NHL 2009 Draft question

Kadri won't go in the top 10...

asq2 wrote:Picking at #3 terrifies me. A really tough selection to make, because there isn't much of a consensus. I'd love to pick MSP there but if you stack up Duchene's attributes, he seems to be the better choice.

Definitely exciting though. I think all of these prospects have the potential to be very good (though I'm not crazy about Kadri). As long as we're picking in this area, we should do just fine.

I think 3 is a great spot. It gives you the opportunity to trade down and pick up some great players and picks if you think you can still pick someone you want.

Phoenix30 wrote:

asq2 wrote:Picking at #3 terrifies me. A really tough selection to make, because there isn't much of a consensus. I'd love to pick MSP there but if you stack up Duchene's attributes, he seems to be the better choice.

Definitely exciting though. I think all of these prospects have the potential to be very good (though I'm not crazy about Kadri). As long as we're picking in this area, we should do just fine.

I think 3 is a great spot. It gives you the opportunity to trade down and pick up some great players and picks if you think you can still pick someone you want.

Agreed. We could trade down to 6th or 7th and get another pick and still get a great player. But we migth be tempted to also keep it and not have to worry about someone else taking the player.

Again, I wouldn't want to be Murray and have to make that or those choices... My head hurts just thinking about it.

Phoenix30 wrote:

asq2 wrote:Picking at #3 terrifies me. A really tough selection to make, because there isn't much of a consensus. I'd love to pick MSP there but if you stack up Duchene's attributes, he seems to be the better choice.

Definitely exciting though. I think all of these prospects have the potential to be very good (though I'm not crazy about Kadri). As long as we're picking in this area, we should do just fine.

I think 3 is a great spot. It gives you the opportunity to trade down and pick up some great players and picks if you think you can still pick someone you want.

The only thing worse than finishing 28th and suffering through an entire season of losing with a roster/payroll like ours, would be finishing 29th and having the lottery boot you down to 3rd.... 3rd overall will be a good player, but as asq2 pointed out, the gap between 2 and 3 is substantial, to say the least.

Scarier than the Sens turning it on only to finish in no man's land, say between 9th and 11th?

cash wrote:Kadri won't go in the top 10...

Who do you see replacing him?

I see Ellis and Kassian frequently put there but I don't feel that they're top-10 prospects.

Jacob Josefson might go top-10, but that doesn't preclude Kadri going top-10.

He's certainly no better than #9 on the prospect list, but are you suggesting Kulikov and Josefson take Kadri out of the top-10?

Cronenbergfan wrote:Scarier than the Sens turning it on only to finish in no man's land, say between 9th and 11th?

No. Nothing is more terrifying than that.

From "Prospects Hockey" (Official Magazine of the CHL, Winter 2008/09 edition). All ten players are eligible in the 2009 draft.

"10 Young Guns to Watch"

Jared Cowen, D, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Cowen, a former first overall WHL Bantam Draft pick from Allan, Sask. is a shut-down defenceman whose defensive abilities often ignite Spokane's transition game. He was instrumental in the Chief's Memorial Cup win a year ago, helping turn the WHL's worst team in 2005-06 into CHL champs two seasons later. Cowen, at 6'5" and 218 pounds, is a physical presence, and he and Sweden's Victor Hedman will likely be the first two rearguards selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Matt Duchene, C, Brampton Battalion (OHL)
Speedy Canadian centers with an ability to rack up goals have peppered NHL entry drafts in recent years - see OHL grad Steven Stamkos. Duchene, a Peterborough native, is in that same mould and enjoyed a solid rookie OHL season with 30 goals and 20 assists in 64 games last year. But just as impressive as his play with the Battalion thus far has been his international success; he won gold with Ontario at the 2008 Wolrd Under-17 Challenge, then for Canada at the 2008 IIHF Under-18 Championship and the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he was the team's captain.

Evander Kane, C, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
The Vancouver Giants suprised some when they selected Kane 18th in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft, having had the Vancouver resident higher on their draft board than other teams, perhaps in part because he was a local kid. But Kane has rewarded the Giants with an offensive game that had him at or near the top of league scoring from day 1 this season. Kane, who plays bigger and grittier than his 5'11", 160-pound fram suggests, had 41 points in his first full season last year after playing with the Giants in the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver as a 15-year old.

Nazem Kadri, C, London Knights (OHL)
Kadri has seen every single angle and every aspect of the London Knights-Kitchener Rangers rivalry in his young OHL career. Born and raised in London and starting for the London Junior Knights, Kadri was drafted by the rival Kitchener Rangers in the 2006 OHL Draft and spent two years there, scoring 65 points in the regular season last year before an extremely impressive playoff run that saw him net 26 points in 20 games as the Rangers lost in the Memorial Cup final to Spokane. In June, Kadri moved to his hometown Knights and was scoring at a pace of over a point-per-game as of press time.

Brayden Schenn, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Many consider Schenn, of Saskatoon, the most complete forward availble in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The younger brother of Toronto Maple Leaf defenceman Luke, Schenn can score - 71 points in his rookie season - while playing physical with his 6', near 200-pound frame. Like Duchene, Schenn was a big part of Canada's gold-medal teams at the IIHF Under-18 Championship, where, playing as a 16-year old, he registered three goals and five assists in just four games, and at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Most mock drafts have Schenn being the second forward selected at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft after Oshawa's John Tavares.

Peter Holland, C, Guelph Storm (OHL)
Holland was selected 11th overall by the Guelp Storm in the 2007 OHL priority draft largely because of his offensive upside, an upside that is materializing this year as the Caledon native was scoring at over a point per game pace at press time, which has greatly improved his stock after a 23-point rookie season. Holland's big frame - 6'2", 190 - makes him tough to knock off the puck down low where he does most of his scoring. Holland should help the Storm compete with rivals London and Kitchener in the very competitive OHL Western Conference.

Jordan Caron, RW, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
A fesity winger who can put the puck in the net with regularity, Caron impressed many in his rookie year with Rimouski, scoring 20 goals in 46 games on a team without a lot of offensive talent. Caron, a native of Sayabec, Que., will get a chance to strut his stuff in the national spotlight this year with Rimouski playing host to the Memorial Cup. Caron, who missed some time early tin the season, is one of the Q's top goal scorers and could be a first-round NHL Entry Draft selection.

Olivier Roy, G, Cape Breton Screaming Eagle's (QMJHL)
All Roy did last year was win 27 games, record four shutouts - both of which set league records for a 16-year old - and capture the QMJHL's Defensive Rookie of the Year honours. And the Amqui, Que., native got off to a screaming (excuse the pun) start this year as well, winning the CHL's ADT Goaltender of the Week honours for the league's second week.

Simon Despres, D, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)
A physically gifted athlete with an ultra-smooth skating stride, Despres is an offensive-minded defencamn who's been nicknamed "Horse" by his Saint John teammates for his ability to log a lot of key minutes for the Sea Dogs. Despres is viewed as an excellent decision maker from the back end and helped Canada capture the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Torunament this past summer. A native of Laval, Despres was the first overall selection in the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft.

Scott Glennie, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Together with his highly touted teammate and linemate Brayden Schenn, Glennie has Brandon fans hoping for an extended playoff run after that duo, along with Matt Calvert, combined for 193 points last year to form one of the highest-scoring all-rookie lines in league history. Glennie's key ingredient is his speed, which has helped him to score at or around a point-per-game pace early in the season. A Winnipeg native, Glennie's stock has risen considerably since he was a 29th overall selection in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft.

Schenn the second forward selected? Seriously?

That's what they suggested in the article. That surprises you?

DashRiprock wrote:That's what they suggested in the article. That surprises you?

Yeah. I consider Duchene, MSP, Kane and Schroeder all ahead of Schenn right now. He could turn up being better than all of them, but that's the case with many prospects.

I think a lot of the hype around him is because of his brother. I like his physicality though.

Well, you can take out Schroeder and MSP from those guys you mentioend because this is a CHL profile. I think they (the writer) put Schenn ahead because he's more complete than Kane and Duchene. While Braydon may not be as fast or a prolific scorer like Matt, he's much more physical (not that Duche shies away).

"Most mock drafts have Schenn being the second forward selected at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft after Oshawa's John Tavares."

Doesn't seem like he's restricting it to CHL players in that sentence at all.

Duchene is better offensively and perhaps defensively. Being physical is good, but enough to vault him into second forward taken position?

And Kane is pretty physical as well. And better offensively.

Could be they meant in all of the draft, who knows. It's just their opinion. This was published for November 08 I think, well before the WJC's. The rankings are going to change from here up until draft day.

Dobber has his mock-draft for February up, if anyone's interested in yet another take on who's who and who might go when. The guys at Dobber follow the young kids very closely as part of their business.

http://www.dobberhockey.com/content/view/1691/1/

Note that Ellis has received a huge bump, and Kadri has taken a big hit... in this particular mock-draft, anyway...

They've also got SJ selecting with their pick which belongs to Ottawa.

I love MSP and I still think he will be the best draft pick from this draft up front. That kid was dominating at the WJC's and every chance I got to watch the kid play he was something else.

That kid would not look bad in a Sens uniform, but I think he is about a year or two away still.