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19New York Islanders

Strengths: John Tavares, the top pick of the 2009 draft, is already making an impact for his team in his rookie season. Behind Tavares is talented puck-moving defenseman Calvin de Haan and giant goaltender Mikko Koskinen. The Islanders have solid overall depth at every position as well. The Islanders stockpiled picks the last two years and those picks are starting to bear fruit. Weaknesses: The Isles lack any game-breaking talent behind Tavares and de Haan. Questions about de Haan's size and assertiveness and Petrov's availability for signing also remain. There also appears to be little help on the wing for Tavares in the near future. Top five prospects: 1. John Tavares, C, 2. Calvin de Haan, D, 3. Kirill Petrov, RW, 4. Mikko Koskinen, G, 5. Jesse Joensuu, LW.

20Anaheim Ducks

Strengths: While they don't have a surplus of defensemen by any means, a top group of Luca Sbisa, Jake Gardiner, Mark Mitera, Matt Clark, and Brendan Mikkelson leaves Anaheim's future looking bright. They also have a stable of strong two-way forwards, led by Matt Beleskey and Logan MacMillan. Weaknesses: Despite draft-day additions in Kyle Palmieri and Peter Holland, there are not many promising top-six forwards in the system. While there are several goaltenders in the system, none are of high quality and this remains the greatest need in the system. Top five prospects: 1. Luca Sbisa, D, 2. Jake Gardiner, D, 3. Peter Holland, C, 4. Mark Mitera, D, 5. Kyle Palmieri, C.

21Edmonton Oilers

Strengths: Balance and depth with a healthy dose of scoring – Swedes Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, Anton Lander and Linus Omark represent a new era in Edmonton, a franchise that has historically failed to draft and develop well out of Europe. Add Finnish junior sensation Toni Rajala and SM-Liiga scorer Teemu Hartikainen and the Oilers have the best crop of Euro potential they've perhaps ever had. Sniper Jordan Eberle impressed at training camp and is poised to dominate the WHL this year. Defense appears strong with collegian Jeff Petry, AHL rookies Alex Plante and Johan Motin plus NHL bubble defender Theo Peckham. Weaknesses: The Oilers have quality netminders in Devan Dubnyk and Olivier Roy, but neither holds the sure-fire NHL starter label. While the Oilers have a few strong defense prospects, they could use more depth in this area. Edmonton did not improve themselves as much in the 2009 draft as some other teams. Top five prospects: 1. Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, LW, 2. Jordan Eberle, RW, 3. Riley Nash, C, 4. Linus Omark, LW, 5. Theo Peckham, D.

22Carolina Hurricanes

Strengths: The Hurricanes prospects were the winners of this past Traverse City tournament, showing both skill and character. The club's system was augmented by this most recent entry draft, with five picks from 2009 cracking the top 20 list. They are headlined by the skillful Zach Boychuk, two-way center Brandon Sutter, while Drayson Bowman, Zac Dalpe and 2009 pick Philippe Paradis also bring noteworthy skill. The success of goaltender Mike Murphy over the last handful of junior seasons are both impressive and difficult to ignore. Weaknesses: The right side is conspicuously thin, lacking top-six potential. After Murphy, whose technique may not carry up a level very well, depth between the pipes is non-existent. Although Carolina has hung on to more of its picks lately, the system as a whole lacks depth. Top five prospects: 1. Zach Boychuk, C, 2. Brandon Sutter, C, 3. Drayson Bowman, LW, 4. Jamie McBain, D, 5. Zac Dalpe, C.

23Ottawa Senators

Strengths: Defensive prospects are Ottawa's strength. A pair of recent first-round picks in Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen lead the pack while Brian Lee and Patrick Wiercioch have both shown promise in both ends of the ice. Top goalie prospect Brian Elliott has already shown promise at the professional level and the Senators added a big goalie in Robin Lehner in the 2009 draft. Up front, the team has been patient with the offensively-gifted imports Ilya Zubov and Peter Regin as they look to jump into the Sens lineup. Weaknesses: Ottawa lacks a top-flight forward in its prospect pool and does not possess the depth up front to make up for it with only six wingers in the system. Depth in the crease is also a big concern. Top five prospects: 1. Erik Karlsson, D, 2. Jared Cowen, D, 3. Brian Lee, D, 4. Brian Elliott, G, 5. Peter Regin, C

24Chicago Blackhawks

Strengths: Depth. The Blackhawks drafted five centers in the 2009 draft and have a total of seven defensemen from their two previous draft classes to replenish those key positions. The defensive pool in particular is balanced with offensive-minded players like Shawn Lalonde and Brian Connelly alongside more defensive-minded blueliners like Dylan Olsen and Teigan Zahn. There is also a balance of talent on the wings with developing power forwards like Akim Aliu and Kyle Beach alongside speedy, skilled forwards like Billy Sweatt, Jack Skille, and Igor Makarov. Weaknesses: While there are intriguing prospects at every position, the lack of top-end talent hurts the group's ranking. Questions abound with players like Skille and Beach attempting to live up to their first-round draft status. The Blackhawks have long sought their goalie of the future, but do not have anyone worthy of that moniker right now. Top five prospects: 1. Niklas Hjalmarsson, D, 2. Kyle Beach, LW, 3. Akim Aliu, RW, 4. Dylan Olsen, D, 5. Shawn Lalonde, D.

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