2012 Draft - 6th Pick: Joey LaLeggia (DU eliminated, LaLeggia to Sign?)

[Oilers4life1987]

The more I read about this guy, the more excited I am because he isnt that short might end up being close to 6'0 maximum. His point production is very good

 

[Groucho]

Anybody who Nuge vouches for is A-OK in my book. Hopefully Ryan is in his ear all summer letting him know how awesome playing in the NHL is.

 

[CanadianHockey]

Could be a top-4 guy, could be a bottom-pairing PP specialist. It all depends on how he adjusts to the NHL. That said, LaLeggia's successful transition into the NCAA (bigger and better competition) is a good sign.

 

[Hockey Buddha]

Hats of to Nuge! Looks like a great potential sleeper pick up for the Oilers in the sixth round. The WCHA will be good for him to develop his game in. Just as a point of interest, he has 16 more points than Justin Schultz did at the same age in the same league. Could be dynamo in a few years.

 

[jebs]

Hoping hes not 5'9 or that he will grow is wishful thinking. Look at his points.. If he was around 6'0, with his offensive skill, he would have been drafted much earlier in this draft, if not in drafts previous. And hes not going to grow more at 20. Hell, we should be glad hes so small, or we probably wouldn't have had a chance at him..

His height does not rule out a NHL career if his offensive skill is as good as his points suggest.

Jared Spurgeon is 5'9, at best.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

We've got tons of really big D coming through the system so we can afford to have one highly skilled smurf on the blueline.

 

[OilerFan4Life]

[sarcasm]
OMG I hate this kid already!
He's on twitter but didn't thank the organization once for drafting him! He's probably upset that Edmonton took him!
Trade him!
He sucks!!
[/sarcasm]

 

[Hockey Buddha]

This looks like a great late round pick -- I'm quite excited about it.

 

[hfboardsuser]

LaLeggia versus the field (age 19/20):

Matt Carle- 43 GP, 13-31-44
Jack Johnson- 36 GP, 13-26-39
Joey LaLeggia- 43 GP, 11-27-38
Matt Niskanen- 39 GP, 9-22-31
Kevin Shattenkirk- 43 GP, 7-21-28
Jamie McBain- 35 GP, 5-19-24
Jordan Leopold- 39 GP, 6-18-24
Jeff Petry- 42 GP, 3-21-24
Justin Schultz- 43 GP, 6-16-22
Tom Gilbert- 39 GP, 7-13-20
Paul Martin- 38 GP, 3-17-20
Alex Goligoski- 32 GP, 5-15-20
Ryan McDonagh- 36 GP, 5-11-16
Ryan Whitney- 34 GP, 3-10-13
Jake Gardiner- 41 GP, 6-7-13

 

[doulos]

LaLeggia versus the field (age 19/20):

Matt Carle- 43 GP, 13-31-44
Jack Johnson- 36 GP, 13-26-39
Joey LaLeggia- 43 GP, 11-27-38
Matt Niskanen- 39 GP, 9-22-31
Kevin Shattenkirk- 43 GP, 7-21-28
Jamie McBain- 35 GP, 5-19-24
Jordan Leopold- 39 GP, 6-18-24
Jeff Petry- 42 GP, 3-21-24
Justin Schultz- 43 GP, 6-16-22
Tom Gilbert- 39 GP, 7-13-20
Paul Martin- 38 GP, 3-17-20
Alex Goligoski- 32 GP, 5-15-20
Ryan McDonagh- 36 GP, 5-11-16
Ryan Whitney- 34 GP, 3-10-13
Jake Gardiner- 41 GP, 6-7-13

Great list!

Honest question though, does that include non-NHLers who produced at a similar level?

 

[hfboardsuser]

Great list!

Honest question though, does that include non-NHLers who produced at a similar level?

No, I just looked at the top 100 in scoring among defensemen this year and pulled out the NCAA alum. You're right that such a list would be far more instructive; I'll put one together.

 

[Hockey Buddha]

Interesting tidbit about Joey LaLeggia:
NCAA Division I hockey rookie of the year

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Just watched a bit of an old Wisconsin Vs. Denver game on NHL Network, most of the 2nd period and part of the 1st, Wisconsin was in the box a lot so I didn't get to see a whole lot of Schultz at ES or on the PP but tons of him on the PK where he seemed to do a good job, interestingly enough playing LD on the PK. That said I saw LOTS of Laleggia on the PP and the kid is dynamite there! Kid is a very fluid/quick/fast skater, tremendous passer, and has a good arsenal of shots. He played all but about 15 seconds of the 3 or 4 PP's that they had so he gets tons of PP ice, but to his credit he stirs the drink on the PP. He plays the left point and is very dynamic from there. I didn't see much of him defensively, but if he can be even average there he could be an NHLer in time. Exceptional pick IMO. Definitely a kid to keep our eyes on going forward.

 

[40oz]

Awesome, thanks for the report Bryan.

Hoping hes not 5'9 or that he will grow is wishful thinking. Look at his points.. If he was around 6'0, with his offensive skill, he would have been drafted much earlier in this draft, if not in drafts previous. And hes not going to grow more at 20. Hell, we should be glad hes so small, or we probably wouldn't have had a chance at him..

His height does not rule out a NHL career if his offensive skill is as good as his points suggest.

Jared Spurgeon is 5'9, at best.

Nothing wrong with a Jared Spurgeon, I'd take him on the team right now. And All Stars like Entrom and Campbell aren't much bigger.
Another thing that's good to keep in mind guys like Bouillon and Weaver who can play a physical game from the back end at that size.

 

[Roof Daddy]

Sounds like MAB v2.0

 

[oStealthKiller*]

Joey Laleggia

Joey Laleggia has been an offensive force in every league he has played in, most recently in college putting up 37 points in 43 games. My question is do you see him making the oilers in 2 years after his college hockey is done? It would make our defense look something like this:

J.Schultz
Smid
Petry
Klefbom
Laleggia
Open for one of the other prospects to seize or a free agent

 

[sepHF]

He could but he has a lot of competition and he's undersized - if his offense is good enough to overcome that then he might have a chance. An interesting player to say the least.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

His coach just said on The Pipeline Show that him and Justin Schultz are similar players with the obvious difference being that Schultz is 4 or 5 inches taller. Schultz is also further along development-wise.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Joey Laleggia has been an offensive force in every league he has played in, most recently in college putting up 37 points in 43 games. My question is do you see him making the oilers in 2 years after his college hockey is done? It would make our defense look something like this:

J.Schultz
Smid
Petry
Klefbom
Laleggia
Open for one of the other prospects to seize or a free agent

I don't know if he'd be ready in 2 years, personally I think that he'd be a good example of a guy that maybe should stay all 4 years in college just because it will give him lots of time to work off ice in terms of strength training, etc. The kid is highly skilled, but he is what he is, a highly skilled guy with below average size. If he is strong enough to overcome that then he will be a HUGE steal for us. I could definitely see a spot for him as an offensive D, if a guy like Teubert pans out, they'd be a great compliment, Laleggia with the skill and speed and Teubert the brawn and defensive presence of the pairing. I would not rule this kid out, because of his size he will be a bit of a dark horse, but the kid has a LOT of skill and is a fantastic skater.

 

[Comrade Blunderbore]

if i understand the rules correctly, there is a possibility to give a college player a tryout in the end of the regular season (like the Bruins did with Torey Krug). if we aren't in playoff consideration by that time (which is unfortunately very possible), why don't we callup Joey to see if he possibly can step in for Whitney as a 3rd pair puck moving D? think he could be a potentially OK fit with Fistric.

 

[kitchen44]

if i understand the rules correctly, there is a possibility to give a college player a tryout in the end of the regular season (like the Bruins did with Torey Krug). if we aren't in playoff consideration by that time (which is unfortunately very possible), why don't we callup Joey to see if he possibly can step in for Whitney as a 3rd pair puck moving D? think he could be a potentially OK fit with Fistric.

not gunna happen...

 

[40oz]

if i understand the rules correctly, there is a possibility to give a college player a tryout in the end of the regular season (like the Bruins did with Torey Krug). if we aren't in playoff consideration by that time (which is unfortunately very possible), why don't we callup Joey to see if he possibly can step in for Whitney as a 3rd pair puck moving D? think he could be a potentially OK fit with Fistric.

Only if Joey is ready to end his college career, which I doubt is the case. No need to rush the kid.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Only if Joey is ready to end his college career, which I doubt is the case. No need to rush the kid.

Leave him in college all 4 years and let him get stronger before his ELC starts.

 

[Aceboogie]

Though this deserved a bump. Laleggia is playing very well in the NCAA tourney (although just got booted for hit to the head)

2 goals thus far. If he wins, Denver goes to Frozen Four, if they lose, #signLaleggia watch is on

 

[IAGTTAYM]

Short vid of the hit: https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/582320794128117760