NHL DraftBuzz

Odds and Ends

2007-06-23T23:24:00.001-04:00

First, DraftBuzz would like to apologize to everyone who expected real time commentary on the draft. Unexpected heavy traffic hindered our ability to post and modify new additions to the website and as a result we could not comment on the draft as originally planned.

We are truly sorry, and again apologize to everyone.

Second, DraftBuzz would also like to thank everyone who sent compliments, comments, and/or kept us busy with draft chat through e-mail, all linked websites and bloggers who put trust in our ability to sustain a reliable scouting site, and all the committed "DraftBuzz" followers who helped make this site a joy to watch grow!

Speaking of growth, draftbuzz.blogspot.com is moving to an official .com in the near future (www.draftbuzzhockey.com) and is contemplating releasing a complete 2008 Draft Guide Magazine (next May/June) and possibly even a Mid-Season/Half year report (January).

We hope everyone enjoyed the draft as much as we did, and is looking forward to the 2007-2008 prospect tracking season! DraftBuzz will take a much needed respite from the heavy work of the past month or so, but will be back shortly (mid-July at the latest) with an exciting look at next year's draft eligibles.

DraftBuzz 31-100 Ranking

2007-06-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

31. PK Subban D (CAN)
32. Dana Tyrell F (CAN)
33. Brandon Sutter F (CAN)
34. Angelo Esposito F (CAN)
35. Patrick White F (USA)
36. Drayson Bowman F (CAN)
37. Aaron Palushaj F (USA)
38. Jeremy Smith G (CAN)
39. Riley Nash F (CAN)
40. Nick Ross D (CAN)
41. Nichlas Torp D (SWE)
42. Michal Repik F (CZE)
43. Ruslan Bashkirov F (RUS)
44. Zach Torquato F (CAN)
45. T.J. Brennan D (USA)
46. Jim O’Brien F/D (USA)
47. Josh Kidd D (CAN)
48. Simon Lacroix D (CAN)
49. Kent Patterson G (USA)
50. Olivier Fortier F (CAN)
51. Ian Cole D (USA)
52. TJ Galiardi F (USA)
53. Juraj Valach D (CZE)
54. Nick Larson F (USA)
55. Spencer Machacek F (CAN)
56. Joel Gistedt G (SWE)
57. Drew MacKenzie D (USA)
58. Brendan Smith D (CAN)
59. Mario Kempe F (SWE)
60. Teddy Ruth D (USA)
61. Luca Caputi F (CAN)
62. Mark Katic D (CAN)
63. Maxime Gratchev F (USA/RUS)
64. Ben Ryan F (USA)
65. Kurtis Mucha G (CAN)
66. Nico Sacchetti F (USA)
67. Nick Spaling F (CAN)
68. Michael Dorr F (USA)
69. Harri Ilvonen D (FIN)
70. Colton Sceviour F (CAN)
71. David Skokan F (CZE)
72. Will Weber D (USA)
73. Jake Hansen F (USA)
74. Vladimir Ruzicka F (CZE)
75. Brad Malone F (USA)
76. Casey Pierro-Zabotel F (CAN)
77. Tyson Sexsmith G (CAN)
78.Justin Vaive F (USA)
79. Nick Bonino F (USA)
80. Maxim Goncharov D (RUS)
81. Matt Marshall F (USA)
82. Luca Cunti F (SUI)
83. Mike Hoeffel F (USA)
84. Eric Tangradi F (USA)
85. Martin Ylven F (NOR)
86. Eric Doyle D (CAN)
87. Colby Cohen D (USA)
88. Linus Omark F (SWE)
89. Aaron Alphonso F (CAN)
90. Ben Blood D (USA)
91. Maxime Tanguay F (CAN)
92. Sebastien Erixon D (SWE)
93. Denis Reul D (GER)
94. Sergei Korostin F (RUS)
95. Nick Palmieri F (USA)
96. Joakim Andersson F (SWE)
97. CA Messier F (CAN)
98. Trevor Cann G (CAN)
99. Alex Plante D (CAN)
100. Paul Thompson F (USA)

DraftBuzz 2nd Round Mock Draft

2007-06-17T20:45:00.000-04:00

31. Buffalo Sabres - Brett MacLean - Wing - Oshawa Generals
~With their first selection coming this late in the early second round, Buffalo jumps on one of the draft's biggest goal scorers and possible BPA with the lumbering winger from Oshawa. MacLean is a pretty solid guy at 6'1'' 200 lbs, and Buffalo will look forward to introducing a young power winger who hopefully follows the same footsteps as Vanek. They have pretty good defensive prospect depth, allowing them to pass on Tommy Cross who was the other consideration at this pick.
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32. Phoenix - PK Subban - Defense - Belleville Bulls
~After selecting two exciting scoring wingers in Van Riemsdyk and Hjalmarsson, Phoenix opts to add another offensive threat this time on the blueline. Subban has great individual talents like shooting, skating, and puckhandling, and offers the Coyotes a skilled defender to grow alongside more brawny, less dynamic defenders like Jones, Summers, and Stephenson. Phoenix could look at the all round Swede, Nichlas Torp here as well.
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33. Vancouver Canucks - Brandon Sutter - Center - Red Deer Rebels
~After a hard decision to go with MacMillan at the 25th overall, Vancouver is rewarded with great timing and forecasting. Adding MacMillan stopped the bleeding for the Canucks who had abysmal prospect depth down the middle, and Sutter now helps strengthen that concern even more. Sutter is a bit more skilled than MacMillan with softer hands and greater playmaking and anticipation, but he's a bigger risk. If he puts his tools all together, we could see a 6'3'' 200+ two way Canuck with underrated hands a few years down the line. Patrick White could be a second option to Sutter.
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34. Washington Capitals - Riley Nash - Center - Salmon Arm Silverbacks
~With another second round pick at their hands at 46, Washington does not hesitate to add another forward with skill. Nash is just the guy they wanted; he will offer the Capitals a slick playmaker to hopefully one day place in the middle of Semin and/or Cherepanov. Nash will need some time to establish himself and grow into his tall, lanky frame at Cornell but with Backstrom, Nash, and Gillies, Washington looks to have a healthy 1-2-3 punch down the middle. Nichlas Torp could be an intriguing option to add a steady, two way blueliner to incongruent group of defense prospects.
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35. Chicago Blackhawks - Dana Tyrell - Left Wing - Prince George Cougars
~With a loaded prospect pool that hosts a lot of personalities, one personality that should help bring them altogether will come from Dana Tyrell. Tyrell is a heart and soul competitor on the ice who has unmatched dedication to fitness off the ice. He has great character, and most importantly great speed to keep up with future Blackhawk stars. Tyrell looks like he will at the very least have the complimentary speed and hands to keep up with talented 2nd/3rd line teammates like Bolland/Skille. With great center and right wing prospect depth, Tyrell will help the light left side greatly. Chicago could entertain selecting the best goaltender in the draft in Jeremy Smith or big hard working winger like Spencer Machacek.
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36. Edmonton - Ruslan Bashkirov - Wing - Quebec Remparts
~Edmonton is up again and this time has confidence in their defensive depth thanks to the previous selections of Kevin Shattenkirk and Kevin Marshall. Because of this, the Oilers will elect to pass on Tommy Cross and take the strong Russian who has a beautiful release. His shot is quick and tricky, but he needs to improve his acceleration to better use it in all areas of the ice. Edmonton needs some goal scorers from the wing especially so Bashkirov could be a welcomed selection here at 36.
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37. Columbus - Patrick White - Center - Grand Rapids HS
~After feeling a little guilty about passing over Sam Gagner for the blossoming yank defenseman McDonagh, a gift by the name of Patrick White falls into their laps in the second round. White is a great value pick this late and gives Columbus another forward to look forward to. He is a goal scorer with solid skating and puck skills. As for other options, Columbus could add another defenseman in Tommy Cross.
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38. Boston Bruins - Tommy Cross - Defense - USHSE
~The 2007 draft has shaped up to be one run by the best player available philosophy after stealing Sam Gagner for the Bruins. Playing for Westminster, Boston has likely had a good look at the all around, big American blueliner. Just acquiring a hulk in McQuaid may make the Bruins look to another style of blueliner, possibly Valach or Brennan, but they cannot pass on Cross here. The problem of having an abundance of big, steady but not too offensive blueliners (Alberts, Stuart, McQuaid) will sort itself out over time, and the Bruins are just pleased to see Cross slip to them.
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39. St. Louis Blues - Nichlas Torp - Defense - Sweden Jr.
~Whoever said this was a weak draft must have been jealous that STL owned four picks within the first 40 selections. STL has hit every area of weakness skater wise in their system with the selections of Blum, Mayorov, Legein, and now Torp. Torp is one of those savvy Swedish blueliners who can do everything well; he is a leader as well and exudes a calming influence when he's on the ice. STL now has built a defensive wall with Johnson, Blum, and Torp to place around Schwarz/Bishop.
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40. Florida – Jeremy Smith - Goaltender - Plymouth Whalers
~After taking the athletic defender Petrecki with their 10th overall selection, Florida gets themselves a bluechip goaltender prospect - or atleast the number one rated overall in the draft. With a goalie like Smith now in their system, Florida can relax a little and watch him develop. Another defender like Ian Cole could be a decent option instead.
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41. San Jose Sharks - Alex Killorn - Center - USHSE
~San Jose is without a first round pick this year, so they will most likely wait for the best player available to fall to them at their second rounder. Talent wise the draft becomes a bit fuzzy starting at this point. Accordingly, we see the big, powerful center Killorn being a great option for the Sharks at their first pick in the 2007 entry draft. He offers a big body, with a great shot and good raw upside. Whether he plays another year of HS Prep or jumps to the USHL next year remains to be seen, but he will play for Harvard in 2008.
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42. Minnesota Wild - Ted Ruth - Defense - NTDP
~With pretty good forward depth, Minnesota goes the route of a defenseman again. With the last pick of Hickey, the Wild added a smooth two way blueliner who leans to being more offensive. With the selection of Ruth, they get a stay at home defenseman who prides himself on taking care of the play in his own zone. Ruth is a very simple player and gives Minnesota a defense prospect they can count on unlike Thelen for instance. Although it is unclear how much his offensive game will improve, Ruth is a good bet to make it as a reliable bottom pairing defenseman.
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43. Montreal Canadiens - Juraj Valach - Defense - Tri City Americans
~Montreal shoots for the stars again with the selection another project pick who is a monstrous puck mover in Juraj Valach. They definately are not scared to roll the dice on the slick puckhandler and opportunistic Czech import who played well this past season in the Dub. Montreal needs to add an offensive defenseman this coming draft, so they could entertain players like Cole and Brennan here as well.
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44. Toronto Maple Leafs - Joakim Andersson - Center - Frolunda
~With their second round pick, Toronto adds a center to a forward prospect pool that needs another top end talent or two. Already having drafted Ellerby, the Leafs are happy to see the effective two way centerman still on the board. Andersson is a complete player if you do not care about his skating, but his quickness, agility, and straight line skating need some serious work. He is in the same boat as players like MacLean and Bonino, but with some hard work the Leafs hope he overcomes this problem. If for some reason the Leafs see Jarkko Immonen in Andersson, who was easily let go in a trade for Brian Leetch and is a similar subpar skater with good skill, they may take the route of slick center Galiardi or power winger Tangradi.
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45. Colorado Avalanche - T.J. Galiardi - Center - Dartmouth
~Pick number 45 starts the second round fun for the Avalanche as they have three second rounders in total. Thus, they jump on the chance to draft T.J. Galiardi, who is a fluid skater and constant offensive presence, feeling some heat from Tampa Bay who looks to need any solid forward with a pulse. Just like Perron, Galiardi is an '88 and a year older than most of the prospects available. However, Colorado likes the fact that he played with a Colorado draft pick in David Jones, and likes Galiardi's ability to create offense.
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46. Washington Capitals - Nick Ross - Defense - Regina Pats
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47. Tampa Bay Lightning - Zach Torquato - Center - Saginaw Spirit
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48. New York Rangers - Kent Patterson - Goalie - Cedar Rapids Rough Riders
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49. Colorado Avalanche - Joel Gistedt - Goalie - Sweden Jr.
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50. Dallas Stars - Olivier Fortier - Center - Rimouski Oceanic
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51. Pittsburgh Penguins - Maxime Gratchev - Left Wing - Rimouski Oceanic
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52. Los Angeles Kings - Brendan Smith - Defense - St. Michael's Buzzers
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53. Columbus Blue Jackets - Ian Cole - Defense - NTDP
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54. Nashville Predators - Nico Sacchetti - Center - USHSW
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55. Colorado Avalanche - Drew MacKenzie - Defense - USHSE
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56. Vancouver Canucks - Jim O'Brien - Center/Defense - Minnesota Gophers
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57. New Jersey Devils - Drayson Bowman - Left Wing - Spokane Chiefs
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58. Florida Panthers - T.J. Brennan - Defense - St. John's
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59. Buffalo Sabres - Josh Kidd - Defense - Erie Otters
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60. Ottawa Senators - Kurtis Mucha - Goalie - Portland Winterhawks
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61. Vancouver Canucks - Aaron Palushaj - Right Wing - Des Moines Buccaneers

2007 DraftBuzz Mock Draft

2007-06-16T18:00:00.000-04:00

2007 DraftBuzz Mock Draft

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1. Chicago Blackhawks - Patrick Kane - RW -London Knights

Top Forward Prospects: Jonathan Toews, Jack Skille, David Bolland, Troy Brouwer, Nathan Davis, Dan Bertram, Jakub Sindel, Bryan Bickell, Jake Dowell, and Michael Blunden.

Top Defense Prospects: Cam Barker, Danny Richmond, Dustin Byfuglien, Simon Danis-Pepin, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Ben Shutron.

Top Goalie Prospects: Cory Crawford, Joe Palmer, and Joe Fallon.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Brent Seabrook, Tuomo Ruutu, Duncan Keith, and James Wisniewksi.

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Commentary: With the 1st overall selection of Patrick Kane in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Chicago provides Toews with a RW thriller to set up for many years. With this pick, the Blackhawks focus intently on getting a legitimate scoring winger in their system to supplement their more rounded, lower ceiling prospects such as Bolland, Brouwer, Davis, and Bertram. Chicago looks to be on the right track with a forward roster that could feature Ruutu, Toews, Kane, and Skille in the near future.

Option # 2 - Kyle Turris – Double T’s down the middle would be a scary sight for those in the Central Division. Chicago may be best off getting themselves a dynamite winger for Toews, but Turris’ all around skillset and smarts make him a contender for the top choice regardless.

Option # 3 - Alexei Cherepanov - Despite what Chicago has said in the press, (Kane, Turris, JVR as top three), we think Alexei has a chance to challenge for the first overall as he offers a similar goal scoring prowess as Kane does. DraftBuzz sees him as a quality alternative option for the top choice, as he is bigger than Kane and a little more instinctive in his efforts to light the lamp. The impending journey to get Cherepanov across the pond, along with the everpresent cliche that Russian's are not coachable (see Zherdev), and Chicago's terrible past experiences with Russian forwards (Vorobiev & Yakubov), will be enough to sway CHI to choose the American dynamo from the OHL instead.

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2. Philadelphia Flyers - Kyle Turris - Center - Burnaby Express

Top Forward Prospects: Steve Downie, Claude Giroux, Andreas Nodl, Freddy Cabana, Rob Bellamy, and Josh Beaulieu.

Top Defense Prospects: Ryan Parent, Oskars Bartulis, Micahel Ratchuk, and R.J. Anderson.

Top Goalie Prospects: Scott Munroe, Martin Houle, and Jeremy Duschene.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Joni Pitkanen, Scottie Upshall, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Braydon Coburn, Alex Picard, Ryan Potulny, Stefan Ruzicka, and Ben Eager.

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Commentary: With the 2nd overall selection of Kyle Turris in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Philadephia injects a highly talented centerman into a system that lacks a forward with his blend of both skill and hockey smarts. The Flyer's have had recent success in introducing young, exciting forwards such as Scottie Upshall, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards to the parent roster, along with adding imminent NHL'ers in prospects like Steve Downie and Claude Giroux through the past two draft's. Because of this they can select the raw, relatively unproven centerman from British Columbia and let him develop properly at Wisconsin.

Option # 2 - James Van Riemsdyk – If these were the Flyer’s of the past, James Van Riemsdyk would most likely be our guess for the second overall with a package of size, speed, and skill their predecessors would drool over. However, Philadelphia now realizes size is not everything and proceeds with caution when dissecting James Van Riemsdyk’s tempting game. Instead, they go with the centerman who oozes a bit more skill, is smaller, and has uncanny hockey sense.

Option # 3 - Jakub Voracek –If the Flyer’s are planting false information in the media with their alleged interest in Turris, we think Voracek and Van Riemsdyk would be head to head in the race for their selection. There is not much separating Voracek from JvR when looking at who the Flyer's may draft. But as silly as this may sound, we do believe Van Riemsdyk being North American and from the NE region of the US will vault him just a little higher than Voracek - assuming they think the two have similar potential.

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3. Phoenix Coyotes - James Van Riemsdyk - USA NTDP

Top Forward Prospects: Peter Mueller, Martin Hanzal, Blake Wheeler, Alexei Kaigodorov, Kevin Porter, and Enver Lisin.

Top Defense Prospects: Keith Yandle, Chris Summers, Logan Stephenson, and Brendan Bell.

Top Goalie Prospects: David LeNeveu, P-O Pelletier, and Josh Tjordman.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Keith Ballard, Billy Thomas, Matt Jones, Zbynak Michalek, and Daniel Carcillo.

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Commentary: With the 3rd overall selection of James Van Riemsdyk in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Phoenix shores up a huge deficit in their prospect pool: an elite goal scoring winger. With Mueller, Hanzal, and Wheeler all having success as centermen for their respective teams, Phoenix badly needs to insert a winger who loves to shoot. JVR’s biggest strength's are his quality release and ability to score big game goals. The Coyotes have many playmakers up front, so Van Riemsdyk is a great fit and are willing to wait for this tantalizing package of size, skill, and speed to develop and later hit the NHL ice with their sweater on.

Option # 2 - Alexei Cherepanov – In all honesty, DraftBuzz feels Cherepanov is a better fit for Phoenix’ and their needs than JVR. Cherepanov is the most instinctive goal scorer in the draft, and this is exactly what Phoenix needs, but there are problems floating around that Phoenix may not want to be bothered with. All the small nuisances like the Russian transfer agreement and the malevolent rumor of Cherepanov’s uncoachability vault the yankee Van Riemsdyk ahead of the Russian sniper.

Option # 3 - Sam Gagner - This third overall selection was our hardest pick yet because we believe Gagner deserves this spot, and maybe even more so than Cherepanov. Gagner is a safe prospect who does everything well and DraftBuzz thinks he may have impressed Gretzky and Co. this year with his hockey savvy. In choosing Sam Gagner, Phoenix would add a steady forward to their prospect pool, which features some risky/project picks such as Wheeler and Hanzal. However, Phoenix has made it known that they are looking for goal scorers, so JVR and Cherepanov are our guesses for now.

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4. Los Angeles Kings - Karl Alzner - Defense - Calgary Hitmen

Top Forward Prospects: Patrick O'Sullivan, Bryan Boyle, Lauri Tukonen, Trevor Lewis, MA Cliche, Matt Moulson, and David Meckler.

Top Defense Prospects: Jack Johnson, Joe Ryan, Johan Fransson, and Ryan McGinnis.

Top Goalie Prospects: Jonathan Bernier, Jeff Zatkoff, and Jonathan Quick.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Anze Kopitar, Alex Frolov, Michael Cammalleri, and Dustin Brown.

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Commentary: With the 4th overall selection of Karl Alzner in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Los Angeles gets Jack Johnson a smooth and reliable linemate to let him roam both offensively and defensively. LA just has so many options offensively to make them pass up on the draft's best defender: on the current NHL roster (Kopitar, Frolov, Cammalleri, Brown); in the minors (O'Sullivan, Tukonen, Lewis, Moulson); and in the system (Boyle, Cliche, Meckler). Beyond Jack Johnson and Joe Ryan, there is not much else for LA to look forward to in the future.

Option # 2 - Jakub Voracek - Los Angeles could set themselves up with another top flight offensive prospect and take Voracek. This is a hard situation to try to decode, as they have a rich stable of talented forwards, with as many as four already proven. However, a forward may still be their on their list as BPA when pick number four rolls around.

Option # 3 - Lars Eller - Going unconventional in 2005 and drafting a Slovenian playmaker was one of the best moves the King's franchise has made in quite some time. Could it be that LA strikes gold again in 2007 with a Danish playmaker?

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5. Washington Capitals - Alexei Cherepanov - RW - Avangard Omsk

Top Forward Prospects: Nicklas Backstrom, Francois Bouchard, Dave Steckel, Chris Bourque, Eric Fehr, and Oskar Osala.

Top Defense Prospects: Jeff Schultz, Patrick McNeill, Keith Seabrook, Joe Finley, and Sasha Pokulok.

Top Goalie Prospects: Semen Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, and Maxime Daigneault.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Boyd Gordon, Steve Eminger, Shaone Morrison, and Milan Jurcina.

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Commentary: With the 5th overall selection of Alexei Cherepanov in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Washington adds yet another bubbly Russian dynamo to their stable. Washington loves the fact that a team like Phoenix ignored Cherepanov’s huge smile and easygoing disposition at the combine, dispelling the rumors of any attitude problem. Leonsis should be beyond delighted that he is gearing up to have four of his top six forwards be Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, and Cherepanov. Washington could opt for a competent playmaking center to help Backstrom compliment Semin/Ovechkin on the wings.

Option # 2 - Sam Gagner - As always, Gagner was in the mix when it was evident Washington will go the route of a smart center. Although we do have a preference for Dave Gagner's son, virtually any smart, playmaking centerman (Eller, Hamill, Couture) has a shot at going this early to Washington, if they so desire to split up their two electric wingers with savvy centermen.

Option # 3 - Ryan McDonagh - McDonagh is looking like a sure bet to be one of the draft's biggest early surprises as both LA and now WSH are looking like they could use talented defenseman. It will come down to team's personal lists and preferences; if Alzner is off the board, Washington likes McDonagh, and rates him higher than a few forwards left on the board, then the Minnesota defender could be a good bet to go 5th overall.

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6. Edmonton Oilers - Jakub Voracek - Right Wing - Halifax Mooseheads

Top Forward Prospects: Andrew Cogliano, Robert Nilsson, Rob Schremp, MA Pouliot, Slava Trukhno, Ryan O'Marra, JF Jacques, Kyle Brodziak, and Fredrik Petterson.

Top Defense Prospects: Taylor Chorney, Denis Grebeshkov, Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, and Bryan Young.

Top Goalie Prospects: Devan Dubnyk, JF Deslauriers, and Bryan Pitton.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Ales Hemsky, Jarret Stoll, Ladislav Smid, Matt Greene, Matheiu Roy, and Joffrey Lupul.

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Commentary: With the 6th overall selection of Jakub Voracek in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Edmonton selects the best player overall who they could not let slip past them at number six. Having a plethora of smaller, shiftier forwards like Cogliano, Nilsson, Schremp, and Petterson, the Oilers welcome Voracek's package of size and playmaking ability to their system. Even though they are light on steady defense prospects, they also have two other first round picks to let them draft BPA this time around.

Option # 2 - Nick Petrecki - The BC recruit is an outstanding darkhorse to be Edmonton's sixth overall selection. They have a few good mobile, offensive blueliners but could stand to add some grit and power on the blueline. The only roadblock we see in Petrecki's way, is the forward who falls out of the top five (if any) may be too good to pass up. Otherwise, Petrecki has the raw skills and athleticism to warrant this high selection. If Edmonton really likes Petrecki, we advise them to jump on him at number six as we think he will be long gone by the time their second pick at 15 rolls around.

Option # 3 - Sam Gagner - Once again, Gagner seems like a backup option for the Oilers as well. Edmonton has a plethora of high ceiling forward prospects, but many of them are calculated risks and may not pan out. In selecting Gagner, the Oilers would add a safe prospect with definite top six skills and low bust potential.

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7. Columbus Blue Jackets - Ryan McDonagh - Defense - Cretin Derham

Top Forward Prospects: Derick Brassard, Alex Picard, Joakim Lindstrom, Adam Pineault, Geoff Platt, Kirill Starkov, and Geoff Platt.

Top Defense Prospects: Kris Russell, Marc Methot, and Kyle Wharton.

Top Goalie Prospects: Steve Mason, Dan Lacosta, and Andrew Penner.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Rick Nash, Gilbert Brule, Rostislav Klesla, Dan Fritsche, Nik Zherdev, O-K Tollefson, Aaron Johnson, and Pascal Leclaire .

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Commentary: With the 7th overall selection of Ryan McDonagh in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Columbus adds one of the draft's highest rising defensemen and someone who will easily be their number one defensive prospect. McDonagh may attract Columbus' attention due to his steady all around play. We think it will be in Columbus' best interest to draft a the best defenseman left on the board at this pick regardless of what forward falls. It will not take McDonagh long to transition to the pro game because of his size, high IQ, and complete game.

Option # 2 - Kevin Shattenkirk- As a result of the parent club having some big boys on the backend who are not necessarily puck movers, we feel they could use a mobile blueliner to help dish the puck to talented forwards like Nash, Zherdev, Brule, and Brassard. Shattenkirk is an offensive defenseman who can definately fill this role and man the point on the PP as well.

Option # 3 - Keaton Ellerby - Although DraftBuzz does not think Columbus has the right depth needed to a gamble on Ellerby's raw tools, it is certainly possible they are interested in the big Dub blueliner. He has to put it all together, but the Blue Jackets could end up with a 6'4'', mobile, physical, defenseman with good hands.

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8. Boston Bruins- Sam Gagner - Center - London Knights

Top Forward Prospects: Petr Kalus, Martins Karsums, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Vlad Sobotka, Brad Marchand, and Mikko Lehtonen.

Top Defense Prospects: Matt Lashoff, Mark Stuart, Jonathan Sigalet, and Yuri Alexandrov.

Top Goalie Prospects: Tuukka Rask, Jordan Sigalet, and Kevin Regan.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel, Brandon Bochenski, Dennis Wideman, and Hannu Toivonen.

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Commentary: With the 8th overall selection of Sam Gagner in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Bruins cannot afford to pass on the draft's best package of smarts and skills. Gagner is a great value pick at this eighth spot, as DraftBuzz believes that Gagner has a good chance of coming out of this draft as one of the top two players from this draft. Gagner is the BPA at this point, and Boston gets a legitimate top line forward in their system with his selection.

Option # 2 - Keaton Ellerby - Because Boston has a few blueline prospects proving themselves in the minors in Stuart, Lashoff, and Sigalet, they may have the time needed to let a raw blueliner like Ellerby develop and find his toolbox. The Bruin's do not have a defense prospect quite like Ellerby, who combines size, skill, and brawn and could be a likely destination for him on draft day.

Option # 3 - Max Pacioretty - Loaded with young, talented, fairly small centermen, the Bruins may look to add a high octane winger with size. Pacioretty could be a potential shock pick at this eighth draft position, due to Boston lacking a big power winger with skill. However, should one of the top forwards fall (like Gagner in our version) we cannot see them passing one of them up for Pacioretty.

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9. St. Louis Blues - Jonathan Blum - Defense - Vancouver Giants

Top Forward Prospects: T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Carl Soderberg, Tomas Kana, Jay Barriball, and Nikolai Lemtyugov.

Top Defense Prospects: Erik Johnson, Roman Polak, Jonas Junland, and Zach Fitzgerald.

Top Goalie Prospects: Marek Schwarz, Ben Bishop, Konstantin Barulin, and Chris Beckford-Tseu.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Brad Boyes, Lee Stempniak, Jay McClement, David Backes, and Jeff Woywitka.

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Commentary: With the 9th overall selection of Jonathan Blum in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Blues add yet another high end rearguard with a complete skillset. After Johnson, St. Louis' defense prospect pool thins out quickly and lacks quality blueliners especially with the loss of Jackson. Offensively, St. Louis has four solid forwards on the NHL roster (Boyes, Stempniak, Backes, and McClement) and a few top end forward prospects coming (Oshie, Berglund, Soderberg). As a result, we think STL will be more inclined to add some defensive depth and Blum is a great option here at nine.

Option # 2 - Lars Eller – Depending on what St. Louis’ strategy is with owning three top 30 draftpicks, we can just easily see Eller going here at nine. He would give St. Louis great prospect depth down the middle, and offer some options (IE. flanking Soderberg). In forecasting the rest of the picks in the first round, St. Louis may be best served snagging one of the better blueliners at this pick and adding offensive depth with their next two as the quality of the draft’s forward prospects look to be a bit better in the 20-30’s.

Option # 3 - Billy Sweatt - Although the Blues offensive depth is very good, we can just as easily see them passing over Blum to nab a player like Sweatt. He would instantly be one of their safest prospects and offer the best combination of size, speed, and grit amongst their forwards. He fits the hardworking type of players they have been adding through trades and drafting, so he is a very good possibility to go to Missouri.

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10. Florida Panthers - Nick Petrecki - Defense - Omaha Lancers

Top Forward Prospects: Michael Frolik, Kenndal McArdle, Anthony Stewart, Shawn Matthias, Kamil Kreps, Stefan Meyer, and Dan Collins.

Top Defense Prospects: Derrick Lapoint, Martin Lojek, Martin Tuma, and Michael Caruso.

Top Goalie Prospects: Bryan Foster, David Shantz, and Tyler Plante.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Jay Bouwmeester, Nathan Horton, Rostislav Olesz, Stephen Weiss, Gregory Campbell, and Noah Welch.

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Commentary: With the 10th overall selection of Nick Petrecki in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Panthers add a great defense prospect, which they have been starving for greatly. They just brought in Noah Welch through a deadline deal in which they gave up veteran Roberts, which was a much needed addition. However, after Bouwmeester and Welch, Lapoint is the only defender in the system worth hanging some hopes on. By drafting Petrecki, they get a player who many say has the body and skating ability to play in the NHL right now if Florida so desires him immediately.

Option # 2 - Keaton Ellerby - Selecting Petrecki over Ellerby was a hard decision as we can see how not much might separate the two. But in the end, Florida has their proven Ellerby in Bouwmeester and Petrecki offers rare athleticism and nastiness that gives him a slight edge.

Option # 3 - Max Pacioretty - Pacioretty would be a solid addition to Florida's stable of forward prospects. He's got great long limbs, superb hands, and playmaking ability. He would add another offensive punch to an already strong one with Frolik, McArdle, and Stewart.

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11. Carolina Hurricanes - Logan Couture - Center- Ottawa 67's

Forward Prospects: Bobby Hughes, Joe Barnes, Stefan Chaput, Harrison Reed, Nick Dodge, Jakub Petruzalek,

Top Defense Prospects: Casey Borer, Jamie McBain, Brett Carson, Jakub Vojta, Mark Flood and Kyle Lawson.

Top Goalie Prospects: Justin Peters, Kevin Nastiuk, and Daniel Manzato.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Eric Staal, Andrew Ladd, Cam Ward, and Tim Gleason.

**
Commentary: With the 11th overall selection of Logan Couture in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Carolina Hurricanes introduce a steady and talented offensive forward, which they desparately lack. Make no mistake, Carolina's pipeline is very dry aside from good goaltending depth and decent defensive depth. Couture instantly becomes the Hurricane's best prospect, and provides them with a solid centerman who can score just as well as he can playmake with his above average vision and passing.

Option # 2 - Zach Hamill - Had DraftBuzz not heard of Carolina's interest in Couture, Hamill would have definately been our choice. What makes Hamill a good fit for Carolina, is he is eligible to play in the minors as early as this coming season because he has played four years of junior hockey already. We think that factor could be tremendous for a team with a prospect pool as depleted as their's. The skills between Hamill and couture are pretty much the same, with Hamill being just a hair safer of a prospect.

Option # 3 - Lars Eller - From now on, Eller would be a tremendous pick for any team. It just so happens that Carolina is looking for a top end forward. Their stated liking for Couture could be a smokescreen, however, so they can fly under the radar and snatch up this steady, playmaking Dane.

**One wrench that could be thrown into these forward plans goes by the name of Keaton Ellerby. If Carolina did not expect Ellerby to fall to their pick, we can see him being picked up quickly as well, as Carolina lacks a comparable, elite defense prospect.**

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12. Montreal Canadiens - Lars Eller - Center - Vastra Frolunda

Top Forward Prospects: Andrei Kostitsyn, Kyle Chipchura, Sergei Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski, Ryan White, Corey Lock e, Ben Maxwell, Juraj Mikus, and Mathieu Aubin.

Top Defense Prospects: Mathieu Carle, David Fischer, Alexei Emelin, Pavel Valentenko, and Ryan O'Byrne.

Top Goalie Prospects: Carey Price, Jaroslav Halak, and Yann Danis.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Chris Higgins, Guillame Latendresse, Alex Perezhogin, Tomas Plekanec, and Maxim Lapierre.

**
Commentary: With the 12th overall selection of Lars Eller in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens add yet another high end forward prospect to their near full stable. Upon inspection of their future forwards, it became evident that Montreal needed a top six centerman who can play with their tremendously skilled wingers. Lars Eller fits the bill, and gives the Canadiens a formidable trio down the middle with Eller, Chipchura, and White.

Option # 2 - Zach Hamill - Hamill's a smart top six forward who would fit well in Montreal's system. They have many eccentric European forwards, and we think they could use a reliable North American center like Zach Hamill who flashes just as much skill as he does intelligence.

Option # 3 - Angelo Esposito - Yea, Yea, he's the hometown kid and all. But we do not think that plays as much as a role in Montreal's interest as his skating ability and electric offensive skills. He is definately a project, but a team like Montreal may have the resources to host his development. They have had recent success with draft picks stepping into the lineup and producing, along with those in the minors banging down the door. For this reason, we can see them taking the chance on this enigmatic talent.

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13. Toronto Maple Leafs - Keaton Ellerby - Defense - Kamloops Blazers

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Top Forward Prospects: Jiri Tlusty, Robbie Earl, Nikolai Kulemin, Jeremy Williams, Chad Rau, and Tyler Ruegsegger.
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Top Defense Prospects: Anton Stralman, Dmitri Vorobiev, Staffon Kronwall, Jay Harrison, and Korbinian Holzer.

Top Goalie Prospects: Justin Pogge and James Riemer.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Alex Steen, Ian White, Kyle Wellwood, Matthew Stajan, and Carlo Colaiacovo.

**
Commentary: With the 13th overall selection of Keaton Ellerby in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs select the best player available and add a huge, dynamic blueliner to their stable. The Leafs take the route of the Kamloops defenseman as a result of having a solid young forward core trio of Stajan, Steen, and Wellwood with Tlusty, Earl, and Kulemin arriving in the not so distant future. They are pleasantly surprised with Stralman's unexpected development, but the rest of their defense prospects project as stay at home bottom pairing rearguards. Ellerby gives Toronto a top flight defenseman with all the tools to hopefully mold into a strapping, 6'4'' rover who can shoot, pass, hit, and defend.

Option # 2 - Thomas Hickey - Loaded up front and having quite a few big blueliners, Colorado would add a puckmover and steady defender that is not in their system. Hickey is a great option at this fourteen spot, as Toronto desperately lacks a defender with Hickey's speed, hands, and smarts.

Option # 3 - Colton Gillies – Who couldn’t use a 6’4’’ gazelle who skates like the wind and hits hard? Even if his offense does not come around, Gillies would add a missing dimension to Toronto’s prospect pool at forward. They do not have that one prospect who can hit and match speed to neutralize top lines; Gillies has the size, speed, and hustle to be that player.

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14. Colorado Avalanche - Mark Katic - Defense - Sarnia Sting

Top Forward Prospects: T.J. Hensick, Ryan Stoa, Codey Burki, Tom Fritsche, Chris Stewart, Denis Parshin, David Jones, Michael Carman, and Brett Hemingway.
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Top Defense Prospects: Nigel Williams, Kyle Cumiskey, Johnny Boychuk, Ray Macias, Kevin Montgomery, and Michael Vernace.

Top Goalie Prospects: Billy Sauer, Tyler Weiman, and Ian Keserich.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Wojtek Wolski, Paul Stastny, Marek Svatos, Brad Richardson, and Peter Budaj.

**
Commentary: With the 14th overall selection of Mark Katic in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Colorado Avalanche add a much needed puckmover with blazing speed to their system. There are rumblings that Colorado has been looking heavily at Katic at this 14th pick; DraftBuzz would have guessed Shattenkirk instead. But Katic is a very intriguing player for his speed and possible offensive ability. With concerns about his own zone play present throughout the first half of the season, he showed us a calm and reliable game towards the end of the season impressing many with his great plus/minus at the WJC U18.

Option # 2 - Kevin Shattenkirk – The team USA captain is a natural offensive defenseman and would gel terrifically with Colorado’s skilled forwards. Colorado has enough depth at forward to think D at this pick. Additionally, the players left on board at this 14th pick will most likely be comparably even (forward or defenseman) adding more incentive for the Avalanche to boost their backline.

Option # 3 - Mikael Backlund – Backlund is a guy who could surprise and go to Denver here. Colorado’s pipeline lacks its touch of European skill, and Backlund is a steady prospect to add to a system that features some relative risks at forward. We see him having a similar development curve to Michael Frolik, who has proven his early 2006 draft selection with a solid year in the Q.

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15. Edmonton Oilers - Kevin Shattenkirk - Defense - USA NTDP

Top Forward Prospects: Jakub Voracek, Andrew Cogliano, Robert Nilsson, Rob Schremp, MA Pouliot, Slava Trukhno, Ryan O'Marra, JF Jacques, and Kyle Brodziak.

Top Defense Prospects: Taylor Chorney, Denis Grebeshkov, Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, and Bryan Young.

Top Goalie Prospects: Devan Dubnyk, JF Deslauriers, and Bryan Pitton.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Ales Hemsky, Jarret Stoll, Ladislav Smid, Matt Greene, Mathieu Roy, and Joffrey Lupul.

2007 Draft Selection #1 (6th Overall) : Jakub Voracek - Right Wing *
Commentary: With the 15th overall selection of Kevin Shattenkirk in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers begin to accomplish what they set out to do this draft: add quality defenders with three first round picks at their disposal. Nine picks earlier, Edmonton vaulted their offensive forward depth over the top with the addition of the strapping winger from the Q. With this pick, Edmonton adds a great skating defenseman who navigates the offensive zone well, can skate, and is a decent defender. He is a great option to lead future rushes with their myriad of skilled forwards.

Option # 2 - Kevin Marshall – Shattenkirk’s combination of skating and skill were too tempting to pass over at this pick. However, if EDM was able to resist the urge we see them going a different route in a defender like Marshall who is a steadier, more physical, defense first type of defenseman. They have some good puckmovers in Grebeshkov, Chorney, and Gilbert, but lack that presence on the blueline who has the smarts and the will to stop plays in his own zone. That said, 15 may be pushing it a bit for the at all costs defenseman from Lewiston.

Option # 3 - Tommy Cross – Cross is a guy who could add size and a steady overall game to the Oiler’s defense corps. Hickey would have been a natural choice instead, but Chorney is a very similar player. As a result, Tommy Cross offers the potential to be one of the drafts first few surprise selections here at Edmonton’s 15th overall.

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16. Anaheim Ducks - Zach Hamill - Center - Everett Silvertips

Top Forward Prospects: Bobby Ryan, Bryce Swan, Petteri Wirtanen, Drew Miller, Tim Brent, and Matt Belesky.

Top Defense Prospects: Mark Mitera, Brendan Mikkelson, Brian Salcido, Aaron Rome, John deGray, and Doug O'Brien.

Top Goalie Prospects: J-P Levasseur, David McKee, and Gerald Coleman.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Ryan Getzlaf, Dustin Penner, Corey Perry, Ryan Shannon, and Travis Moen.

Commentary: With the 16th overall selection of Zach Hamill in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks select a multi-talented centerman with passing skills to compliment their bigger, more powerful wingers in Penner, Perry, Ryan, and Swan. Even with Anaheim's recent success with young forwards, they must draft BPA (which looks to unanimously be a forward) as a result of surrendering their 2nd round selection to Vancouver.

Option # 2 - Mikael Backlund - Same scenario as Hamill, it just boils down to preference. Backlund is a little less dynamic, but a hair more athletic than Everett's veteran center. However, Backlund's rocky season makes us think that Hamill is chosen instead.

Option # 3 - Billy Sweatt - Anaheim has a forward group that does not feature some of the better skating prospects. Sweatt would give them a winger who can go coast to coast effortlessly and play a gritty NA game. Sweatt's a nice option for the Cup champions with his X factor of speed.

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17. New York Rangers - Mikael Backlund - Center - Vasteras

Top Forward Prospects: Brandon Dubinsky, Alex Bourret, Lauri Korpikoski, Nigel Dawes, Dane Byers, Tom Pyatt, Hugh Jessiman, Darin Olver, and Billy Ryan.

Top Defense Prospects: Marc Staal, Ivan Baranka, Michael Sauer, Bobby Sanguinetti, Dylan Reese, and David Liffiton.

Top Goalie Prospects: Alvaro Montoya and Chris Holt.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Henrik Lundqvist, Fedor Tyutin, Dan Girardi, Petr Prucha, and Ryan Callahan.

Commentary: With the 17th overall selection of Mikael Backlund in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers snap up the one of the draft's greatest fallers from previous years rankings. Desiring a top end forward to build around, the Rangers hope Backlund regains some of his offensive confidence and skating he lost when he injured his knee. His great hands, skating, and cerebral approach to the game are indicative of the new age True Blue player.
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Option # 2 - Max Pacioretty - A very hard choice to decipher, the Rangers could have easily gone any one of Backlund, Pacioretty, or Esposito in our estimation. What is clear is they need to get a guy who can lead the offense once Jagr and company move on. Pacioretty would be our choice for his hands and size, but for some reason we expect Swedish scout Christer Rockstrom to beat the drum for the Scandinavian athlete.

Option # 3 - Angelo Esposito - A few years ago, it was rumored that the Rangers wanted to take a chance on the enigmatic Robbie Schremp, but ultimately passed because they did not feel their system could absorb his personality and potential busting. Well it has been a couple of years and now their system can take this type of gamble and Angelo Esposito fits that description to a tee. Do not be surprised if Angelo and his fantastic hair are New York City bound on June 22nd.

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18. Calgary Flames - Max Pacioretty - Right Wing - Sioux City Musketeers
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Top Forward Prospects: Dustin Boyd, Daniel Ryder, Andrei Taratukhin, Juuso Puustinen, Eric Nystrom, Kris Chucko, Aki Seitsonen, Brandon Prust, and Aaron Marvin.

Top Defense Prospects: Gord Baldwin, Tim Ramholt, Matt Pelech, and Richie Regehr.

Top Goalie Prospects: Leland Irving, Kevin Lalande, and Curtis McElhinney.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Dion Phaneuf, Mark Giordano, Matthew Lombardi, and David Moss.

Commentary: With the 18th overall selection of Max Pacioretty in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Calgary Flames add a huge winger with great skill to their system. The Flames have had success introducing Dustin Boyd and Andrei Taratukhin to professional hockey, but are still a little light in terms of impact forwards with Ryder, Puustinen, and Chucko still developing. Pacioretty is a steal here at 18, and offers them a playmaker with the body, hands, and skating to consistently make a difference. They do need some more skilled defensive depth and should look to bolster their defensive prospect pool in the later rounds (Calgary does not have another pick until the fifth round).
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Option # 2 - Simon Hjalmarsson - The Swedish sniper was neck and neck with Pacioretty for this pick. Hjalmarrson offers a little more scoring ability and edge to Pacioretty's playmaking and slow type of offensive processing. Calgary at 18 seems to be one of Hjalmarsson's best tickets to going in the top 20.

Option # 3 - David Perron - We see the Flames looking for a dynamite forward to create offense, and for that reason they may be willing to take a chance on the draft's rising questionmark. There is a lot to project with Perron, but he has unreal stickhandling and hand eye coordination. He is gritty and looks to be coachable in other areas of the ice, making him a more attractive pick as we ascend in the draft.

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19. Minnesota Wild - Thomas Hickey - Defense - Seattle Thunderbirds

Top Forward Prospects: Benoit Pouliot, James Sheppard, Roman Voloshenko, Danny Irmen, Matt Foy, Morten Madsen, Ondrej Fiala, Cal Clutterbuck, and Julien Sprunger.

Top Defense Prospects: Shawn Belle, Clayton Stoner, and Anthony Aiello.

Top Goalie Prospects: Josh Harding, Anton Khudobin, and Kristopher Westblom.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Marian Gaborik, Nick Schultz, P-M Bouchard, Mikko Koivu, and Brent Burns.

Commentary: With the 19th overall selection of Thomas Hickey in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Minnesota Wild fill an imperative need (especially with the failure of Thelen) and choose a two way defenseman with many translatable skills. Minnesota is ecstatic the Dub version of Ballard falls to them at this pick. Hickey can play a run and gun style of hockey, or he can just as well sit back and prevent scoring chances. He has soft hands, hits, and skates very well.
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Option # 2 - Tommy Cross - With a bevy of talented forwards from previous drafts, Minnesota has set themselves up to focus exclusively on replenishing their backline. It would be in their best interest to draft a safer defenseman with this high pick. Cross is a reliable, steady defender who showed us constant showings so far in his HS career.

Option # 3 - Nick Ross - Looking through the rest of the defenders left on board, Ross could catch Minnesota's interest with a good skillset overall. Ross has good hands, is a good skater, and throws nice checks. He is a steady defender who lacks any real exciting trait, except for some heavy hits, and should be on their radar for his solid, but unspectacular play.

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20. Pittsburgh Penguins - Billy Sweatt - Left Wing - Colorado College

Top Forward Prospects: Jonathan Filewich, Ryan Stone, Tyler Kennedy, Michael Gergen, and Nick Johnson.

Top Defense Prospects: Kristopher Letang, Alex Goligoski, Carl Sneep, Brian Strait, and J-P Paquet.

Top Goalie Prospects: Bobby Goepfert, David Brown, and Patrick Ehelechner.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Ryan Whitney, Maxime Talbot, and Michel Ouellet.

Commentary: With the 20th overall selection of Billy Sweatt in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins are confronted with an awesome dilemma of having to sift through quite a few guys who they think should not have slipped this far. Pittsburgh settles on the speedster to take advantage of opposing defenses who tire from having to fend off with Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. At this juncture , it is alright to gamble on Sweatt's offensive game because at the very least he will be a fast checker with size and grit.
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Option # 2 - Maxim Mayorov - If the Penguins wanted more of a European splash of skill, Mayorov is still left on the board to snag. Maybe they are intrigued with setting Mayorov up with Malkin and letting him learn the NA game with his guidance. Regardless, just like Sweatt, this Russian is a speedster himself who gives defensemen fits with his powerful physique, skating, and offensive zone activity.

Option # 3 - Oscar Moller - Moller would be a great option to throw a smart goal scorer into a prospect pool that lacks real options as a result of impressive, early graduations. It is this general area that Moller should begin to garner heavy attention, and it would not be a surprise to see the Penguins dive into Chilliwack and catch this Swedish fish.

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21. Phoenix Coyotes - Simon Hjalmarsson - Left Wing - Vastra Frolunda

Top Forward Prospects: Peter Mueller, James Van Riemsdyk, Martin Hanzal, Blake Wheeler, Alexei Kaigodorov, Kevin Porter, and Enver Lisin.

Top Defense Prospects: Keith Yandle, Chris Summers, Logan Stephenson, and Brendan Bell.

Top Goalie Prospects: David LeNeveu, P-O Pelletier, and Josh Tjordman.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Keith Ballard, Billy Thomas, Matt Jones, Zbynak Michalek, and Daniel Carcillo.

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2007 Draft Selection #1 (3rd Overall) : James Van Riemsdyk - Right Wing

Commentary: With the 21st overall selection of Simon Hjalmarsson in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Phoenix takes the best player available who coincidentally is one of the best goal scorers in the draft. Fredrik Sjostrom's ever so slow development does not scare them away from this Swede, as they like his competitiveness, selection of shots, and ability to change momentum with a quick flick of the wrist.
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Option # 2 - Brett MacLean - Had Hjalmarsson not been on the board, the big winger from the O would have been the choice instead. There is not much separating the two production wise (both gave us what we expected and wanted to see from a top prospect), but there is a marked difference in skating. Because of this, Hjalmarsson gets a slight edge over the laboring North American lamp lighter.

Option # 3 - Maxim Mayorov - With JVR already in the bag, does Phoenix get risky and throw Mayorov in the mix? It's even debateable that Hjalmarsson is the BPA, so Mayorov could be a great possibility here at 21. He is the type of prospect who makes you wish you had multiple picks to gamble on. Because of that, Phoenix could be a likely destination.

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22. Montreal Canadiens - Angelo Esposito - Center - Quebec Remparts

Top Forward Prospects: Andrei Kostitsyn, Lars Eller, Kyle Chipchura, Sergei Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski, Ryan White, Corey Locke, Ben Maxwell, Juraj Mikus, and Mathieu Aubin.

Top Defense Prospects: Mathieu Carle, David Fischer, Alexei Emelin, Pavel Valentenko, and Ryan O'Byrne.

Top Goalie Prospects: Carey Price, Jaroslav Halak, and Yann Danis.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Chris Higgins, Guillame Latendresse, Alex Perezhogin, Tomas Plekanec, and Maxim Lapierre.

2007 Draft Selection #1 (3rd Overall) : Lars Eller - Center

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Commentary: With the 22nd overall selection of Angelo Esposito in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens are the team to finally take a shot on Quebec's project. Montreal has a ton of offensive forwards on the way and already showing success at the NHL level, so they can afford to shoot for the stars with this selection. Esposito needs alot of his talents to come together, but he is the best option at this pick.

Option # 2 - Colton Gillies - Aside from Chipchura and possibly White, the Canadiens do not have much on the way as far as physical play from their forwards is concerned. Gillies could be their seek and destroy missile down the middle, providing a different type of punch from their future forwards.

Option # 3 - Juraj Valach - Shattenkirk would be ideal at this 22nd overall spot, but since he is taken Valach is the next best option for a puck possessing, offensive oriented defenseman. He is great with the puck on his stick and would really add a defender with hands, skating, and shooting that Montreal lacks.

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23. Philadelphia Flyers - David Perron - RW - Lewiston Maineiacs

Top Forward Prospects: Kyle Turris, Steve Downie, Claude Giroux, Andreas Nodl, Freddy Cabana, Rob Bellamy, and Josh Beaulieu.

Top Defense Prospects: Ryan Parent, Oskars Bartulis, Micahel Ratchuk, and R.J. Anderson.

Top Goalie Prospects: Scott Munroe, Martin Houle, and Jeremy Duschene.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Joni Pitkanen, Scottie Upshall, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Braydon Coburn, Alex Picard, Ryan Potulny, Stefan Ruzicka, and Ben Eager.

2007 Draft Selection #1 (2nd Overall) : Kyle Turris - Center
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Commentary: With the 23rd overall selection of David Perron in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Philadephia spices up their forward selection of prospects with the dazzling stickhandler from the Q. Perron gives the Flyer's a winger who can do a little bit of everything, but most importantly create offense from scratch. He's the yang to Turris' yin, as he is a bit more outspoken than the Express center and a bit more colorful. Perron is a little more projection and offers less certainty than alot of other players, but having multiple first round picks makes Philadelphia a bit more riskier and willing to gamble on the late blooming puck wizard.

Option # 2 - Jeremy Smith - Having quite a few third rounders at their disposal may make Philadelphia a bit hesitant to select a goalie this early in the game, but if they really like Smith they may jump on him at this pick (the consensus number one draft eligible goalie). They lack a true goaltending prospect to really count on. Whether it is Smith, Patterson, Mucha, or Gistedt, any tender for that matter, we can see Philadelphia just as easily seizing one at 23 or waiting until the third.

Option # 3 - Maxim Mayorov - Mayorov put up a great fight for this selection against Perron with his speed and athletic physique, but ultimately lost out due to a noticeable difference in offensive ability, creativity, and "carrying" of the play blueline in. He is a viable option, though, for the Flyer's to introduce some classic Russian skill and skating to their system.

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24. St. Louis Blues - Maxim Mayorov - Left Wing - Russia

Top Forward Prospects: T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Carl Soderberg, Tomas Kana, Jay Barriball, and Nikolai Lemtyugov.

Top Defense Prospects: Erik Johnson, Jonathan Blum, Roman Polak, Jonas Junland, and Zach Fitzgerald.

Goalie Prospects: Marek Schwarz, Ben Bishop, Konstantin Barulin, and Chris Beckford-Tseu.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Brad Boyes, Lee Stempniak, Jay McClement, David Backes, and Jeff Woywitka.

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2007 Draft Selection #1 (9th Overall) : Jonathan Blum- Defense

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Commentary: With the 24th overall selection of Maxim Mayorov in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Blues take the best talent left on the board and add some natural depth on the wing. Already having selected Jon Blum with the ninth overall, snagging Mayorov this late in the game is bound to make many STL fans happy. He is a definite risk, but STL has another first round pick and the 39th overall to afford them some room to play.

Option # 2 - Oscar Moller - Moller would be another great winger for STL to take with this pick. We could also see them packaging the 24th and 26th pick to move up in the draft and secure a player they really like at the top half of the draft. Regardless, STL will have great flexibility to stand pat, or make some trades, take high risk/high reward players, and add great depth to their prospect pool.

Option # 3 - Brandon Sutter - Sutter is a guy a team with multiple picks like STL should definately keep an eye on. He needs alot of ingredients to come together, mainly strength and offensive confidence, and frankly needs to distinguish himself without borrowing equity off of the Sutter name. But at this point in the draft, his hands and size should start to garner interest in this range.

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25. Vancouver Canucks - Logan MacMillan - Center - Halifax Mooseheads
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Top Forward Prospects: Michael Grabner, Mason Raymond, Jannik Hansen, Juraj Simek, Sergei Shirokov, and Rick Rypien.

Top Defense Prospects: Luc Bourdon, Alex Edler, Kirill Koltsov, Daniel Rahimi, and Nathan McIver..

Goalie Prospects: Cory Schneider, Drew McIntyre, Julien Ellis, and Alex Vincent.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Ryan Kesler and Lukas Krajicek.

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Commentary: With the 25th overall selection of Logan MacMillan in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks choose one of the more safer forwards left in the draft. Vancouver desperately needs an infusion of quality forward prospects and focus on getting a player who at the very least, while he may not have as high a ceiling as others, will be a great defensive center who can chip in a few goals. MacMillan could actually be quite a darkhorse offensively if his hands and passing improve.

Option # 2 - Brandon Sutter - Sutter may be here as a best player available type of pick and they might be surprised if he falls. Vancouver could use a smart, slick centerman like Sutter but it remains to be seen whether they can take the chance on the Red Deer forward, who is very raw in some facets of the game and is a great projection.

Option # 3 - Michal Repik - After playing for Vancouver in the WHL, it is a certainty that the Canucks have seen the Czech import tear up the Memorial Cup. Because of that impressive stretch, Repik has played himself up to a possible selection here by the hometown NHL club. Already having a speedy, offensively gifted winger in Grabner will not deter the offense starved Canucks from thinking about Repik here.

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26. St. Louis Blues - Stefan Legein - Right Wing - Mississauga IceDogs

Top Forward Prospects: T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Carl Soderberg, Maxim Mayorov, Tomas Kana, Jay Barriball, and Nikolai Lemtyugov.

Top Defense Prospects: Erik Johnson, Jonathan Blum, Roman Polak, Jonas Junland, and Zach Fitzgerald.

Goalie Prospects: Marek Schwarz, Ben Bishop, Konstantin Barulin, and Chris Beckford-Tseu.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Brad Boyes, Lee Stempniak, Jay McClement, David Backes, and Jeff Woywitka.

2007 Draft Selection #1 (9th Overall) : Jonathan Blum - Defense

2007 Draft Selection #2 (24th Overall) : Maxim Mayorov - Left Wing

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Commentary: With the 26th overall selection of Stefan Legein in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Blues add a small, spicy right winger to a system with a lot of European flavor. Legein will offer STL a great complimentary player who can hang offensively with guys like Oshie, Soderberg, and Berglund while providing some nice grit. At the previous pick, Legein was not mentioned as an option but after further analyzing the Blues forward depth, we think they can use a guy like Legein.

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27. Detroit Red Wings - Oscar Moller - Right Wing - Chilliwack Bruins

Top Forward Prospects: Johan Ryno, Jan Mursak, Justin Abdelkader, Igor Grigorenko, Evan McGrath, Cory Emmerton, Dick Axelsson, and Darren Helm.

Top Defense Prospects: Jakub Kindl, Jonathon Ericsson, Kyle Quincey, Derek Meech, and Logan Pyett.

Top Goalie Prospects: Jimmy Howard and Daniel Larsson.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Valtteri Filppula, Brett Lebda, and Jiri Hudler.

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Commentary: With the 27th overall selection of Oscar Moller in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Red Wings get to announce only their third first round pick since 2000. With this choice, they select a "Swede" shot, and a winger who has the potential to be a typical Red Wing sleeper (someone who emerges post draft and shows his worth to be more than his draft spot). Moller has a great stocky build and loves to shoot.

Option # 2 - Colton Gillies - Lacking true power forwards, Detroit could really use a hulking centerman like Gillies. He has some definate skills that are top 10 worthy like his size, skating, and physicality, so Detroit may love the fact that he falls to them this late in the first round.

Option # 3 - Patrick White - The Red Wings may go the less celebrated route of USHSW and pick up a sharp shooting center from Grand Rapids HS. White played real well during a brief stint in the USHL, scoring 8 goals in 12 games. He has a lot of maturing to do at Minnesota, but a team like Detroit may be enticed by his great developmental curve.

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28. Washington Capitals - Colton Gillies - Center/Defense - Saskatoon Blades

Top Forward Prospects: Nicklas Backstrom, Alexei Cherepanov, Francois Bouchard, Dave Steckel, Chris Bourque, Eric Fehr, and Oskar Osala.

Top Defense Prospects: Jeff Schultz, Patrick McNeill, Keith Seabrook, Joe Finley, and Sasha Pokulok.

Top Goalie Prospects: Semen Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, and Maxime Daigneault.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Boyd Gordon, Steve Eminger, Shaone Morrison, and Milan Jurcina.

2007 Draft Selection #1 (5th Overall) : Alexei Cherepanov - Right Wing

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Commentary: With the 28th overall selection of Colton Gillies in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Washington Capitals have the luxury to draft the imposing project from Saskatoon. He should be relied upon as a physical third line center who can step up offensively at times, but should not be expected to be the lynchpin on a line with Ovechkin or Semin. He has great physical tools and skating, and will give the Capitals another scary forward to throw at defenses.

Option # 2 - Riley Nash - Washington likes those project picks and players who flash a lot of potential but have a long road to the NHL. For that reason, Riley Nash could be a great option to get another playmaking, great passing centerman in their system. He has a great frame, slick hands, and may be underrated playing BCHL hockey this past year.

Option # 3 - Dana Tyrell - Just like drafting Boyd Gordon in 2003, the Capitals may take a chance on a similar hardworking Dub forward in the Prince George winger. Though, to his defense, Tyrell has much more dynamic skating and puck skills. In Nash and Tyrell, Washington will hope at least one of these guys falls to their next pick at 34 after going with Gillies.

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29. Ottawa Senators - Michal Repik - Right Wing - Vancouver Giants

Top Forward Prospects: Josh Hennessy, Nick Foligno, Igor Mirnov, Danny Bois, Ilya Zubov, Kaspars Daugavins, Cody Bass, Alex Nikulin, and Shawn Weller.

Top Defense Prospects: Brian Lee, Kyrill Lyamin, Eric Gryba, Michal Barinka, and Tomas Kudelka.

Top Goalie Prospects: Brian Elliott, Kelly Guard, and Jeff Glass.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Jason Spezza, Andrej Meszaros, Anton Volchenkov, Antoine Vermette, Christoph Schubert, Ray Emery, and Patrick Eaves.

Commentary: With the 29th overall selection of Michal Repik in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Ottawa Senators pick a speedy threat to add some offensive skill and prospect depth on the wing. Ottawa is light on the wings, especially right wing, and can really use a player who offers the skills that Repik does. He had a great end to the season and played himself into this range that was previously held by other, more consistent forwards.

Option # 2 - Brett MacLean - The big winger from Oshawa could potentially strike the interest of Ottawa as he has great goal scorer's instincts. Along with other hard nosed prospects like Foligno, MacLean could be a nice change up to the usual small, but more skilled forwards Ottawa routinely drafts.

Option # 3 - Kevin Marshall - Turning out underrated defensemen like Volchenkov and Meszaros, Ottawa is the one team who we think will catch on to Marshall and his pro style game. As a result, Marshall could be a great option for Ottawa at this 29th overall selection.

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30. Edmonton Oilers - Kevin Marshall - Defense - Lewiston Maineiacs

Top Forward Prospects: Jakub Voracek, Andrew Cogliano, Robert Nilsson, Rob Schremp, MA Pouliot, Slava Trukhno, Ryan O'Marra, JF Jacques, Kyle Brodziak, and Fredrik Petterson.

Top Defense Prospects: Taylor Chorney, Kevin Shattenkirk, Denis Grebeshkov, Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, and Bryan Young.

Top Goalie Prospects: Devan Dubnyk, JF Deslauriers, and Bryan Pitton.

Young NHL Bright Spots (U25): Ales Hemsky, Jarret Stoll, Ladislav Smid, Matt Greene, Mathieu Roy, and Joffrey Lupul.

2007 Draft Selection #1 (6th Overall) : Jakub Voracek - Right Wing

2007 Draft Selection #2 (15th Overall) : Kevin Shattenkirk - Defense

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Commentary: With the 30th overall selection of Kevin Marshall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers barely have enough wind in them to announce the pick after having made two marvelous selections already. With the last selection, the Oilers secured a legitimate puck moving, offensive defenseman with decent size. With this last pick in the first round, the Oilers get a gritty defenseman who will do anything to win and looks to make a great compliment to a guy like Shattenkirk.
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Option # 2 - Tommy Cross - Cross is a guy who could add size and a steady overall game to the Oiler’s defense corps. As a result, he offers the potential to go in the late first/early second round range with the Oiler's owning the 30th and 36th picks.

Option # 3 - Ruslan Bashkirov - For all their great prospect depth down the middle, the Oiler's lack some talent on the wings. Voracek is more of a passer, so Bashkirov would give the Oiler's a great option to have a talented winger who is not afraid to shoot.

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DraftBuzz's 2007 Final Ranking with Commentary

2007-06-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

The final ranking will be released in sections as they are finished. This last list is slanted towards DraftBuzz's preferences as the draft nears. Here is the top 30:

1. Patrick Kane F (USA)
~An electrifying winger with dance, dazzle, and deadly offensive instincts. He will find every way possible to put the puck in the net and sets his teammates up equally as well. His slight frame and light defense are minor concerns. The winger from Buffalo, NY is a gamebreaker, and is ranked at the top as a result of routinely standing out and exerting offensive dominance in the OHL and WJC stage. There is nothing left for Kane to prove in the OHL, so we may be seeing him at NHL arenas next year ala Phil Kessel.
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2. Jakub Voracek F (CZE)
~If Kane were not as much of a consistent force as he was, Voracek would be first on our list. Voracek is a strapping winger with sweet hands, vision, and playmaking ability. He is a beautiful sight to see rush the puck up ice and can finesse or power his way to the net. His skating is still a bit rough, and he was somewhat inconsistent during the season. He offers a tremendous package of size and skill, but still needs to iron out some jagged edges and as a result could use one more season in the Q. Realistically, he could be ready as early as the 2008 season.
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3. Sam Gagner F (CAN)
~Our favorite player of the draft who just needs time to pass to show how good he really is. The most talented, complete player of the draft went about his business in the shadow of his flashy linemate, Kane. Gagner is captain material and is above average in all facets of the game. There is no better combination of shooting, passing, defensive awareness, hockey sense, and skating in the draft. He is not tall, and consequently may be ranked lower by the scouting community who desire size. It is possible that Gagner slips on draft day leaving one GM and team overjoyed with the selection of this Knight.
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4. Kyle Turris F (CAN)
~Turris is pretty much a BCHL Sam Gagner with less meat on his bones and a little more height. He shows a lot of ingredients in being a star pro as he is an offensive force with patience and confidence, skates well, has a quality shot with precision, and springs his teammates with pinpoint passing. The only real concerns are his slight stature/weight, and the fact that he faced inferior competition - until he performed respectably at the U18. He will need atleast a year at Wisconsin before turning pro, but he has an above average skill set and athletic smarts one team will not mind waiting for.
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5. Lars Eller F (DEN)
~Going from complete unknown to hot prospect on the rise is the book on Eller. Playing on a heavily scouted J20 team that had three other highly ranked draft eligibles on the roster, Eller distinguished himself and impressed many with his size, vision, pinpoint passing, composed shot, and soft stickhandling. Although he is Danish, he is not as risky a prospect as others from similarly unconventional hockey countries. Coming with all that offensive flair is a guy you can depend on in many situations. You can put the puck on his stick and have confidence in his ability to act under pressure and lead his team. Eller most likely needs two years in the SEL before coming across the pond and testing out professional hockey in North America.
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6. Karl Alzner D (CAN)
~As steady as they come, Alzner is a defenseman who slows the game down from the backend with great composure. He does not have any single trait that stands out, but is well-rounded in everything he does. If he had an edge and was more physical, he would challenge for one of the top three picks atleast. Although it was not hard distinguishing himself from this crop of defensive prospects, Alzner is an assuring and reliable blueliner who will not need much more time to develop.
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7. James Van Riemsdyk F (USA)
~The big forward from Middletown, New Jersey has solidified himself as a legitimate top ten pick with his superb performance throughout the year and most recently at the WJC U18 in April. He has one of the deadliest releases in the draft and is a solid skater overall. He knows what he is doing offensively blueline in and really stands out, showing us great instincts with the puck and the poise to carry the play. But was he really just that much better than his competition? There are some concerns that Van Riemsdyk will have a tough transition to NCAA hockey, and no matter what should have atleast two years of seasoning at UNH.
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8. Alexei Cherepanov F (RUS)
~Cherepanov is a mystifying prospect. It is obvious he has extraordinary scoring ability and can light the lamp as good as anyone else draft eligible. His offensive zone instincts are excellent and he finds shooting lanes/openings with ease. But other non-playing forces and concerns are just too unsettling to rank him higher than some of the safer prospects. (1) Does the transfer agreement pose a future problem? (2) Will Cherepanov’s team be willing to negotiate his release? (3) Will his team also have to deal with the added, almost cliché, Russian drama that someone like Zherdev has shown Columbus? Anyways, an eighth overall ranking is respectable as he has undeniable talent on the ice.
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9. Zach Hamill F (CAN)
~The Silvertips well-developed center has gotten better with every passing year and is a quietly talented forward. Hamill has great hands, shooting patience, and uncanny playmaking anticipation along with being a steadfast defensive center as well. His strength is still coming around, and he needs to add some quickness to his skating. Hamill could turn pro as early as the 2007-2008 season since he has already completed four years of CHL hockey.
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10. Max Pacioretty F (USA)
~The USHL star winger from New Canaan, CT has grown tremendously since his days at Taft Prep, both physically and skill wise, and is now a legitimate NHL prospect. Pacioretty is a possible sleeper to take the draft by storm ala Blake Wheeler in 2004 with similar through the roof potential. He is big, strong, owns an NHL stride, has soft hands, and great rink wide awareness. He is an attractive prospect, as he does not have many flaws aside from being unpolished. He will be heading to Michigan next season and should step into one of their top two lines. Already showing to be a fast developer, there is no real time table as to how short/long this Wolverines stay at Michigan will be.
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11. Logan Couture F (CAN)
~Coming from the school of hard knocks, Couture had a forgettable, injury filled year battling both mononucleosis and a skate cut to his leg. However, this is of no concern to us as we project what he will do in five years or so because we believe those injuries masked Couture’s talents and production. Couture is a phenomenal passer with great vision, who is also a very good shooter as well. His skating is fine although lacking in eye-catching explosiveness and potency. He is a slick centerman who just needs a steady, healthy season or two following his early selection on June 22nd.
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12. Billy Sweatt F (USA)
~The Illinois product is a speedster who has a solid assortment of skills and, hopefully, a blooming offensive game. Atleast once a game, Sweatt would dazzle fans with an end-to-end rush where he would blow by and undress the opposing team. Along with this ability to separate himself from the pack with unreal speed, come his size, grit, and defensive capabilities. Sweatt needs to gain some more lower body strength to be able to power his way to the net just as well as he finesses his way there. Just in case his offensive talents do not develop as hoped, he can still make it in the NHL as a third line energy checker.
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13. Ryan McDonagh D (USA)
~Minnesota’s 2007 Mr. Hockey is the next best defender after Karl Alzner as McDonagh’s skills are a bit less polished and pronounced. He was a rock on defense for his Cretin-Derham HS team during the year and stepped onto the USA WJC U18 without missing a beat. He has a strong command of his team from the blueline, and consequently has the potential to become a leader at each level he progresses to in the NCAA, AHL, and then NHL. He must improve his offensive arsenal and sharpen his skating. However, he may only need a year or two at Wisconsin to step his game up to elite prospect level.
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14. Maxim Mayorov F (RUS)
~Mayorov is a Russian package laced with great size, speed, and intensity. He is a phenomenal skater with an admirable motor, and is a powerful winger who keeps defenders back on their heels. He is a bit inconsistent and needs to develop his puck skills further. Mayorov offers similar tools as Billy Sweatt, but is ranked a few spots after Sweatt because of the lingering concerns with Russian players. Regardless, the skill is alluring and talent prevails in this ranking. If he stays in Russia, he will atleast need two years to develop. But if he is drafted in the CHL import draft, it is feasible that he spends just a year there before turning pro.
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15. Jonathan Blum D (USA)
~Blum is a well-traveled young man who has been through a lot of unfathomable hardship with family tragedy (sister’s death) and illness (mother’s cancer). Athletically, he has come a long way from playing roller hockey in California. Now, he is a legitimate first day draft talent and a defenseman any NHL team would love to have in their stable. He is such a smooth and controlled skater, who has unbelievable puckhandling ability and passing for a defenseman. Though, he needs to put on weight badly and must remove some brain cramps from his defensive zone play. Developmentally, he will have his chance to lead the Giant’s defense corps and looks like he will gain great experience over the next few years.
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16. Thomas Hickey D (CAN)
~Seattle’s underrated defenseman has been a workhorse playing in all situations and is a quality defenseman. Hickey has shown a little bit of everything you want to see from a great defenseman: smooth skating, agile, solid passing, slick puckhandling, physicality, and consistently strong defending. He is not the tallest prospect on D, but he has a great hockey body with surprising strength as evidenced on some impressive hits. He needs to learn more of the technical skills to defending, but looks like to be a promising student. The production is there, the skillset is there, so he just needs to continue on his optimistic developmental path.
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17. Mikael Backlund F (SWE)
~The 2006-2007 seas were rough for this Scandinavian centerman after being touted a top five pick and appointed Sweden’s next challenger to Backstrom last year. This year, Backlund regressed greatly before waking up at the WJC U18 scoring 6 goals in 6 games. We believe this lack of regular season production and subsequent fall was due in part to a knee injury he suffered early in the season. Not putting much stock into draft year injuries, he is still ranked top 20 as he possesses the typical Swedish athleticism and is both a good finisher and passer. He has a boring, yet effective style of play; no one skill stands out above the rest and he is solid overall. Nonetheless, Backlund is a steady prospect who had an unusual year and hopefully rebounds next season.
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18. Stefan Legein F (CAN)
~Legein is a gritty, old school winger who never stops moving his feet, has economical speed, and possesses good overall offensive talent. He is a complete player who always hustles, yaps, and hits. One of his most impressive traits is he is always active and doing something – he is not afraid to get his nose dirty and in the face of his opposition. One worry is that Legein is not the most natural offensive player and may not translate his production at a higher level of play, as he is small and somewhat rough in his skills. But he has the kind of character and mental makeup to disprove those concerns.
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19. Nick Petrecki D (USA)
~Growing up, Petrecki used to haul stone and mix concrete for his fathers stone/concrete business in Clifton Park, New York. Now age 17, Petrecki has become a physical specimen in the rink with off the charts athleticism, skating ability, and strength. He is a BC recruit and has earned the reputation of being a heavy hitter and nasty defensive zone presence. He may not have the most natural decision-making and needs to develop his offensive skills some more. Petrecki will perform well as an Eagle and could turn pro early because of his freakish size and maturity.
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20. Oscar Moller F (SWE)
~The amiable Swede made a wonderful choice in coming over to play WHL hockey this year with the Chilliwack Bruins and played well. Moller is a fine all around player with a sweet trigger – he can unleash shots at will and in any position. He is always in the mix and buzzes around with a grin that is even missing a tooth. Size is a problem for some as he is pretty short. But he has an athletic, stocky build that he carries well and disguises this lack of height. He does have some room to improve his quickness. Moller is a great option for a team who needs a winger with fine hands and goal scoring ability.
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21. Kevin Shattenkirk D (USA)
~Team USA’s captain and leader at the WJC U18 had a good offensive showing with a goal and four assists and was awarded Media All-Star and Best Defenseman at the tournament. Shattenkirk has made his mark as a premier puck mover, skater, and shooter. He has a natural feel for the game, however, and is a calm skater with the puck on his stick. He may not be the most physical defenseman, is not the greatest one-on-one defender, and is a bit light on his skates. Nevertheless, Shattenkirk is a defenseman with great skill who can log a ton of minutes.
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22. Simon Hjalmarsson F (SWE)
~This sharp shooting Swede has had a similar climb pre-draft to Lauri Korpikoski and looks like he will be drafted in the same range as well. Hjalmarsson had a fantastic WJC U18 lighting the lamp four times and racking up 9 points in total. He has a great nose for the net and is an active forward in all three zones. It is imperative that he gains more strength and rounds out the rest of his game. Hjalmarsson’s best bet is to be drafted in the CHL import draft to translate his skills ASAP to the North American style of game.
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23. Kevin Marshall D (CAN)
~The gritty defender has been a one man stopping crew this season for Lewiston. Marshall is definitely a candidate to be one of those players to develop better than expected with his fire, decent skill, and unwavering defending ability. No matter what advantage his opponent has on him, Marshall will find a way to stop him and turn the play up ice. Some of his main flaws keeping him from being considered an elite defense prospect are his unspectacular offensive skills and rough stickhandling. A prospect who has simply just focused on being a good “defenseman,” Kevin Marshall has the desire to compete and can be expected to improve greatly within the next few years.
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24. Colton Gillies F/D (CAN)
~An absolute thoroughbred who has some nice NHL qualities about him already, Gillies has been a hotly debated prospect around the hockey circles. One quick look at Colton Gillies will make 30 out of 30 NHL GM’s salivate. He’s towering at 6’4’’, has graceful and effortless skating with speed to burn, and loves to be physical. However, his hockey sense and offensive production are issues. He chases the play a lot, and does not look comfortable with his linemates. That said, he has okay hands, makes some nifty passes, and hides a pretty good shot. He is versatile too as he played defense for a little stretch during the season. There is a lot to like about this brute center, but he has to put his talents together and show it consistently on the ice and on the scoreboard.
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25. Keaton Ellerby D (CAN)
~Another many intriguing tools but still finding the toolbox player. Some people see an elite defenseman and rate him better than Alzner, some just see parts and rate him lower or not at all. Once past the top fifteen or so of the draft, the selection thins out real quickly so it is hard to let a guy with such raw potential slip too far. Ellerby is huge, has a great wingspan and reach, nimble feet, and can pass/shoot the puck well. But he takes unnecessary penalties and finds it hard to consistently show up. He has a lot of development left in him, and some team has to be patient and hope he comes around with time.
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26. Logan MacMillan F (CAN)
~Logan MacMillan is a big, aware forward who has a complete skillset. Earlier in the year, it was fashionable to say that MacMillan was the shot to Voracek’s passes. But when the two were separated, the two-way centerman showed much more than just a knack for scoring “easy” goals. He elevated his own play as well as his two other linemates not named Jakub Voracek. MacMillan was superb in the playoffs, showcasing great skating, hands, defensive zone play, and scoring. He needs to add weight and add some more flair to his offense, but could be a prospect who ends up making us regret this 26th overall ranking.
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27. David Perron F (CAN)
~2nd year draft eligible, 1st year QMJHL’er has skyrocketed into 1st round status after displaying supreme stickhandling skills and slick passing this past year. Perron went unnoticed in junior hockey until recently excelling with Lewiston and has been a fast riser on many lists. If he were not a year older, he may even be ranked higher as he is a strong player who does not mind hitting, and backchecking on top of creating offense. He needs to pick up the intensity of his shifts, as he is inconsistent in his efforts. It will be fun tracking Perron’s road to the NHL as it is hard to gauge whether his success this year came from him being a year older and mature.
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28. Tommy Cross D (USA)
~Say hello to Erik Johnson’s less dynamic clone. Cross is certainly two levels or so talent wise below STL’s cornerstone defenseman, but he strikes a similar resemblance with his size, stride, and understanding of the game. Cross’ game is pretty simple; like Alzner, he does everything well, but does not have one specific trait that stands out. He is not overly physical, but is not soft. Another BC defense recruit from the 2007 draft class (other being Petrecki), he is just a steady defender who a team can rely on. He is an interesting prospect because it is not clear whether Cross will step up his skillset a notch or just blend in and take a backstage role with the talents he has now.
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29. Brett MacLean F (CAN)
~Brett MacLean is an offensive horse opponent’s blueline in. Combining quick hands with a lightning quick release and a body that is hard to knock off the puck, MacLean is a constant nuisance to OHL defensemen. He has okay speed past the first three strides and has a great will to finish plays that he starts. He does not mind throwing his body around and battles hard. What will make or break MacLean as a prospect is his skating ability: if it comes around, he’s a prospect who potentially has the Getzlaf factor – someone who had skating concerns and triumphed developing beyond expectations. But if it does not, he will be playing with Pavel Brendl overseas.
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30. Alexander Killorn F (CAN)
~Alexander Killorn is a Quebecois who turned American prep star after he decided he wanted the opportunity to get an education and play hockey in the states. At Deerfield this past year, he established himself as a great hockey athlete with decent skating, great hands, and unmatched strength. On and off the puck, Killorn would have his way with seemingly underdeveloped HS’ers, bulling and hitting his way around the ice. He has a great shot and is good at carrying the puck. However, he is still growing and it shows in his gangly skating stride that lacks an extra gear and awkward mannerisms at times. He is expected to play for Harvard in 2008 and looks to have one more year to show some dominance and gain supreme confidence at the prep level.

One Nifty Bull

2007-06-09T00:45:00.000-04:00

PK Subban
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Defense
League: OHL
Team: Belleville Bulls
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 200
Shoots: Right
*****
Strengths: Subban is a phenomenal puckmover, rusher, and shooting threat from the backend with undeniable hands and skating ability. He is a confident player with the puck on his stick and is able to make highly skilled plays. He can be unstoppable at times on the powerplay with a heavy wrister and slap shot. Stunningly, as well as Subban can shoot the puck, he can dish it just as well with quick thinking, surveillance, and ability to hit open teammates most point men cannot. We do see signs of a physical edge as Subban is willing to aid teammates in need and engage opponents.

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Weaknesses: Although his name is PK, ironically one of his alleged areas needing improvement is his defensive acumen. DraftBuzz thinks concerns over this part of his game, while not terrifically strong, are overblown and not enough to drag down his value as a prospect. We see a marginal difference between PK Subban and player like Bobby Sanguinetti - a 21st overall draft selection in 2006 who also had plenty of offensive gifts but shortcomings defensively. He can become too risky at times leaving his own zone and navigating the neutral zone, relying on his skill rather than choosing safe plays.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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68 games 15 goals 41 assists 56 points +13 89 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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15 games 5 goals 8 assists 13 points +11 26 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: PK Subban is not talked about much but has intriguing upside as an offensive defenseman in the NHL. He can really be a breathtaking player showcasing speed, agility, hands, and sharp shooting. He appears to be a very coachable player, and should be able to ramp up his defensive efforts within the next few years. DraftBuzz sees him as a top 40 talent, and thinks a team could gamble on him as early as late first round or as late as late third round.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.ontariohockeyleague.com)

Strong Offensive Rep

2007-06-07T10:56:00.000-04:00

Michal Repik
*****
Country: Czech Republic
Position: Right Wing
League: WHL
Team: Vancouver Giants
Height: 5'10''
Weight: 180
Shoots: Right
*****
Scouting Report: The Czech import suffered a bit of overexposure as he had an ordinary regular season compared to expectations after having a great rookie year last season .. came alive in the playoffs and Memorial Cup posting more than a point per game and often looked dominant on shifts .. a great skater who has that extra separation gear to blow by defenders .. uses his speed and low center of gravity to throw effective checks .. does not get phased when the game gets physical .. a pk threat with his speed .. a smooth winger who finds ways to get around guys with slick moves, banks, and redirections .. not a powerful player by any means, but can muster up the strength to shield the puck and work his way to the net from time to time .. plays with Rabbit and Lucic and is a nice compliment to a hulking power forward type and a puck possessing dangler .. has good hands but is a bit of a stiff stickhandler .. overzealous at times and loses the puck in situations where he makes poor decisions .. announced on the breakaway as he always uses the pump fake to his backhand .. supports his defenders well but not a standout defensive presence .. his shots are unexpectedly weak for an offensive minded forward, but can confuse goaltenders and leave weird rebounds/bounces .. battles inconsistency and has games where he does not stick out .. Repik is a nice package of skating and skill and turning his playing level up a notch in the playoffs will definately work in his favor on draft day.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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56 games 24 goals 31 assists 55 points +20 56 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats (Including Memorial Cup)

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27 games 14 goals 19 assists 33 points +14 28 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Oddly enough, we think what you see is what you get with Repik. His skating, hands, and skill all look to be present and on the table. Naturally, he will also add strength and maturity like every other prospect. The only question we care about is will he be able to play his game at a higher level? DraftBuzz is not convinced that Repik will beat the odds and translate his skills to the NHL, and conservatively ranks him in the 30-45 range. He will most likely be drafted in the 25-40 range for his late surge in the playoffs and solid overall skill level.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.whl.ca)

Fast Attacking Tiger

2007-06-07T09:00:00.002-04:00

Billy Sweatt
*****
Country: USA
Position: Left Wing
League: WCHA
Team: Colorado College
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 180
Shoots: Left
*****
Scouting Report: Colorado College's Illinois burner is one of the fastest players in the draft .. has short, choppy strides where he gains a lot of ice and catches guys quickly .. a deadly straight line skater who can outrace many opponents .. possesses okay agility and tends to hop at times to get going .. not the most fluid stickhandler, but makes his mark with his puck protection .. likes to go wide on defenders, hang the puck on the right side using his body as a shield, and then drives to the net with great success .. a heads up player in all three zones and is an aware conscience .. great on the backcheck with persistence and speed/power ratio to quietly body guys off the puck .. became more electric on the rush as the season wore on and displayed some neat end to end dances .... forechecks hard and does not mind going through guys to get to the puck .. a smart checker who knows when to press and hit and when to lay off and focus on his offensive efforts .. a good passer who chooses safe plays for the most part .. can go quite a long time without taking a shot and being noticeable offensively .. needs to gain more lower body strength and mass .. Sweatt is a forward whose skating will only sharpen and impress as he moves up the ladder, but will his offensive talents stagnate in development?

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

30 games 9 goals 17 assists 26 points 18 PIM
*****

2007 WJC - Team USA

*****

7 games 1 goals 1 assists 2 points -1 0 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Even though there are legitimate concerns about his offensive capability, Sweatt shows all the parts of being a complete player. He's heads up defensively, is a magnificent skater, and has nice size and grit. Making the USA WJC U20 team and playing well shows his ability to perform at a high level at a pretty young age. Since the draft is all about projection, he is one of our projection picks who we think will come around and make it. As a result, DraftBuzz had him 10th in the last ranking. However, he is definately a candidate to slip a little bit and end up in the 16-24 range with the top 15 teams possibly looking to go in other directions than the American speedster.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.coloradocollege.edu)

One Polarizing Giant

2007-06-04T22:45:00.000-04:00

Spencer Machacek
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Right Wing
League: WHL
Team: Vancouver Giants
Height: 6'1'''
Weight: 182
Shoots: Right
*****
Scouting Report: The Alberta native is a big body on the right wing who had a tremendous playoff and Memorial Cup run scoring 9 goals and 20 points .. Machacek’s most admirable attribute is his unmatched determination and ability to stick with a play and ultimately prevail in getting to a loose puck, open shot, or defensive breakup .. he has this uncanny positioning and sense of where to be when his linemates press and find openings .. racks up points from finishing nice plays McArdle and Bliznak start .. at times is able to bull his way to the net and sticks there .. knows how to get to the net and just gets there however he needs to .. owns ordinary hands and has decent shooting skills .. scores a lot of ugly goals from in close .. has signature move of taking the puck from behind the net, skating to the bottom of the circle away from the net, while at the same time spinning around and throwing the puck at the goalie .. a strong body along the boards and takes care of his own end well ..is an awesome passer as he will always find his linemates and put the puck on their tape using willpower, hustle, and some vision .. for the majority of the game is just a decent skater who you wish had that extra jump, quicker acceleration, dynamic agility .. but will have a couple of shifts during the game where he displays an exceptional burst, and top end speed, leaving you to wonder where it was and where it went .. could be a result of subpar conditioning or lower body strength .. nonetheless, is not terribly affected by this and is usually always in the mix .. can impress once in a while in gearing up and carrying the puck up ice with speed and size .. is a devastating hitter at times, and other times he bounces off his checks as if he is 140 pounds and has weird disbursement of strength and power .. when he puts his mind to it can absolutely steam roll his way through defenders .. certainly limited offensively as far as measuring an individual skillset and does not stick out offensively .. Vancouver’s power forward is a great what if prospect as he certainly flashes signs of being a third line power forward but could just as well be an ECHL’er.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

63 games 21 goals 24 assists 45 points +26 32 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats

*****

22 games 9 goals 11 assists 20 points +12 14 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: In our estimation, Spencer Machacek is a harder working, less offensive version of Luca Caputi. Because of this, DraftBuzz rates him 45-60 and can see him being selected anywhere from early second round to late third round on draft day. The census is split on Machacek: some believe his skills are too limited to make it and some believe there is something more to him that we have not seen just yet. He is definately a prospect who needs to show some improved regular season offensive production, and developed skating skills, but his work ethic and tenacity make us believe he has a future as an NHL'er.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.whl.ca)

Stickhandling Maineiac

2007-06-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

David Perron
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Left Wing
League: QMJHL
Team: Lewiston Maineiacs
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 180
Shoots: Right
*****
Scouting Report: This second year draft eligible, first year QMJHL'er came out of Quebec's woodwork after playing Junior AAA with the St. Jerome Panthers of the QJAHL last year .. patterns his game after favorite player, Alex Kovalev, and it shows as his controlled skating stride and talented stickhandling strike a resemblance .. has amazing hand eye coordination and reaction that allows him to deflect pucks that most could not .. a stickhandling wizard who is just a notch below Kane .. disregard all the cliché’s there are about offensive Q forwards, as Perron is not a soft player .. a strong hitter who does not go out of his way to be a checker, but will always finish his checks surprisingly hard and loud if its his responsibility/player to follow through on .. does not shy away from board work, albeit he routinely gets knocked off the puck easily .. not a perimeter player at all .. parks himself near the front of the net, and is a bit of a pain as he jams and hacks at the goalie for loose rebounds .. plays with Faubert and Courcelles .. comes back and helps his defenseman almost acting like a centerman at times .. plays the boards and slot in his own zone with confidence .. made a great diving play to stop a glorious offensive chance against that most players with his talent would not bother trying .. a judicious skater who does not skate hard the entire shift .. is not an explosive skater, and does not have great top end speed, but incorporates a lot of stops and starts to throw off defenders .. still, a good skater who doesn’t lose speed when the puck is on his stick, which is important for starting rushes .. a patiently smart player who employs many tricks to control the play in the offensive zone .. his most imminent flaws are his older age and inconsistency .. some games he dominates and some games he is content with blending in .. Perron is a guy who needs to learn how to be an offensive leader every night, but his offensive gifts are interesting to say the least.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

70 games 39 goals 44 assists 83 points +37 75 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats

*****

21 games 13 goals 18 assists 31 points +6 22 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: For all the concerns about Perron's older age, he is one of the most raw, and unproven prospects in the draft with this year being his first year in the QMJHL. He took a huge step up from playing Junior AAA to playing in a premier CHL league, and performed magnificently. Because he is still relatively unseasoned and lacking experience at the junior level, there is a great amount of intrigue as to how much better he really can get. DraftBuzz ranks him 18th and projects him to be selected 16th to 30th. He is a great one-on-one player and team's may like the fact that he is a "year" or so more physically developed than his peers.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.lewistonhockey.com)

PHI Interested in Turris?

2007-06-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

The Flyer's have shown great interest in centerman Kyle Turris according to Tim Panaccio of the Philly Inquirer.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - If multiple scouting interviews mean anything, the Flyers seem to have narrowed their focus for the draft to 6-foot-1, 170-pound center Kyle Turris, who has catapulted to the head of the list in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings.
*
The Flyers hold the second overall pick in the June 23 draft. They have had more discussions with the 17-year-old Turris than any other player."The Flyers have talked to me quite a bit," Turris said yesterday before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. "I don't know if I'm their pick, but hopefully they pick me. There are tons of great hockey players in the draft, but I'd definitely love to be their pick."
*
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren described Turris as "very competitive and smart."
*
Commentary: Smokescreen or genuine interest? Philadelphia could be the first team to show us how diversified lists and preferences will be this draft. Turris is a fine option at number two, but there is no doubt that James Van Riemsdyk or Jakub Voracek fit everything they could want and need from a top prospect with size, skating, and hands. There are a few red flags when it comes to dissecting the Flyer's prospect pool and young forwards and finding out if Kyle Turris is a good fit for them. (1) They have great, young NHL depth down the middle with Carter, Richards, and Umberger. (2) Philadelphia's forward pool is populated with smallish forwards like Giroux and Downie. Their only real forward with size and quality skill is Nodl. Turris would be a natural selection, but proceed with caution regarding anything they say.

Hawks Top Three?

2007-06-02T10:53:00.001-04:00

The Chicago BlackHawks recently managed to name three of the draft's widely considered top 10 prospects when asked who they will target this coming June 22nd in Patrick Kane, Kyle Turris, and James Van Riemsdyk.

"It appears either Kyle Turris, Patrick Kane or James vanRiemsdyk, the top three ranked North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, will slip on a Blackhawks sweater June 22 in Columbus, Ohio.

'Those are the three guys we're looking at,' Hawks GM Dale Tallon told The Canadian Press in a phone interview Wednesday."

Commentary: Be very careful of reading into these reports too deeply. Take away a little journalistic smarts, remove "the" from Dave Tallon's quote, and you have a very generic statement. This does not mean they may not be considering guys they have not mentioned in Sam Gagner, Alex Cherepanov, or Jakub Voracek. However, Kane still seems like the logical choice.

From Russia With Uncertainty

2007-06-02T02:00:00.000-04:00

Maxim Mayorov
*****
Country: Russia
Position: Left Wing
League: Vysshaya Liga
Team: Neftyanik Leninogorsk
Height: 6'2''
Weight: 187
Shoots: Left
*****
Strengths: Mayorov is a tall player who has some natural filling out to do over time. One of his strongest assests, is being able to adapt to a specific type of style the game is being played at. He has the versatility and talent to play both a power winger or a finesse game. He has very good speed and is a threat on the rush. Although he is not the most instinctive goal scorer, he drives to the net admirably and works hard, depending on which Mayorov you see.

***
Weaknesses: Where do we start? Something that should normally not matter when evaluating prospects are their country. But, he is Russian and along come all the non-equipment hockey baggage with him. Up in the air is the status of the transfer agreement, and his Russian club's general negotiability in the future when a team holds his rights. Playing wise, Mayorov fights incredible bouts with consistency. On some nights, he is the heartbeat of his team and on other's he can be seen as lazy. Also, those wanting a secure look at Mayorov have had to deal with limited exposure as he did not even participate in the U18 this past April.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

28 games 6 goals 4 assists 10 points -5 6 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Mayorov is one of those unknown prospects. Will he fall on draft day like Evseev did or even worse Anikeenko? Will he develop like Radulov or end up like Glazachev? Which team will opt for Mayorov if they believe there is a similar talent on the board from a safer, more reliable league IE. Esposito/Moller? That said, DraftBuzz likes him as a top 30 talent, and projects him to be drafted in the range of 20-40. He will be the perfect pick for a team with multiple picks in the draft (PHI) or a team with a steady, character prospect pool lacking some flair and risk.

NHL Combine Report per TSN

2007-06-02T00:35:00.000-04:00

Not surprisingly, Dana Tyrell and Stefan Legein were two of the day's unexpected brightest stars in physique/testing. Kyle Turris and James Van Riemsdyk were two top forwards who tested well. Read the rest of the report at TSN.
*
Dana Tyrell

"The sleeper of the day might have been Prince George's Dana Tyrell. The 5-foot-11 and 180-pound fireplug looked very lean and fit and had a very impressive 12 reps on the bench, which was easily one of the top perfomances of the day. He showed strength beyond his size. He also ripped it up on the sprint-bike and did well in agility testing."

Stefan Legein

"Another player who made a good impression was relatively unheralded winger Stefan Legein of the Mississauga IceDogs. He was one of 40 draft-eligible prospects selected to participate in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game and won the fastest skater competition with a lap time of 14.109 seconds. He has a smaller frame at 5-foot-10, plenty of lean muscle mass, but looks like a brickhouse who you wouldn't want to meet on open ice. He appeared to be testing well, impressing scouts with his work ethic and impressive physical fitness, appearing almost bored at some points during the tests."

HC Indian Armed With Precise Shot

2007-05-31T22:05:00.000-04:00

Simon Hjalmarsson
*****
Country: Sweden
Position: Left Wing
League: J20 SuperElit
Team: Vastra Frolunda HC Indians
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 161
Shoots: Left
*****
Strengths: Hjalmarsson is a great finisher blessed with a lightning quick release and ability to fire a variety of shots with superb accuracy. He was a great compliment to playmaker Eller this past season, and really stood out with his nose for the net. Hjalmarsson had a great WJC U18 where he established himself on the international stage showing good speed, grit, and goal scoring instincts. He is okay defensively and has fine skating ability.
***
Weaknesses: Hjalmarsson lacks a bit of size, strength, and dynamite to his skating. He doesn't have a separation gear, which may keep him from being a dominant offensive force. Although he is certainly not scared to go into danger zones on the ice, his size is worrisome and may limit him from consistently being a threat as he moves up the ranks.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

41 games 31 goals 23 assists 54 points +12 91 PIM
*****

2007 WJC U18 Stats - Team Sweden

*****

6 games 4 goals 5 assists 9 points +8 4 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Put some more quality muscle on Simon's bones, and you have a potential gamechanger opponent's blueline in. His deadly array of shots and offensive instincts are definately intriguing, but he will need to continue to establish himself at a high level. DraftBuzz ranks Hjalmarsson in the top 25 and projects him to be drafted anywhere from 11-25.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.eurohockey.net)

Budding Giant

2007-05-30T21:45:00.000-04:00

Jonathon Blum
*****
Country: USA
Position: Defense
League: WHL
Team: Vancouver Giants
Height: 6'0'''
Weight: 160
Shoots: Right
*****
Scouting Report: Rancho Santa Margarita, California native is mentally tough having dealt with the death of his sister (house fire) and illness to mother (cancer) all before the age of 17 .. Blum has a unique skating style as his knees unusually jut out in motion .. nonetheless his skating is so smooth, so controlled, and so expansive .. covers a lot of ice gracefully and has a sturdy stride .. played with Festerling in 5 on 5 action .. owns a great pair of hands and can stickhandle around players .. not overly physical but is diligent about initiating contact and uses the textbook move of exploding up into forwards .. is a great passer and even catches his own teammates off guard with his ability to execute under pressure as forwards barrel down on him .. played with Fransson on the powerplay .. is very active on the powerplay as he roams all over in the offensive zone presenting his forwards with options .. acts like a fourth forward and is confident in his offensive abilities .. shows a risky side as he likes to step up in the neutral zone and attempt dangerous takeaways, which sometimes backfires on him .. a frustrating defenseman as he can look unseasoned and unintelligent one period and steady the next .. loses focus lugging the puck up the ice and forces himself to scramble as a result .. prone to miscommunicating with his partner and needs to iron out periodic brain cramps .. Vancouver’s second pairing defenseman is an intriguing option in the first round who must get stronger and improve some areas defensively.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

72 games 8 goals 43 assists 51 points +37 48 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats

*****

22 games 3 goals 6 assists 9 points +13 8 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Blum is a great pro prospect for his solid skating, superb hands, and decent defensive game. He compares to a less dynamic Bobby Sanguinetti and we believe Blum has the mental fabric to make it in the NHL. DraftBuzz thinks he is a top 35 talent and project him to be drafted anywhere in the range of 7 to 40. He is a prospect whose value has the potential to climb as he will be given more playing time and added responsibility with the subtraction of a few blueliners who should be turning pro (Franson -'87, Mikkelson-'87, Festerling-'86, and Thelen-'86).

*****

(photo courtesy of www.whl.ca)

Marshall, Marshall, Marshall

2007-05-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

Kevin Marshall
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Defense
League: QMJHL
Team: Lewiston Maineiacs
Height: 6'1'''
Weight: 191
Shoots: Left
*****
Scouting Report: Lewiston’s gritty defenseman is much more than a pest .. such a reliable defensive presence already and compares to a slightly smaller Hannan .. has smooth acceleration and good straight line skating .. shows pretty odd agility as he tends to overemphasize stops and turns making him look as if he is stuck in sand for a second or two .. puts his head down and barrels into scrums to advance play .. never quits on a play and is a courageous battler .. routinely takes on bigger forwards and finds ways to stop them .. hits and hits hard but tends to go underneath his checks at times .. always in opponents faces saying something .. is a comical nuisance as his victims usually end up laughing in stride with him .. never lets up and always gives forwards the business after whistles .. makes beautifully simple plays and always finds a way to separate opponents from the puck .. steps up at the right times and keeps the play alive with good skating .. a very rough stickhandler and is not expected to lead the rush .. decent at getting his shots on net but lacks any real precision or power .. Marshall is an unheralded defenseman who has 2nd round talent and production packaged in 1st round competitiveness and technical understanding of the game.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

70 games 5 goals 27 assists 32 points +34 141 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats (Including Memorial Cup)

*****

21 games 0 goals 7 assists 7 points -2 40 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Marshall is most likely one of those defensemen who an NHL team is hoping slides through the cracks this coming June 22nd/23rd. We think he is a stud defender, but also one who needs to develop his offensive talents some more. DraftBuzz sees him as a top 40 talent, and believe he will get drafted in the range of 25-50. He truly is a shut down defenseman who gets the job done with a combination of physicality, reliability, and superb decision making.

*****

(photo courtesy of Ron Morin)

On Tap...

2007-05-29T11:25:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

With the draft fast approaching, we wanted to give a little heads up on what is on the way.

-More Profiles (upwards of 20).

-Comprehensive First Round Mock Draft (unlikely, but time permitting, we will extend it to two rounds long).

-New Top 60-100 with Commentary (This ranking will be more personal, and slanted to our preferences rather than the previous Top 30 ranking based on buzz, current end of season play, and projection.)

-June 22nd, First Round, Pick-by-Pick by analysis (real time commentary as draft is going on.)

Ryan McDonagh Q & A

2007-05-29T09:45:00.000-04:00

DraftBuzz was able to catch up with Wisconsin recruit Ryan McDonagh before his departure for the NHL combine. In one of his most recent achievements, Ryan was crowned the 2007 Minnesota Mr. Hockey, which is an award given annually to the top senior high school player in the state. With each passing day, Ryan is looking like a top 15 lock and has a great shot at going top ten on June 22nd.

DB: What is your current height and weight?

RM: 6’1’’ 200 lbs

DB: Your well-rounded game and steady play are well documented in the scouting community, but how else would you describe your playing style? Is there a specific player you like to mold your game after?

RM: I’d like to be a guy that can be counted on to play strong defense late in a game to hold on to a lead. Someone who can also run a power play and be a contributor on the penalty kill as well. I’d like to be a player that my teammates can count on when I’m out on the ice.

DB: Not necessarily weaknesses, but what is something you hope to improve on next year?

RM: Becoming a stronger skater and improving my quick decision making skills.

DB: What have you done to prepare for the upcoming NHL combine? Have you focused specifically on improving interviewing skills and fitness training the past month or so?

RM: I’ve been doing a little bit of everything. Working out and conditioning for it has been the most important I’d say because I feel the interviewing process is all about being yourself and being honest with what you say about yourself and others.

DB: In your estimation, what teams and representatives have shown the most interest in you?

RM: I know that Minnesota is interested along with Columbus and St. Louis.

DB: Who has been the most challenging forward to play against in your hockey career so far?

RM: James Van Riemsdyk is a tough forward to play against. He is big and can skate very well for his size.

DB: If you could pick an NHL defender past or present to play on a pairing with, who would he be and why?

RM: I think it would be fun to be paired with Phil Housley or Bobby Orr because it would be fun to give them the puck and watch them make great plays and score great goals.

DB: What are your plans for this summer? Do you plan on training this summer in the weight room and on ice or will you take a break?

RM: I plan on working out a lot and skating whenever I can. I plan to get down to Wisconsin to start training with the team sometime in July.

DB: Do you have any plans on what field you would like to study or pursue academically in your time at Wisconsin?

RM: Something with Business maybe or Economics. I haven’t made up my mind yet though.

DraftBuzz would like to thank Ryan for his time and wishes him a happy, successful Draft Day.

The Complete Tip

2007-05-28T09:22:00.000-04:00

Zach Hamill
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Center
League: WHL
Team: Everett Silvertips
Height: 5'11''
Weight: 190
Shoots: Right
*****
Scouting Report: The long tenured Silvertip center has technically played four years of CHL hockey and as a result is eligible to play in the AHL as soon as this coming season .. a calm presence on the ice who never looks rattled .. has come a long way from being a small, skinny centerman flashing tremendous raw skill to now being a complete forward with high end talent .. still adding mass to his frame, but is no longer considered a small player .. great skater with quiet individual ingredients as nothing about his skating style stands out .. owns a magnificent pair hands and ability to thread passes as he sees them .. floats around processing the play in the offensive zone and then gets himself into great positions to shoot or pass .. equally as good shooting the puck and elects to smartly put his shots on net regardless of what quality the shots are .. is an underrated goal scorer as he has great patience with the puck on his stick .. often waits for the goalie to give him daylight and once he sees an opening he fires .. high assist total comes in part from playing with goal scorer Beach .. works hard and is usually the first backchecker .. shows guts by going into the corners and does not hesitate to work his man over and rough him up .. not a hitter at all but is not soft .. overall hockey instincts are impressive as he always appears to know what to do in every situation .. a great defensive center for all of his offensive skill .. could stand to become a little more physical .. has added 10 pounds since last year but still needs to strengthen his lower body some more .. can get knocked off the puck easily at times .. A quiet and unassuming centerman who has the skill and smarts to make the NHL as a second line center.

*****
2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

69 games 32 goals 61 assists 93 points +16 90 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats

*****

12 games 2 goals 8 assists 10 points +/-0 16 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Hamill looks to be all over the place as far as rankings go, but we think he is a solid centerman in a draft full of risks and unknowns. DraftBuzz likens him to a less potent Sam Gagner. We rank him 8th, but can realistically see him getting drafted from the 12th pick to the 30th pick by a team who will like the option of playing him in the minors 2007-2008.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.everettsilvertips.com)

Palms of a Goal Scorer

2007-05-26T20:30:00.000-04:00

Nick Palmieri
*****
Country: USA
Position: RW
League: OHL
Team: Erie Otters
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 215
Shoots: Right
*****
Scouting Report: The Otter’s big, power winger from Clinton, New York is an instinctive goal scorer .. finally getting tested and playing good competition after being a dominant player against his peers in the Northeast US .. has a big frame standing at six foot three inches and carries 215 pounds .. owns soft hands and is good at protecting the puck well with his reach and frame .. an average skater all around but uses short bursts that make him dangerous on the rush .. darts in and out of lanes looking to fire when given the room .. an intuitive forward in the offensive zone .. reads his linemates well and is usually the one who finishes their pretty passing plays .. scored a beautiful goal to finish off an even prettier display of passing with linemates Skellett and Geoffrey .. drives to the net and is quite a load to handle .. not the loudest checker but does not mind bodying guys off of pucks .. could get nastier but has talent you do not want sitting in the box .. is a reliable winger who returns to his own zone and helps his defense out though he may be slow to react at times .. plays on the penalty kill .. the type of forward who will not stand out much during the game until he scores .. absolutely needs to improve skating and conditioning along with showing he can dish the puck atleast half as good as he snipes it .. Palmieri will be the type of pick a team will hope their conditioning coach can mold and develop into an NHL player.

*****

2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

56 games 24 goals 21 assists 45 points -24 99 PIM
*****

Draft Day Status/Projection: Palmieri is a project pick whose size and goal scoring ability cannot go unnoticed. With that said, DraftBuzz is wary of his quiet presence on the ice and is not entirely sure just yet if that is a worrying concern or a positive quality. We rank him in the 65-75 range, and think he will go somewhere in the mid second round-late third round range on draft day.

*****

(photo courtesy of www.ottershockey.com)

Great Dana

2007-05-25T12:45:00.000-04:00

Dana Tyrell
*****
Country: Canada
Position: Left Wing
League: WHL
Team: Prince George Cougars
Height: 5'10''
Weight: 185
Shoots: Left
*****
Scouting Report: Prince George’s left wing is a lively skater with an explosive burst .. he has one of the most striking skating styles in the draft .. acceleration, agility, and speed are NHL quality already .. pivots from forwards to backwards with ease and power .. plays with no fear and barrels into boards to snatch up loose pucks .. is a great competitor and has a huge heart .. sticks in the crease and takes all kinds of abuse waiting to bang in rebounds .. an underwhelming hitter .. you anticipate heavy speed and power generated from skating ability yet all it amounts to is a light bump .. that said, he makes sure to finish all of his checks .. not a natural puck carrier but has good potential to improve this ability with experience .. not tall but has a wide stance and skating stride which makes him look thick and bigger than listed size .. has an athletic physique .. has the raw potential to be a good penalty killer because of hustle and speed, but needs to learn more of the technical skills and run around less in his own zone .. conditioning needs to come around in time .. plays with Durand and Hunter .. Tyrell is a great supporting winger whose battle quotient and skating ability will attract quite a few teams.

*****

2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

72 games 30 goals 26 assists 56 points +4 51 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats

*****

15 games 1 goals 6 assists 7 points -2 4 PIM
*****
Draft Day Status/Projection: Tyrell put together a respectable season and at times flashed a dominant side with his speed and determination. With another year under his belt, we can see him becoming an offensive force for Prince George. DraftBuzz likes his potential to be a second-third line heart and soul winger in the NHL and rank him 19th. However, there are some concerns that his offensive game will not come around, and as a result, some may rate him lower. DraftBuzz projects Tyrell to be selected anywhere from the 15th pick to the 45th pick.

*****

(photo courtesy of Dhiren Mahiban)

Head Moose

2007-05-24T14:15:00.000-04:00

Jakub Voracek
*****
Country: Czech Republic
Position: Right Wing
League: QMJHL
Team: Halifax Mooseheads
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 190
Shoots: Left
*****
Scouting Report: This likeable Czech had an impressive rookie campaign with Halifax and has transitioned flawlessly to the North American style of hockey .. has an imposing physique with strong legs and a broad upper body .. always looks alert and has head on a swivel .. the main offensive force on his team and carries himself as if he knows this .. has a slow pickup and looks to be a bit lead footed upon acceleration .. has deceptive speed once going and can make defenders miss with speed, stickhandling, and moves .. soft hands can make any type of pass under pressure .. does not hesitate to use his size to his advantage but is not a nasty presence .. works hard along the boards and fights .. a bit lax coming back and is prone to leaving the zone prematurely .. has a great shot .. one of his biggest flaws is his willingness to dish the puck to a fault when he should just hold on to it and shoot .. is a bit of an enigma from time to time as he can get on hot and cold streaks .. The strapping winger will be a wonderful draft day pickup for a team who needs a playmaking winger with size and skill.

*****

2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

*****

59 games 23 goals 63 assists 86 points -7 26 PIM
*****

2007 Playoff Stats

*****

12 games 7 goals 17 assists 24 points +5 6 PIM
*****

WJC - Team Czech Republic

*****

6 games 1 goals 2 assists 3 points -4 4 PIM
*****

WJC U18 - Team Czech Republic

*****

4 games 1 goals 2 assists 3 points +/-0 2 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: DraftBuzz thinks Voracek is a top three talent and ranks him 2nd overall in the May ranking. He's offers a great blend of size, speed, and playmaking and we think comparisons to a more explosive version of Peter Mueller are right on point. However, it is possible that Voracek slides a bit on draft day and switches positions with forwards like Gagner, Turris, and Van Riemsdyk.

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(photo courtesy of www.halifaxmooseheads.ca)

Route 67: The Hard Hitting Highway

2007-05-22T11:15:00.000-04:00

Arron Alphonso

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Country: Canada

Position: RW

League: OHL

Team: Ottawa 67's

Height: 5'11''

Weight: 183

Shoots: Right

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Scouting Report: The 67’s physical right wing has had some knee problems in the past and has missed a decent amount of time during his three years in the OHL .. is one of the 67’s top forwards after McGinn and Couture .. most impressive asset is his surprising hitting ability .. generates great power from his legs and is able to send guys flying .. braces himself well when meeting up with opponents .. has average skating ability and is not the prettiest skater out there .. crashes the net hard .. needs to improve top speed and agility .. oustanding puck pursuit makes up for underwhelming skating ability as he causes impressive turnovers .. clogs up passing lanes and makes defenders cough up the puck often with a quick stick and exceptional determination .. shields the puck well with his body and is good in his own zone as a result .. good at dumping and chasing .. although he has a hard shot, he telegraphs it much too often and just throws it at the goalies chest .. not creative and is not expected to lead the play offensively .. This checking forward is a powerful hitter and should pick up some more offensive confidence and skills next year.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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54 games 17 goals 23 assists 40 points +11 55 PIM

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2007 Playoff Stats

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5 games 2 goals 2 assist 4 points -2 10 PIM

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Draft Day Status/Projection: Alphonso showed us great checking skills this year with hitting, forechecking, and being very involved in the play. If he steps up his offensive contributions a level next year, we can see him becoming an effective 3rd/4th line grinding winger. DraftBuzz believes he will come around offensively in his post-draft year, and as a result rank him in the 55-70 range. We can see him getting selected anywhere from late second round to late third round.

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(photo courtesy of www.ontariohockeyleague.com)

Steady Torque

2007-05-21T13:30:00.000-04:00

Zach Torquato
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Country: Canada
Position: Center
League: OHL
Team: Erie Otters
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 195
Shoots: Right
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Scouting Report: Acquired in a mid season trade from Saginaw, Torquato was a terrific “leadership” pickup for the young Otters squad .. assistant captain .. a steady player who looks to now be in charge of the forward lineup .. smart, reliable, and good in all facets of the game .. good faceoff man .. average skating is one of his main flaws .. doesn’t have gamebreaking acceleration, great shiftiness, nor elite top end speed but has good game and hockey speed .. knows how to get his points at this level, but does not project to be an offensive forward .. good puckhandler and chooses low risk plays .. superb on ice awareness ranging from knowing where teammates are to anticipating developing plays .. passes are always on the tape .. becoming a great defensive center as a result of being given much responsibility .. has great confidence as he was the lone forward on many 5-3 penalty kills .. not overly creative with the puck and will not wow you with amazing stick skills .. has a terrible habit of dropping his head to look at the puck in flight .. needs to stay away from putting himself in vulnerable positions on the ice .. Torquato is just an overall solid player who has good potential to skate on a multipurpose third line.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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65 games 30 goals 39 assists 69 points -23 69 PIM
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WJC U18 - Team Canada

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6 games 0 goals 3 assist 3 points -1 2 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Torquato is a likeable prospect who has all the abilities you want in a quality, character forward. He's got some offensive talent, but how much is the question with him. He does well with a lot of ice time heaped on his shoulders, and as a result is a good bet to get chosen in the second-third round. DraftBuzz ranks him 35-45 and likes his winning disposition and makeup.

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(photo courtesy of www.ottershockey.com)