An Idiot's 1-14 2004 Mock Draft

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DJ Spinoza

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This is my first ever one of these, but I decided to give it a stab. I have seen almost none of any of these players, so don't kill me if I am way off. Basically the entire thing is based off the bits and pieces I have been able to gather about these players.

#1 Washington Capitals - Alexander Ovechkin
Washington takes the best player in the draft with this pick, the highly touted Ovechkin. I don't see any situation where they trade this pick, unless they are floored by an offer. Washington is a relatively stocked team as far as depth and needs a marquee player in Ovechkin.
#2 Pittsburgh Penguins - Evgeni Malkin
Pittsburgh is in a very similar situation as Washington. They have good prospect death and need the marquee player. While Malkin is not on the level of Ovechkin, he is still a fantastic talent who can provide an offensive threat. Given their depth, the Penguins have little motivation to trade this pick, unless they are presented with a deal involving an already proven young star, which is highly doubtful.
#3 Chicago Blackhawks - Rostislav Olesz
Chicago could use this pick on Cam Barker, but I think they take the exceptional Olesz here. They do have some good forward prospects and young players, but I think Chicago takes the BPA here and goes with Olesz.
#4 Columbus Blue Jackets - Cam Barker
Columbus is more than happy to use this pick on Barker. They have some talent up front, and could use an offensive minded defensemen in Barker here. MacLean could make a move to go up to Chicago's position to secure Barker if they feel Chicago might take their guy.
#5 Phoenix Coyotes - Lauri Tukonen
I have Tukonen rated a little bit higher than a lot of people. Phoenix is talked about as being interested in him, and after a good U18 tournament, I think their scouts walk away with his name atop their list. He's a big forward with exceptional speed. Phoenix has some pretty good defensive young players and has Doan and Nagy up front, and adding the slick and speedy Tukonen to the mix in a few years looks to be a promising future out in the desert.
#6 New York Rangers - Andrew Ladd
The Rangers apparently like this guy. Ladd brings good size and offensive potential to the table, and New York decides to go with him. They could be tempted with Schremp here, but I say they go with Ladd.
#7 Florida Panthers - A.J. Thelen
Florida could use a defensemen for their future, as they do have some good talent up front. They might want to get a steady as a rock defensemen to pair with JBo and be a relief to Luongo, but I think they go with the seemingly more offensive minded Thelen, banking on his potential to be a two way defensemen.
#8 Carolina Hurricanes - Wojtek Wolski
I think Carolina and it's fans will be thrilled with this pick. I personally would rank Wolski a little higher than this, just personal preference. Carolina gets a physical left wing for Staal, adding some more offense to their system.
#9 Anaheim Mighty Ducks - Robbie Schremp
Anaheim could take any position player here. I think they are set in goal for the future, and I don't think the will take a defensemen here. Rather I think they decide to take a bit of a chance with Schremp, thinking that his attitude problems are overblown, and not being able to pass up an offensive talent like Schremp.
#10 Atlanta Thrashers - Wes O'Neil
Atlanta will be very happy with this pick, and their future defense potential with Coburn and now O'Neil. Atlanta doesn't have a lot of forward depth, but that is a position that can be filled in the second round or later.
#11 Las Angelas Kings - Marek Schwartz
The Kings are a playoff team when healthy, and this pick may eventually be seen as a blessing in disguise (the cost of getting it). LA is rumored to be looking for a goalie and what better way to take care of this than the draft? I'm not sure if I am alone in thinking this, but I do not see Montoya as the top goalie in the draft. I think Marek Schwartz has the most potential, and he is LA's pick here.
#12 Minnesota Wild - Kyle Chipchura
Minnesota needs to get some offensive players in their system, I think. They have three options here, Strafford, Picard, and Chipchura. They are lured in by Chipchura's solid defensive play and good knowledge of the game, and may take their future captain here. I think Chipchura's offense is a bit underrated, but Chipchura may fit well into Minnesota's system anyways and will still be able to contribute offensively while being a solid defensive guy.
#13 Buffalo Sabres - Alexandre Picard
Buffalo is a playoff team or very close to it. They have no gaping needs, so they just go with the BPA here, who I think is Picard.
#14 Edmonton Oilers - Enver Lisin
Edmonton is said to be looking for a goalie also, but they will wait until their later first round pick to address this, opting instead to go with the offensive Lisin, who is a good skater as well.

Any comments?
 
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Hossa

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It may just be me, but I think Minnesota would be foolish to pass on Drew Stafford for Kyle Chipchura. Stafford has much greater potential and while he didn't score that many goals this year in college, he was not that high on the depth chart so he wasn't getting that much ice time. While Chipchura might make a bit more sense as a Minnesota type of player, they don't alwaystake their types of players in the first round. Bouchard for example is anything but a Minnesota type.

Other than that, it's a good mock, and I'd like to see you go all the way to 30.
 
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DJ Spinoza

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Good point, I didn't consider that. Interestingly enough, I had Strafford there but changed it on a whim to Chipchura. I think I'll stick with it, though. He had a good start at the U18's, and I think he's a little bit underrated. I think he has the skills that if a player like Gaborik was on his wing, he could be good offensively.

If he is put in there, I think you can just bump Chipchura down, along with Picard. Those three North American players I am a bit unsure of as to where to rank them.

I think that after you get outside of the top 3 or 4, there is really no clear pick for any spot, which will make this an interesting draft. I think the fact that there is no clear pick is what leads to disparity in the mocks, as I glance over some other people's mocks.
 

sushinsky4tsar

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Yeah, I'll have to also disagree with the Wild and Chipchura. But for all we know, you could end up being right. Interesting point made about the Wild needing a bonified captain for the future. But so far this team has been going with a rotating captain. But you're right, the only youngster we have that really has a reputation as being future NHL captain material is Mikko Koivu (i think). But along with that, it's way too early to label which of the other younger players step up as locker room guys as their careers progress.

Also, Chipchura is a center (I think). We have stronger needs on the wing right now. Wallin, Koivu, O'Sullivan, and Bouchard are all current or projected centers. And none of them are Wes Walz' replacement material for our future checking line. Wing on the other hand, is a position where we need both size and another sniper. Looks like we'd get a little of both in different amounts if we drafted Stafford or Picard (w/ less sniping from Staff and less force from Picard).

All and all, it looks pretty good though.
 

DJ Spinoza

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They could also go with the more offensive Lisin, who I have heard may have an attitude problem. They could also pull a total surprise and go with Radulov.

The Wild pick was one of the toughest ones for me, partly because I am unfamiliar with their young players and prospects for the most part. I could see them leaning any which way, really. Likely not at goalie, because they have better players to pick here... I could see them going with a guy like Mike Green there too.
 

sushinsky4tsar

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I agree that a d-man wouldn't look bad at the 12 spot at all. But if you believe Doug's earlier statements and past history, this won't happen.

I have seen other mocks that have Lisin going to MN. My biggest fear w/ him is that I've heard he's soft. With Bouchard, Wallin, O'Sullivan, Gaborik, and although I've heard Koivu is pretty physical I'm not convinced he's a sure lock to be a bruiser. This team could really use a bit of grit in the system. Most my knowledge doesn't extend too far off these boards either, but I don't see anything in Lisin that Picard isn't supposed to have. Lisin more speed, but it sounds like Picard matches in scoring skills, and is a lot more physical, much more heart, much more defense. I would be fuming if we took LIsin before Picard. My biggest q would be what minnesota would do if both Picard AND Stafford were on the board.
 

DJ Spinoza

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If Wolski somehow slipped, I think he would make a great addition to the Wild. I don't think he will, and I really don't see Minnesota trading up.
 

thestonedkoala

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If Schremp falls that low, Minnesota will package up a ton to move up and grab him.
 
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thestonedkoala said:
If Schremp falls that low, Minnesota will package up a ton to move up and grab him.

From an Anaheim fan POV, what would you package from Minny to move up?


Also, I disagree with the comments on Anaheim. Schremp would be a decent pick, but they have pretty much Popovic as an offensive d-man prospect, and while O'Neill's a bit more defensive, I see BM taking him over Schremp. If Schremp's a C, then Anaheim already has a couple prospect centers(Brent and Getzlaf), While Schremp will likely be better than Brent, I'd rather have O'Neill, as there aren't too many good d-man prospects. If he's a wing, he'd still likely be on 2nd line duty(behind Chistov and Lupul).

Also, if Thelen only goes two spots up, I see Anaheim trading up for him. Florida might also pick the more defensive O'Neill to go with J-Bo.
 

#2

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Couple things I like
1) i like are Chicago getting Rostislav Olesz, many people usually have Barker or Schremp there but ya Olesz would make a nice fit.
2) I like Cam Barker going to Columbus, him and Klesla should in the future be a great pairing on the PP as well all around
3) Los Angeles getting a goalie in the 1st round is a MUST imo

Couple things i dislike
1) i dont really see Schremp falling that far in the draft im sure the Phoenix, ranger or Florida would love to have him in their lineup

ovrerall good mock draft
 

DaveG

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just 1 little thing. I don't think the Carolina Panthers are going to be drafting Wolski... that is unless he can play linebacker.
 

sushinsky4tsar

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So are there any teams in the top 10 that are in love with Wolski. I understand the guy has all the offensive talent in the world. But from what I've read, he just seems liek such an absolute risk. So much of a risk, that it doesn't seem like many here are willing to pass on such talents as Schremp, Tukonen, Ladd, Thelen. And if he really falled, I as a Wild fan at 12 would even be apprehensive about us passing up on the likes of a Stafford, Picard or even an O'Neill. Furthermore, I have the impression that the guy is pretty one-dimensional in that even if he does come through and reach his potential, it's nothing more than a great scoring threat. Is it true his defensive effort is absent, that he doesn't use his size to be the physical force he could?

Tell me if I'm wrong, but it really seems like Wolski could be a guy capable of a big huge slide:

1 ovechkin 2 malkin 3 olesz 4 barker 5 pho schremp
6 nyr ladd 7 flo tukonen 8 car thelen 9 ana o'neill (bit of a stretch)
10 atl stafford 11 la schwarz 12 min


I don't think it's necessarily improbable that it could go down like that. However, if he goes unselected through 8, I suppose there must be some team that is high on him that would really try to move up into the 9, 10, 11 positions which could very likely be for sale.

All I'm saying is I don't know if I would really be too comfortable with having wolski as my team's first round draft choice. And I'm talking about spot #12! When we talk about baggage, I think there's two different kinds of baggage: A player that really has a less than desirable passion for the game, and the player who lives and dies hockey but has othe factors in their life (or even their style of play) that accounts for this perception of baggage. I can definitely live with the latter. And consider it a good gamble. I think Patrick O'Sullivan falls into this category. I think Schremp may be in this category. However, the first kind of baggage, which I would stay away from, might be Wolski's kind of baggage. And maybe I've really gotten the wrong impression on this, but just my perception from the little I've read. I think Daigle might have been a player with the tools, but lacked a true passion early in his career. He gave it up, and decided he wanted to be Mr. Hollywood. Anyway tell me if I'm wrong. Tell me if you would love to see your team take a gamble on him.
 

speeds

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from what I've read it sounds like Lisin is dropping down the rankings, but he's the kind of player one might expect EDM to pick if you were to look at their drafting in the first round over the last 7 years or so.

Will be interesting to see.
 

frisland

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Maybe its just the bitter ranger fan in me, but can someone please give me a reason not to compare wolski to pavel brendl??
 

Kick Save

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frisland said:
Maybe its just the bitter ranger fan in me, but can someone please give me a reason not to compare wolski to pavel brendl??

I don't think it's "just the bitter ranger fan in you." I think the wolski-brendl comparison could be right on target.
 

sushinsky4tsar

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so, with that said, where would you guys actually be willing to take on the risk? For me, it honestly might not be until about the 16th pick or so. I realize that might sound ridiculous when there's some people who are projecting him in the top 6, but I just don't think the risk/reward ratio is right to pass on Picard, O'Neill, Green, Chipchura and maybe even Montoya, Lisin, Radulov.
 

DJ Spinoza

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WVUCanesFan said:
just 1 little thing. I don't think the Carolina Panthers are going to be drafting Wolski... that is unless he can play linebacker.

:blush: :joker:

I would take a risk on Wolski. I haven't heard anything negative about Wolski's work ethic or physical play. I like his potential and he would be a guy I would want to select if my team was in the middle there.

As a side note, I think Tukonen is a bit underrated here. I like him at the five position. IMO, the top 4 are set and they will go in some order like that. After that is anyone's guess, but I think Tukonen is right up there as the fifth best player.

If the Penguins decided to trade down and were able to pick up Tukonen, I, for one, wouldn't be that upset depending on what else we got.
 

Edge

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Wolski? physical play?

I dont hate the kid but his mean streak and lack of physical play is what worries me the most about him. in fact if he looked alive more nights out there he'd be a lock for the top 5.
 

DJ Spinoza

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Edge said:
Wolski? physical play?

I dont hate the kid but his mean streak and lack of physical play is what worries me the most about him. in fact if he looked alive more nights out there he'd be a lock for the top 5.

Well, I live up to the name once again. :blush:

Basing what I say off snippets of whatever I can find. It's kind of hard to find out anything about prospects not named Ovechkin or Crosby in the prospects forum, if you know what I mean.
 

Edge

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with Wolski i think the key will be his willingness to pay the price out there. If he turns it up a notch he could be something very special. If not, it's potentially his achilles heel. Just MPO.
 

DJ Spinoza

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So, judging by this, you think he could excel under a more strict coach who can get the best out of their players?
 

ManuelCalavera

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MrKnowNothing said:
#13 Buffalo Sabres - Alexandre Picard
Buffalo is a playoff team or very close to it. They have no gaping needs, so they just go with the BPA here, who I think is Picard.

Any comments?

The one gaping need of this team is top 4 defense prospects. After snatching up the lazy but offensively talented Vanek last year, Regier and co. will not pass up a defenseman with high potential. My guess is that one of Valabik, Green, or O'Neil will be taken, with the highest chance being Valabik.

The guy is a giant, who apparently uses his size effectively for his age. The team has three decent young D-man as it is. Kalinin is the future #1 most likely, and Tallinder and Jillson are possible two-way blueliners. The prospects are thin, with Ezhov as a solid all around D-man, Paetsch as a big offensive question mark, and a few very mediocre depth D-men.

With the hope that the D-corps reaches part of its offensive potential, I think Regier will take Valabik. He's probably a project, but 6'6" for a defenseman is a nice quality to have. Mike Green's scouting reports remind me of Dion Phaneuf-lite. Obviously, Im just going off of writeups, but similar things are being said about him as Dion last year. Gritty WHL D-man with some offensive ability, although a bit small (5'10 I believe). (Im going off memory, so forgive me if Im sketchy on the details)

Anyways, those are just my thoughts. Id be fine if they draft the BPA in the first round and focus on defense for the remainder (a la last year with offensive d-men).
 

tripledekehockey

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Good draft and read -- I agree with you on the pens that their need for a 'stud' prospect will outweight any deal that is offered to them unless they are getting a 'stud' in return

lemieux -- malkin -- morozov(or put in a FA player here) line? not bad for the rookie's first year
 
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