November is the time that most hockey fans begin paying attention to how the 2000 draft class is shaping up.

Hockey's best-known scouting organizations -- NHL Central Scouting Services (CSS) and the independent International Scouting Services (ISS) this month released information on the 2009 prospects that should whet the appetite prospect junkies.

CSS this week presented its preliminary rankings, which have players lists within their league or country. ISS has for the past couple months released a general ranking of the prospects.

Who's at the top of the class? The two organizations are in agreement with Canadian forward John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman as the best of the bunch.

Tavares, scoring star of the Oshawa Generals, is rated by CSS as the Ontario Hockey League's top prospect. Hedman is the best prospect in Sweden and plays for MoDo. Hedman was ranked first by ISS the past two months, while Tavares was second in October and November.

It was thought that Tavares would have a Sidney Crosby-like waltz to the top seed in the 2009 draft. It remains possible that Tavares could have his name called first next June in Montreal, but Hedman and others have a shot at surpassing the much-heralded Tavares.

A quick comparison of ISS's top 10 and the top prospects in the CSS rankings shows a consensus on this season's best prospects.

Jared Cowan, a defenseman playing for Spokane Chiefs, is third overall in ISS and is the Western Hockey League's top player according to CSS.

Evander Kane, an offensively talented center playing for the WHL's Vancouver Giants, is eighth overall in ISS and the WHL's second-best prospect for CSS.

Brayden Schenn, a powerful center playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings, is rated third in the WHL by CSS and 10th overall in the ISS rankings.

In the OHL, after Tavares comes Matt Duchene of the Brampton Battalion. A stocky center, Duchene is ranked second in the OHL by CSS, and fourth overall by ISS.

Nazem Kadri, a center playing for the London Knights, is ranked third in the OHL by CSS and seventh overall by ISS.

Two Europeans landed in the current ISS top 10. Left winger Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi from Sweden is ranked fifth overall by ISS, but is ranked third among Swedish prospects by CSS, behind Hedman and center Jacob Josefson. Center Richard Panik is the top prospect from Czech Republic hockey according to CSS while being ranked ninth overall by ISS.

The final prospect ranked in the ISS top 10 is right winger Jordan Schroeder of the University of Minnesota. Schroeder is the only NCAA player to receive an "A" rating from CSS.

The dearth of NCAA talent in the 2009 class is confirmed by the ISS rankings, which have no other college prospects among their top 100 players. However, that several players who should play in the NCAA are ranked highly by ISS. For instance, forwards Jeremy Morin and Drew Shore of the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team are ranked 11th and 13th respectively by ISS. And center Louis Leblanc from the USHL's Omaha Lancers is ranked 20th overall by that organization.

CSS does not have public rankings of the players in the NTDP or USHL, which are the best non-collegiate sources of hockey talent in the United States.

Two steady suppliers of NHL talent, Canada's Quebec Major Junior Hockey League of Canada Russia, are not well represented in the early draft rankings.

Both CSS and ISS agree on the top prospects in the QMJHL, defensemen Simon Despres of the Saint John Sea Dogs and Dmitry Kulikov of the Drummondville Voltigeurs. But Despres is ranked 22nd overall by ISS, and Kulikov is slotted in right behind Despres at No. 23.

No Russian prospect appears in the ISS rankings until forward Sergey Chvanov at No. 40. CSS has Chvanov ranked 13th prospect among Russian prospects, with defenseman Dimitri Orlov receiving the top ranking. Orlov is ranked 51st by ISS.

So, while the top of the 2009 draft rankings have the appearance of being solidly set, there is still plenty of time for other players outside of the top 10 to move up the charts.

This draft appears to be deep but probably won't match the lofty standard set by the Class of 2008. We will have a better idea by the time the CSS midseason rankings are released.

For more NHL prospect information, including our latest listing of the top 50 NHL prospects, go to Hockey's Future.com, the top site devoted to the coverage of hockey prospects worldwide.

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The Spitfires entered the weekend first overall in the Ontario Hockey League at 16-1-0-0. They are the top-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League, which is comprised of teams from the Ontario, Quebec and Western major junior leagues.

Two seasons ago, the Spitfires were OHL bottom feeders. They turned things around last season, finishing in a tie for third overall with 94 points. Their resurgent season ended when they lost in the OHL playoffs' first round in five games to the Sarnia Sting. Despite the quick playoff exit, the Spitfires' talent assured they would be among this season's OHL favorites.

It's easy to pinpoint reasons for Windsor's impressive start. It has six NHL picks, including two from last summer's first round.

The drafted players are:
• Greg Nemisz, center; 2008, 25th all, Calgary Flames
• Adam Henrique, center; 2008, third round, New Jersey Devils
• Dale Mitchell, right winger; 2007, third round, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Andrei Loktionov, center; 2008, fifth round, Los Angeles Kings
• Richard Greenop, center; 2007, sixth round, Chicago Blackhawks
• Harry Young, defenseman; 2008, seventh round, New Jersey Devils

The Spitfires also have the rights to center Joshua Bailey, who is injured and remains with the New York Islanders, who selected him with last summer's ninth overall pick.

But for all that talent, two players yet to be drafted are leading the way for the Spitfires.

Defenseman Ryan Ellis is eligible for the 2009 NHL Draft and is ranked 21st overall by International Scouting Services. He is the OHL's leading scorer. Offensively gifted, Ellis entered the weekend with nine goals and 22 assists -- half the points he had in 63 games last season.

Center Taylor Hall won't be eligible until the 2010 Draft, but he is second in OHL scoring with 30 points, including 11 goals.

Ellis, Hall and Nemisz were on Team Canada when it won gold at April's under-18 world juniors tournament.

Ellis isn't big at 5-10, 178 pounds, but his offensive skill level is high, perhaps the best among the defensemen eligible for this year's draft.

Hall is an early candidate to be a top-five pick in 2010. He is 6-0, 180 pounds and a bit skinny, but he has time to fill out before he is drafted. Hall can make plays at a high rate of speed and has a good touch around the net.

Nemisz is a power forward. He uses his 6-4, 201-pound frame around the net, but must improvement in his skating. Nemisz is 18th in OHL scoring with eight goals and nine assists.

Henrique is perhaps the most accomplished among the remaining draftees. While not as offensively gifted as the three players mentioned above, Henrique has a good combination of skill and two-way play that makes him valuable in a tight game.

Mitchell is a small, stocky winger who is difficult to knock off the puck and has good instincts in the offensive zone.

Loktionov is a versatile playmaking center. He can be used on the power play and penalty kill.

Greenop is a bruiser with linebacker size but limited offensive ability.

Young is an efficient, stay-at-home defenseman.

The Spitfires should remain among Canada's best junior teams. And just think how good they'll be if they get Bailey back from the Islanders.

For more NHL prospect information, including our latest ranking of the top 50 NHL prospects, go to Hockey's Future.com, the top site devoted to the coverage of hockey prospects worldwide.

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