Seachd said:
I guess this is another one of those "who would you rather have?" threads, but this one has strictly to do with draft position. Who would you rather have when it comes to the first round in the past six drafts? I realize it's pretty early for some of these guys, but take potential into account if you'd like. Some of these will be easy, and for others it'll be harder to make a choice.
1) I. Kovalchuk-very proven
2) J. Spezza-I believe the hype. Heatley and Malkin will probably be just as good, though. I'm skeptical about Heatley and I can only judge Malkin on hype.
3) J. Bouwmeester- Could be the next Niedermayer.
4) B. Pouliot-very very tough; betwween Pouliot, Pitkanen, and Zherdev. I've seen little of Zherdev in Russia, though.
5) T. Vanek-Relatively easy pick
6) M. Michalek-competition from Brule, Koivu, and Montoya. Michalek has the best overall package IMO. A bit of a homer pick.
7) J. Skille- Suter and Olesz contend, but Skille IMO is just a bit better. I haven't seen much of Olesz lately, however.
8)B. Coburn-Alexeev will be a good 2/3 liner. Picard is good, and Setoguchi is unproven. Coburn could be an elite defenseman
9) D. Phaneuf-I personally like Smid, but with so many people saying Phaneuf, I'll give the edge to him. Ruutu is just as good, but its harder to get a franchise defenseman than a franchise forward. Lee is the kind of prospect where it takes time to judge his potential.
10) L. Bourdon- Safe pick; a good defenseman. Blackburn by a lot if not for the injuries. What happened to Yakubov?
11) J. Carter- potential perrenail all-star; Kopitar and Tukonen have more questions surrounding them, and even if they maximize their potential, I think Carter will be better.
12) M. Staal- At such a young age, he would not look awkward in the NHL. Thelen's a great pick too.
13) R. Hainsey - A. Hemsky - A. Semin- pretty much everyone on this list is good. If Semin goes back to Russia, I pick Brown, but Semin on a hunch. The rest are on a tier below. We'll see about Zagrapan though.
14) C. Higgins- All are pretty decent, but Higgins has surprised me. I think he'll be a good one. Seabrook and Dubynk(who no one talks about) are right behind him.
15) R. O'Marra- Many were saying this was one of the safest picks of the draft. Nilsson and Radulov are excellent, however.
16) P. Nokelainen- Sound all-around forward with good offensive skills. Bourret is a steal at this position, and Bernier could be in the top five of his draft class. Nok doesn't have as much upside, but he's a sure-fire NHLer. Mainly a hunch.
17) Z. Parise-Hanzal could surprise, but Colaicovo hasn't lived up to expectations. Parise quite easily
18) K. Chipchura- All are good picks; but I like Chipchura.
19) R. Getzlaf- Kindel and Koreis can only hope to deveop like him
20) A. Frolov- All picks here have panned out nicely and look like steals; but Goc/Paille/Burns/Zajac are in a tier below Frolov
21) T. Rask- potential all-star goalie is very good at this position. Volchenkov, Wolski, and Stuart after him.
22) S. Bergenheim- Touch choice. Pouliot doesn't have as much upside, and its a bit too early for Lashoff. Bergenheim is the only potential first liner in this position IMO. Few years down the road, however, Kaspar and Lashoff could be steals.
23) N. Bergfors- Kelser will consistently compete for the Selke, and Meszaros will round out a good top 4, but I see something special in Bergfors[
24) M. Richards- Tough choice over Steen. I've never seen the potential others see in Steen. Doesn't get enough credit because of Carter.
25) R. Schremp- Perez is slightly hyped, and even though the rest will be good, I have to give the edge to Schremp. Ward and Cogliano could also be good.
26) C. Schneider- potential starter.
27) J. Woywitka- Woywitka easily. I'd place Tambellini (top six forward) and Morris (Ryan Kesler's twin) after him.
28) J. Williams- A consistent 40-pointer under Hitchcock. Perry and Fistric (very underrated from what I've seen of him. Stats don't tell the story) deserve honorable mention, and both could very well surpass Williams
29) H. Toivonen- Kronwall is great, but Toivonen is more valuable.
30) S. Belle- Looks like he could be a very good pick! [/B]