Tomorrow, the EP Rinkside team will meet to create our first draft board of the season. It’s an exciting moment, the cumulation of months of scouting top prospects in our particular regions, but also around the world, live and on video.

The board, a top-32, will reveal the players we consider the best in this class. The order will surely change as the season progresses. Some names will drop, others will rise, but our inclination and philosophy will remain the same.

We look for upside, for players who fit the modern game, who have a high-level understanding of it and the skill to apply those high-level ideas on the ice.

Here are my thoughts on three players that I have come to appreciate in these past couple of months. Hopefully, they feature high on our list when the debates end Saturday.