In depth look at the draft

Sportsnet has a massive article up with commentary on tons of players in the 2009 draft. I figured this topic could be used to not only discuss the first round pick(s) the Senators would like to make, but also where other guys on the board project to go, who the Senators might pick in the second round, and what kind of players we should be looking at.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/06/16/2009nhl_draft_scouting_report_euro_skaters/

I'll get the discussion started.

The Senators will be picking in the 39 and 46 slot. At the 39 slot, I'd really like to see us take Toni Rajala if he's still around. And at 46 we could try to snatch either Panik, Tatar or O'Reilly.

Oh, I also really like what the scout had to say about Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

"He's one of those guys
that's just fun to watch and your jaw just drops," Giese said. "His
skating, his skill, his smarts - it's all 10 out of 10 for me. He needs
to be stronger and continue to develop and you might have yourself a
very special player. He's probably the only defenceman that I saw live
this year that can manipulate the defence to his liking. It just looks
like he's playing with them. When he's on his game he's special."

PKC wrote:Oh, I also really like what the scout had to say about Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

"He's one of those guys
that's just fun to watch and your jaw just drops," Giese said. "His
skating, his skill, his smarts - it's all 10 out of 10 for me. He needs
to be stronger and continue to develop and you might have yourself a
very special player. He's probably the only defenceman that I saw live
this year that can manipulate the defence to his liking. It just looks
like he's playing with them. When he's on his game he's special."

We want have to get him...

Acrobat wrote:

PKC wrote:Oh, I also really like what the scout had to say about Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

"He's one of those guys
that's just fun to watch and your jaw just drops," Giese said. "His
skating, his skill, his smarts - it's all 10 out of 10 for me. He needs
to be stronger and continue to develop and you might have yourself a
very special player. He's probably the only defenceman that I saw live
this year that can manipulate the defence to his liking. It just looks
like he's playing with them. When he's on his game he's special."

We want have to get him...

got any favours you can pull to make sure Brian Murray picks OEL then? stuff like this gets known amongst other GM's and Murray won't get him.

PKC wrote:Sportsnet has a massive article up with commentary on tons of players in the 2009 draft. I figured this topic could be used to not only discuss the first round pick(s) the Senators would like to make, but also where other guys on the board project to go, who the Senators might pick in the second round, and what kind of players we should be looking at.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/06/16/2009nhl_draft_scouting_report_euro_skaters/

I'll get the discussion started.

The Senators will be picking in the 39 and 46 slot. At the 39 slot, I'd really like to see us take Toni Rajala if he's still around. And at 46 we could try to snatch either Panik, Tatar or O'Reilly.

Don't know much about Rajala, but the other 3 you mentioned would be really nice. I've wanted O'Reilly for months now. I hope he slips that far.

SensFan71 wrote:

Acrobat wrote:

PKC wrote:Oh, I also really like what the scout had to say about Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

"He's one of those guys
that's just fun to watch and your jaw just drops," Giese said. "His
skating, his skill, his smarts - it's all 10 out of 10 for me. He needs
to be stronger and continue to develop and you might have yourself a
very special player. He's probably the only defenceman that I saw live
this year that can manipulate the defence to his liking. It just looks
like he's playing with them. When he's on his game he's special."

We want have to get him...

got any favours you can pull to make sure Brian Murray picks OEL then? stuff like this gets known amongst other GM's and Murray won't get him.

Murray seems to have his eye on someone later in the first, but I'll give him/his staff a call and let them know what I think...

I'm sure I can make them see things my way... :^^^^:

Acrobat wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:

Acrobat wrote:

PKC wrote:Oh, I also really like what the scout had to say about Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

"He's one of those guys
that's just fun to watch and your jaw just drops," Giese said. "His
skating, his skill, his smarts - it's all 10 out of 10 for me. He needs
to be stronger and continue to develop and you might have yourself a
very special player. He's probably the only defenceman that I saw live
this year that can manipulate the defence to his liking. It just looks
like he's playing with them. When he's on his game he's special."

We want have to get him...

got any favours you can pull to make sure Brian Murray picks OEL then? stuff like this gets known amongst other GM's and Murray won't get him.

Murray seems to have his eye on someone later in the first, but I'll give him/his staff a call and let them know what I think...

I'm sure I can make them see things my way... :^^^^:

I'm almost 1000% sure the guy the Sens are looking at in the late first round range is Calvin de Haan.

Don't really know much about him. What's he got that piques your interest?

I think Tatar might go early. The only thing I see wrong with him is his size. That might be a risk a team will be willing to take.

SeawaySensFan wrote:I think Tatar might go early. The only thing I see wrong with him is his size. That might be a risk a team will be willing to take.

How early though? Isn't he projected in the early 2nd round?

I like Rajala better.

OEL sounds like Jbo.

Lucky Day wrote:Don't really know much about him. What's he got that piques your interest?

Well, his skill level has increased at a meteoric pace. He was anonymous for the OHL draft until the Oshawa Generals scouts, the team that drafted him, asked for his name to be included in the eligibility list.

He was 7th in the OHL in defensemen scoring as a rookie and finished second in Oshawa in team scoring. Not too bad for a guy no one had ever heard of before last season.

According to scouting reports, his puck skills are at an elite level, and he has a knack for being on the ice almost every time his team scores, clearly an indication of his seemingly massive offensive abilities.

His skills have improved so dramatically that Hockey Canada is absolutely in love with him according to the Sportsnet report.

marakh wrote:I like Rajala better.

OEL sounds like Jbo.

He sounds a lot like Scott Niedermayer.

There's a lot of nice talent to be had in the second round. I like Klingberg a lot, for one.

As for 9th pick, I wouldn't necessarily give up a tonne to move. You're guaranteed one of Tavares, Hedman, MPS, Duchene, Kane, Schenn, Cowen, OEL or Kulikov.

Any of those would be great picks for this organization.

PKC wrote:

marakh wrote:I like Rajala better.

OEL sounds like Jbo.

He sounds a lot like Scott Niedermayer.

The comparison seems to be Lidstrom, and not just because he's Swedish.

I'd say the Scott Niedermayer-type in this draft is John Moore.

Obviously, though, this is a comparison style-wise and not calibre-wise.