels and his scouting staff deserves a great deal of credit for the strength of the organization.  It's hard to imagine that this team had any weaknesses going into this offseason, so far as their youth system is concerned, but the newest additions have very much bolstered the strengths.

Possible draft-day steals:     Angelo Esposito (C) taken in the 2nd Round at 51st Overall
     Byron Bitz, RW
     Marc-Andre Cliche, RW
     Erik Condra, RW
     John DeGray, D
     Stephen Dixon, C
     John Doherty, D
     Ryan Donally, LW
     Brodie Dupont, C/LW
     Brett Festerling, D
     Matthew Ford, RW
     Alex Foster, LW/C
     Josh Godfrey, D
     Mike Hoeffel, LW/RW
     Dylan Hunter, LW
     Eric Hunter, LW
     Hugh Jessiman, RW
     Petr Kanko, RW
     Tony Lagerstrom, C
     Chris Lawrence, C
     David LeNeveu, G
     Ben Lovejoy, D
     Corbin McPherson, D
     Mathieu Melanson, LW
     Dale Mitchell, RW
     Greg Moore, RW
     Petteri Nokelainen, C
     Phil Oreskovic, D
     Joel Perreault, C/RW
     Timo Pielmeier, G
     Tom Pyatt, C/LW
     Michal Sersen, D
     Juraj Simek, RW/LW
     Tyson Strachan, D
     Patrick Thoresen, W/C
     Greg Watson, LW
     J.D. Watt, RW
     Kyle Wharton, D
     Konstantin Zakharov, LW/RW
   1)  Jonathan Toews, C
        Acquired:  2nd OV, '06 Draft
   2)  Mike Green, D
        Acquired:  from Ice Dragons
   3)  Carey Price, G
        Acquired:  4th OV, '05 Draft
   4)  Bobby Ryan, RW/LW
        Acquired:  from Norsemen
   5)  Milan Lucic, LW
        Acquired:  from Norsemen
   6)  Brent Burns, D
        Acquired:  from Ice Dragons
   7)  James Neal, C
        Acquired:  40th OV, '05 Draft
   8)  Chris Stewart, RW
        Acquired:  29th OV, '06 Draft
   9)  Cam Barker, D
        Acquired:  from Roadrunners
10)  Ryan Stoa, C/LW
        Acquired:  52nd OV, '05 Draft
11)  Daniel Paille, LW
        Acquired:  NHA Dispersal Draft
12)  Theo Peckham, D
        Acquired:  55th OV, '06 Draft
13)  Christian Hanson, RW
        Acquired:  79th OV, '07 Draft
14)  Leland Irving, G
        Acquired:  30th OV, '06 Draft
15)  Alex Grant, D
        Acquired:  53rd OV, '07 Draft
16)  Nigel Williams, D
        Acquired:  41st OV, '06 Draft
17)  Billy Sweatt, LW
        Acquired:  40th OV, '07 Draft
18)  Brendan Mikkelson, D
        Acquired:  58th OV, '05 Draft
19)  Angelo Esposito, C
        Acquired:  51st OV, '07 Draft
20)  Patrick Kaleta, RW
        Acquired:  173rd OV, '04 Draft
     Milan Michalek, LW
     Kris Newbury, W/C
     Corey Perry, RW
     Richard Petiot, D
     Dion Phaneuf, D
     Brent Seabrook, D
2009/06/01  Toronto Gladiators - Facing the Future
The Toronto Gladiators are one of the premier up-and-coming young clubs in the NHA. After playing all the way to the Conference Finals in the inaugural NHA season, the Gladiators went into hibernation and plunged to the bottom depths of the league for two seasons; two seasons of rebuilding and reloading for a sustainable future of on-ice success. This franchise has excellent future depth at all positions but especially on the blueline. There are defensemen to be found in this organization that can fit every future need, whether its backend offence provided by Dion Phaneuf, Mike Green and Cam Barker, two-way play from Brent Seabrook and Brent Burns, or a stay-at-home style from Mark Stuart. There are also some very high-end young centers in the organization, such as Jeff Carter and Jonathan Toews, both of whom will have plenty of time to grow into their roles playing behind All-Star Vincent Lecavalier. There aren't many projected weak spots in this organization, though one area for improvement would be the need for scoring or playmaking wingers to complement their gifted centermen.

Left Wing - Toronto has a couple of young left wingers who should make their marks on the pro club. Presently, Milan Michalek is proving he belongs on a scoring line in the NHA and it won't be too long before James Neal will get an opportunity to join him.

Center - The Gladiators have a problem brewing here. With Vinny Lecavalier as the undisputed #1 center in Toronto, what is to be done with Jeff Carter and Jonathan Toews? Both players are going to be Top 6 pivots, with either more than capable of taking over the 2nd line duties in the future and this has created a situation that could develop into an expensive logjam. It's a problem that most teams in the NHA wish they had to deal with.

Right Wing - This is arguably the weakest area for young talent in the organization. Corey Perry is almost guaranteed to become an impact winger but there are no other players beyond him for which the same statement could be made. Chris Stewart may eventually develop into a Top 6 winger but only time will tell.

Defense - Developing a strong defense corps has always been the primary consideration in Toronto, and this has resulted in the formation of one of the NHA's strongest blue-lines going forward; Dion Phaneuf, Mike Green, Brent Seabrook, Brent Burns, Cam Barker and Mark Stuart. In the cases of Phaneuf and Green, both of these players have the skillsets to become perennial Norris candidates. As this group of youngsters mature and gel, they have the potential to give the rest of the teams in the league fits every night.

Goaltending - The Gladiators presently have Miikka Kiprusoff minding their nets, with Manny Fernandez (who is no slouch) backing him up, so there's no need to rush the future. Still, it is nice to know that the future is covered, with stand-out netminder Carey Price already tagged as the 'goaltender of the future' in Toronto.
Gladiators 2006 Draft Review

Gladiators 2005 Draft Review

Gladiators 2004 Draft Review