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Season 7 CNGHL Entry Draft review October 2005 - By Andreas Persson The season 7 draft was, by comparison to the past two drafts, pretty shallow with notably few high profile gems outside the top half of the first round of drafting. Previous years, there have also been an abundance of previously undrafted high-profile prospects. In season 6 alone, players such as Cam Ward, Steve Bernier, Patrick Eaves, Yann Danis and Henrik Lundqvist were scooped up. Like previous years, the distribution of picks between teams were quite uneven, notably with Seals and Lakers having cleared assets during the season (Lakers) and leading up to the draft (Seals) to maximize the potential return from the draft. The draft saw a lot of (quite significant) reaches compared to the NHL draft. This is expected to continue as a result of the new NHL CBA put into place for several reasons: 1. There are continuing issues in agreeing with European hockey leagues around compensation for players, which reduces the attractiveness of European players, as these may become very expensive to sign and notably Russian clubs are making it difficult for players to cross 2. The same rules now apply for signing European players, as applies to players from CHL, i.e. players must be signed within 2 years from being drafted. This further increases emphasis on drafting North American players as scouts will have an easier time keeping track of these and judging whether signing them are justifiable 3. European leagues (notably Russia, Switzerland, Germany) offer salaries that are relatively high compared to the rookie cap. This means that especially players picked late in the draft can expect better offers from teams in Europe. In other words – you’ve got to really want to come to the NHL. The result is that there are several high-upside Europeans available late into the draft in the NHL, whereas in a 20-team league like the CNGHL, where upside is relatively more important, they get snapped up early. As always, each pick is being evaluated by my very subjective mind, and I’ve also taken the liberty of grading GMs and picking best/worst picks. Happy read! TEAM-BY-TEAM REVIEW ACHIEVERS 3.) Jack Johnson (Hurricanes, #3, 2005) 43.) Scott Jackson (Blues, #37, 2005) 64.) Dan Collins (Panthers, #90, 2005) 85.) Slava Trukhno (Oilers, #120, 2005) 89.) Nicholas Drazenovic (Blues, #171, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Jack Johnson [B]Worst pick:[/B]Dan Collins [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ - One potential star and another solid blue-liner is good return from 5 picks, however some of the reaches were puzzling Achievers, like the Canes in the NHL, somewhat unexpectedly saw [B]Jack Johnson[/B] falling to them in 3rd and like their NHL counterparts quickly scooped up the highly regarded rearguard from the US NTDP. Johnson is one of the most exciting defensive prospects of the past 3 drafts and should be considered in the same league as Phaneuf and Suter in terms of pure upside. Jack combines Phaneuf’s physically dominating style with the mobility and pure offensive upside of players like Suter and has no real holes in his game. Johnson will likely be a fixture on both special teams down the road and could very well develop into a (smaller) Chris Pronger type of player. Without a pick in the 2nd round, the Achievers once again went with beefing up their defense in the third round. Seattle Thunderbird’s [B]Scott Jackson[/B] was selected with the 43 pick and could well be considered somewhat of a steal. Consensus amongst NHL GMs was late first round (as in EVERYONE had him late first round in projections) for the simple reason that there is very little downside to this pick. Jackson has very limited offensive upside – you do however get a massive crease clearer that will drop the gloves, plays defense very well and has above average mobility. In so many words, you have a tough gritty defender that players will think twice when trying to pass. Jackson compares well with current NHLer Colin White or fellow ex-Seattle Thunderbird, now Coyote Matt Spiller. Very solid pick! [B]Dan Collins[/B] was next to don the Brawlers jersey… with Jackson and Johnson, you could notice that Bryan had taken exception to the widespread league view that the current Brawlers are sissies… with this pick, well… suffice to say it is puzzling. There were a lot of reaches compared to the NHL draft, but picking Collins 26 spots earlier may be the least obvious one. While having stellar work ethic, it’s hard to see how Collins will ever be good enough to claim a spot in a 20-team league. He is a warrior with great skating and cycling skills, but his limited offensive skills set likely will see him ply his trade on the 3rd or 4th line in the NHL with some occasional PK time in relief. Surely there were better picks available? At 85, the Achievers scooped up talented winger [B]Slava Trukhno[/B], a draft dark horse that were quite high on many rankings before the draft. Trukhno is a fierce competitor with sniper qualities. He has a dangerous shot with quick release and good vision. His draft stock was hurt mainly by his somewhat awkward skating stride and average mobility, as well as his failure to step up his game in the major international competitions. On the upside, however, he transitioned extremely well into Canadian Major Juniors and his performance for the PEI Rockets in the QMJHL (25 goals, 59 points in 64 games) was a very pleasant surprise for a rookie. All things considered, Trukhno is a keeper The Achievers rounded off a solid day at the draft table by selecting [B]Nic Drazenovic[/B] of the Prince George Cougars at 89. One of the slickest skaters in the draft, Drazenovich is a wildcard that may develop into a scoring line player. While possessing good vision, it appears that Drazenovich is still too limited in both playmaking and finishing to become a significant scorer at the pro-level, though he may still develop on the offense. He will never be confused with a defensive expert, but odds are his skating will still see him land a pro-job somewhere. My money would be that Drazenovich will become a productive 2nd line AHLer. ANIMALS 22.) Jakub Kindl (Red Wings, #19, 2005) 28.) James Neal (Stars, #33, 2005) 88.) Patrick Davis (Devils, #99, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Jakub Kindl [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B- – Three boom- or bust picks, but all with significant upside. The odd Hasek trade decreases grade somewhat [B]Jakub Kindl[/B] went into the season as an early top10 candidate and there were several discussions early of whether Kindl or Johnson were the better prospect. With that in mind, it is very clear that the upside is there. However, Kindl has probably been the most frustrating prospect in hockey the past year, due to his inability to get his game – any part of his game – to the next level. Piece by piece Kindl compares well with elite two-way d-men, but the lingering memory of him this season is forced turn-overs, inability to take his man and poor crease clearing… not to mention inability to run the PP. I like the pick, since the upside is potentially enormous for a player picked at 22, but would be very wary of his short term development [B]James Neal[/B] is a prospect that still has a lot to prove, and this pick may well turn out to be the gem of Eugene’s performance. Like with Kindl, Neal is a high-upside player that could as well end up a bust. Contrary to Kindl, Neal has shot up all pre-draft rankings, entering the ISS ranking at around the 120 clip at the start of the season and finishing top50. Neal is a solid two-way player that needs work in all areas to graduate to the pro-level. He is a leader on the ice with good vision and size and an underrated defensive game. Where Neal falters is in the offense and mobility – skating is a bit of a concern and he doesn’t appear to have the offensive skills set to be a solid contributor on the top half of the rotation in the NHL. Look for him to become a defensive, PK-focused player that can fill-in on the top2 lines if necessary. Projection Jason Blake, however, it should be noted that Neal is one of the youngest players in the entire draft and he has shown marked impro Big winger [B]Patrick Davis[/B] should – at 6’3/190lbs – be dominating the OHL, and his failure to doing so is part of the explanation why the Animals got him at 99. Davis has an offensive skills set to be a first round pick, with exceptional stick handling and all-round offensive skills. When on his game, he’s been one of Kitchener’s main offensive contributors, though playing with Mike Richards and Evan McGrath has definitely helped his production. The problem with Davis, however, is the lack of consistency and work ethic. He is invisible for whole games at a time, avoids traffic like the plague and is downright soft, despite his size. In the playoffs, he was taken hard physically by opposing teams and he went from producing 0.9 PPG in the regular season to putting up 0.5 PPG in the playoffs… if he can be coached to use his body, he may be a very productive pro – otherwise, he’s more likely to end up a PP specialist. Needs someone to create room for him on his line AWHIPPERS 44.) Steve Downie (Flyers, #29, 2005) 65.) Philip Gogulla (Sabres, #48, 2005) 82.) Nate Hagemo (Hurricanes, #58, 2005) 90.) Jason Bailey (Ducks, #63, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Steve Downie [B]Worst pick:[/B] Philip Gogulla [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B- – auto-drafting is normally not a good choice if you are looking for value – that said, getting Downie and Hagemo despite not drafting in the first 2 rounds is not bad [B]Steve Downie[/B] was picked 29th by the Flyers in the NHL and was considered a huge reach there – getting him at 44 may however be a nice find. Downie was picked by the Flyers after Bobby Clarke interviewed Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, both commenting that they absolutely hated to play against him. Downie is an undersized warrior that leaves everything on the ice every night. He does anything it takes to win. In addition, he has an above average skills set on both offense and defense, as has been highlighted in the Canadian WJC camp where he came in as replacement for Sid the Wonderkid. Downie will likely never become a great scoring threat at the pro level, though could well notch 40-50 pts in the right surroundings. He’ll likely be a mainstay on the PK and play the role of agitator/shut-down against opposing scorers. Matt Cooke and fellow Windsor alumni Steve Ott are good comparisons style-wise, though Downie could have higher offensive upside than either. He single handedly c Dark-horse pick [B]Philip Gogulla[/B] was another NHL draft reach that fell to the auto-drafting Whippers. A power-forward type came onto the radar screens after solid performance s in international play for the German U18 team. This pick was a major surprise to me and honestly, I have difficulties seeing Gogulla develop into more than a 3rd line grinder, though German friends insist he is the second coming of Marco Sturm. The jury is still out on Gogulla’s upside, but with regards to that comparison Gogulla managed 2 points in 47 games as a 17-year old rookie in the German top league – for Sturm, the corresponding performance was 12 goals and 32 points in the same number of games Speedy University of Minnesota blueliner [B]Nate Hagemo[/B] was scooped up by autodraft at 82, and to me it was somewhat of a surprise seeing him still on the board here. Hagemo fell 24 spots from the NHL draft and some would’ve expected him to go even earlier then. An offensive d-man, Hagemos main stand-out attribute is his skating – few players in the draft compare with him. Add to that good outlet passing and good shooting skills and you have a future PP quarterback on your hands. Hagemo’s downfall is in the defensive end – at 5’11, he won’t ever be known as a crease clearer and his defensive game at this point is immature, though he has another 3 years of college to hone his game. Hagemo is my no means a sure fire bet to make the NHL, though he could very well develop along the same lines like MA Bergeron or JM Liles. Winger [B]Jason Bailey[/B] from the US NTDP was the Whippers last selection. Bailey is the type of player every NHL team needs a couple of, however one who arguably has very limited FHL value. Bailey is large, mobile and very aggressive and plays the checking line role perfectly. I would expect Bailey’s skating and grit to take him to the big leagues, however look for him to fill a role similar to a Turner Stevensson on the bottom half rotation BANDITS 12.) Brian Lee (Senators, #9, 2005) 32.) T.J. Oshie (Blues, #24, 2005) 39.) Joe Finley (Capitals, #27, 2005) 52.) Taylor Chorney (Oilers, #36, 2005) 58.) Michael Sauer (Rangers, #40, 2005) 73.) Andrew Kozek (Thrashers, #53, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Michael Sauer [B]Worst pick:[/B]T.J. Oshie [B]Overall verdict:[/B] C – outside of Lee, it’s hard to see any of the picks as potential contributors. Picking high-school players with 5 of 6 picks must be some kind of record, which is not very re-assuring Bandits-Don was absent from the draft and, failing to send in a list, was on auto-draft for all 6 picks, much like the previous GM of the franchise Cory. Similar to his predecessor, Don had quite a lot of quite early picks and he was actually relatively lucky with the guys that fell to him. Heavy on defense, the Bandits scooped up [B]Brian Lee[/B] out of high-school with the first pick. Lee is maybe best remembered for getting picked over Jack Johnson for the US WJC20 team, a selection that raised quite a lot of eyebrows. Lee is an offense-first type d-man with excellent mobility and good size. He possesses a very heavy and low slap shot from the point to go with solid vision and passing skills. A mix of Bryan Berard (size) and Brian Rafalski (speed), Lee will be tough to defend against when pinching or manning the point on the powerplay. It remains to be seen how good a defensive player Lee can develop into – the WJC tournament exposes major holes in his defensive game, though part of his poor performance was likely due to never having played at that high level before. Lee will worst case turn into a PP specialist playing on the bottom half of the rotation, though he has top pairing upside if he develops his defensive game and starts playing with a bit more of an edge. [B]T.J. Oshie[/B] was picked next, becoming the 2nd high-school based prospect committed to North Dakota to join the Bandits. Oshie was ranked 111th overall by ISS going into the NHL draft and was considered a major surprise when picked 24th by the Blues. Oshie has undeniable offensive skills, posting 99pts in 31 games, however at a low level of competition. While every draft has several highly touted high-school prospects, it remains unlikely that Oshie will be the next coming of, say Travis Zajac, especially not when standing 5’10. He does have good hands and mobility and plays a gritty game, but being picked in the top50 appears somewhat of a stretch based on results to date. Considering the Blues’ abysmal drafting record of late, I unfortunately have a hard time seeing Oshie pan out Mammoth rearguard [B]Joe Finley[/B] from Sioux Falls in the USHL was selected at 39. Like Oshie, he was also a player that got picked in the first round, much earlier than anticipated and by a team with questionable draft track record. Capitals have been picking a lot of big defenders early the past couple of seasons with nothing to show for it and Finley just maybe one of them. Finley is a beast. 6’7/240 lbs with a brutal mean streak to go with it indicates that crease clearing will not be a problem. That said, his mobility is really poor and he is often completely off in positioning which further increases his defensive problems. Offensive upside will always be limited due to poor speed. Finley is a project – as such, he could become a Mike Rathje type player. For now, Chris Mcallister may be a more accurate description. Picked too early, purely due to size [B]Taylor Chorney[/B] is the 4th high-school based prospect picked up by the Bandits and yet another defender. Chorney is a smallish, offense first blue liner that has similar strengths as Lee, however with less upside. Chorney’s main skills are in solid mobility and vision and good passing skills. He featured prominently in the American WJC18 team, where he saw significant time on the PP. His main weaknesses is size, strength and willingness to play in traffic; while he has sound defensive instincts for his size he still needs to bulk up and increase the willingness to play physical to graduate beyond the AHL level. Has top4, two-way upside if he can overcome size concerns [B]Mike Sauer[/B] of the WHL Winterhawks may be the best pickup for the Bandits. A stable but not very flashy rearguard, Sauer displays excellent defensive skills and excels in shut-down situations. He has a combination of solid size at 6’2/210 lbs and great mobility to go along with a mature defensive game and good vision. He doesn’t have any high end offensive upside and will likely never see much time on the PP, but will be a very solid contributor in the own end. Sauer missed most of the season with a hip injury and played injured for the 32 games where he participated and could well be poised for a break-out season this year if he can remain healthy. Should be watched closely! The draft was closed out with yet another high-school based prospect in [B]Andrew Kozek[/B], another smallish forward that has put up quite decent numbers. Like with Oshie, Kozek has above average offensive skills, however his size and ability to play against bigger, meaner opponents may be questioned. While not slow, Kozek also doesn’t have Oshie’s high end mobility to help him avoid checks from larger opponents. Thrashers drafted Kozek to become a top2 line player – while this may be possible, I’d bet my money on him maxing out as a minor league scorer. Note in this respect that Thrashers have a truck-load of college-pipe prospects, however none of these with the exception of Dany Heatley have yet to play any sort of role with the pro-club and of those still with a shot, Jim Slater appears to be the only potential impact player. Kozek is unlikely to fare much better BLONDES 6.) Anze Kopitar (Kings, #11, 2005) 41.) Vladimir Mihalik (Lightning, #30, 2005) 51.) Kevin Nastiuk (Hurricanes, #126, 2003) 56.) Dustin Byfuglien (Black Hawks, #245, 2003) [B]Best pick[/B]: Anze Kopitar [B]Worst pick:[/B] Dustin Byfuglien [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B – the grade is saved by getting the player the team wanted in Kopitar, though non of the other picks are great The Blondes went into the draft with relatively few picks and with the intent of securing one out of Jack Johnson and [B]Anze Kopitar[/B]. There were discussions surrounding both the 2nd overall and the 6th overall, and in the end the team moved up to select the talented Slovene, apparently to the chagrin of several other GMs that were hoping he’d fall further. Kopitar is an intriguing package of size, speed and skill that may be one of the more complete prospects in the draft. He may not have the absolute offensive upside of players like Crosby or Brule, but on the other hand his defensive play is very advanced for his age. Standing 6’3/200lbs, Kopitar is well built for the pros and he has an impressive arsenal of offensive weapons, including a very good wrist shot. Often compared to Sundin and Jagr by scouts, let’s hope he is a better playoff performer than Sundin. Blondes traded away the 27th and 36th picks to secure Kopitar and picked again at 41. Hulking blue-line [B]Vladimir Mihalik[/B] was the next selection. Readers of last year’s draft guide may remember my harsh criticism of a number of huge blue-liners drafted in the top 30 due to primarily size (Valabik, Rogers, Schultz), so how is this different? Well, at 41 there are less great alternatives, but Mihalek also is arguably in a better spot than any of the previously mentioned players. Mihalik’s defensive game is already relatively well-developed, and while his skating is not up to par, he has shown marked improvement in this area over the course of the season. He is one of the players who have risen the most in all rankings going into the draft and, while being a project for sure, there is undeniable upside. True to form, the Blondes switched to overagers deeper into the draft. Medicine Hat goalie [B]Kevin Nastiuk[/B] was selected 51st overall. Like many overagers with some promise, he went early in the 3rd round, as opposed to normally 4th/5th round which is a reflection of both the relatively shallow talent pool and the dwindling amount of quality undrafted prospects, as GM’s scouting increase across the league. Nastiuk is a solid prospect that may develop into a quality starter down the road – he has seen some time in the WJC with team Canada and has impressed in juniors. He needs to work on consistency, however is blessed with solid size, above average reflexes and solid positioning. Nastiuk should at the very least develop into a solid 1A goalie like Biron or Boucher. [B]Dustin Byfuglien[/B] became the last pick of the Blondes – he was a panic pick, as the Blondes GM hadn’t managed to put together a draft list past top 40, and was eyeing Evan McGrath, who was scooped up by the Bunnies with the pick before. “Bubba” is listed at 6’3/275 lbs and depending on who you ask is viewed as potential top2 or sure-fire bust. He has a very powerful slapshot, outstanding stamina and a well-developed physical play, yet what stands out about Byfuglien is his apparent lack of discipline – he surely has the skills set to become a quality pro but concerns about laziness, utter lack of conditioning and apparently being difficult to coach, it is very unclear whether he has a future as a hockey player. And you’ve gotta ask yourself this: If you play upwards of 28 minutes every game (in the WHL), how on earth do you still manage to weigh 275lbs? BOMBERS 16.) Luc Bourdon (Canucks, #10, 2005) Bombers went into the draft with only 1 pick, selecting to move several picks for young prospects like Jared Aulin and Ross Lupaschuck. At the draft, the team managed to get highly touted defender [B]Luc Bourdon[/B] from Val d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL. Bourdon went surprisingly early in the NHL draft and is a prospect that has been hyped a lot in the media leading into the draft, including being ranked top6 in some publications during the season. He undeniably has an impressive array of tools, including one of the hardest shots in the draft class and skating akin’ to a young Paul Coffey. Combine that with great work ethic and stellar physical play and why wouldn’t Bourdon be a fantastic pick? Well, his vision and decision making has been repeatedly questioned. Throw in that his actual production (32 pts in 70 games) in the high-scoring QMJHL isn’t exactly fantastic despite his great shot and you start to wonder whether he will realize his potential. Like Jakub Kindl, Bourdon still isn [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ – Pretty much the highest grade you’re likely to get with only one pick BRAWLERS 17.) Alex Bourret (Thrashers, #16, 2005) 19.) Kendal McArdle (Panthers, #20, 2005) 57.) Dustin Kohn (Flames, #46, 2005) 69.) Danny Syvret (Oilers, #81, 2005) 78.) Andy Chiodo (Islanders, #161, 2001) 103.) Daniel Ryder (Flames, #74, 2005) 107.) Niklas Hjalmarsson (Black Hawks, #108, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Kendal McArdle [B]Worst pick:[/B] Andy Chiodo [B]Overall verdict:[/B] A- – Bourret and McArdle are very solid picks and Bryan made all picks count… well, with one exception Brawlers went into the draft targeting Hanzal, Cogliano and McArdle for the 17th pick, figuring that [B]Alex Bourret[/B] would be long gone – when the moment came with Bourret still on the board, GM Shelford wasted no time picking the tough as nails winger. The future impact of Bourret is difficult to judge. Barring an unlikely late growth spurt, 5’9 is awfully small for the NHL and the number of successes (Fleury, St.Louis) is dwarfed by the gazillion of small players that failed. That said, Bourret compares very well to a player like Fleury and his willingness and ability to initiate contact may well provide his meal ticket in the NHL. The combination of grit, meanness, mobility and hands is second to none and Bourret would definitely have been a top5 pick had he been 3 inches taller. I have no doubt that Bourret will be a success – everything about him screams “Winner”. At the very least, he’ll be a Darcy Tucker-like best (with better skills), but he may well be a top2 line player With the 17 pick gone and Cogliano and McArdle still on the board, the Brawlers intensely opted for trading up and managed to also land the 19th pick, opting for [B]Kendal McArdle[/B]. You can apply much of what I stated earlier on Bourret to McArdle – undersized but very stocky, very quick, heart-and-soul player with advanced physical game, above average offensive skills. While Bourret has offensive upside that could take him to the top line, I think McArdle’s ceiling is lower. His combination of speed, two-way skill, grit and under-rated finishing skills makes comparisons to Brian Rolston inevitable – while he is more physical, it would not surprise me to see him being one of the league’s most feared PK threats in the near future. Another very solid pick Calgary Hitmen defender [B]Dustin Kohn[/B] definitely has the coolest hairdo in the draft. Outside this, he also happens to be a quite exciting offensive blue-line prospect, one of many in the draft. Style comparing to Tom Poti, Kohn is offense first and, while standing 6’1/190lbs, often playing soft and being overmatched by stronger forwards both along the boards and in front of the net. He does have decent defensive positioning and coverage, however, and could well develop a decent two-way game if he can bulk up and start playing more physical. Offensively, Kohn has great vision and a very good outlet pass and he is adept at running the power play from the point. He has a good shot and could well post 30 pts in the NHL as a PP specialist [B]Danny Syvret[/B] has been passed over twice, but after captaining Memorial Cup champions London Knights and being selected team MVP, Syvret made teams finally notice him. Syvret is an all-round solid rearguard. While being slightly undersized, he still has a stocky build and can hold his own physically. Offensively, he has a solid skills set with a hard, accurate shot and good vision. He is also a great locker room presence and may well become a captain or assistant captain at the pro-level. Syvret’s skills set is all-round good, however it should be noted that he is two years older than most of the draft class, thus it is unclear how much additional upside there is compared to younger players available. Worst case, Syvret will become an AHL allstar, however he could well be a future second pairing defender if he continues to develop Drafting admirably through his 4 first pick, Bryan just had to go nuts for the 78th pick to give me something to be negative about! Rumor has it that the Brawlers were also looking to sign Jason Labarbera as 3rd string but seeing that he was gone [B]Andy Chiodo[/B] was the next best option. With several GMs targeting Labarbera, you could draw the conclusion they might be onto something. Being a self-righteous ass, I just want to point out that you’ve all lost your marbles and this also goes for picking Chiodo! If you’re a romantic Wilkes-Barre Baby-Pens fan, you may point out that he’s come in from a back-up position and claimed the starter job in the Calder Cup playoffs twice and with some success (going to the finals once). I would on the other hand like to point out that neither year the goal tending was great and that Chiodo this past year was banished to the ECHL for most of the season… I would be surprised if Chiodo EVER plays more than 10 NHL games in a season, which pretty mu [B]Daniel Ryder[/B] is the younger brother of Habs’ Michael Ryder, and much like his brother he went into the draft being an undersized winger that had put up good but not great numbers in the CHL. The difference between the two is that Daniel is smaller than Michael was at the time of his draft and he also arguably has less offensive upside. He is however the safer pick, as he already exhibits sound two-way instincts and has been quite successful in a shut-down role for Peterborough, gaining a lot of PK time. Ryder will never be a great NHL scorer, however his skating, tenacity and two-way skills will land him a 3rd/4th line job. Similar to Jason Blake, his maximum upside is likely 45-50pts, but playing solid defense. Hopefully, his lacking size doesn’t prevent him from getting an opportunity in a defensive role. Swedish rearguard [B]Niklas Hjalmarsson[/B] is the Brawlers final pick and something of a wild-card. Going into the draft year, Hjalmarsson was a virtual unknown, however shot up draft rankings and received a fair amount of hype by the likes of ISS, where he was ranked 58th in the final ranking. Having seen him play on a couple of occasions, I have a bit of a hard time seeing the hype. Hjalmarsson has good vision and nice, but not outstanding size. He is however not a standout in any specific area. He was inconsistent in international play, though showed a tendency to step it up in the elimination games. Primarily an offensive d-man, his defensive coverage needs a lot of work and while he has good offensive awareness, his shooting skills are sub-par in power as well as accuracy. Should be considered a real long-shot to make the NHL. DUCKLINGS 14.) Nicklas Bergfors (Devils, #23, 2005) 40.) Jeff Glass (Senators, #89, 2004) 71.) Dylan Hunter (Sabres, #273, 2004) 75.) Mikhail Grabovski (Canadiens, #150, 2004) 79.) Dmitri Patzold (Sharks, #107, 2001) 96.) Valtteri Filppula (Wings, #95, 2002) 106.) Morten Madsen (Wild, #122, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Jeff Glass [B]Worst pick:[/B] Mikhail Garbovsky [B]Overall verdict:[/B]B+ - Bergfors and Glass are very solid picks and some of the other overagers could be nice mid-rotation players… solid draft, but too little upside to really get a top grade Denmarks’ best GM is known for picking Scandinavian players and overagers, and this years draft was not different from previous occasions. To see the Ducks scoop up [B]Nicklas Bergfors[/B] at 14 was a foregone conclusion once Kopitar was off the board, though many draft observers seemed surprised by the perceived reach. Bergfors is a solid offensive talent that has great vision and stick-handling skills, reminiscent of a young Pavel Datsyuk. Bergfors also has very solid skating and a strong array of finishing skills, but most scouts seem to under-appreciate his passing skills that are top notch. The two main areas where Bergfors is lacking are in size and defensive game. The latter is pretty normal for talented scorers his age. The former could be problem; Bergfors is very competitive, but doesn’t thrive in traffic and he will need to become more involved in the physical play, otherwise there is a risk of him becoming strictly a perimeter player. Bergfors has decided to play with the Canadian WJC20 goalie and CHL goalie of the year [B]Jeff Glass[/B] was picked at 40, in an extremely good move. Glass was arguably the best undrafted talent available and it is rumoured that several GMs were eyeing him. Glass is a very solid goalie with major strengths in positioning and decision making. He covers the net very well, is very composed and is rarely forced by the shooter to make the first move. He plays angles well, is very mobile and is good at deciding when to challenge the shooter. His reflexes and glove hand are above average but not great. He needs to work on rebound control, however, and needs to bulk up for the rigors of pro-hockey. Glass is likely at least 3 seasons away from a regular gig in the NHL. He should at least develop into a very solid backup, but has starter upside and the goalie pipe in Ottawa gives him every chance… behind the aging Hasek, fellow prospects Emery and Thompson are the main competitors [B]Dylan Hunter[/B] has impressive blood lines and could be an interesting player down the line, though his upside is nowhere near what some observers think. Hunter is a solid two-way player that has average offensive skills and somewhat lacking mobility, however is a smart player with good stickhandling and positioning. He has the upside of a 2nd/3rd line player, however one main area he needs to develop significantly before having any chance of making the NHL is drive, passion and work ethic. Hunter can be a dominant player when playing physical, like his father Dale. Most of the time, he is content to sit back and get involved when the puck is near. Looking at the numbers, the offensive production is based on playing a lot of PP with Schremp + Perry. It appears very unlikely that Hunter puts up more than 45pts in the NHL Russian sniper [B]Mikhail Grabovski[/B] went at 75. There are so many reasons not to pick the talented Russian, though Johansen made a compelling argument he is talented. True, Grabovsky is a pure sniper and he fared well in international competition last year on a poor Belarus team, including a 4-goal outburst… that was in the game against the lowly Austrians, though, so this should be considered. The main problem with Grabovski is that he is 5’9 and not a fantastic skater. That combination basically spells doom for any prospect not being Theo Fleury’s unknown brother, so I’d expect the chance of Grabovski making any impact in the NHL to be remote. This pick screams Eero Suomervouri! I think the odds of Grabovski playing out his career in Russia are 6:5. [B]Dmitri Patzold[/B] is one of the better kept secrets in the AHL and took over the starting job with the Cleveland Barons (Sharks) last season. While struggling at times, he was playing behind an awful team and still managed to put up decent numbers. Patzold is not the technically soundest goalie, with significant potential to hone his skills –he does however possess elite reflexes and athleticism and a game-stealing ability that few goalies exhibit. Patzold needs to work on consistency as he spent last season following allstar performances with head-scratchers. Patzold currently looks like the next Brian Boucher, however could well develop into a solid starter. Could see some action as a backup already this year, should Nabokov or Toskala be injured Finnish pivot [B]Valtteri Filppula[/B] is another overager, picked 2002 by the Wings. A crafty pivot with great vision and playmaking skills, Valtteri had a breakout year last season with Jokerit scoring 30 points. Filppula could well turn into a 2nd line version of Pavel Datsyuk – he has the same uncanny ability to find the open man coupled with good mobility and stickhandling. His finishing skills are only average, though, and it’s not likely to see him ever score more than 20-odd goals. Like many good Finnish prospects he is undersized and could thus have problems with the larger defenders in the NHL. Look for him to have a development path somewhere along the same lines as Sean Bergenheim. As obvious a pick as the first – who doubted that Anders was going to use his last pick in the draft on fellow Dane [B]Morten Madsen[/B]? This time (contrary to last year’s pick of Jannik Hansen), however, there is certainly merit to the pick as Madsen may well be the Dane that finally makes it big time into the NHL. He is the sort of prospect that could be on someone’s prospects list 5 years from now and people would go “Who?”, however Madsen have three outstanding assets that are likely to land him a job in the pros… he is big, has very good hockey sense and soft hands. He may never be an elite scorer, however his skills combination makes a strong case for 2nd line upside, with a playmaking role on the PP. Madsen’s draft stock dropped a lot due to lacklustre play in the Swedish juniors the past season, but he definitely appears to be back on track. Look for him to have a big year. DYKES 9.) Marc Staal (Rangers, #12, 2005) 29.) Guillaume Latendresse (Canadiens, #45, 2005) 49.) J-P Levasseur (Ducks, #197, 2005) 70.) Alexandre Vincent (Canucks, #114, 2005) 83.) Vyacheslav Burachikov (Sabres, #191, 2005) 95.) Jordan LaVallee (Thrashers, #116, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Tied between Latendresse and Vincent [B]Worst pick:[/B]Levasseur [B]Overall verdict:[/B]A - solid, man Dykes went into the draft with several picks and an individual approach and it paid off handsomely – instead of relying on the NHL GMs picking the right players, Jorge selected his favorites… while most of the picks are of the high-upside, low down-side type, there’s certainly enough promise to give a TV-preacher a hard-on (without mentioning neither hard cash nor loose women) Dykes kicked things off by selecting Sudbery Wolves’s [B]Marc Staal[/B]. He must have been very pleased to see the towering 6’4 d-man still on the board at this point, and selected him over Bourdon who was the other highly-touted d-man available. Staal has everything – size, skill, stamina and vision. Critics find that he should employ be grittier and use his size better, but Staal does an adequate job of clearing the crease and tying up his man. He is a fantastic skater and is used extensively on special teams, often playing 30min+. His offensive upside may not be what some scouting sources claim it to be, though he has very solid vision and outlet passes, but it is more likely that Staal will in the future be a top pairing d-man that is primarily used as shut-down man on even strength and on the penalty kill [B]Guillaume Latendresse[/B] was Jorge’s next target, and the pick was greeted with almost as many expletives as the Kopitar pick in the first round – Latendresse was another player that many GMs had targeted for their 2nd picks and many believed would be available much later. Seals, Blondes and Zebras were all teams rumored to have been interested and Blondes’ GM was vocal about having had Latendresse ranked top15. He has often been compared to Chris Gratton (the young promising one, rather than the old semi-busted one) and many of the same skills stand-out. Latendresse is not shy about crashing the net; he is big, strong and mean and goes where the puck is. His puck skills are not overly impressive, but he has very solid offensive positioning and awareness, as well as good finishing skills in close. There have been 2 primary reasons for his low stock going into the draft – his skating is sub-par and bordering on inadequate and he has been playing through injury for much of the year The reach of the day came at 49, where Jorge picked [B]J-P Levasseur[/B] about 150 spots earlier than he went in the NHL draft. There were some raised eye-brows, however the pick may turn out to be a real gem. The pick is deemed the worst pick of the day for the Dykes, however this has more to do with the young goalie surely being available later than the quality of player selected. Levasseur has been mentioned as a 1st round candidate in many circles and Red Line scouting actually had him ranked 9th overall (behind only Price amongst goalies) two months before the draft. ISS had a more modest 90th ranking. Levasseur came into this year touted as an early pick after a fantastic U-17 performance, where he was easily the best goalie in the tournament. This year, he has been a model of inconsistency and ended up being beaten for the starters job with the QMJHL Huskies. He still played 29 games with poor numbers, which however are partly a reflection of playing on a poor team. The jury i [B]Alexandre Vincent[/B] was unheralded going into the draft and may have received a bit more recognition in this league then warranted by being a Canuck pick. That said, there is plenty to like. Vincent is a big goalie who is somewhat similar to Olaf Kolzig… the new rule changes toward smaller equipment sizes is sure to be beneficial to players like this, where the changes won’t be as dramatic as for smaller guys like JS Giguere where all of a sudden there will be a lot of net that needs covering up. The key things in Vincent’s play that impresses is the combination of size and speed. He displays very good lateral movement and good reflexes, which combined with size lets him both take away a lot of the net and recover well, when out of position. His does need work on consistency as well as positioning, as he tends to stay deep in the crease – improving this would further take away space for shooters and figures to be an effective way for Vincent to take the next step. Could be a gre Dykes proceeded with another reach at 83, where the team selected Russian blueliner [B]Vladimir Buravchikov[/B], who is easily better than his NHL draft position which was heavily hurt by Russia’s refusal to sign the new transfer agreement with the NHL. Buravchikov is a pure offensive blueliner, in the Tom Poti mold. He impressed scouts at the WJC, where he led the Russian team in scoring (7 points in 6 games), however what also stood out from his performance was very questionable play in his own zone. He can rightfully be described as bordering on soft and his future role with an NHL team is likely that of a lower half rotation player that is used as a PP specialist, however if his defensive play develops he may well be a offense-first top3-4 defender [B]Jordan Lavallee[/B] was originally eligible in the 2004 draft, but was passed over by all teams for 9 rounds. He redeemed himself this past year, as he scored 40 goals in the QMJHL to prove he’s worth a shot my an NHL team. Lavallee falls into the “power forward” category in many scouting publications, seemingly due to exhibiting several of the typical traits – bigger than 6’3/200, challenged in the skating department, scorer rather than playmaker and focus on garbage goals. I would expect Lavallee to get a crack at the pros, but have a hard time seeing him with higher than AHL upside. His skating is not good enough and he is far too one-dimensional. While 40 goals are nice, there is also a valid question as to just how difficult an achievement this is in the QMJHL, notorious for being high scoring, and the fact that his total output was 66pts, I don’t believe Lavallee will be an impact player at the NHL level. EPIDEMIC 59.) Jason Labarbera (Rangers, #66, 1998) 80.) Marc-Andre Cliché (Rangers, #56, 2005) 105.) Roman Kukumberg (Leafs, #113, 2004) [B]Best pick:[/B] None! Neither will play in the CNGHL [B]Overall verdict:[/B] D – It’s safe to say that while Bryce has proven he is a great FHL GM, his teams are definitely not built on drafting The Epidemic GM and commish floated in just in time for his first pick and shocked the league by selecting journeyman goalie [B]Jason Labarbera[/B] with his first pick. Labarbera undeniably put up great numbers with the Hartford Wolfpack in the AHL last year, however did so behind one of the powerhouse teams in the league. In the playoffs, he faltered big time as his heavily favoured team was eliminated in the first round. He proceeded to be shipped to LA, as there was no more room for him in New York with the signings of Montoya and Lundqvist. Labarbera will at the very best be backing up Garon in LA this season, but it is even more likely that he will once again be starting on the farm. His long-term upside from an NHL perspective is likely that of a 3rd string [B]Marc-Andre Cliché[/B] was likely a surprise pick to most GMs at the NHL draft, going in the mid 2nd round. The young winger played 19 games in the QMJHL last season with 8 points to show for it, not exactly stellar output in the high-scoring league. Cliché has been hampered by shoulder injuries for quite some time and it is unclear whether he is fit for the upcoming season or not. It is unlikely that he’ll crack the top line in Lewiston even if healthy and I think he likely will not be a significant contributor at any pro-level, owing to average size and mobility and not great finishing skills. Slovak winger [B]Roman Kukumberg[/B] was the Epidemic’s last pick. The 25-years old played the past season in Russia, where he tallied 10 goals and 21 pts. He would probably have the potential to step right into the NHL in a 3rd line role now, as he has solid skating skills and good offensive instincts, however the chance of seeing him this side of the pond anytime soon is slim – it is extremely unlikely that the salary cap-troubled Leafs would offer him a one-way contract anywhere near what Roman is earning in Russia, and considering he is untested in North America I’d expect Kukumberg never to play in the C. HYACKS 7.) Ryan O’Marra (Islanders, #15, 2005) 30.) Dan Bertram (Black Hawks, #54, 2005) 50.) Julien Ellis-Plante (Canucks, #189, 2004) [B]Best pick:[/B] Ryan O’Marra [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ – three really solid picks, though trading up for Ellis-Plante at 50 may have been a tad going overboard Hyacks GM, the zealous Ken Hogan traded up from 10th to 7th at the same time as Blondes traded from 11th to 6th. Both teams were looking to draft Kopitar and this event may well have been the most dramatic neck-to-neck race at the draft. Hogan lost out, but got his consolation price in [B]Ryan O’Marra[/B], a pick that may well turn out to be even better. Hogan had O’Marra ranked just after Kopitar and seemed quite pleased with the pick despite it all – “I see a lot of Ryan Getzlaf in O’Marra, so how could I not be happy” he was quoted as saying. O’Marra is the kind of player that excels in all areas – his three main strengths lie in a great release and shot accuracy, great face-off skills and leadership. Indeed, it would be surprising if he doesn’t one day become captain of the team he plays for. I feel O’Marra will likely develop into a Ryan Smyth type of player, with very limited downside and really like this pick at 7 [B]Dan Bertram[/B] entered the year touted as a possible 2nd overall pick behind Sidney Crosby, however the hype died down pretty fast. A pure sniper, Bertram was off to a great start to the season with Boston College but struggled the 2nd half of the season which seriously hurt his draft day stock. Bertram is one of the fastest skaters in the draft and has a wide array of shooting skills. He is slightly undersized, however still plays a quite physical game. Bertram was one of the most surprising falls on draft day and could easily have gone in the top 25. He is a Slava Kozlov type player in the making, only with more fire and grit [B]Julien Ellis-Plante[/B] is another in the great tradition of French-Canadian butterfly goalies out of the QMJHL. Ellis has solid size and good gloves/reflexes. He is not a game-stealing goalie, but has the ability to come up with big saves when needed. His main asset is a very strong positional game and poise, however he may lack the really high end reflexes and mobility to become an elite goalie. Selected for several awards including best goalie in the QMJHL this past season, the future is certainly bright for Ellis. Considering his fundamental technical ability, there’s very little downside and the question is rather how far he can go. A very good pick, though trading up to get him at 50 was maybe overdoing it – he’d likely have been there 30 spots lower due to not being scouted. Nevertheless, excellent selection. ICE DOGS 8.) Carey Price (Canadiens, #5, 2005) 48.) Tom Fritsche (Avalanche, #47, 2005) 63.) Kris Letang (Penguins, #62, 2005) 74.) Zbynek Michalek (Wild, Free Agent, 2002) 94.) Danny Irmen (Wild, #78, 2003) 99.) Clayton Stoner (Wild, #79, 2004) 100.) Kristoffer Westblom (Wild, #65, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Clayton Stoner [B]Worst pick:[/B] Zbynek Michalek [B]Overall verdict:[/B] A- – Price, Fritsche, Irmen and Stoner were all very good picks with NHL futures. Considering the Ice Dogs only had 1 pick in the top45, the outcome was really good The Dawgs were eyeing a lot of offensive talent for their pick but watched as Brule, Ryan, Kopitar and O’Marra were all scooped up. Never one to be caught speechless, Angus swiftly moved to plan B and selected [B]Carey Price[/B], arguably the best goalie available in the draft. With the 1-2 of Lehtonen and Price, the team seems set in goal for the foreseeable future. Price is a rare combination of skill and physical attributes, similar to Lehtonen. Price will likely top out at 6’3/215 which makes him ideal for the goalie position and lets him take away a lot of the net for shooters. Combine that with lightning reflexes and good rebound control and puckhandling reminiscent of a young Brodeur and you have a great overall package. Price is also in a position where Montreal don’t need to force him into action soon, but rather he will have time to develop his play in the minors with Theordore holding the fort. Price is a very solid pick and will serve the Dawgs well, either as a future st [B]Tom Fritsche[/B], the younger brother of Seals’ Danny Fritsche, was next picked at 48. Like with his brother, Tom’s biggest strengths are in his passion and willingness to win – he is an absolute go-to guy in all situations, who comes out to play hard every night. In the end, it was enough to be picked 47th overall (one spot higher than his brother). Fritsche is a slightly undersized player with fantastic mobility and vision – primarily a playmaking center, he also has good finishing skills and a propensity for setting up highlight reel goals. Fritsche was ranked around 100 by many scouting publications, which was a surprise to me going into the draft – he managed 45 points in 42 games as a freshman for Ohio State and was selected CCHA all-rookie team and evidently teams would take notice. The main concern for his NHL future is size – I am convinced that Fritsche will end up centering a 2nd line in a not too distant future with a 60pts upside to his game. Great pick at 48. [B]Kris Letang[/B] was Luc Bourdon’s defensive partner in Val d’Or and as such unfortunate to play for one of the worst teams in all of the CHL the past year. What stood out about the smallish rearguard’s season, however, was that he managed to both outscore Bourdon and have a much better +/-. The difference between the two? Letang is 5’11 and plays it. Letang has an all-round nice skills set and has displayed impressive defensive maturity throughout they year, being consistently solid in his own zone and joining the rush. Being 5’11/190lbs and not of very stocky build, however, it is difficult to imagine his NHL future as anything more than at best a #5/#6 d-man with PP duty to take advantage of his offensive skills. At 63, arguably, Letang wasn’t the most interesting player available, though he could well end up a solid pro… I think a lot about Philadelphia Phantoms’ John Slaney, though. GM Keough came out big-time as a closet Wild-fan during the draft and managed to pick a total of 3 overage Wild-prospects, beginning with rearguard [B]Zbynek Michalek[/B] at 74. He is undoubtedly the most pro-mature and the least interesting of the three. The 6’2/200 lbs has played a full 3 seasons with the Houston Aeros and also had a brief cup of tea with the Wild during 22 games last season. Still, with Brent Burns likely graduating to the big club this year, it is very difficult to see where Michalek fits in. Similar in style to previous Wild-blueliner Lubomir Sekeras, it is difficult to see Michalek as anything more than a 3rd pairing fill-in. Nothing in his skills-set stands out and he isn’t physical enough to land a job in the NHL based on this. Keough was rumored to be selecting between Michalek and Grabovsky (by this writer considered to be Ducklings worst pick in the draft at 75) so there sure seems to be some indication either Keough was more focused on his scotch or this Making up for the Michalek pick, Keough then made two very astute picks in the 5th round, first nabbing Minnesota Golden Gopher [B]Danny Irmen[/B]. The young winger is an offensive force, leading the charge for Minnesota in the absence of Tomas Vanek the past season. Irmen is slightly undersized at 6’/190lbs, but has impressive playmaking and finishing skills. He plays bigger than his size and doesn’t shy away from traffic; he loves scoring and will pay to go in front of the net. On a less positive note, Irmen’s skating is only average and needs to improve significantly for him to be successful as a pro. Irmen definitely has 2nd line upside, but the combination of lacking size and skating is a somewhat worrying sign. Still a very good pick at 94 Hulking rearguard [B]Clayton Stoner[/B] of Tri-City Americans. Consistently improving over his 3 seasons, Stoner is a great combination of size (6’4/225lbs) and ability. He is sound in his own zone, where he is a force in front of the net and in the corners. He has a tendency sometimes to take himself out of the play looking for big hits, but is all-round sound. He has above average vision and playmaking skills, including very crisp and accurate outlet passes and has spent a lot of time on the PP. Stoner has been known for poor decision making and inconsistency in the past, but has improved markedly over the past two seasons. He has good mobility and is a sure-fire NHL bound prospect, however it remains to be seen if he’ll be on the 2nd pairing or the 3rd pairing. He could well turn into a Yushkevich/Zhitnik type punishing blueliner that can contribute offensively The final selection (and 4th Wild prospect), young goalie [B]Kristofer Westblom[/B] of the Kelowna Rockets was picked at 100. Westblom has been serving as the backup for same-aged Derek Yeomans this past season. The fact Westblom was picked 60th overall whereas Yeomans was completely passed over may be some indication for next year, though most likely it is primarily because of Yeomans’s small size. Westblom impressed all season, however primarily playing against the lower ranked teams and he must claim the starter job next year to prove he is a legitimate prospect. He is a composed goalie with solid positioning and technical ability, however is yet to be pressured as the go-to guy. Somewhat questionable selection by Wild at 60 – at 100 in the CNGHL, he is an interesting pick with some upside. JAZZ 10.) Devin Setoguchi (Sharks, #8, 2005) 42.) Justin Abdelkader (Wings, #42, 2005) 47.) Michael Blunden (Black Hawks, #43, 2005) 68.) Mason Raymond (Canucks, #51, 2005) 81.) Matt Kassian (Wild, #57, 2005) 93.) Brodie Dupont (Rangers, #66, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Michael Blunden [B]Worst pick:[/B] Matt Kassian [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B – no safe bets and I really don’t like the picks of Raymond / Kassian. That said, Setoguchi and Blunden will be very solid pros Jazz GM Patrick Johnstone was as per usual in and out of the draft and left some of the decisions up to his staff – as such, some of the later picks were of the auto-variety. Picking early at 10, the team started by addressing wing depth, picking up Saskaoon Blades sniper [B]Devin Setoguchi[/B]. The smallish winger is a fierce competitor that never quits on a play and when he’s hot he can score with the best. He may own the hardest shot in the draft; it has been clocked at 97+ MPH. Combine this with a quick release and the ability to mask his shots well and you have a deadly finisher. Setoguchi is also very quick and strong on his skates and plays larger than his generously listed 6’/185lbs. Setoguchi plays a pretty mature two-way game – he will never be mistaken for a PK specialist but definitely doesn’t hurt his team defensively. Despite this, his bread and butter will always be his scoring. His rising and falling in pre-draft rankings also reflected this, as he started the first h [B]Justin Abdelkader[/B] was one of the wild-cards going into the draft, turning heads with his play in the USHL. He surged up the rankings in the latter part of the season, as scouts were initially questioning his ability due to the poor level of competition. Abdelkader is a fantastic skater with very explosive first step elite top-speed. He has shown good commitment to playing at both ends of the ice and is often leading the backcheck due to his mobility. He has above average hands and vision and is very deadly in close. Sharing some traits (or shortcomings) with Setoguchi, Abdelkader also started the season at a torrid pace, but went scoreless in 11 games in the playoffs, raising some concern. He might’ve been an early second round pick with maintained production, but as is he is a pick with a lot of upside. Abdelkader is committed to Michigan State next year – look for him to have a break-out year in the NCAA [B]Michael Blunden[/B] is the third in a trio of players selected by Jazz that could arguably be labeled underrated – while Setoguchi’s early pick was perceived as a reach by many, both Blunden and Abdelkader went later than maybe warranted. Part of this is like with the other two – Blunden started out hot, but finished the season just average, partly due to a 10-game suspension that seemingly threw him off his game. Blunden is big and strong, playing the type of power game you see from players like Todd Bertuzzi. At 6’3/220lbs he certainly is big enough to dominate the CHL and he’ll likely take the same attitude into the pros. He has above average finishing skills, though likely doesn’t figure to be a prime time scorer in the NHL. Look for him to carve a career as an allround type player that is used both on 2nd line PP and PK and thrown in as a shutdown player against opposing team’s top lines. There is a lot of Keith Primeau in him. The few concerns around Blunden has to do with m Taking a page from Dave Nonis, Jazz next selected speedster [B]Mason Raymond[/B] out of the AJHL. A reach in the NHL draft, Raymond was picked for his pure offensive potential – he is a very quick player with great puckhandling and finishing skills – the type of player that more likely than not will be featured on any given leagues’ weekly highlight reel a couple of times per season. Still, there are several concerns with regards to Raymond. At 6’/165lbs, it seems unlikely that he’ll stand up to the more physical pro game – in fact, he may already have some difficulties at the college level. Throw in the fact that he is a full 2-year older than the youngest players in the draft, and there is definitely some concern about how much untapped potential and further development there is. At age 20, Raymond still hasn’t played at any higher level than the AJHL and there are significant question marks as to how well he will fare against better competition. I don’t see the hype and definitely Unfortunately, the next pick is worst – I rarely go out on a limb like this (except when Hogan picks JM Liles in the top10) but [B]Matt Kassian[/B] is IMHO a wasted pick at 81. Kassian was ranked 213 overall by ISS going into the draft and he was a pure “needs-based” pick by Wild at 57 in the entry draft. For an organization with no enforcer, apparently a 6’6/245 giant with no skills to mention but the pugilistic was too good to pass up. It is easy to ridicule picks like these, but considering Brian Burke have given up a 2nd rounder + Mark Popovic for Todd Fedoruk and Kip Brennan this off-season, it is evident that a good enforcer is considered worth a mid to late 2nd rounder. For the CNGHL, of course, even a good enforcer will never be of any value what so ever, and a LW that has scored 7 pts in 98 games in the WHL will obviously never make the team – one advice; cut him loose and sign someone off the available players list instead. It should btw be mentioned that this was an exampl [B]Brodie Dupont[/B] was the last pick of Jazz’s draft and a pick that reminds a lot of Blunden 46 spots higher. Dupont is a mobile, strong competitor that dominates the boards and has above average vision. He has seen little PP time as a WHL rookie and consequently hasn’t got impressive numbers to show, however is a talented allround player. The jury is still out on his offensive upside – in fact, his finishing skills may be the weakest part of his all-round game, however his mobility, size and work-ethic WILL land him a pro job down the line. Dupont has primarily been used in a defensive role on a quite deep Hitmen roster in the WHL – look for him to get increased offensive responsibilities and be one of the go-to guys this upcoming season with the graduation of Getzlaf, Ladd, Landolt and Lucas and could possibly even see himself on the top line with Pushkarev (unless he also turns pro). This next season will give some indication of his offensive upside, but it looks like he has th KUMQUATS 13.) Marek Zagrapam (Sabres, #13, 2005) 24.) Ondrej Pavelec (Thrashers, #41, 2005) 33.) Dany Roussin (Panthers, #223, 2003) 53.) Radek Smolenak (Lightning, #73, 2005) 54.) Christofer Lofberg (Wings, #80, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Marek Zagrapam [B]Worst pick:[/B] Christofer Lofberg – what is it I’ve missed? [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ – not afraid of reaching for the players targeted, and getting Zagrapam / Pavelec / Smolenak is a great result [B]Marek Zagrapam[/B] has been high up on most radar screens all through the year leading up to the draft, consistently being mentioned amongst the best without ever being considered a candidate for the top 7-10. He is one of the technically most talented players in the draft, with elite puck handling and playmaking skills, combined with great mobility. He has improved throughout the year, not the least in defensive aspects of the game, and is an increasingly polished and complete player. He ended up the leading rookie scorer in the CHL, posting 82 points in only 55 games with Chicoutimi (QMJHL). Zagrapam has been compared with Simon Gagné in several publications, owing to similarities in style and playing in the Q, however Zagrapam is more of a set-up man. Look for Zagrapam to end up a 1st line C with 75pts upside [B]Ondrej Pavelec[/B] may be the goalie in the draft with the highest pure upside, however he is also much less predictable and consistent than the other elite prospects. Extremely impressive in the WJC18, where he outplayed both Price, Rask and Frazee. Pavelec is all about poise, agility and reflexes – he is probably the quickest goalie in the draft and can flat out steal games. At the same time, his positioning and puck handling can use some work as he relies too much on his ability to recover. Pavelec is also a bit unorthodox in style, which in some case may be an issue – a recent NHL example of this is Roman Cechmanek, whose defenses always seem to have problems with pinching and pushing up, due to not knowing their goalies next moves… consistency and reliability are key words here and Pavelec may need work in this area. Pavelec has the ability to be the next Hasek – however, he has quite some way before he gets there. Pavelec will play with Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in the QM [B]Dany Roussin[/B] may forever be known as the guy who was lucky to get onto Crosby’s wing and got a fat NHL contract. Failing to come to terms with Florida, who picked him in the 7th round in 2003, he re-entered the draft and was scooped up by the Kings. Many scouts have pointed out that Roussin certainly needs to be talented to score, independent of Crosby, and while this to a certain extent is true, it shouldn’t be forgotten that there are droves of QMJHL-alumni that scored 100+ points in a season without ever playing at a higher level than the ECHL. At 5’11 and without elite speed, Roussin could well face the same future, peaking as an elite AHL scorer but not quick enough to create room in the NHL. Either way, picking Roussin at 33, with the likes of Stoa, Niskanen and Fritsche (to name a few) on the board is IMO a poor selection, though there were definitely several GMs out to get him Winger [B]Radek Smolenak[/B] was, like Zagrapam, one of the most successful European imports to the CHL this season and one of few highlights to the Kingston Frontenacs dismal season. Smolenak is a very poor skater, which is the number one obstacle for him to becoming a solid pro. That said, I believe he would have gone in the top20 if he had possessed elite speed. Smolenak has great finishing skills and elite vision; for parts of the season he seemed to score at will and averaging just under 0.5 goals per game for a rookie is a fantastic feat. With Anthony Stewart graduating to the pro-ranks, Smolenak will get increasing responsibility with Kingston and is expected to further step up his game. If he can show improved mobility this year he may be on his way to a 2nd line future in the NHL [B]Christofer Lofberg[/B], finally, was very much a surprise pick, to himself as much as to the Swedish hockey community. He was quoted in interviews saying “my sister told me I was picked by the Wings – I thought she was joking, since I didn’t expect to get picked at all, but there you go”. Lofberg is a big, rangy winger with some upside who will require a lot of work before being NHL ready. What stands out about him is primarily his finishing skills – he was lethal in Swedish Juniors last season. I think Lofberg could well develop into a solid player, at least within Sweden. As far as NHL picks go – he is very unlikely to have reached the point were he will get a contract before the 2-year signing deadline passes. I wouldn’t expect to see Lofberg producing anytime soon LAKERS 1.) Sidney Crosby (Penguins, #1, 2005) 4.) Benoit Pouliot (Wild, #4, 2005) 11.) Jack Skille (Black Hawks, #7, 2005) 18.) Ryan Parent (Predators, #18, 2005) 21.) Matt Lashoff (Bruins, #22, 2005) 23.) Andrew Cogliano (Oilers, #25, 2005) 27.) Tyler Plante (Panthers, #32, 2005) 36.) Matt Pelech (Flames, #26, 2005) 37.) Chris Durand (Avalanche, #52, 2005) 62.) Adam McQuaid (Jackets, #55, 2005) 72.) Pier-Olivier Pelletier (Coyotes, #59, 2005) 87.) Rene Bourque (Black Hawks, Free Agent, 2004) [B]Best pick:[/B] Sidney Crosby - obviously [B]Worst pick:[/B] Matt Pelech – what upside? [B]Overall verdict:[/B] A – what else? Kris made good picks throughout, though trading down in this draft (considering it’s relative strength) seemed to be an odd strategy Lakers made [B]Sidney Crosby[/B] the #1 overall pick, in what must have been the most expected pick in recent memory. Since everyone knows everything about Sid the Kid I won’t write a lot. Suffice to say, Crosby is the most talked about prospect since Lindros and had he been 3’ taller I’d expect him to eventually challenge some of Waynes & Marios records. As is, size is the only question mark with Sidney (though Gretzky wasn’t that big either…). Crosby does however play bigger than he is. He is the first player ever to win CHL player of the year awards two consecutive years. I’d expect Sidney to be the next Forsberg, though I actually don’t think he’ll win the Calder this year At 4, Lakers picked [B]Benoit Pouliot[/B], the rangy Sudbury winger. At 6’3/180, scouts are salivating at his long-term potential, however he is rather a gentle giant. Pouliot had a break-out this season in the OHL; before the season, he wasn’t even expected to go in the top2 rounds. Pouliot has excellent mobility and stickhandling skills and could well develop into a top line talent with game breaking skills. There are however several question marks, more so with top4 picks normally. He has a tendency to disappear when games get physical. He has been inconsistent during the year. He has had only one good season – is this indication of great things to come or not? And finally – his finishing skills are nowhere near as good as his vision and stickhandling, prompting questions around his scoring potential. I personally had Pouliot ranked much lower, but then again the promise is there. Lakers proceeded to trade the 6th overall pick away for the 11th overall, and must’ve been elated to find [B]Jack Skille[/B] still on the board. Skille is one of the purest snipers available in the draft and is vying with Setoguchi for having the hardest shot. Skille has a wide array of shooting skills and can let go from anywhere on the ice, however this is combined with great strength and a willingness to go to the net – it doesn’t matter whether it is a garbage goal, everything goes. Skille has power forward potential – not so much based on great size but on mentality. His overall game is solid, with puckhandling and vision other strengths whereas the skating needs some work before he’s pro-ready. Skille’s upside is likely that of (a smaller) Dave Andreychuk in his prime, the style is at least very similar After having shored up on offensive talent, Lakers proceeded to pick two highly touted d-men to make it a full line with the first 5 picks. Highly touted [B]Ryan Parent[/B] was available at 18 and the Lakers quickly snapped him up. Parent is a defensive stalwart in the making – he has extremely good lateral and backwards mobility combined with a very mature physical game and solid defensive coverage. His offensive game is much less developed – his outlet passes are good but he is very conservative with pinching and his shot is below average, being neither accurate nor hard. Parent has been used extensively on the PK and against opposing teams top lines in Guelph and he figures to develop into a shut-down d-man of Robyn Regehr’s ilk down the line [B]Matt Lashoff[/B] is a potential future partner of Parent’s, with quite complementary skills. Lashoff has shown a mature defensive game, playing a simple but effective game in his own zone. He is big and plays reasonably physical, however has been hampered by injuries the past season which have prevented him from fully using his size. On offense, Lashoff has good vision and playmaking skills, plus a hard, accurate shot. His 22pts in 44gms for Kitchener (despite not being fully fit) is some indication of his offensive upside. Lashoff could well become a top4 d-man of the Brad Stuart type down the line [B]Andrew Cogliano[/B] is arguably the best out of a long-line of high-school based prospects drafted this year. Cogliano has elite upside offensively – his skating is second to none and vision, playmaking and finishing are all bordering on elite. The two question marks preventing him from going higher still in the draft are lacking size (5’10/175lbs) and low level of competition – had he proven himself in the CHL Cogliano could’ve well been a top 10 pick. Cogliano is a pure offensive talent and is almost European in his almost refusing to play any kind of defensive game. Best case – elite player of the Slava Kozlov type. Downside – minor league scorer like Brad Leeb Brandon native and Wheat Kings goalie [B]Tyler Plante[/B] took over the starters job this past season and his upside potential has scouts seeing starter material. Plante has a talent set that could see him develop into an elite goalie – his is very poised and confident and has very quick reflexes, especially his glove hand. Standing at 6’2/190, he also has a generous frame that takes away a lot of the net. He posted excellent numbers as a rookie the past season, winning 34 out of 48 starts and being instrumental in the Wheaties finishing as runners-up in the WHL championship. Plante’s main weakness is in the positional game – he frequently drops down low early and remains on his knees a lot. He covers a lot of the low half of the net but has problems with shooters going top shelf as he leaves a lot of net open, especially on the blocker side. He also plays with very generous equipment which makes him appear bigger than he is and could struggle with the new rule changes (which I belie Hulking blueliner [B]Matt Pelech[/B] of Sarnia Sting was a surprise pick to many in the first round of the NHL draft, where Flames – true to character – picked the blue-collar rearguard. Pelech will never win any accolades, but could well turn into a valuable asset of the Sutter-type – you won’t see him a lot and when you do, he’ll likely be flattening someone rather than making a nifty move. Pelech is a 6’3/220lbs fitness freak, who may well grow more before arriving in the pro-ranks. He plays a conservative and rather mature defensive game with an edge to it and will not back down when challenged. His junior career so far has been injury plagued, with only 93 games in 2 seasons to show, however if he can stay healthy this year may provide some more indication of long-term potential. To me, Pelech is similar in style and ability to a Brad Ference type player, and it feels as if a #36 pick could be used better [B]Chris Durand[/B] was an early season favorite to go in the top10, however has been falling ever since. At 37, his upside definitely warrants a pick and if he can turn around his game this pick will look very good. Durand is a solid two-way player when on his game with stand-out attributes in solid skating and very soft hands. He was originally selected for the Canadian WJC18 team, but ended up missing the tournament due to a knee injury. He posted solid numbers in the regular season for the Thunderbirds but was a total no-show in the playoffs – indeed his one assist (!) in 12 games was so bad that all forwards on the roster save his linesmate Ryan Gibbons were more productive, raising some very serious doubts as to Durand’s future as a pro. The problem seemed to be mental rather than due to lacking talent; Durand’s playoff were devoid of any effort or heart and this is not a promising sign. To compare with the previous pick – Pelech lacks significant upside but will be productive Defensive blueliner [B]Adam McQuaid[/B] is one of the least flashy players in the draft, however his steadiness is what interests teams. McQuaid will be an NHLer, mark my words. A mobile 6’4 guy with an excellent defensive game that keeps things simple is something there’ll always be room for. McQuaid is very good at defending one on one and is good at clearing the crease. He could be very much more physically involved – especially when considering his size – but even without the big hits, he’s difficult to get around due to his skating and reach. He has solid vision, though his offensive skills are average at best. Coupled with his defense-first mindset, McQuaid will likely never score more than 15-20 points at the pro-level, but he’ll likely see a lot of time on the PK. Solid Goalie [B]Pier-Olivier Pelletier[/B] made a name for himself by posting stellar WJC18 numbers for Team Canada (.959 save% in two games) as well as having a great rookie season on a weak Voltigeurs team in the QMJHL. A butterfly goalie with good lateral mobility, Pelletier has impressed many with positional play and rebound control, however he has had a propensity of making Tommy Salo-like mental mistakes and letting in soft goals for no apparent reason. At the same time, he has been absolutely outstanding when on his game and the key to the puzzle may be to improve consistency and focus. Pelletier is in many ways similar to Capitals prospect Maxime Daigeneault – if he could deliver close to his best every night he’d be on every team’s radar. With his current make-up, I’d say he is a long-shot to become a solid starter, though the upcoming season will prove better indication [B]Rene Bourque [/B] somewhat surprisingly made a name for himself last season as a free agent signing for the Hawks, spending the season leading the Norfolk Admirals in scoring. Bourque is a good-sized two-way forward that can be used in all game situations and who has good offensive upside. He is good along the boards and on the fore-check and is a tireless worker than never quits on a play. His main asset is his slap-shot – clocked at just under 100mph, he is a lethal finisher as attested by 33 goals in his rookie season in the AHL. It would be a huge disappointment if Bourque didn’t make the Hawks roster out of camp, likely in a 3rd line role with some PP time. Very good pickup at 87, though it remains to be seen if the crafty winger has more than 3rd line upside SEALS 5.) Bobby Ryan (Mighty Ducks, #2, 2005) 20.) Tukka Rask (Leafs, #21, 2005) 25.) Brendan Mikkelson (Ducks, #31, 2005) 31.) Petr Kalus (Bruins, #39, 2005) 45.) Jeff Frazee (Devils, #38, 2005) 60.) Jakub Vojta (Hurricanes, #94, 2005) 61.) Ben Bishop (Blues, #85, 2005) 66.) Oskars Bartulis (Flyers, #91, 2005) 77.) Juraj Mikus (Canadiens, #121, 2005) 84.) Denis Istomin (Black Hakws, #117, 2005) 91.) Kirill Starkov (Blue Jackets, #189, 2005) 97.) Keith Yandle (Coyotes, #105, 2005) 98.) Ilya Zubov (Senators, #98, 2005) 102.) Ray Macias (Avalanche, #124, 2005) 104.) Tomas Popperle (Blue Jackets, #131, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Tuukka Rask [B]Worst pick:[/B] Ben Bishop – just don’t see it at 61 [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ - The most difficult draft to rate, based on the high boom/bust factor. Great picks in Rask, Mikkelson, Frazee, Starkov and Macias – however Bishop, Istomin and Zubov are huge question marks. Would’ve liked to see some more “sure things” Many teams have been signaling re-build over the past couple of seasons in the C… Blondes unexpectedly picked the rebuilding phase for winning a cup, Royals cornered the market for 41-yearolds with a massive Lakers rebuilding effort as a result. Capitals / Lakers have been… well… awful for several seasons. However, few teams have been as dramatic about it as the Seals, as GM Leduc despite making the playoffs traded every decent roster player away for, picks, prospects, bags of puck and a lot of love… He apparently even went so far as to offer (guided) free nights at notorious San Fran S&M clubs, which should tell you something about the desperation. This also resulted in an extreme risk picking philosophy, which may or may not yield results. It is however interesting to 7 picks were chosen #98 or later in the NHL draft, and most were serious reaches In the absence of Brian Burke, [B]Bobby Ryan[/B] quite predictably fell into Seals lap at 5. It’s been a widespread secret in the league that Seals coveted the big winger and noone was surprised that he was picked. Ryan has been touted as a future power forward prospect, drawing comparisons to Bertuzzi. He does indeed bring great size and finishing skills, along with solid vision and playmaking and good work ethic. The jury is however still out on Ryan due to his positively horrible skating. Indeed, you don’t have to be a speedball to be a success, however Ryan is simply slow. Throw into this that he doesn’t use his size nearly enough and isn’t really that aggressive and nasty type and the question is just how much of “power” there really is to Bobby. Personally, I had Ryan outside of the top10, but if he improves his skating, he’s definitely one of the gems out of this draft class. With Ari Ahonen returning to Finland after failing to get any playing time in the swamp, the Seals again turned to Finland to fill an organizational need. Young goalie [B]Tuukka Rask[/B] is another in a long string (Kiprusoff, Noronen, Toskala, Lehtonen, Toivonen, Nurminen, Niittymäki, Ahonen) of highly touted Finnish goaltenders and while he has received less hype than some of these names, I think he has the upside of becoming an elite goalie in the league. Rask could well be one of the steals of the draft at #21 – few people are aware that the 18-years old, who claimed the starter spot at HPK late this season, finished the playoffs this year with 6 SO and a 0.87 GAA in 10 games in the Finnish Elite league, arguably one of Europe’s 3-4 best leagues. Rask has good size at 6’2 (though still a bit too skinny) and he has an excellent butterfly technique. The treats that really stand out with him are his phenomenal reflexes and recovery rate plus his lateral mobility. Seals proceeded to pick [B]Brendan Mikkelson[/B] with their 3rd selection of the day. As opposed to Rask and Ryan, who were not initially targeted by the team but fell into their laps, Mikkelson is a guy that Leduc was eyeing from the get-go. Everything about the Portland Winterhawks d-man screams “future pro”, however it remains to be seen in what capacity. There is a lot to like about Mikkelson, however apart from very good mobility nothing really stands out in his game. Similar to current Blues prospect Jeff Woywitka, he is allround solid with few glaring weaknesses or solid strengths. Some scouting magazines have ranked Mikkelson top 10 and made comparisons to Adrian Aucoin. I think such upside is wishful thinking, would more likely see him turn into a more polished Dan McGillis type player. I think there is very little downside, however, as the combination of solid size, good mobility and quite advanced defensive game will make Mikkelson a player. Czech scorer [B]Petr Kalus[/B] was the next player ending up in California. Kalus is a one-dimensional scorer with speed to burn and excellent stick-handling, though like many high-end offensive prospects from the Czech Republic he hasn’t been in his own zone enough to register what’s going on there. Kalus has put up solid numbers and went early on in the draft to the B’s, who are banking on his offensive upside. That said, they haven’t exactly been stellar at drafting offensive talent outside of the early first round (Samuelsson, Zinovjev, Hilbert to name a few) and while undeniably talented, it is unclear whether Kalus really has enough of a skills set to land him on the top2 lines – he actually reminds a lot of Hilbert. Kalus is coming to North America to play with the Regina Pats next season, and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact he will have. There were better choices available at 31! [B]Jeff Frazee[/B] was the second goalie selected by the Seals and could turn out a steal in the early third round. Frazee is all about agility and reflexes – he may be the fastest goalie in the draft both laterally and recovering and he’s regularly robbing people on “impossible” reflex saves. Positioning and playing the angles are areas where he does have some weaknesses, however this can be taught. A bit more alarming is his lacking rebound control – his puck handling is inadequate and is the main area of concern going forward. All in all, Frazee certainly has the upside to start in the NHL. His style is quite unorthodox – from limited viewings I kept thinking of Roman Cechmanek whenever I’ve seen him, though the comparison is not fair as the Czech goalie is flopping around a lot more on the ice. [B]Jakub Vojta[/B] was the first in a series of serious reaches by the Seals. GM Leduc was quite direct about looking for upside rather than safe, but low ceiling players, and made a point about picking Europeans who’s stock were perceived to be falling going into the draft. Vojta is a huge question mark with a very high ceiling; however several question marks surround his future as a pro. Vojta is one of the most offensively gifted blueliners in the draft, with above average mobility and a hard, accurate slapshot. He is adept at running the PP and has shown glimpses of brilliance in the offensive zone in international competition. The problems are in his own zone – Vojta is regularly making mental errors and shows poor decision making leading to turnovers. His also a non-factor physically and has a hard time recovering when coughing up the puck. Finally, his work ethic has been in question, as he’s been constantly out of shape and playing without determination in the Czech juniors. Seals turned to an unlikely source for their next pick – goalie [B]Ben Bishop[/B] was selected out of Texas Tornadoes (NAHL) and this pick is just wild. ISS had Bishop 141st overall going into the draft, while Blues picked him 85th in the NHL draft – while there is upside there, Bishop would’ve very likely been available around #100 in the CNGHL draft since he’s a virtual unknown. There is much to like about Bishop – at 6’6/200lbs he covers A LOT of the net and he plays a sound, stand-up game. With new equipment rules, he figures to have a big advantage over smaller goalies. He also put up fantastic numbers in the NAHL, going 35-8, however the level of competition he’s at is far from strong. Bishop will be joining the University of Maine next season, where the starting job was just vacated as Jim Howard signed with the wings. Bishop should have a decent opportunity to get playing time, but at this point this pick cannot be described as anything but a project. Irrespective of his futu Flyers’ d-man [B]Oskars Bartulis[/B] was the next reach – picked 25 spots earlier than in the NHL. This, however, is a more justifiable reach as at least I was very surprised at how far he fell in the NHL draft. Bartulis is a winger turned blue-liner and it shows especially in his offensive awareness. Bartulis spent the season with Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL and many expected him to have problems due to the combination of switching countries and position, however most were surprised at how effortlessly he adapted. His defensive skills are solid, though he needs work on his backwards skating. He also has decent size that he needs to use more and being a former forward he needs to work on the defensive aspects of his game. That said, he sacrificed offense to learn defense during most of last season and I would expect him to have a break-out season offensively this year. Potentially a solid pick up, though with high risk factor Forward [B]Juraj Mikus[/B] was next on Seals’ Eastern European tour… Mikus reminds me in many ways of Lukas Kaspar, the surprise first round pick last year – he is a great stickhandler with above average mobility but his finishing skills / hands are not good enough to back the claim of elite scoring potential. Mikus was rated very high by many scouting agencies – including #32 overall by ISS – however I am not totally convinced. He is strictly one-dimensional, has good top speed but lacks first step quickness, plays an extremely soft game to the point of shying away from traffic. He will only be effective on the top2 lines, and it remains to be seen whether he has the goods to claim a spot. I think upside may be that of Peter Sykora type player, however a more likely scenario may be Jan Hlavac. Another high risk pick, though at 77 you could definitely do worse [B]Denis Istomin[/B] was the next in line of boom or bust prospects. Istomin is as talented as anyone with the stick; he is the type of talent that can go end to end with the puck never leaving his stick, however based on international competition there simply isn’t finishing skills to back up Istomin’s claim to become a high-end scorer – in fact, the finishing skills are what leads me to believe Istomin’s upside is Afinogenov, rather than Mogilny. Istomin is a strict skills-forward like Mikus; you won’t see him in the defensive zone and he may be taken out of a game completely by physical and mobile defenders. This is a good pick at 84 for the pure upside, however risk factor is high. Best case projection: Valeri Bure. Keeping with the theme, Russian-born Dane [B]Kirill Starkov[/B] was next. A personal draft favorite of mine, Starkov has real high-end potential with a lot of question marks. Compared to Istomin, both players have great mobility and puckhandling skills, but where Starkov stands out IMO is his pure finishing upside. Starkov has the high-end potential of becoming a top-line player, however the road to get there is [u]very[/u] long. Starkov primarily needs work in three aspects – first he needs to improve on decision making and using his team mates. Far to often, you’ll see him selfishly stickhandle around until he loses the puck, looking for the highlight reel goal. Second, his defensive game is lacking, though commitment is better than for instance that of Istomin. Third, work ethic is a bit of concern – his energy and consistency level is questionable and he has yet to show that he can compete nightly. [B]Keith Yandle[/B] was a return to North American players at 97 and arguably a better pick than many of the late picks of Seals’s. Yandle has significant upside, but limited downside and will likely develop into a top4-5 d-man based on his skills package. He is a one-way d-man at this point – that being offensive – and can only be termed a project as far as defensive play goes, however he will have 4 years at college to develop. On offense, he is a formidable force, combining great mobility with a very hard slap shot and accurate passes. At 6’2/210 lbs and with great mobility, however, it remains very likely that Yandle will eventually turn into a solid pro with some seasoning [B]Ilya Zubov[/B] could well become one of the players labeled “The best not playing in the NHL” – my personal opinion is that he will never be a difference making NHL player. At 5’10/170 lbs and shunning traffic like the plague, Zubov is quite simply too much of a perimeter player and floater to become a solid pro. He put up big numbers in international competition, however vanished in the games against good opponents, especially in elimination games. Zubov has elite playmaking skills and vision and is probably going to be a sought after player in the RSL – this further reduces the likelihood of him ever coming to North America as any NHL club wanting to bring him over would have to give him an expensive one-way contract to match what he’ll be earning in Russia and I don’t believe that will happen. Think Igor Radulov Kamloops Blazers’ [B]Ray Macias[/B] was picked at 102 in pick with interesting upside. Macias development has been hurt by playing both defense and RW throughout the season, depending on the team’s injury situation. As such, he has changed partners a lot and also had difficulties settling in at either position. With this in mind, his 47pts in 69 games is very impressive. Macias stands out for his high-end mobility – his skating is very refined with explosive acceleration. He also has solid vision and playmaking skills, whereas his finishing ability is only average. His hands are likely not good enough to be a great scoring presence as a winger in the pro-ranks, however he could turn into a very dangerous offensive d-man. Considering his size and skating, some work on the defensive aspects of the game are likely to land him an NHL gig. Watch closely next year for what position Macias finally settles in – his upside as a d-man is arguably higher Seals draft finished with overage Swiss goalie [B]Tomas Popperle[/B], playing in the Czech Extraliga where he stole the starters job in Sparta Praha with 15-9-1 performance, highlighted by a .949 save% and 1.58 GAA. He further made notice when he outplayed David Aebisher to start for the Swiss team. Popperle is 21 and is closer to NHL duty than most prospects. He is a stand-up goalie with very good mobility and rebound control, however his reflexes are not elite and he’ll likely never become a game-stealing performer. Like most European goalies, his puckhandling isn’t great. Popperle is a bit of a gamble – he could well be the next Martin Gerber, however there are no indications he’s coming over to North America short-term STALEFISH 2.) Gilbert Brulé (Blue Jackets, #6, 2005) [B]Overall verdict:[/B] A- – Great move to keep the pick, and Brule is a selection as good as any for the #2 overall There were some commotion leading up to draft day as there was an alleged deal on the table to send the 2nd overall pick to Griffiths Cup runners-up Zebras. Rumors have it the deal involved top3 d-men Brian Leetch and Phillippe Boucher as well as picks/prospects, but a fax machine error cause the deal to be delayed and one of the GMs finally backed out of the deal. The pick was widely shopped around the league, with GM Johannsen looking for an offensive blue liner, but in the end the Fish kept their pick and instead elected to send the disgruntled Boucher along with Anthony Stewart and a 2nd rounder to the Blondes for Brian Rafalski. So what about the Stalefish’s pick then? Quite predictably, the team selected hometown fav [B]Gilbert Brulé[/B] to further boost their stable of forward prospects. Brulé is widely considered the most naturally talented player in the draft outside of Sid the Kid, and his package of pure offensive skills is enticing. Brulé is a sniper in the making, with excellent vision and finishing skills. His puckhandling in close quarters is matched by none and his agility and slippery skating often gets him on breakaways. He is also an extremely aggressive player, despite his smallish size, and he will force errors when putting on the pressure. The few question marks surrounding Brule has mostly to do with temper – he is not unknown for taking stupid and costly penalties however this is likely more a question of maturing. Brule has a dedication and spark which is unmatched and he is not unlikely to become a leader on a team down the line. Popular comparison is Theo Fleury for the small size and a VIOLATORS 26.) Sasha Pokoluk (Capitals, #14, 2005) 46.) Marc-Eduoard Vlasic (Sharks, #35, 2005) 67.) Chad Denny (Thrashers, #49, 2005) 92.) Joe Barnes (Hurricanes, #64, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Marc-Edouard Vlasic [B]Worst pick:[/B] Sasha Pokoluk [B]Overall verdict:[/B]C – Awful - another auto-pick victim. Violators missed the draft and quite frankly didn’t help themselves in the process – in fact; the results in some respects reminded me of Ken’s signature on the message board. The first catch was [B]Sasha Pokoluk[/B] of Cornell University. Pokoluk was not very surprisingly a Capitals draft pick (hey, this is the team which has picked Schultz, Pokoluk and Finley in the top round over two years!); a team which feels absolutely compelled picking 6’5+ blueliners in the first round whenever available. So, what’s the problem with getting an NHL 14th overall pick at 26? Well, consensus before the draft was that Pokoluk would go around 55… The size and mobility are there to lend claim to high-end potential, as is surprisingly strong passing skills, however Pokoluk is a project plain and simple. His defensive coverage and positioning are severely lacking as is his physical game. He doesn’t use his body nearly enough and too often goes after the puck rather than the player. Throw in the fact t If Pokoluk was a reach, then that’s nothing compared to [B]Marc-Edouard Vlasic[/B]. The Sharks picked him 35th overall in the NHL draft, with consensus projections indicating he’d go in the 3rd round at best. Sharks fans point to Matt Carle (in a similar situation in 2003), feeling this is a similar pick with similar upside. There is some merit to the claim – Vlasic was 5th in the QMJHL in +/- (+39) despite constantly playing opposing team’s top lines and he was the highest ranked player in +/- not playing on Sidney Crosby’s line. Vlasic also found time to produce an impressive 30 pts in 70 games. At 6’1/190, Vlasic could be bigger and will never be a great crease clearer, but he does play physical. He is very mature defensively and has above average mobility which reinforces his claim of being a solid defensive prospect. Vlasic is a sleeper that could prove to be a solid pick down the line. The fact that Sharks picked him is encouraging, partly as they are usually scouting well and [B]Chad Denny[/B] is another BIG blueliner – listed at 6’4/210lbs but probably heavier than this. He plays a solid defensive game, keeping things simple and using his massive frame effectively. His defensive positioning is very mature, likely in part due to his lacking footspeed. Skating is a real concern – it needs to be vastly upgraded if he is to take the next step, as he is frequently beaten by speedy wingers in one-on-one situations in juniors. Denny has the absolute upside of a Murray Baron type defensive stalwart, however I would be surprised if he makes it all the way to the NHL [B]Joe Barnes[/B] has been a disappointment since starting out in the CHL – everyone agree on his upside potential, however the 6’3 center has failed to make any noise as far as production goes. Despite good hands, size and mobility, Barnes hasn’t been able to get things going, partly due to playing an extremely soft game and being overpowered physically. This may in parts have to do with cracking his vertebrae in late 2003 and playing tentatively since. Be as it may, some will point to his 62pts outburst this past season as a sign things have changed, however I’d rather expect it to be largely due to having Devin Steoguchi on his wing. I’d be surprised to see Barnes crack an NHL roster VORPAL BUNNIES 15.) Martin Hanzal (Coyotes, #17, 2005) 35.) Paul Stasny (Avalanche, #44, 2005) 55.) Evan McGrath (Red Wings, #128, 2004) 76.) Michael Gergen (Penguins, #61, 2005) 101.) Vitaly Anikeyenko (Senators, #70, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Martin Hanzal [B]Worst pick:[/B] Vitaly Anikeyenko [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ – solid picks all-round Whom do you compare a 6’4/200lbs Czech prospect to? Gotta be Bobby Holik, right? [B]Martin Hanzal[/B] is this year’s Rostislav Olesz, if only less proven and his combination of size and skill had scouts salivating as he shot up the pre-draft rankings towards the end of the season. The most impressive part of Hanzal’s game is his great coordination and agility – at 6’4, he’s still quite nimble and has very good puck skills and an underrated release. He is very strong on his skates and adept at holding off defenders as he powers himself through the slot. Hanzal has no real weaknesses in his game and projections of his upside falls somewhere between Michal Handzus and Bobby Holik, though he may prove to have better offensive upside than either. A bit of a project, but with very enticing upside. Great pick at 15 – I was surprised he didn’t end up around 10-12 in the NHL draft [B]Paul Stastny[/B] went into the draft year unheralded and continued to fly under the radar of many scouting bureaus – surprisingly so since he was part of the University of Denver Pioneers team that defended their WCHA championship. Stastny is an elite playmaker in the making, with great vision and passing skills, much like his old man. He is a strong two-way threat, equally adept at shutting down opposing players as running the PP. Stastny is a stocky, if smallish player with good strength along the boards and in the faceoff circle. He lacks the pure finishing skills and mobility of an elite prospect, but will likely settle on the 2nd or 3rd lines, depending on how well his offensive game develops. His bloodlines suggest that he has what it takes to take the next step to the pros [B]Evan McGrath[/B] was arguably one of the biggest sleepers in the 2004 draft, as the Wings picked him up at the end of the 4th round. The book on McGrath hasn’t changed a lot since his draft year, however everyone has realized that he is for real – especially, his 13pts (in 15 games) playoff performance shows that he has taken the next step to deliver when the season is on the line. McGrath has fantastic hands in close and is a great all-round offensive talent. He has added some more grit to his game this season; while not being a dominating presence, it is nevertheless nice to see that he starts playing well in traffic. The downsides of McGrath have bee obvious for a long time – he isn’t particularly big at 6’0/190lbs and his mobility is only average. His previous problems with playing in traffic and showing up every night have however been less evident this season, possibly indicating that he is maturing. McGrath is a pick with great upside, possibly being a future 2nd line score [B]Michael Gergen[/B] is a smallish winger out of the USHS system, where he has lit the lamp a lot – 64 goals and 117 points in 69 games gives more indication of the league quality than of Gergen’s ability, however Gergen is a solid player with significant upside. He is a very fluid and quick skater, with great vision and finishing skills. Style-wise, he compares well to a Steve Sullivan type player, though he may well grow yet. He is committed to play through college, and is likely quite some years away from pro duty. Significant upside, however the pick is a big question mark for me Hulking rearguard [B]Vitaly Anikeyenko[/B] was somewhat surprisingly one of the earliest Russians picked in the draft, considering his limited upside. The 6’4/220lbs youngster is a defense first (well, only) defender that will consistently play the body and take his man out. His skating is average, though lateral mobility and first step quickness appears to be problems, as he is often overmatched one-on-one. Anikeyenko is one of those players who may have a heard time switching to the NHL due to the current issues with the transfer agreement – look for him to switch to CHL within 2 years if he is truly interested, since once he is established in Russia, his relative value there will be much higher than a rookie contract. Very low likelihood to see him in North America ZEBRAS 34.) Ryan Stoa (Avalanche, #34, 2005) 38.) Matt Niskanen (Stars, #28, 2005) 86.) T.J. Fast (Kings, #60, 2005) [B]Best pick:[/B] Matt Niskanen [B]Overall verdict:[/B] B+ – no stars but two very solid picks late in the 2nd round. Zebras again come out of the draft with a good performance Zebras were uncharacteristically absent from the draft and had turned to possibly the most unfocused replacement there is – the ultimate mIRC noob that had difficulties managing multiple personalities, let alone multiple chat rooms. Despite some difficulties, Zebras managed to get some solid future contributors starting with speedy winger [B]Ryan Stoa[/B] of the NTDP. Stoa is big and mobile and loves to throw his body around. He plays a solid and mature game with few weaknesses and was thought to be a sure fire 1st rounder but fell to early 2nd round. The knock of him has been low ceiling – he may not have enough talent to really possess elite ceiling, however he is solid enough in all areas to be a safe bet. Worst case, Stoa will be a valuable 3rd liner in the Dave Scatchard vein, however he could well become a speedier Mike Knuble type player that could flourish with a talented playmaker. A very solid pick at 34. Zebras next picked offensive rearguard [B]Matt Niskanen[/B], a multi-talented athlete that has been elected Player of the Year in both Hockey and Football (QB) locally the past season. Niskanen is a very promising puckmoving d-man of similar ilk as Devils’ Paul Martin, only bigger. At 6’2/200lbs, he has ideal size for the position and his mobility is first rate, both forward and backwards. Niskanen also has an underrated physical game and could well mature into a solid 2-way presence if his physical game continues to mature. Considering his work ethic and all-round athleticism, Niskanen be considered relatively likely to progress into a solid pro. Whether he can fulfill his full upside remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he develops into a top3 blueliner. [B]T.J. Fast[/B] is another offensive minded rearguard, a player that could rightfully be termed “project” at this point. Think an 18-year old Sandis Ozolinsh in [u]defensive[/u] terms and you realize Fast has a long way to go to turn pro. Even in the AJHL he has shown problems with defensive positioning and being beaten by forwards due to poor coverage. Fast still stands out in several dimensions – at 6’1/190lbs he has reasonable size and he is one of the fastest skaters in the draft class. Optimistic observers are salivating at the Brian Rafalski-type upside. I am doubtful whether Fast can make it, though the upside is definitely there. Fast is committed to college next year and it will be interesting to see how he makes the transition |