The landscape of the hockey world has downshifted back towards something that looks like normal. Gone are the strike and the years leading up to it. The FAB50 Hockey™ 2006 reflects the thinking of the new world order on ice.
Remembering that the FAB50 is not a strict talent ranking, but rather a movement list of the best players most likely to move up to the NHL, much of this year's list takes into account some of the shifts in strategy that the NHL clubs, with major league players under new contracts, are taking.
How the FAB50 Hockey is Selected
The FAB50 Hockey rankings are drawn from a number of sources. We poll coaches, media relations people, and owners/GMs from the AHL, ECHL, CHL, and UHL. The data from the poll is not directly used for the rankings, but is blended with our reporters contacts with scouts and NHL development personnel.
To be eligible, a player has to be on the roster of a hockey club directly affiliated with the National Hockey League. They have to have played some or all of their season to date in minor league hockey for one or more of these clubs.
Tiers on My Pillow
Players in the top 10 are absolutely ready for the NHL to call. Players from 11 to 40 generally are at the top of their game, but have some situation, from a minor injury to a lot of players in the queue on the same position. Players in the freshman forties are generally rookies of exceptional promise who still have to earn their stripes in the AHL before moving on to the NHL. The result is a high to low snapshot of the fastest moving players in the development systems of the NHL.
Things New for 2006
Gone are all but five of the FAB50 class of 2005. Some were dropped because they have not made it into the NHL within our 18 month window to move on.
Several have been surpassed by newer players rising through the ranks who have pushed them down on the depth charting of their clubs. A few are already in the NHL, either on tuners or as permanent call-ups, that were allowed to remain on the list because of their early season in the AHL.
A first for the MLN FAB50 Hockey rankings in 2006 is the inclusion of Chris Beckford-Tseu, the first player from the ECHL to make the fifty dominated by the AHL.
Defense Defense Defense
For those who see interesting factoids in numbers, Defensemen lead the list by position, with 14 making the MLN FAB50 Hockey rankings this year. Right Wings hold twelve slots, Centers hold eleven, Goaltenders hang on to seven slots, and Left Wings hold just six.
Development System of the Year: If It Quacks Like A Duck...
New to the FAB50 Hockey 2006 is an honor introduced to our Baseball FAB50 last July: The Development System of the Year award.
The editorial staff of Minor League News present this award to the NHL organization that has produced the highest number of FAB50 candidates for the season.
A number of teams were in contention. Grand Rapids, Toronto, Hamliton, Hartford, Cleveland and Iowa all captured three slots, some with exceptionally high groups of ranked players. A hat trick is not enough though to be named top duck in hockey development.
With four FAB50 nods, three of which are in the top six, and the no. 1 player in the rankings, the MLN Development System of the Year goes to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and their Portland Pirates AAA American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.
The Envelopes Please...
Who was the number one player in the nation, according to the editors of Minor League News? Who were the other 49? Click on the links below to find out. You can either use the pull-down list, or one of the galleries of photos of the FAB50 Hockey Class of 2006.
