Scot clocks 3:33.60 in Seattle to improve a mark set by Steve Cram

Coverage of Max Burgin’s UK under-18 800m best and other results from the British Milers’ Club Grand Prix meeting in Loughborough, plus AtletiCAGenève highlights, can be found here.

A report on the Rabat Diamond League is here, while coverage of the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon, won by Yassine Rachik and Lilia Fisikovici and with Britain’s Steph Twell finishing fifth, can be found here.

Brooks PR Invitational, Seattle, USA, June 15

Josh Kerr clocked 3:33.60 to win the Brave Like Gabe men’s 1500m, breaking Steve Cram’s British under-23 best of 3:33.66 which had been set in 1982.

That time puts the 21-year-old joint 11th on the UK senior all-time list and second in the Scottish all-time rankings behind Chris O’Hare.

Also achieving the IAAF World Championships qualifying standard in the same race were James West and Neil Gourley, who clocked respective PBs of 3:35.74 for fourth and 3:35.95 for fifth. William Paulson ran 3:36.86 in eighth.

3:33.60!!!! @joshk97 wins the #BraveLikeGabe men’s 1500m! #brookspr pic.twitter.com/wZvH0Vl8AN

— RunnerSpace.com (@RunnerSpace_com) June 16, 2019

Chorzow, Poland, June 16

There were two world leading marks at the European Athletics Classic meet as Mariya Lasitskene cleared 2.02m in the high jump and Pawel Fajdek threw 80.87m in the hammer.

Britain’s Nick Miller was fourth in the hammer with 77.88m, while Sophie McKinna threw 17.97m in the shot.

Tom Walsh won the shot put with 22.18m to beat Michal Haratyk with 21.98m, while Sam Kendricks won the pole vault with 5.85m.

Karolina Koleczek won the 100m hurdles on home soil in a 12.75 PB ahead of Olympic champion Brianna McNeal with 12.79.

Mike Rodgers won the men’s 100m in 10.06 from Britain’s CJ Ujah with 10.18, while Ewa Swoboda won the women’s race in 11.18 and Dalilah Muhammad won the 400m in a 50.60 PB.

adidas Boost Boston Games, USA, June 16

Britain’s Zharnel Hughes won the straight 200m in 20.00 (-0.2m/sec), while 150m winners were Noah Lyles in 14.69 (-0.2m/sec) ahead of Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake with 15.10 and Shaunae Miller-Uibo in 16.37 (+0.6m/sec).

There was a 9.92 100m by Akani Simbine (+1.1m/s) and the women’s winner was Murielle Ahoure in 11.09 (+0.7m/sec).

Sprint hurdles winners were Sharika Nelvis 12.65 (+0.4m/sec) and Orlando Ortega with 13.32 (-0.2m/sec).

Chris O’Hare was third in the mile in 3:57.60, while Shara Proctor was second with 6.61m and Jazmin Sawyers sixth with 6.30m in the long jump.

Nijmegen, Netherlands, June 15

A total of 10 athletes went sub-28 minutes in the 10,000m as Tesfahun Akalnew won from fellow Ethiopian Haftu Teklu, 27:30.24 to 27:30.88.

In the women’s 5000m Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu clocked 14:59.79 ahead of Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat with 15:00.61 and Stella Chesang with 15:06.00.

Podium 5k road race, Barrowford, June 14

In wet conditions, 24 athletes dipped inside 16 minutes, led by Ben Connor with 13:54 ahead of Matthew Crehan with 14:42.

podium 5 record smashed @AthleticsWeekly pic.twitter.com/73hyG1CBdj

— david belshaw (@wahsled) June 14, 2019

Ahead of his return to tennis at Queen's, Andy Murray speaks to BBC Breakfast about being pain-free

The three-time Grand Slam champion had planned to retire because of hip pain, before having an operation in January.

Murray says the "life-changing" surgery allows him to play with his children and take part in escape rooms with friends.

‘Squash players will love the social side of padel, which is not always the case with tennis’
By ELLIOT SELBY 

Following Saturday’s introductory article about the growth of padel in the UK, Elliot Selby, a member of a very prominent squash family, writes about his love for this fun doubles game which is spreading rapidly across the country.

I started playing at the start of September last year at Maldon. I had/have been playing squash there quite a lot and knew they were going to be building padel courts. There used to be an old tennis court there previously, that was in bad condition and never used. In its place were put three padel courts. I had played once when I was 13 in La Manga!

I really loved it straight away and I had played tennis to a decent level when I was younger too (specialising in doubles), which I think also helped cement my quick obsession with it. My current job is quite flexible, so from September I have been playing about three times a week!

I think for most decent level squash players, it is relatively easy to pick up and be able to have some good rallies. It especially helps when taking the ball off the back glass.

However, Padel has a lot of tactics and variation of shots, so to get to a slightly higher level does require more experience. I have seen it with a few good squash players who have played recently. They are good, but end up over-hitting the ball and try to play down the line too much (most of the play should go down the middle and cross-court).

I have found the Padel community at Park Drive to be fantastic. Everyone is extremely friendly and there is a great social side to it, which will be familiar and appealing to squash players, which in tennis is not always the case from my experience.

The club has thrived since September, with about 150 Padel members now. The courts are always busy, with people playing matches or junior coaching, ladies coaching etc. The club itself has, as a result, benefited massively from this influx of new members, who are now using the bar, playing squash, swimming and using the gym.

The club has a head coach (Richard Hall-Smith), who is a very good player and former Real Tennis Coach and assistant coach Danny Troy, who does a lot of the junior and beginner squads. They have just added in a club house, which will have a cafe inside and around the courts. Decking has also been added. They have space for another court, which they are looking to add as a show court with seating.

They will also be looking to install a high awning to cover the three courts so they can be played on through winter too (although the courts were just as busy in the winter just gone!).

They run tournaments there almost every week, at different levels. They have the Maldon Masters once a month which is like the open club tournament. Mixed Event, which is good fun and they have just introduced the Junior Masters for 11-16 yr olds. We have have the Maldon Mexican once a month, which is more fun and you have to rotate partners.

The club has just started to host British Padel level events now and have had two Bronze events so far, with a few more planned for the rest of the year. On July 6-7, we will also have a big Open event which has £3k prize money for the winners!

It is attracting some high level World Padel Tour ranked players (that is definitely one to come down for as there will be lots of social padel too that weekend).

The club is a 20-minute drive for me. There is Prested Hall, which is in Kelvedon and only 15 minutes from me. They have two indoor courts and two outdoor courts. I play there every so often. Apart from this, there are courts at David Lloyd in Chigwell, but I believe that is it for Essex so far.

I am also playing British Padel Tour events elsewhere, and last weekend played a Gold event at Stratford. They have three courts at the Stratford club, which is a very popular pay-and-play venue.

I will definitely try and watch the World Padel Tour event in Fulham in October. I was in La Manga training last month and we went up to Alicante to watch an event. The level is just unreal and it is extremely professional and almost on par with PSA-level squash events. I will not be playing, ha!

Padel has really opened up a whole new world for me and although I am still playing squash, the world of padel has introduced me to so many great people and it is really wonderful to see so many people, who perhaps aren’t naturally that sporty, take up a new sport and have fun.

My aim is to keep having fun but climb the British rankings and see what happens!

I genuinely think squash and padel can work incredibly harmoniously at clubs and will really complement each other.

I must go, I’m off to play padel now!

+++

Following our first article about padel, we have received feedback from various parts of the country. Edinburgh is not the only success story in Scotland.

Stewart Penman from Bridge of Allan, just north of Stirling, writes: “At Bridge of Alan Sports Club we have one padel court (two all weather tennis courts, four blaze tennis courts, four squash courts, a gym, sauna and lounge). We have approximately 400 senior members and 150 junior members, but we do not split membership by sport.

“The padel court was installed approximately six years ago to add a new sport to the club. Since then its usage has gradually grown with booked usage reaching 2,040 hours last year.

“Interestingly, the usage is a good mix of squash and tennis players; proving it is a good cross-over sport. This has led to the creation of our annual Squash v Tennis Padel tournament, which is a successful and (very) social summer event (with bragging rights currently held by squash).

“Regarding costs, I’m not aware of any running cost beyond minimal ongoing maintenance.

“Regarding revenue, I cannot say what review is generated by the padel court as we do not have separate sports sections. I can say that we have a small number of members that joined specifically as padel players, so it has contributed to some growth within the club.”

+++

On the professional scene, Valladolid is preparing to host a World Padel Tour event. Much like squash, it looks very much like courts and spectator seating can be set up in some spectacular locations.

The court in Valladolid, in north west Spain, is taking shape in the historic San Pablo Plaza (pictured).

London hosts its first World Padel Tour event at the London Padel Centre in Bishop’s Park, Fulham, from October 13-20.

England becomes the ninth country to host a World Padel Tour and organisers claim that 200,000 spectators watched the events live last year, with a worldwide audience of 16 million viewers on TV and digital platforms.

Tom Murray, who is Head of Padel at the LTA, said: “It’s a huge opportunity to get great visibility for padel in the UK, which is what the sport needs right now. It’s new to London and the UK, so finally the British public will see padel played at the highest level and that will drive them to try it out this very social sport.”

Squash Mad readers and padel enthusiasts are invited to comment below.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Emerging victorious at the WeatherTech Chicago Region June Sprints, now in its 64th consecutive year, is a pretty big deal. But winning twice in a race class to sweep the weekend is something to cherish.

That achievement is exactly what 17 drivers accomplished Sunday on Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit during the annual event which was part of the 2019 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour.

One person who doubled wins on the weekend, at the most opportune time, was GT-3 racer Rob Warkocki in the No. 78 Hoosier/TRO/Mazda RX-7 car. GT-3 races this weekend at Road America were part of the new GT-3 Challenge presented by MPI — a series supported by Mazda, Max Papis Innovations, Penske Racing Shocks, AiM Sports and Hoosier Racing Tire.

By winning both races at the June Sprints, Warkocki becomes the GT-3 Challenge representative from the Midwest Region at the 2019 VIRginia International Raceway SCCA National Championship Runoffs® in October. He will face three other GT-3 region champions at that year-end event for overall GT-3 Challenge championship honors.

Grabbing two wins on the weekend is special. Gathering up three wins, however, is amazing. And amazing is what Misha Goikhberg was this weekend after earning the Formula F win Saturday and sweeping the weekend with two victories in Formula Continental driving his No. 93 Hoosier/Rice Race Prep/Monte Carlo Polo Club Citation.

“It feels very good to win in my first June Sprints,” Goikhberg said. “I’ve been to Road America many times, just not for the June Sprints. I enjoy coming to Wisconsin and Elkhart Lake. Road America is a great place and one of the best race tracks in the world.”

Danny Steyn, who swept the Super Touring Lite class over the weekend in his No. 9 Ocean Machinery/Nelson Engines/OPM Autosport/G-Loc Brakes/Hoosier Mazda MX-5, looked poised to claim a third victory Sunday in the Spec Miata (SM) event. He held a substantial lead over the field through most of the race. But as laps ticked down, Steyn was hampered a bit by traffic, giving Tyler Brown and Jim Drago the opportunity to close up. What resulted was a last chance dash to the finish line, which Brown won on Sunday in his No. 07 Sneaky Moose Motorsports/Custom Wireless Inc. Spec Miata.

“Coming up to the checkered flag, I thought that was my only chance to get the win,” Brown said afterwards. “Thankfully, it worked. It was a really fun race.”

In true June Sprints fashion, the SM race was not the only 13-lap event Sunday decided by last-lap excitement. The Spec Racer Ford Gen3 class, which was won by Robeson Clay Russell on Saturday in the No. 31 SVN/Angry LLama/Comprent car, came down to the final corners on Sunday. Russell was in front with only a couple turns remaining, but it was Brian Schofield and his No. 61 PM Racing car that executed the last-moment move to grab victory by a .019-second margin of victory.

“I know how to race this track. I’ve got a lot of wins here,” Schofield said about Road America, America’s National Park of Speed. “Coming up the hill to the finish, he got a little loose and I planted may car just right to get the run. I knew the momentum would carry me up the hill and bring me to victory.”

JIM FALLS, Wis. — It was Father’s Day and the Eagle Valley Speedway presented the makeup features from Coca Cola Night a week prior and a complete show with a Midwest Modified special sponsored by Southworth Chevrolet and Tim’s Automotive and Machine.

The WISSOTA Pure Stocks, Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Modifieds, and EVS Hornets were all in attendance.  Make up feature winners included Justin A-Strike, Curt Myers, Shane Halopka, CJ Wagner, Nick Carvelli, and Jake Halterman.  Regular night features were won by Sam Fankhauser, Jeff Brauer, Calvin Iverson, Danny Richards, Michael Huebner Sr. and Halterman again.

June 09 saw Mike Anderson and Jake Hartung win heats but the feature was delayed until June 16, 2019. Justin A-Strike used a late lap slide job to overtake race long leader, Steve Hallquist and drive on to the win.  Michael Truscott also made a move into the runner up position in the waning laps. Hallquist finished third ahead of Mike Anderson and fifth finishing Sam Fankhauser.

The regular night racing action had two heats with A-Strike and Grant Southworth each earning wins.  Sam Fankhauser was no stranger to victory lane in his Street Stock days, including having won the most prestigious race in that class, the Little Dream.  His first Modified feature win was being elusive however, until tonight.  He parked it in victory lane after starting on the pin and leading 20 flawless laps of continuous green flag racing.  He pulled away for second finishing Jake Miller who had a fine run also. Truscott was able to move from seventh to fourth ahead of Hallquist and A-Strike, who rounded out the top five.

The week prior, Terran Spacek and Curt Myers won their Super Stock heats as Myers went on to sweep the action in the feature which was made up this week.  Jeff Brauer worked his way to the lead and looked strong, but a caution flag allowed eight starting Myers an opportunity.  Myers pulled a slide job on the restart and moved to the point, but Brauer responded with a slider of his own on the other end of the speedway.  Myers withstood Brauer counter attack and drove on to the victory.  Brauer settled for second over Tommy Richards, Rich Bishop who looked very good leading early, and Terran Spacek.

Rich Bishop continued a strong night as he won the regular events heat one and Tommy Richards won the second.  At feature time, Brauer patiently moved himself into the lead and although he had to endure two separate green, white, checkered restarts, he drove impressively to the win.  Tommy Richards battled with Curt Myers throughout the race as they moved through the pack, but Richards extended his advantage in the second position late. Myers was third ahead of Terran Spacek and fifth finishing Bishop. Marcus Simonson had a great run in the top three until a late caution relegated him to the rear.  He used a two-lap scramble to finish near the top five in the end.

June 09, 2019, saw Calvin Iverson and Tommy Richards win heats in the Midwest Modifieds and the makeup feature was run tonight.  It is not very often you see a driver steal a win, but it occurred in this event.

Micheal Truscott was cruising to the win after leading every lap from the outside front row.  In the final circuit of the race, a driver was running just in front of the leaders.  They had issues on the backstretch, tried to work their way to the infield, and made the decision late to leave the raceway using the track exit.

Truscott got trapped behind him when he committed to go around the outside of the lapper.  Halopka, who had worked his way from seventh into second and was chasing the leader dove under the two, grabbed the lead, and drove the remaining distance to the checkered flag. Truscott was disappointed in second over Iverson, Richards, and Derek Haas.

With big money on the line for the regular night’s Midwest Modified special event, Shane Halopka, Shadow Kitchner, and Calvin Iverson each won their respective heats.  Kitchner led the feature from the pole and looked strong, but Iverson moved up from starting fourth and overtook the lead down low.  Iverson continued to lead impressively with side by side racing behind him the entire distance.  In the end, Iverson took home the paycheck as Kitchner settled for second over Alex Williamson, Tommy Richards, and fifth finishing George Dalbeck.

Danny Richards and CJ Wagner won the Street Stock heats on June 09, 2019.  The makeup feature saw Wagner work his way from fifth on the field to his third feature win of the season. Fellow heat winner, Danny Richards drove from eight to the runner up position. Mike Knudtson finished ahead of Braden Brauer and fifth finishing Bob Seidler.

The June 16, 2019, Street Stock action saw Danny Richards and Parker Anderson carry the checkered flag after their heats.  It was Parker Anderson looking strong up front of the feature until Richards was able to work his way from starting eighth to take the lead away late.  Coming to the checkered flag off turn four, the leader was spun and collected Braden Brauer.  The caution flag flew, second running Mike Knudtson was called for the foul, and the race was finished under yellow and scored officially at the white flag.  It was Richards over Anderson, Brauer, and Dalton Hazelton in fourth, who was also involved in the mix throughout the event.  Ron Hanestad raced from twelfth at the start to fifth at the checkered flag.

When the king of the Pure Stocks at Eagle Valley, King George the Fifth (r) is spending the evening with his children away from the track on Father’s Day, all the other Pure Stock racers in the pits salivate.  Someone else was going to win!  Richards had won the heat a week earlier but James Rahn moved from the outside of the first row to take the lead over a hard chasing Nick Carvelli.  Rahn was strong in the lead, but a flat tire caused him to spin in turn four and Carvelli overtook the point after the caution was cleared.  Carvelli drove flawlessly to the checked flag in an impressive run.  Nicholas Hazelton chased him but had to settle for runner up.  Devin Fries, Cole Richards, and Michael Huebner Sr. rounded out the top five.

Regular night racing saw Pat Smith and Dean Pronschinske win heats as Michal Grover lead the feature early and often.  Nicholas Hazelton chased Grover and applied constant pressure.  As Hazelton was able to get under the leader, there was contact upsetting both cars.  Third running Michael Huebner Sr was able to capitalize, and shot past both for the lead.  Huebner looked terrific out front as Hazelton cut down a tire and retired from the event.  Grover tried hard but had to follow Huebner to the finish line as Pronschinske raced to third over Devin Fries and Smith in fifth.

Jake Halterman won the Hornet heat on June 09 and waited a week to sweep the event at feature time.  Although Halterman and Jason Junker raced side by side and swapped the lead back and forth for lap after lap, Halterman was first at the checkered flag.  Junker finished second, but didn’t clear tech and was disqualified.  Dean Butler was scored in second over Craig Oas and Danny Halterman.

There were two regular night heats with Seth Scholl winning one and Jake Halterman earning the second.  It was Halterman once again in the feature.  Although Armond Love was able to challenge for the point on starts and restarts, Halterman had the field covered once they were up to speed.  Love drove home in second as Scholl and Jeremiah Anderson followed him to the finish line.  Dean Butler took fifth over Justin Anderson, making the pass coming off turn four, heading to the checkers.

ARKOMA, Okla. — Timothy Watson III registered his first Lucas Oil National Open Wheel 600 Series presented by Tel-Star Technologies feature victory on Sunday during the Sooner 600 Week finale hosted by Arkoma Speedway.

Watson III was joined in victory lane by Frank Flud and Ryan Timms, who have both dominated the five-race competition en route to Sooner 600 Week championships. Flud captured both the Stock Non-Wing and Winged ‘A’ Class titles and Timms was the Restricted ‘A’ Class champion.

Flud earned his fourth Stock Non-Wing win of the week and his ninth of the season with the series after lining up fifth. Shawn Wicker placed second with Preston Perlmutter third. Garth Kasiner ended fourth and Chase Hyland was fifth.

Watson III garnered his first career NOW600 Series triumph in the Winged ‘A’ Class division. Pence was the runner up with Timms third, Jake Rosario fourth and Randall fifth.

Timms, who became the all-time winningest driver in the Restricted ‘A’ Class division on Saturday evening, continued his hot streak of sweeping Sooner 600 Week thanks to his fifth triumph of the week.

Rees Moran earned a second-place result. Conner Thomas finished third with 11th-starting Kayden Cole fourth and Ryder Laplante fifth.

DRESDEN, Ohio — Dale Blaney won his second Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 feature in eight days on night three of Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Indy Metal Finishing at Muskingum County Speedway.

Forced to withstand challenges from a pair of California hotshots, Gio Scelzi and Kyle Larson, Blaney’s Speedweek triumph ultimately bumped his career win total to 136 with the series. Blaney nearly swept the Speedweek program at Muskingum County, winning his respective heat race and dash before leading all 30 circuits of main event competition.

“We just needed to get racing a little bit. We changed some stuff around on the car last week and it made it better, then we changed some more stuff around on the car after the dash [at Attica Raceway Park] and that it better, as well,” said the driver of the Sam McGhee Motorsports No. 11 sprint car. “I’m starting to feel like my old self again and the car is making me feel like my old self. We’ll head to the next round and try and do this again.”

Although a clean first half for Blaney, getting the opportunity to avoid traffic as a trio of cautions paved the way for clean air on lap two, eight and 11, it was the second 15 laps of the 30-lap program that brought people to their feet.

Traffic, appearing for the first time, officially, on lap 17, eventually slowed Blaney’s pace, and although the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer worked hard to maintain his distance over second place with one or two lap cars separating the two, the gap between the frontrunners eventually tightened.

By lap 19, the top five were nearly nose to tail with Blaney still setting the pace, followed closely by Gio Scelzi, Brock Zearfoss, Kyle Larson and Aaron Reutzel. Despite pressure beginning to build, a caution on lap 25 gave Blaney a breather, once again eradicating slower traffic and giving the six-time All Star champion clean air to utilize.

Seemingly in control the final six circuits, it was the final two laps that created a scare for Blaney as Scelzi closed the lead margin in a hurry, nearly capitalizing on a slip by the race leader. Despite the issue, Blaney held on, chased to the final checkers by Scelzi, Kyle Larson, Brock Zearfoss and Cap Henry.

“I’m not sure what happened there at the end. I thought maybe I had a right-rear tire going low,” Blaney said. “I was really glad I saw the white flag because I thought we were in some serious trouble. I knew the guys behind me were close. They are young, hungry kids who want to win races. I was running as hard as I could without killing my stuff.”

The finish:

Feature (30 laps): 1. 11-Dale Blaney [1]; 2. 71-Gio Scelzi [2]; 3. 57-Kyle Larson [3]; 4. 70-Brock Zearfoss [6]; 5. 4-Cap Henry [8]; 6. 70X-Spencer Bayston [11]; 7. 87-Aaron Reutzel [10]; 8. 26-Cory Eliason [12]; 9. 17-Josh Baughman [7]; 10. 49X-Tim Shaffer [17]; 11. 48-Danny Dietrich [15]; 12. 97-Max Stambaugh [4]; 13. A79-Brandon Wimmer [16]; 14. 13-Paul McMahan [19]; 15. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [13]; 16. 3C-Cale Conley [24]; 17. 99-Skylar Gee [23]; 18. 35-Tyler Esh [20]; 19. 16-DJ Foos [22]; 20. O7-Gerard McIntyre [26]; 21. W20-Greg Wilson [25]; 22. 3-Jac Haudenschild [21]; 23. 5T-Travis Philo [14]; 24. 14-Tony Stewart [5]; 25. 40-George Hobaugh [18]; 26. K4-Chad Kemenah [9] Lap Leaders: Dale Blaney (1-30)

Here is my final ranking of the top 100 players for the 2019 NHL draft, which begins with Round 1 on June 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Each ranked prospect includes a scouting report, with a more comprehensive look at the top 10 names on the board.

Note: Heights and weights are via Central Scouting and/or NHL combine testing, stats are from Elite Prospects and ages are representative of how old each player will be on draft day.

Jump to:
Round 1 prospects | Round 2 prospects
Midround prospects | Late-round prospects
Deeper sleepers | Top goalies | Best by skill

1. Jack Hughes, C, USA U18 (NTDP)

Age: 18 | Ht: 5-10 | Wt: 170 | Shot: L
50 GP | 34 G | 78 A

As much as Kaapo Kakko narrowed the gap, Hughes finishes as my wire-to-wire No. 1 prospect for the draft class. Hughes has such great burst and an effortless glide in his skating, and he uses his edges deceptively and to create separation. He sees the ice and processes play development at an elite level. He is a shot-pass threat, though he's more likely to choose the pass option, as his shot still needs improvement. Hughes is an expert in making plays in small areas, which is why his size is less of a bother. Although he definitely needs to continue tacking on muscle and weight to his below-average frame, Hughes is unafraid to go to the hard areas of the ice and protects himself well, thanks to his skating and anticipation skills. He takes care of his own end and uses those anticipation skills to cut down passing lanes, but his defensive and takeaway capabilities need improvement, which might come with time and strength.

Perhaps the single biggest reason Hughes is atop my list is that I have yet to watch a game in which he didn't drive play for his line, shift in and shift out, constantly keeping defenders on their heels and making the guys on his line better. He broke the National Team Development Program's career scoring record and averaged more than two points per game this season. Hughes should be an NHL all-star and a play-driving No. 1 center.

2. Kaapo Kakko, RW, TPS (Finland)

Age: 18 | Ht: 6-2 | Wt: 194 | Shot: L
45 GP | 22 G | 16 A

Your eyes did not deceive you at the World Championship. Kakko already plays at a high level with and against pro-level players. After he recorded the third-best scoring season by a U18 player in Liiga history, it was not a shock that he posted six goals and an assist for gold-medalist Finland. Only Patrik Laine had more points at a World Championship as a U18 player. There's so much to love about Kakko's game. He has a great frame and uses it well, as he's hard to take off the puck and uses that ability to create extra time for himself to find plays. He has the vision to spot those plays and make them quickly, and I think his hand skills have gotten to a fringe elite level. His shot is high-end and heavy; he can beat goalies from distance, but then he also has the skill to make plays in tight at the net front.

Although not Hughes-like in his skating, he is powerful and has enough speed to break away from the opposition. His edgework is strong, and his balance makes him so difficult to play against. He has power, but he does need more explosiveness in his skating. Kakko battles as well as any player, both in puck pursuit and with it on his stick. There's a definite fire in him to compete, and he will be a cornerstone NHL winger.

3. Alex Turcotte, C, USA U18 (NTDP)

Age: 18 | Ht: 5-11 | Wt: 186 | Shot: L
37 GP | 27 G | 35 A

It has been a winding season for Turcotte, who was on the shelf with a significant injury the first half of the season and had to deal with a bout of mono toward the end, but when he was healthy, he was exceptional. He is a smart, two-way forward with an unrelenting motor and an ability to make plays in the offensive end of the ice. Turcotte is dogged in puck pursuit and remarkably strong, despite being average-sized. He is a fierce competitor but does not step over the line very often. He is not always flashy and doesn't always make the eye-popping play, but he makes the right plays. Turcotte goes hard to the net and into the corners, and he has the touch and plus-level vision to make plays under duress and find better options in tougher situations with the puck on his stick. On top of that, Turcotte has good speed and can make plays in transition. He has deceptive feet, showcasing a good second gear that allows him to beat defenders wide or challenge them inside.

Although his season was abbreviated by injury, some of his rate stats stand out. He appeared in just 16 games against USHL competition but had 34 points, an average of 2.13 points per game -- higher than Hughes. His 1.68 points per game in all competitions for the U18 Team was second only to Hughes, albeit a distant second.

4. Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon (WHL)

Age: 18 | Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 198 | Shot: R
62 GP | 25 G | 48 A

Dach has size, smarts and skill. It's not often that you get a play-driving center at 6-foot-4 who makes the game look as easy as Dach does. Although he lacks explosiveness, he skates smoothly and has a great sense of how to get to where he needs to be efficiently. Size and body positioning are two ways he can mitigate some of the concerns about footwork and lack of separation speed. When he does have the puck, Dach is a shot-pass threat who can score goals in a variety of ways. He's especially successful at driving the net.

While he has that size and solid middle drive, Dach can also pick teams apart from the outside, thanks to high-end vision and elite distribution skills. He has dealt with bouts of inconsistency that caused some concern and a general dip in projections, and he didn't necessarily dominate the WHL on a regular basis. But when he was on, he was unstoppable. It's something to take into account, but I still place a high value on Dach's best being so much better than that of a large swath of the top players in this class.

5. Trevor Zegras, C, USA U18 (NTDP)

The transfer window for the rest of Europe isn't even open yet (the Premier League opened on May 16), but ahead of July 1 there are a host of players whose names just won't disappear from the gossip columns.

Imagine being a young star and having every top club in Europe after you. Here are five who know what that feels like.

- QUIZ: Which top club should you join?
- Transfer grades: Hazard to Real Madrid (A)
- Ogden: Six craxy transfers to improve Prem top six

Matthijs de Ligt

Club: Ajax
Age: 19
Position: Centre-back
Reported transfer fee: €75m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, Man United, Bayern Munich, Liverpool
Most likely: PSG

Barcelona might have already snapped up this 19-year-old superstar if it wasn't for the fact that his agent is the notorious Mino Raiola. Negotiations have hit a bump in the road, with the Spanish club not willing to go above their initial offer -- believed to be around €75m -- and he has a choice to make.

Barca have already signed De Ligt's Ajax and Netherlands teammate Frenkie de Jong for €75m, so one would have thought it would be just a formality. But PSG and Man United are doing all they can to persuade him he would be an automatic starter for them, with sources saying that PSG are now the frontrunners.

Of the others linked, Real have already spent €50m on Eder Militao, Bayern splashed €80m on Lucas Hernandez and Liverpool have £75m worth of Virgil van Dijk -- though would love to partner him with De Ligt if they could find a way to finance the deal.

Joao Felix

Club: Benfica
Age: 19
Position: Forward
Reported transfer fee: €120m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, Man United, Man City, Atletico Madrid
Most likely: Stay at Benfica

When your nickname is "the new Cristiano Ronaldo" you know you have a lot to live up to. Felix exploded onto the scene this season and Benfica made the smart move of increasing his buyout clause to €120m before interested parties got wind of quite how good he is.

The Portugal forward seemingly has the world at his feet, but is fully aware that he needs to be playing and not sitting on the bench after making a move. Instinct says that he'll stay put for at least a year before moving to Man City to replace David Silva.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Club: AC Milan
Age: 20
Position: Goalkeeper
Reported transfer fee: €60m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, Arsenal, PSG, Juventus, Atletico Madrid
Most likely: Atletico Madrid

The Italy international has been tipped for greatness since he made his debut at the tender age of 16, and with Milan needing to sell in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, he might be on the market this summer.

Lots of clubs are looking for a new goalkeeper, but with David De Gea and Jan Oblak also potentially moving on, Donnarumma could end up somewhere like Atletico as a replacement for Oblak. It might be too soon for him to join a top club like PSG or Man United, but he's certainly got the skills to make any No. 1 jersey his own for the next decade.

Having been talked about as Gianluigi Buffon's heir, it's odd that Juventus aren't more interested -- preferring to keep faith with Wojciech Szczesny and Mattia Perin instead. But in another year or two, expect them to come in for him.

Paulo Dybala

Club: Juventus
Age: 25
Position: Striker
Reported transfer fee: €100m
Linked clubs: Liverpool, Man United, PSG, Bayern, Atletico Madrid
Most likely: Stay at Juventus

Keen to step out from the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala could be on the way out of Juventus and his brother was talking up the chances of a summer move before such speculation was quashed. However, it's no secret that Juve would love to land Joao Felix and need some cash to play with, so will be open to offers.

The future of Paul Pogba could also play a part in Dybala's plans, as United would certainly take him in a part-exchange with the Frenchman, but that's probably the only way such a deal would happen given United need to strengthen their defence more than their attack. Meanwhile, at €100m, the transfer fee is probably too rich for Liverpool and Bayern tastes given the options they already have available.

Paul Pogba

Club: Manchester United
Age: 26
Position: Midfield
Reported transfer fee: €120m
Linked clubs: Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona
Most likely: Real Madrid

What summer of transfer gossip would be complete without Pogba being linked? Sources have told ESPN that the Frenchman will force a move from Manchester United in the coming months, as the club failed to reach the Champions League and he said on Sunday that he wants "a new challenge."

Barcelona were keen a year ago, but they are out of the running now so it comes down to two clubs: Real Madrid or Juventus. Sources said that United believe Juve can't afford a €120m deal, while Real could offer up a few players in part exchange to push through a deal, including Gareth Bale or Isco.

United maintain that the 26-year-old is not for sale, but Pogba seems to want to link up with Zinedine Zidane and when you consider the rebuilding job already underway at the Bernabeu, a move makes sense if they can work out the financial aspect.

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