John McFarland: 2010 NHL Draft Profile and Scouting Report

John McFarland, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Position: Center | Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight 192 lbs
FanHouse Ranking: No. 23 | Age: 18 | Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ontario

More: Top 35 Prospects | Full 2010 NHL Draft Coverage

John McFarland 2009-10 Stats
	GP	Goals	Assists	Points
Regular Season	64	20	30	50
Playoffs	4	3	0	3

McFarland is likely the most enigmatic talent in this draft. On one hand, he has soft hands, can score goals, and he's a very good skater. In Sudbury, he was used on a top scoring line, the power play, and showed his hockey smarts by being very good on the penalty kill.

No question that McFarland has the talent to be a very good NHL player.

There are problems, though. For starters, with all due respect to the OHL, no player with his ability should only score 20 goals in a full OHL season. It doesn't make any sense.

McFarland has a reputation for not giving his full effort all the time. While it's something that some young players get over, there are cautionary tales all over the minor leagues about guys who loafed in juniors and never figured "it" out.

Will McFarland be one of the guys who has the light come on? Is he the next great disappointment in the pros? Someone will find out, and it's likely that someone will have invested a first-round pick to get the answer.