Brett Connolly: 2010 NHL Draft Profile and Scouting Report

Brett Connolly, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Position: Right Wing | Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight 181 lbs
FanHouse Ranking: No. 5 | Age: 18 | Hometown: Prince George, BC, CA

More: Top 35 Prospects | Full 2010 NHL Draft Coverage

Time for the draft's wild card.

Brett Connolly 2009-10 Stats
	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Regular Season	16	10	9	19

Connolly is one of the most talented players to be found in this draft pool. He has good size, and he should fill out and become a powerful forward in the NHL. He's not just a big, strong kid. Connolly has great hands, and he has the ability to become a big-time goal-scorer.

But there are legitimate concerns.

During an international tournament last summer, Connolly injured his hip. It eventually required surgery, and he missed most of this past season. While his WHL team struggled through an awful season, Connolly tried to rehab and play as much as possible.

He's been invited to the NHL's scouting combine, and Connolly told FanHouse's Chris Botta his hip is 100 percent. If he's able to convince NHL teams of this, he's a sure-fire top five pick, and maybe higher. However, any lingering concerns could send his value plummeting. Teams picking this high in the draft can ill afford to pick a player who already has injury concerns.

Then again, those same teams can also ill afford to pass up an elite talent who was simply taken out by a freak injury.

As you can see in this video, a healthy Connolly is an elite talent. Teams are running out of time to solve the health puzzle.