ducksflytogether said:Perry at the moment looks better than the other two, pointwise. Stewart is more of a force though, and Richards isn't far off. I'll go homer on this one and say Perry, mainly because of his stats and the job he's doing.
RickyF said:Anthony or Danny
GlueleG said:Sorry... I meant Anthony... I should have specified!
I suspect this will change following the World Juniors - I think Richards will gain a lot of fans during the tournament.Vlad The Impaler said:I don't expect a lot of people will vote for Richards. I probably wouldn't either but I think the guy will surprise.
Charlie_Girl49 said:I suspect this will change following the World Juniors - I think Richards will gain a lot of fans during the tournament.
TJF said:Richards - A solid 2-way forward, kind of like Ron Francis just not nearly as many points. Perfect 3rd line centre.
Perry - Outstanding scorer, no question about it but he is honestly the skiniest hockey player that I've ever seen. On the London Knights web site he's listed at 6'3 and 195 but he's honestly not even close to that. Maybe the 6'3 part is correct but he's closer to 175 if that. The kid needs to eat something. He still gets knocked around at the OHL level. I don't see him becoming an impact scorer on the NHL level but maybe a 20 goal man. He also is the biggest diver (Peter Forsberg mold) and whines about everything. With all that said, when he puts on some muscle I can still see him developing into a top 6 forward but not an all star
Stewart - He's an absolute physical force outhere, he'll be a solid checking line guy who'll throw some big hits and drop the gloves when needed. Also scores the big goals.
I'd rank them like this,
1. Stewart - Just because I prefer physical hockey players
2. Perry - With added weight
3. Richards - Just a solid all around player
But I think all 3 will be sure fire NHLers, just not stars.
Vlad The Impaler said:I don't expect a lot of people will vote for Richards. I probably wouldn't either but I think the guy will surprise. He's simply not a sexy selection. He doesn't have dazzling, flashy skills nor impressive size but I really like what little I have seen of him.
He's got solid skills, seems smart on the ice and delivers. He is low maintenance and versatile. I think this guy is going to end up being a very valuable player that doesn't get a lot of hype but has a great career in the NHL as an affordable warrior.
I like Anthony Stewart's overall upside and would be tempted to choose him. But I have a feeling Richards will be better than many hyped 2003 draftees over the length of his career.
In fact, Darryl Sutter, GM of the Calgary Flames, admitted afterwards that if Red Deer defenseman Dion Phaneuf were not available at the ninth pick, Richards would have been their selection.
FlyerGuy69 said:I've read some right-ups on Richards were he is compared to Mike Ricci....is this a reasonable comparison?
To the best of my knowledge, McDonald was fired because the team had 26 wins to 36 losses and missed the playoffs his last year. I've never heard anything that linked Richards being drafted to McDonald's exit.Doomsday Device said:It's interesting to see the change in opinion that has happened with Mike Richards. I remember when Kitchener selected him in the OHL Draft, there was a lot of noise made over the Rangers selecting an unknown like Richards, who most OHL followers hadn't heard of, over more well known talent like Corey Perry and Anthony Stewart. I think the Rangers' GM at the time, Jamie McDonald, might even have been fired for making the pick. I think Richards' success has to give him some vindication, even if it didn't help him keep his job.
Charlie_Girl49 said:To the best of my knowledge, McDonald was fired because the team had 26 wins to 36 losses and missed the playoffs his last year. I've never heard anything that linked Richards being drafted to McDonald's exit.
Arankys said:I only recall Anthony Stewart only fighting once in his career vs Horton. Any other times?
VernonForrest said:Perry has bulked up in the offseason and he isn't overly skinny anymore. Last year he was maybe the skiniest player in the OHL but from seing him without his equipment on this year it is obvious he has put on some weight.
PanthersRule said:He's not a huge fighter but just ask Horton what he freaking did to his jaw.
Stewart freaking knocked him out of action for a month with a broken jaw. How ironic. To panther first round pick from 03 fighting. WHat was really funny was when a reporter at the draft asked Stewart what it was like playing with his longtime buddy from juniors on the same NHL team. LOL They hadn't really met formally yet and Stewart tried to aviod the issue by saying that he hadn't been friends with him that long (it was really only like 20 minutes after Stewart was picked onto the same team) and that he's looking forward to playing with Nate.