NHL’S TOP PROSPECTIVE NEWCOMERS : A look at the top five prospects for Saturday’s NHL entry draft

Alexandre Daigle

Position: Center. Height: 6-0. Weight: 170. Shoots: Left. Hometown: Laval, Quebec. Born: 2/7/75.

1992-93: Victoriaville Tigres, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, 1992-93 Stats: 53 games, 45 goals, 92 assists, 137 points, 85 penalty minutes.

Central Scouting Bureau Rank: No. 1.

When Ottawa finished last in the NHL and secured the No. 1 pick, it won what was being called the Yelnats Puc--that’s Stanley Cup, spelled backward. The prize is presumed No. 1 choice Alexandre Daigle, barring a trade. The offensive talent and showmanship that gave Daigle a 137-point season for Victoriaville make him worthy, but the fact that he is French-speaking gives him an even greater aura in the eyes of Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa.

And by the way, if you pronounce the name Day-gull , you give yourself away as a hockey rube. French Canadians pronounce it Degg , slurring away the second syllable.

Daigle is a scorer and a crowd-pleaser.

“He’s in the same line as Denis Savard, Guy Lafleur, guys out of the Quebec League like Pat LaFontaine, Jeremy Roenick, Pierre Turgeon, there’s a bunch of them,” said Pierre Gauthier, assistant general manager of the Ducks. “They dominate over there offensively, then they step to the pros and dominate again.

But with either the fourth or fifth pick, the Ducks are conceding they don’t have a shot at Daigle.

Besides vision and play-making skills, speed is one of his greatest talents.

“He’s able to make a play at full speed, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid do that the way he does,” Gauthier said.

During the first 20 games last season, Daigle averaged four points. He later served an eight-game suspension for hitting from behind that knocked him off that pace.

As a child, there was a time when he used to be the last player picked for teams.

“My father said I was the worst skater he had seen,” Daigle said. “I always told myself, ‘I’m going to get better. You’ll pick me first.’ ”

Now he is close to his goal.

Chris Pronger

Position: Defenseman. Height: 6-6. Weight: 192. Shoots: Left. Hometown: Dryden, Ontario. Born: 10/10/74.

1992-93: Peterborough Petes, Ontario Hockey League, 61 games, 15 goals, 62 assists, 77 points, 108 penalty minutes.

Central Scouting Bureau Rank: No. 2

Chris Pronger smiles when he answers that most frequently asked question.

“Six-five and three-quarters,” he said.

And growing, he thinks.

Pronger’s stock has risen this season, making him the closest rival to Daigle, even though he might not go second in the draft, because he is a defenseman.

“His major assets are his smarts and his skills,” said Pierre Gauthier, assistant general manager of the Ducks. “He angles people well, uses his stick. His reach makes him quite effective defensively.”

He has been so effective that Peterborough Coach Dick Todd has said Pronger is better than Pittsburgh defenseman Larry Murphy was when Murphy was a Pete in 1980.

At nearly 6-6 but only 190 pounds, Pronger isn’t a banger yet--but with an eight-foot reach with his stick, he is extremely difficult to get around.

“He’s got that long reach, and it’s hard to know when that stick is coming out there,” said Rob Niedermayer, another top prospect who faced Pronger in tryouts for the Canadian team both players helped lead to the gold medal at the World Junior Championships.

Pronger is quite an offensive defenseman, as evidenced by his 77-point season.

In the playoffs with Peterborough, which reached the Memorial Cup final before losing to Sault Ste. Marie, Pronger scored 15 goals in 21 games--equaling his regular-season goal total. About half of his playoff goals came on power plays.

“He gives you offensive leadership from the blue line,” Gauthier said.

With his skills, size has only been an advantage for Pronger. But every once in a while, he comes across some irritating little 5-foot-something fellow.

“Sometimes with a Theoren Fleury-type player, I can’t really reach them,” Pronger said.

Chris Gratton

Position: Center. Height: 6-3. Weight: 202. Shoots: Left. Hometown: Brantford, Ontario. Born: 7/5/75.

1992-93 Kingston Frontenacs, Ontario Hockey League, 58 games, 55 goals, 54 assists, 109 points, 16 penalty minutes

Central Scouting Bureau Rank: No. 3

Chris Gratton doesn’t have quite the speed or flair of some of the other top prospects. But he has results, with 55 goals in 58 games during a 109-point season.

Despite being almost six months younger than many of the other prospects, Gratton is big and strong, a power forward known for his hits and hard work.

“In hockey circles, people talk about getting a big centerman,” said Pierre Gauthier, assistant general manager of the Ducks. “There are probably 15 teams talking about getting a big centerman in the draft. That’s what he is.

“He’s a talented guy that works hard. Every night, he shows up.”

Some other scouts mention Gratton in the same breath as Montreal’s Kirk Muller--not the fanciest, but a leader and a hard-worker.

Chris Pronger, who played against Gratton in the Ontario Hockey League, has an appreciation of Gratton’s game.

“He likes to go in the corners and dig the puck out for the wings,” Pronger said. “He’s a good offensive player who likes to bump and grind.”

The hard work continues off the ice, too. Gratton came by some of his size in the weight room. Saturday, he’ll see the rewards for his determination.

“It’s the same dream we all had as little kids, just to try to go as high as you can out of all the guys your age in the world,” Gratton said.

Speaking of little kids, Gratton admits a certain affection for the movie “The Mighty Ducks,” from which the Anaheim team drew its name. This season, “The Mighty Ducks” was right up there with “Slap Shot” among the favorite videos on team bus trips.

“I’ve seen it about six times,” Gratton said. “I loved it.”

Rob Niedermayer

Position: Center. Height: 6-2. Weight: 200. Shoots: Left. Hometown: Cranbrook, British Columbia. Born: 12/28/74.

1992-93: Medicine Hat Tigers, Western Hockey League, 52 games, 43 goals, 34 assists, 77 points, 67 penalty minutes.

Central Scouting Bureau Rank: No. 4

There has been speculation that San Jose might take Rob Niedermayer with the No. 2 pick since the Sharks tested his skating speed and rated him in a class with the New York Rangers’ Mike Gartner, one of the NHL’s fastest skaters. In addition, it was a Shark doctor who performed arthroscopic surgery on Niedermayer’s right knee late in the season, from which he recovered and returned to the ice.

But Niedermayer, the younger brother of New Jersey defenseman Scott Niedermayer, said he is taking his brother’s advice not to count anything he hears before the draft as gospel.

The brothers would like to play together some day. But Rob won’t last until the Devils pick 13th.

“Right now, I want to establish myself in the NHL and make a name for myself,” said Rob, who is only 16 months younger.

“He’s a complete player,” said Pierre Gauthier, assistant general manager of the Ducks.

Niedermayer’s brother’s success only encourages scouts.

“His brother’s a quality person and a quality player. He’s the closest thing coming up to Ray Bourque right now, but I don’t want to put pressure on him,” Gauthier said. “These kids are quality people, classy people and serious athletes. You’d do well to take a guy like that.”

Whatever he encounters, Niedermayer is likely to be just a bit better prepared than others.

“You have to be tough mentally and physically to play in the NHL, that’s what I’ve learned,” he said. “You look at the NHL when you’re young and you don’t think about the players going through all that hard work. He told me what you go through, all the practices along with a tough schedule, just the long grind of a whole season.”

Paul Kariya

Position: Left Wing. Height: 5-10. Weight: 157. Shoots: Left. Hometown: North Vancouver, British Columbia. Born: 10/16/74.

1992-93: University of Maine, Hockey East, 39 games, 25 goals, 75 assists, 100 points, 12 penalty minutes.

Central Scouting Bureau Rank: 5.

The photo of Paul Kariya in coat and tie, leaning over U.S. college hockey’s Heisman, the Hobey Baker Award, is all poise and calm self-assurance.

With good reason. Kariya became the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker, and he did it as Maine won the NCAA Division I title. He also played on a gold-medal World Junior Championships team, and alongside NHL stars on Team Canada at the World Championships as well.

The only question about Kariya, a Japanese-Canadian, is his size. Duck assistant general manager Pierre Gauthier, a bit slight himself, says Kariya is too small but laughs while he says it.

“People could say (Wayne) Gretzky’s too small,” Gauthier said. “Skates all hunched over, too.”

Scouts apologize before they mention Gretzky and Kariya in the same breath, as if to say no one should be compared to Gretzky. But Kariya’s passing and playmaking have drawn raves.

“He’s a small left wing with great skills,” Duck scout Richard Green said. “A very creative, very intelligent player. He’s a player who both can do it individually and uses his teammates very well. His physical stature makes him a question, but at all the levels he’s competed, it hasn’t been a deterrent. He’s been able to compete at all levels.”

Kariya hasn’t ruled out returning to Maine next year, and could play for Canada in the Olympics. That doesn’t deter the Ducks.

“The factor of whether he’d play for us next year would have no influence,” Gauthier said. “It’s what they’ll do between 20 and 30 in the NHL. We just want to make sure they’re in a good environment to improve.”