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So, um, Who's Left? Draft Profile: Anthony Cirelli

I'm still free, take a chance on me.

Memorable.
Memorable.
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The 2015 NHL Entry Draft is Friday, June 26th and Saturday, June 27th at Sunrise, Florida.

I have no idea who the Islanders are going to draft this year. And neither do you.

With no picks in the first two rounds, the annual hemming and hawing over who the team will add to their prospect pool has been muted this year. The Islanders' first pick is No. 72 (courtesy of a trade with the Panthers), followed by their own pick at No. 82. Who's around at that time is anyone's guess.

But by using some deductive reasoning and a healthy dose of why not, we can take a shot at spotting some young players the Islanders might have their eyes on.

For more on the completely haphazard way in which we picked who to profile, please see the first entry in the series.

Now, for subject No. 2:

Anthony Cirelli, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Vitals:

Draft Rankings
HT WT DOB Nationality POS McKenzie Button Central NA
6' 165 7/15/1997 (17yo) Canadian C 71 NA 67

Small Sample Size Alert! Cirelli was the hero of Oshawa's Memorial Cup victory, scoring both of the Generals goals in the deciding game over Kelowna. While that performance is noteworthy, the fear is that too much stock will be put into a single event, distorting expectations and complicating things for both the player and the team.

But Cirelli has improved his overall game in the last year, rising from going unselected in two OHL Drafts to being a part-time top six forward for a Memorial Cup winner (playing with Islanders' 2014 first-rounder Michael Dal Colle probably didn't hurt, either).

Cirelli has been praised for his work ethic, attitude, work ethic, two-way game and work ethic, and could be a project worth taking on in a later round. Work ethic!

Season stats:

Scouting reports:

Count the references to "work ethic."

NHL.com in a full profile of the player:

"Anthony has an excellent work ethic," Central Scouting's Chris Edwards said. "He competed hard in every role that he was given this season. Some nights he would start the game on the third line in an energy role, and then be moved up to the top line later in the game and be very effective in both roles. He has been effective on both the power-play and penalty-killing units."

Overtime Sports Nation from January:

Cirelli is an excellent two-way player, who see's the ice very well. His hockey IQ is off the charts as he continuously shows his effectiveness at both ends of the ice. While Cirelli could stand to add strength to his core, he is just 17 years of age and that will come with time and development. Cirelli boasts a number of skills you just can't teach. His work ethic and compete level is off the charts, he competes on every puck, goes to the dirty areas of the ice, and is willing to take a hit to make a play. While Cirelli is defensively responsible he also has some noticeable offensive upside. He has deceptively good hands and playmaking ability, strong vision, and has an ability to find the soft spots in defensive zone coverage's. Cirelli is very cerebral in his approach, takes direct routes to the puck, is effective on the forecheck, and shows an ability to find the back of the net.

TSN.ca, where Craig Button didn't even have him ranked for some reason

Cirelli has improved his game by leaps and bounds this season. He's tenacious and always in the hunt for the puck. A player who has the indefatigable attitude and always in the middle of the action in some way. Good awareness and as he matures, his game has lots of potential and he has an opportunity to become increasingly significant.

Actual video evidence that he exists

It's a little hard to find video that isn't of the Memorial Cup game, so here it is anyway. Poor work ethic by YouTube.