2002 NHL Entry Draft

CHRISTOPHER HIGGINS

MONTREAL • ROUND: 1 OVERALL: 14

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Previous Team: Yale (ECAC)

Pre-Draft Rankings

NHL Central Scouting: 9  Midterm Rank: 17

The Hockey News: 20    Red Line Report: 41

Vital Statistics

Position: C • Height: 5-11 • Weight: 192 • Shoots: Left
Birthdate: June 2, 1983 • Hometown: Smithtown, N.Y.

Pre-Draft Notes

Central Scouting Report: A very good skater with a long smooth stride ... Impressive acceleration and can carry the puck at top speed ... an intelligent player and creative playmaker ... has very good hockey sense and sees the ice well ... a confident and cool player who works well in pressure situations ... has an excellent shot with a quick release ... possesses strong puck-handling and passing skills ... a natural scorer who displays good patience with the puck ... a good competitor and a team leader ... plays with an aggressive edge and is strong along the boards and in the corners ... can deliver the big body check ... will sacrifice himself to make the play.

THN Draft Preview: Scouts like Chris Higgins, but they just wish there was more of him to like. At 5-foot-11, 192 pounds, Higgins is best described as an "honest player." He has better than average skating skills, a solid work ethic, and is smart with the puck. Higgins attracted a lot of attention at the end of the season, but he needs to get stronger and work on his shot. He's definitely not first-line material.

Red Line Report: Made the biggest jump up the charts of any U.S. collegian since October. Arugably gthe best forward on the U.S. World Junior squad at Christmas, and has taken over and dominated some college games. Hard driving, intense, and a good skater with speed, balance, and excellent lateral agility, but not real big and can be knocked off the puck. Creates chances every shift with speed and very shifty moves. For all his offensive skills, however, his vision is a question mark; frequently overlooks open linemates to shoot from inferior positions. Plays with infectious high energy, but sometimes shies away from contact in race for loose pucks.
Projection: 2nd-line winger for lower-tier club. Style compares to Sergei Berezin.

Pre-Draft Quotes

You wish he was bigger and faster. If he was bigger and faster, he would be in the top 10. But everything he does is NHL wise. He is a good player, and he will play. He is a smart player.

-- Anonymous NHL Scout, Hockey News Draft Preview

He is a good competitor, but he does not have a lot of finish. He does a lot of things good, but not anything great.

-- Anonymous NHL Scout, Hockey News Draft Preview

There's a chance he'll play on a second line because he works hard and is smart. But he might just be a third-liner. The difference between him and Scottie Upshall is Upshall's grit.

-- Anonymous NHL GM, Hockey News Draft Preview