Post by Nordiques - Chris on Dec 21, 2008 14:44:32 GMT -5
Pierre "Light My Fire" Maguire
of TSN (for those of you south of the border, it's our
semi-equivalent of ESPN)
Review of the JGHL 2008 Entry Draft
(with some insight after a few beers with Flames GM Chris Ralph)
1st rnd thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, Flames GM Ralph off the record says the 1st round played out "beautifully" giving the draft positions they had. Admittedly, Chris stated actively he tried to move up in a position to draft Drew Doughty, but that didn't happen in the end. The Flames philosophy has been from day 1 to draft the infamous "best player available". In this draft, they went in with hopes of strengthening "D" prospects and hoping to nab an elite goalie prospect as well, but GM Ralph admits he hates the idea of drafting a goalie in the 1st round. With their 12 overall selection, they selected Colten Teubert, who their scouts compare to Shea Weber. With the 18th and 19th selections, they took Eric Karlsson and Michael Del Zotto (MDZ). Chris stated he actually considered both of these guys with the 12 overall pick, but in the end hoped that at least one of these guys would slip. Both are offensively minded dmen who will need plenty of seasoning before they're ready to make significant contributions in the JGHL. Tyler Myers was stongly considered here with these picks, but they later passed on the giant dman prospect.
At 24th the Flames again got their guy - John Carlson is a boy in a
man's body. He has a great 2-way game and is averaging close to a ppg this yr, his 1st in the OHL, after playing in the USHL last season. With the 26th pick, the Flames finally selected a forward after 4 dmen - Mattias Tedenby, who they were surprised was still on the board. The small, but super quick & highly skilled swede will also need some time to develop his game. Some scouts thought he had top 10 talent.
Other winners in the 1st rnd:
- LA: Drew Doughty might be the best overall player form this yr's
draft when it's all said & done. The Kings have themselves a
franchise dman to build around.
- TO: Boedker - the speedy skilled forward will likely have an impact in the JGHL as soon as next season. Kyle Beach - the power forward slipped a bit, but maybe there's a reason for that; If the Leafs can somewhat tame this beast, they might have themselves a monster.
Speaking of monsters, Tyler Myers also slipped big time in the 1st
rnd; the question is will he develop into a Chara-clone or a
mild-mannered Boris Valabik.
- BlackHawks: 3 fab centers - I think all 3 of Wilson, Hodgson &
Bailey will have an impact in the JGHL; the future in Chicago is
bright indeed.
High Risk, High Reward: EDM: Joe Colbourne - this 6'5" forward is
playing nicely in the NCAA ranks with Unin of Denver after a slow start. If he puts it altogether, teams may be wishing they drafted him top 5.
Safe Pick: St Lou: Luca Sbisa - this dman looks like the real thing
and could make an impact as soon as next season.
2nd round thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, GM Ralph simply stated "I love it when a plan comes together!" When Jacob Markstrom was still on the board, the Flames wasted no time with the 33rd selection. Chris explained he hates taking goalies in the 1st rnd, but honestly considered Markstrom at 12 overall, thinking he probably should've went top 10.
At 18, he's by far top goalie in the Swedish Elite League, taking a
weak team on his back and making them quite competitive; he might be the top playerin the SEL! GM Ralph rolled the dice that at least 1 of Markstrom or McCollum would drop to 33rd. Coach Bobby Orr admittedly said about 300 explicits when learning Kipper was traded to the Sabres for Pascal Leclaire and a couple of 2nd rnders. After, GM Ralph and the scouting team showed him a video of Markstrom, who was selected with the 1st 2nd rnder received in the deal, Orr was speechless, but had a huge smile on his face. With the 41st selection the Flames nabbed Patrick Wiercioch, a dman relatively unknown to Flames scouts this summer, but who they have since been watching closely. As an 18 yr old, this kid has quickly emerged as the #1 dman on a top NCAA team, with fellow prospect Colbourne at the Univ of Denver, avaeraging about a ppg. At 6'3" or 6'4" he has some filling out to do, but he might definitely be a hidden gem.
Other winners in the 2nd rnd:
- LA: The Kings continued to add depth to their prospect ranks. Colby Robak has nice size and great skating ability and is gradually putting it altogether. He should be a solid dman in the future. Jared Staal might've been taken a little early according to a # of JGHL scouts, but you have got to love the size, potential and bloodlines.
- BlackHawks: I detect a trend. Chicago landed themselves a top notch premiere goalie prospect. He might take some time to develop, as most young goalies do, but he sure looks like a good one. Stefanovich is one of those high risk/high reward guys, but when he wants to, the guy can sure play. Brandon Burlon is a solid young dman prospect as well.
- Dallas: The Stars were likely wishful to land Markstrom or
McCollum, but still managed to land a high end goalie prospect. The Stars also nabbed a guy who slipped to them at 46th - Maxime Sauve, who is a speedy skilled forward. He plays on a terrible juniour team in the Q and still manages a ppg. This guy would likely challenge for the scoring title if he was on a better team. He will turn heads in the future. He draws comparisons to Simon Gagne.
2nd rnd "Sleepers"
- At 43rd, the Leafs picked Evgeny Grachev, who looks to be a good forward; good to see he took the initiative to come to NA and is having a fantastic rookie season in the OHL.
- At 50th, the Canucks landed themselves a crazy looking surfer dude in Mitch Wahl, who happens to know how to play hockey - and very well at that!
3rd round thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, they had just one selection - the last selection of the round in which they added depth to their goalie ranks with Dustin Tokarski. This small goalie is simply a winner. He was outstanding in winning the Memorial Cup last yr is going about his business the same way this season. He has also just been named to Team Canada's World Junior team for 08-09, and will challenge Chet Pitkard for the starting role. Of course, size will be his biggest obstacle to overcome.
Other winners of the 3rd rnd: (note: Maguire is not biased to any
teams...lol...just the way it has turned out!)
LA: With 2 picks right off the top for the 2nd rnd in a row, the
Kings again made good use of them. Dmitri Kugryshev is a slick
offensive forward who actually outscored Filatov, his teammate last yr in Russia. He's also come over to NA and has played outstanding this yr in the junior ranks. Shawn Lalonde is a smooth-skating dman who has nice upside.
Black Hawks: Landing dmen Roman Josi and Michael Stone in the 3rd round is a big bonus for the Hawks. These guys can play, and likely shoulve've landed at the very least in the 2nd rnd.
Montreal: landed a trio of nice prospects, definitely worthy of 3rd
rnd picks. I thought Cormier and Stepan would go in the 2nd.
Buffalo: Luke Adam should be a good one and he is from Newfoundland! Not sure how he'll project as a JGHLer, but MA Bourdon has been outstanding in the Quebec Major Junior League.
Super Classy Move: GM Ron Giovannini of the NJ Devils attempted to select the brother of JGHLer Matt Carle, David Carle, who had pulled himself out of the draft because unfortunately of a recently diagnosed heart problem. In the end the Devils ended up with dman prospect Cory Fienhage. Classy move, by classy vet. GM, aka "Coach".
Hit or Miss: Kirill Petrov, T-Bay, if he ever comes to NA could be an
intriguing forward, who some scouts say has 1st rnd talent.
Sleepers: Both from the Wild selections of Corey Trivino and Justin
Jokinen; both forwards off to slow starts in the NCAA, but they have plenty of talent - might be interesting to keep your eyes on these guys.
The Biggest Loser: Rangers - with a chance to add 3 solid players to help the rebuilding process, NYR missed the deadline for submitting picks. Even though it's 3rd rnd picks, I believe this blunder has set the franchise back even further than before.
At least, with the made-up missed picks they managed to land 3 solid prospect, anyhow. Brandon MacMillan is a gamer, but not sure how his game projects to the JGHL. Scott Winkler & Matt Donovan are having solid yrs in the USHL, but it's hard to judge numbers from this league.
Fourth Round thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, with their only pick of the 4th round,
they were pleasantly surprised to be able to pick up TJ Brodie. The slick young dman has been on their radar big time since this past summer. He's been averaging a ppg in the OHL and sure looks like he's got game.
Other winners and savvy picks:
- TBay: Jamie Arniel - The forward has put away his attitude this yr, or at least put them to good use, as he even earned a tryout for Canada's World Junior Entry - although didn't make the final cut.
- Panthers: Harri Sateri, from the Finnish hotbed of 'tenders; he could prove to be a major sleeper - thought he might go earlier.
- Wings: David Toews - the forward was projected to go higher. He's off to a slow start in the NCAA, but there's no denying his offensive potential. Great bloodlines, although smaller than big bro stud Jonathon.
- Rangers: Braden Holtby - solid goalie prospect from this position; this kid has all the tools.
- Oilers: Mike Murphy - this kid proving all the scouts wrong, as he's shutting down the OHL with his unorthodox style. Michal Jordan - this Czech kid is putting it all together as a solid 2 way dman in his 2nd yr in the OHL.
- Avs: Danick Paquette: the tough guy with hands definitely worth the pick here, but his skating needs work.
- Kings: 6'4" dman Adam Comrie - surprised to see the 2way big dman still available in 4th rnd; he has a respectable 18 pts in 28 games in the OHL.
Fifth Round Thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, thay again landed 2 guys who were in the top 3 of their 5th rnd wish list. Kristoffer Berglund is smallish, but slick 2-way dman who had a great World Junior tourney last yr, when GM Ralph 1st saw him play. He's having a fine season in the SEL.
Stefan Della Rovere (aka SDR) came out of nowhere it seems and has only landed on the Flames scouts' plates about a month ago. He's an energetic forward who has been scoring at a clip of more than a ppg this yr in the OHL. He also came out of nowhere to just land a spot on Team Canada's World Junior entry this yr. Chris stated it's guys like this you want on your team and love to coach.
Other winners and savvy picks:
- Minnesota: Matt Calvert - this small, speedy, skilled & smart forward can play. Unfortunately got injured during Team Canada Junior tryouts. He plays on one of the best lines in the WHL. & CHL as a whole, with the Kelowna Rockets.
- Wings: Michael Hutchinson - solid 'tender prospect from this draft position.
- Panthers: Andre Petersson - the crafty small Swede center will be one to watch at the upcoming WJC. His defensive zone coverage needs plenty of work.
- Blues: Adam Henrique - has really picked up hiw scoring with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, clicking at about 1.3 ppg; nice 5th rnd sleeper.
- Oilers: Matt Delahey - GM Ralph has worked with this guy's Aunt, and this rock solid dman grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan; ya just gotta be pullin' for this kid to make it.
- Avs: Ian Schultz - GM Ralph really likes this kid and has seen him play plenty with Calgary Hitmen. He's a super tough forward with smarts and hands to match. He could surprise.
- Canucks: Justin Azevedo - he's been passed over in a couple of drafts already, but this guy has earned his shot to be at the very least drafted. All he does his score! He's even proved it this yr, his 1st in the AHL.
Of course, it's gonna take some time to truly evaluate the talent from this year's draft, but I for one believe this has been a really strong draft class.
This is Pierre "Light My Fire" Maguire reporting for TSN and thanking Flames GM Chris Ralph for his insight on this year's JGHL entry draft...and for picking up our beer tab!
Comments and feedback welcomed.
of TSN (for those of you south of the border, it's our
semi-equivalent of ESPN)
Review of the JGHL 2008 Entry Draft
(with some insight after a few beers with Flames GM Chris Ralph)
1st rnd thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, Flames GM Ralph off the record says the 1st round played out "beautifully" giving the draft positions they had. Admittedly, Chris stated actively he tried to move up in a position to draft Drew Doughty, but that didn't happen in the end. The Flames philosophy has been from day 1 to draft the infamous "best player available". In this draft, they went in with hopes of strengthening "D" prospects and hoping to nab an elite goalie prospect as well, but GM Ralph admits he hates the idea of drafting a goalie in the 1st round. With their 12 overall selection, they selected Colten Teubert, who their scouts compare to Shea Weber. With the 18th and 19th selections, they took Eric Karlsson and Michael Del Zotto (MDZ). Chris stated he actually considered both of these guys with the 12 overall pick, but in the end hoped that at least one of these guys would slip. Both are offensively minded dmen who will need plenty of seasoning before they're ready to make significant contributions in the JGHL. Tyler Myers was stongly considered here with these picks, but they later passed on the giant dman prospect.
At 24th the Flames again got their guy - John Carlson is a boy in a
man's body. He has a great 2-way game and is averaging close to a ppg this yr, his 1st in the OHL, after playing in the USHL last season. With the 26th pick, the Flames finally selected a forward after 4 dmen - Mattias Tedenby, who they were surprised was still on the board. The small, but super quick & highly skilled swede will also need some time to develop his game. Some scouts thought he had top 10 talent.
Other winners in the 1st rnd:
- LA: Drew Doughty might be the best overall player form this yr's
draft when it's all said & done. The Kings have themselves a
franchise dman to build around.
- TO: Boedker - the speedy skilled forward will likely have an impact in the JGHL as soon as next season. Kyle Beach - the power forward slipped a bit, but maybe there's a reason for that; If the Leafs can somewhat tame this beast, they might have themselves a monster.
Speaking of monsters, Tyler Myers also slipped big time in the 1st
rnd; the question is will he develop into a Chara-clone or a
mild-mannered Boris Valabik.
- BlackHawks: 3 fab centers - I think all 3 of Wilson, Hodgson &
Bailey will have an impact in the JGHL; the future in Chicago is
bright indeed.
High Risk, High Reward: EDM: Joe Colbourne - this 6'5" forward is
playing nicely in the NCAA ranks with Unin of Denver after a slow start. If he puts it altogether, teams may be wishing they drafted him top 5.
Safe Pick: St Lou: Luca Sbisa - this dman looks like the real thing
and could make an impact as soon as next season.
2nd round thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, GM Ralph simply stated "I love it when a plan comes together!" When Jacob Markstrom was still on the board, the Flames wasted no time with the 33rd selection. Chris explained he hates taking goalies in the 1st rnd, but honestly considered Markstrom at 12 overall, thinking he probably should've went top 10.
At 18, he's by far top goalie in the Swedish Elite League, taking a
weak team on his back and making them quite competitive; he might be the top playerin the SEL! GM Ralph rolled the dice that at least 1 of Markstrom or McCollum would drop to 33rd. Coach Bobby Orr admittedly said about 300 explicits when learning Kipper was traded to the Sabres for Pascal Leclaire and a couple of 2nd rnders. After, GM Ralph and the scouting team showed him a video of Markstrom, who was selected with the 1st 2nd rnder received in the deal, Orr was speechless, but had a huge smile on his face. With the 41st selection the Flames nabbed Patrick Wiercioch, a dman relatively unknown to Flames scouts this summer, but who they have since been watching closely. As an 18 yr old, this kid has quickly emerged as the #1 dman on a top NCAA team, with fellow prospect Colbourne at the Univ of Denver, avaeraging about a ppg. At 6'3" or 6'4" he has some filling out to do, but he might definitely be a hidden gem.
Other winners in the 2nd rnd:
- LA: The Kings continued to add depth to their prospect ranks. Colby Robak has nice size and great skating ability and is gradually putting it altogether. He should be a solid dman in the future. Jared Staal might've been taken a little early according to a # of JGHL scouts, but you have got to love the size, potential and bloodlines.
- BlackHawks: I detect a trend. Chicago landed themselves a top notch premiere goalie prospect. He might take some time to develop, as most young goalies do, but he sure looks like a good one. Stefanovich is one of those high risk/high reward guys, but when he wants to, the guy can sure play. Brandon Burlon is a solid young dman prospect as well.
- Dallas: The Stars were likely wishful to land Markstrom or
McCollum, but still managed to land a high end goalie prospect. The Stars also nabbed a guy who slipped to them at 46th - Maxime Sauve, who is a speedy skilled forward. He plays on a terrible juniour team in the Q and still manages a ppg. This guy would likely challenge for the scoring title if he was on a better team. He will turn heads in the future. He draws comparisons to Simon Gagne.
2nd rnd "Sleepers"
- At 43rd, the Leafs picked Evgeny Grachev, who looks to be a good forward; good to see he took the initiative to come to NA and is having a fantastic rookie season in the OHL.
- At 50th, the Canucks landed themselves a crazy looking surfer dude in Mitch Wahl, who happens to know how to play hockey - and very well at that!
3rd round thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, they had just one selection - the last selection of the round in which they added depth to their goalie ranks with Dustin Tokarski. This small goalie is simply a winner. He was outstanding in winning the Memorial Cup last yr is going about his business the same way this season. He has also just been named to Team Canada's World Junior team for 08-09, and will challenge Chet Pitkard for the starting role. Of course, size will be his biggest obstacle to overcome.
Other winners of the 3rd rnd: (note: Maguire is not biased to any
teams...lol...just the way it has turned out!)
LA: With 2 picks right off the top for the 2nd rnd in a row, the
Kings again made good use of them. Dmitri Kugryshev is a slick
offensive forward who actually outscored Filatov, his teammate last yr in Russia. He's also come over to NA and has played outstanding this yr in the junior ranks. Shawn Lalonde is a smooth-skating dman who has nice upside.
Black Hawks: Landing dmen Roman Josi and Michael Stone in the 3rd round is a big bonus for the Hawks. These guys can play, and likely shoulve've landed at the very least in the 2nd rnd.
Montreal: landed a trio of nice prospects, definitely worthy of 3rd
rnd picks. I thought Cormier and Stepan would go in the 2nd.
Buffalo: Luke Adam should be a good one and he is from Newfoundland! Not sure how he'll project as a JGHLer, but MA Bourdon has been outstanding in the Quebec Major Junior League.
Super Classy Move: GM Ron Giovannini of the NJ Devils attempted to select the brother of JGHLer Matt Carle, David Carle, who had pulled himself out of the draft because unfortunately of a recently diagnosed heart problem. In the end the Devils ended up with dman prospect Cory Fienhage. Classy move, by classy vet. GM, aka "Coach".
Hit or Miss: Kirill Petrov, T-Bay, if he ever comes to NA could be an
intriguing forward, who some scouts say has 1st rnd talent.
Sleepers: Both from the Wild selections of Corey Trivino and Justin
Jokinen; both forwards off to slow starts in the NCAA, but they have plenty of talent - might be interesting to keep your eyes on these guys.
The Biggest Loser: Rangers - with a chance to add 3 solid players to help the rebuilding process, NYR missed the deadline for submitting picks. Even though it's 3rd rnd picks, I believe this blunder has set the franchise back even further than before.
At least, with the made-up missed picks they managed to land 3 solid prospect, anyhow. Brandon MacMillan is a gamer, but not sure how his game projects to the JGHL. Scott Winkler & Matt Donovan are having solid yrs in the USHL, but it's hard to judge numbers from this league.
Fourth Round thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, with their only pick of the 4th round,
they were pleasantly surprised to be able to pick up TJ Brodie. The slick young dman has been on their radar big time since this past summer. He's been averaging a ppg in the OHL and sure looks like he's got game.
Other winners and savvy picks:
- TBay: Jamie Arniel - The forward has put away his attitude this yr, or at least put them to good use, as he even earned a tryout for Canada's World Junior Entry - although didn't make the final cut.
- Panthers: Harri Sateri, from the Finnish hotbed of 'tenders; he could prove to be a major sleeper - thought he might go earlier.
- Wings: David Toews - the forward was projected to go higher. He's off to a slow start in the NCAA, but there's no denying his offensive potential. Great bloodlines, although smaller than big bro stud Jonathon.
- Rangers: Braden Holtby - solid goalie prospect from this position; this kid has all the tools.
- Oilers: Mike Murphy - this kid proving all the scouts wrong, as he's shutting down the OHL with his unorthodox style. Michal Jordan - this Czech kid is putting it all together as a solid 2 way dman in his 2nd yr in the OHL.
- Avs: Danick Paquette: the tough guy with hands definitely worth the pick here, but his skating needs work.
- Kings: 6'4" dman Adam Comrie - surprised to see the 2way big dman still available in 4th rnd; he has a respectable 18 pts in 28 games in the OHL.
Fifth Round Thoughts:
From the Flames perspective, thay again landed 2 guys who were in the top 3 of their 5th rnd wish list. Kristoffer Berglund is smallish, but slick 2-way dman who had a great World Junior tourney last yr, when GM Ralph 1st saw him play. He's having a fine season in the SEL.
Stefan Della Rovere (aka SDR) came out of nowhere it seems and has only landed on the Flames scouts' plates about a month ago. He's an energetic forward who has been scoring at a clip of more than a ppg this yr in the OHL. He also came out of nowhere to just land a spot on Team Canada's World Junior entry this yr. Chris stated it's guys like this you want on your team and love to coach.
Other winners and savvy picks:
- Minnesota: Matt Calvert - this small, speedy, skilled & smart forward can play. Unfortunately got injured during Team Canada Junior tryouts. He plays on one of the best lines in the WHL. & CHL as a whole, with the Kelowna Rockets.
- Wings: Michael Hutchinson - solid 'tender prospect from this draft position.
- Panthers: Andre Petersson - the crafty small Swede center will be one to watch at the upcoming WJC. His defensive zone coverage needs plenty of work.
- Blues: Adam Henrique - has really picked up hiw scoring with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, clicking at about 1.3 ppg; nice 5th rnd sleeper.
- Oilers: Matt Delahey - GM Ralph has worked with this guy's Aunt, and this rock solid dman grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan; ya just gotta be pullin' for this kid to make it.
- Avs: Ian Schultz - GM Ralph really likes this kid and has seen him play plenty with Calgary Hitmen. He's a super tough forward with smarts and hands to match. He could surprise.
- Canucks: Justin Azevedo - he's been passed over in a couple of drafts already, but this guy has earned his shot to be at the very least drafted. All he does his score! He's even proved it this yr, his 1st in the AHL.
Of course, it's gonna take some time to truly evaluate the talent from this year's draft, but I for one believe this has been a really strong draft class.
This is Pierre "Light My Fire" Maguire reporting for TSN and thanking Flames GM Chris Ralph for his insight on this year's JGHL entry draft...and for picking up our beer tab!
Comments and feedback welcomed.