Yesterday the Top Prospects had a chance to take batting practice with the Pirates at PNC Park. Nobody had any Sidney Crosby blasts but Jacob Trouba was very good. Nail Yakupov, who never played baseball before yesterday made good contact after he stopped using a split grip. He batted barefoot and ran directly to second base when he hit the ball. Glad to see he took my advice about not hitting with an upper cut! He’s a natural athlete.

NEW!! 2012 NHL Draft Black Book

Over 370 pages packed with NHL Draft Prospect reports and individual game reports. the book includes:

Over 250 Prospect Reports for the 2012 Draft
100 Prospect reports for the 2013 NHL Draft
100 Game Reports
Fulll 7 round player rankings for the 2012 NHL Draft
Top 30 player rankings for the 2013 NHL Draft
Pricing:

Print Version available on Amazon.com $44.99 amazon.ca (soon) and Amazon.co.uk

Digital Version available in our own online store $39.99

Use Code Sportsology and readers will get 15 percent off the cover price!

1) Nail Yakupov – 5-11, 190 – RW – Edmonton Oilers – This kid is as tough as nails, literally! He bangs bodies, he will make the tough plays on the ice and he’s a game changer. He’s a franchise player for sure and he has a slick skating style, with a pro shot. He has a different gear to get away from defenders and can score from anywhere on the ice. He talks to his centers a lot trying to get one-timers off the face-off. He can score with players draped over him. He also gets under the opposing players’ skin with some old fashioned trash talking.

PENTICTON, B.C. – For the third year in a row, the United States has won the World Junior A Challenge, defeating Canada East 6-4 in Sunday’s gold medal game at the South Okanagan Events Centre.