BBO's Top 20 Prospects, #3 Riley Nash

In my toughest decision on my top 20 so far, Riley Nash squeaks in at #3. From my perspective, there could be about 4-5 players that would be worthy of this ranking, but Nash takes it.

Riley Nash is a highly skilled center that is a very good passer, has an excellent wrist shot, and is at home fighting for puck along the boards. While he is a lean 6'1", he still has surprising strength. Nash is also a solid skater. He brings a wide range of skills, and while he may not be overly great in any one skill, he is good or very good in most.

This will be a big season for Riley, and having such a long summer break from organized hockey (Cornell returns to the ice on November 7th) should help give him additional time to beef up. He should be over 1PPG and he could very well end up on Canada's WJC team.

With the exceptional depth that the Oilers have in skilled positions up front, Nash probably won't be in the NHL in the next year or 2, which could allow the Oilers to wait patiently until he finishes his Junior year of college or even see him graduate. However the Oilers could look to sign him as early as next season if they want to oversee his development and training.

Either way, the Oilers have a player on their hands. Just cook the poor kid some juicy Alberta steaks already!