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In case you missed it, Vokail was kind enough to share a little update about Vancouver prospect Patrick McNally, our 2010 fourth round pick, 115th overall. First here's what was reported this summer about McNally:

"He's a bright young guy," Gillis said. "He's big and he's got a lot of skill. It seems like a good pick but you never know, we'll find out."

The 6-2, 180 lbs McNally had 35 points in 28 games with Milton Academy in Massachusetts last year and was voted Prep Defenceman of the Year by U.S. Hockey Report.

The addition gives Vancouver another offensive defenceman in their system, an area Gillis has addressed the pass couple years.

"With Chris Tanev, Kevin Connauton and now McNally, we've got three guys that are offensive guys in development and we'll see what's going to merge," he said. "Because he's solely committed to Harvard that teams passed on him and it dropped him down. We have four, five young defencemen in Manitoba this year so we felt that it wasn't a hinderance. He can stay there and develop."

Tanev has been one of the most pleasant surprises this season at the NHL level and Connauton set some franchise records last season with the Vancouver Giants. Not bad company to be batted around with.

• Captained the Milton Academy team to their first ever league title and won the championship too
• Scored a hat trick in the semi-finals of the championship
• Lead his team in scoring with 22 goals and 51 points in just 28 games (he notched 34 points in 27 games last season)

Keep an eye out for #4 below or click here for a larger version:

As was also mentioned in the thread, McNally is ranked by Hockey's Future ahead of not just Tanev but Sauve as well. Oh hey one more: he comes from the same developmental system that churned out some bloke named Chris Higgins.

Under Gillis we've seen the resurgence of the team's prospect pool, helped greatly by astute draft picks, an emphasis on the mental and ethical fiber of those selected and plucking undiscovered gems from leagues around North America and Europe. It's way too early to know what ultimately happens with McNally, but nevertheless he's yet another name to keep tabs on over the next several training camps.