draft talk

[supersuk]

?????

none?

[joel]

nothing to extraordinary about the draft cept some of the big trades. philly trades and minny trade

[joel]

i guess i'll give my take on some of the entry draft guys. feel free to ask questions or talk to me directly. i am always open and forward about my opinions with hockey talk.j

RNH is the easy favorite, high end skill in a small frame, very comparable to p.kane imo. there is lots of ppl who believe he will not make the team out of camp due to his size and edm is probably in no rush to bring him up so soon either. that being said he may just have enough skill to make the team anyways. in any case edm's signed him in case he proves all the doubters wrong... if he does make the team it won't be in a checking role though. he is the future top C for this team.

couturier - was the expected #1 pick at the beginning of season, he made canada's wj team as the only 17 yr old. has a good size and skill package. some of the hype has dropped off of him this season but he hasn't really disappointed this year. plays both ends of the ice and has a complete game. he will be an nhl player. due to philly's depth at forward, he'll probably spend another season in the juniors. most other teams he probably would have made it. he'll have some really great linemates to play with once he makes it though and will be a good replacement for briere once his career winds down.

landeskog - physically dominant specimen... he is ready for the nhl come fall. physically he was probably able to play in the nhl this past season as 17yr old. his wjr tourney was cut short by injury so he did not get to showcase his talent internationally. loads of intangibles, like leadership and grit. he will be a hard person to play against. he may have a shot a top 6 job out of camp as colorado's wind depth is not great. he could be a calder candidate if he finds a top 6 job and chemistry with linemates.

that's it for now. i'll put up some more later.

[joel]

huberdeau - florida hope's he will be their future #1 Centre. And he has the skill package to do it. is definitely not NHL ready at this point. look for him to be a key piece to canada's wjr team this winter. Needs to add a lot more strength and weight if he is to play in the NHL. It may take more than a year for him to add the bulk he'll need to compete at the NHL. Has shown that he can compete in high pressured situations with his Q and Memorial championships this past year.

murphy - prototypical small offensive defensemen. he has an extremely high ceiling in terms of offensive production. he has great skating skills and great offensive instincts. his shot is not as good as Ellis another comparable small dmen. there are some major concerns regarding his size however. there are some opinions that he will never be able to compete at the NHL level. if he had a larger frame, he'd likely have been in discussions about 1st overall pick. an nhl comparison may be m.a. bergeron or if everything comes together, rafalski.

[joel]

larsson - larsson's already spent 2 seasons playing with men at the SEL. He is projected by many scouts to be a franchise defenseman and simply poised in all areas of the ice. with little competition he is set up to be the future top dmen in NJ and likely very soon. his spot this fall is all but secured. he has a good sized frame and good speed and sees the ice very well. His offensive numbers in the SEL last season were less than impressive. In terms of fantasy value, it is still a question mark whether he'll be able to put up high level offensive numbers in the NHL or just moderate numbers though. he certainly has the tools to put big numbers, but has not really showcased it at a high level yet. that being said he is in the perfect situation in NJ to prove he can put up big numbers.

[joel]

zibanenjad - zibs was the top forward taken from europe this past draft. has great size, tenacity and two way play. he's not afraid of the physical play and was good taking draws against men this past year in the SEL. H had decent offensive numbers as a 17 year old in the SEL as well. playing in ott he'll have plenty of opportunity. He will probably spend another year in sweden, but he is physically ready enough to make the team this fall if he wanted. He projects to be a power forward in the nhl and the size and skill package is similiar to a more physical mikko koivu type player with slightly better skating.