jacksheit said:
Sharkie,
U wanna post who the top 10 teams will pick in the draft?
either in this thread or in a seperate post
I'll take my best stab at it..... I made a first round mock not to long ago I'm sure you could find if you did some rummaging around. Heres my thoughts on who should go where team by team.
1. Washington Capitals: F ALEXANDER OVECHKIN
2. Pittsburgh Penguins: F Evgeni Malkin
3. Chicago Blackhawks: F Rostislav Olesz: Stock has dropped a bit, but when he's been healthy has produced. Plays with alot of heart, very very physical and has a very high skill level....Black Hawks have to deep of defensive corps with there young players to say no to Olesz. Perfect fit in Chicago. Him and Ruutu would give NHL teams huge fits.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets: D CAM BARKER: IMO the Blue Jackets hit a home run here, last year they wanted Zherdev and had him #1 on there board....Barker is the man they want I believe... They'll take him...Gonchar like offensive ability with the potential to be a top notch defender as well. Excelent pick up at the #4 spot for Columbus.
5. Phoenix Coyotes: F WOJTEK WOLSKI: The Coyotes have no problems taking chances on players.... Wolski has a huge frame to grow into at 6-3. One game of Bramtons I caught had him listed at 6-3 6/8ths....so he's a big 6-3. Wolski is a ways away though....His offensive instincts and skills are amazing.... he shows the willingness to go to trafic, but he does not hit! he is soft, he doesnt mind taking a hit, but he does almost 0 work in traffic, he's a finnesse player....Huge upside and the Coyotes shown they know how devolope there players, Wolksi could be there man.
6. New York Rangers: F ROBBY SCHREMP: New York well love Robby.... I hear from numerous people he's actually a very good kid. He's not a headcase. Robby may have the best pure offensive instincts of any prospect in this draft....He has amazing hands. He has a deadly shot, sniper like qualities, plus he has excelent vision and sets up his man with gimme goals. Schremp is a very special player, well have to devolope slowly, his defenisve game leaves much to be desired...I've seen him play on the third line in London and he didnt do well....if he's not scoring he isn't contributing.
7. Florida Panthers: A.J. THELEN: I've discovered A.J. earlier this year, check backwards and I have proof...and mark my words this well be one hell of a defensman....he'll be the top NCAA draft eligible player if he opts in IMO. He's very big, and may add another inch and can add 20 more pounds or so. Thelen skates so well for a man his size, great agility and lateral movement, excelent skater in all departments. He loves to start the rush, he passes the puck cripsly and always tape to tape...very dangerous offesnivly...great instincts....he loves to hit, and he hits very hard. He's very hard nosed in the corners and in front of his own net...Forgot to mention his hard shot. Good coaching and devolopment time and we could have the next Rob Blake here.
8. Carolina Hurricanes: F ANDREW LADD: I hear he has arguably the best work ethic of the draft class. He also has one of the biggest hearts and shows it on the ice.... he goes balls to the wall every single shift...very impressive...He loves to throw his body around...his high octane style creates chances....once a defensman gets the puck he's on him with a snap of a finger....just not a banger...Ladds game is very mature and he's very smart. Helps out back on defense very well, great two way player. Ladd has been compared to Ryan Smyth and I love that comparison. His offensive skills are also impressive, he has a wicked shot, sniper like qualities, he also has a nice slap shot, but his snap shot and wrister are awesome....he sets up his man very well, excelent at passing. His skating is drool worthy....Fast, fluid, smooth, mobile ...he's one of the best all around skaters in the draft....NHL ready....Ladd may go higher. He's one of my favroites in this draft.
9. Anaheim Might Ducks: F LAURI TUKONEN: Excelent all around. Very mature, he has bulked up this year and it has done wonders for him....He is still the very silky smooth skater with a snappy shot with pin point accuracy...but he has added more to his game...he is one of the best players in this draft at working the boards and trafic areas...he uses his big frame well. He excels down low...he passes the puck pretty well. Has good vision. His defensive game has soared to new heights this year...no longer one dimensional, Tukonen is a very dedicated player on the defensive end.
10. Atlanta Thrashers: F DREW STAFFORD: Keith Thakchuk like....He's a b*tch to play against.....Great speed and balance, good size, scorers touch, has good hands, he rather go threw you then around you though. Looked good all year at North Dakota and he played very good at the WJC's in limited ice time. A bruising player with a scoring touch. GOod head on his shoulders I hear, he doesnt have premier offensive tools, but he doesnt need them because of his hard nosed style....does wonders for his team down low.
11. Los Angeles Kings: G MAREK SCHWARZ: Kings well take a goaltender in this position...Extremely fast and Flexible is Schwarz. they have a shot at two very talented goalies.. Schwarz is the best goaltender of the draft and might go higher if somone trades up. Don't be surprised if Montoya is taken here in that case... Schwarz is a Mike Richter like goaltender...I'm takin back on how great his reflexes are....He plays big for his size as well ....excelent on the angles...a very heads up goaltender as well...very vocal on the ice. Schwarz glove side is almost unbeatable and his legs kick out fast as a blink of any eye. Very quick goalie who is overlooked by many. Gets a bad rap on these boards from people who've only seen him play against Canada at the WJC's.
12. Minnesota Wild: F ALEXANDRE PICARD: This guy is great.... A very akward skating stride, pretty quick but not elite but still considered fast. He has been compared to Miroslav Satan and I say he could devolope into a Jarome Iginla kind of player...he has awesome shooting skills. Very good hands, great instincts, and loves to shoot, simply loves to score, goes to the net extremely hard. He's not all show though, he shows captain like qualities....He hustles every shift, every nite, plays extremely hard, doesnt mind hitting but isn't a powerforward...good size at 6-2 200 pounds. He is a work horse for Lewiston...always catches my eye.... A potential elite scorer with more to his game...hard working on defense as well. Might slip because he didnt score like a mad man. Honestly one of my favroite players in the draft.
13. Buffalo Sabres: D WES O'NEIL: I've been watching this guy for the past two years....caught him twice this year and twice on satalite...I saw him many times last year with the Gamblers....He's huge at 6-4 220 pounds....He likes to hit and can dominate physically but it's not his game.... Wes O'Neil skates like the wind, very smooth and has good agility for a man his size..never gets caught flat footed...is not a banger, he's one of the smartest defensman in his own zone in the NCAA....very impressed with his heads up style... comited to defense his offensive game isn't great...Has upside though, he has an excelent transition game, likes to the start the rush if given the time...won't take risks in his own zone and is passive about using his booming shot. A very big, minute logging, smart defensman who well shut down opositions top players. Offensive upside is there but it hasnt taken a step forward for the past two years.
14. Edmonton Oilers: F KYLE CHIPCHURA: I personaly have a friend who knows an Oiler scout....And if some of the guys who have already been taken, mainly Picard are gone, then expect them to go with Chipchura, There also extremely high on both Montoya and Dubnyk. Chipchura is a good skater, he always keeps his feet moving and flys around the ice....Very high intensity kind of guy...loves to throw his weight around. Chipchuras offensive skills are nothing spectacular but he could devolope into a 2nd liner scoring wise.... He has one of the best heads for the game in the draft....Helps out defensivly and even dominates in his own zone...rides his man all the way, back checks like theres no tomorow if his man gets open. CHipchura has good vision offensivly, he well pass before he shoots, great at give and goes.... Very good at passing the puck, takes the safe route to pass it but he's very effective, expecially on the pp, great at doing the dirty work down low and in trafic, has a nose for the net... gives other goalies headaches.
His best asset I hear is from the locker room...according to McKeens he's a natural leader in the lockeroom. Oilers fans could be looking at Picard or Chipchura on draft day.....
If the Oilers go goalie here it's going to be G ALVARO MONTOYA: Edmonton may take a forward here and hope that Dubnyk or Schneider falls to them...... Montoya is a cross between Dan Cloutier and Marty Turco IMO. His mechanics are strong but he still takes the unorthadox approach to making some saves. He has good size and when he's confident he plays the angles well....he was stronger in his freshman year and aside from his WJC's his game at Michigan hasn't been to strong. Very flexible and much like Schwarz Montoya is awesome down low, shooters almost dont even try shooting down there...gives you nothing to look at with his great stance, and is cat like taking down low away, great stick work and rebounds are not easy to get off of him. On off nights his approach on the angles is confusing....He has to be taken slowly, a project with big results....
