The 2011 Double-A Draft (sign-up, roster, picks, everything)

[tony d]

Garnish selects Left Winger Martin Rucinsky and Right Winger Petri Skriko.

Some stats on Rucinsky:

- 612 points in 961 Career NHL Games
- 5 30 or more Assist Seasons
- 61 Career Power Play Goals

For more on Rucinsky click the following link:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11412

Some stats on Skriko:

- 405 Points in 551 Career NHL Games
- 4 Seasons of 30+ Goals and 60+ Points
- 3 Seasons of 10 or more power play goals

For more on Skriko click the following link:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11517

 

[Rob Scuderi]

The Pirates select G Jimmy Foster and C Carey Wilson

x1 OG Gold
x2 Allan Cup Champion

Honoured Member of Manitoba HOF
Member of British Ice Hockey HOF

Foster played with the University of Manitoba before moving to New Brunswick and becoming a star with the Moncton Hawks senior team. He led the Hawks to the 1932 Allan Cup finals, posting an amazing 417 minute shutout streak including back to back shutouts. Although the Hawks would not win the amateur championship of Canada that year, Foster led Moncton to the Allan Cup in both 1933 and 1934.

In 1935 "Jimmy the Parson," so named because he nearly devoted his life to the priesthood, was lured back across the Atlantic where he would play in net with the Richmond Hawks of the English National League. Percy Nicklin coached Moncton and was lured to England to coach not only Richmond but the British Olympic team. He badly wanted Foster to come with him to play in goal.

Foster jumped at the opportunity to see his native homeland. But he was also motivated financially. Foster had seen many senior league teammates and foes turn professional, only to be buried in the minor leagues not making a lot of money. Foster was said to have made a good wage working in Britain while maintaining his amateur hockey status.

Foster became a big star over in Britain. He backstopped the Hawks to second place in the league and was named as an all star. The following year he moved to Harringay where he would backstop the Greyhounds for three seasons, including a league championship in 1939.

His biggest moment came not in the British leagues, but rather the 1936 Olympics. Britain, masterminded by Bunny Ahearne, recruited a team full of Canadian players who were originally born in Britain, and iced a powerful team. The key recruit was the ace puckstopper Foster, who would allow just three goals in the Olympics, and had four shutouts in seven games en route to an unexpected gold medal.

One of the wins unthinkably came against Canada. At this time Canada's dominance on the international stage was unquestioned. For Great Britain to defeat was a huge upset in hockey history. That being said, Great Britain had essentially iced a second team Canada to defeat hockey's top dog.

Controversy swirled around Great Britain's team. Canada had suspended 16 players, including Foster, who left Canada to play in Britain without first gaining the consent of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. When named to the Britain Olympic team, the IIHF upheld the suspensions on Foster and Alex Archer on the eve of the Olympics. Suddenly Britain was without their star goalie.

Three days into the Olympic games Canada lifted their Olympic protest and granted Britain permission to use Foster and Archer, but only for the Olympic games. As Andrew Podnicks wrote in his book Canada's Olympic Hockey Teams, Canada only did so "in the spirit of Olympic warmth," and with the agreement a new rule would prohibit such country jumping in future international events.

With the gum-chomping Foster in net, Great Britain knocked of Canada's Olympic team, represented by the Port Arthur Bearcats, 2-1 on February 10th, 1936. Soon after more controversy erupted. An obscure and, according to the Canadians, unfair rule interpretation made it impossible for Canada to win the gold medal despite clearly being the best team. It was decided that Great Britain's victory over Canada would carry forward into the semi-final and final rounds of the tournament. Because Britain had defeated Canada once, they would not have to face them again. Inexplicably, the two points between any possible game between the two countries would automatically go to Britain and no game would be played. Under those auspicious circumstances, Canada lost their first international hockey title.

Despite the deceiving behaviour by Britain and the IIHF, Foster's performance should not be discounted. He very well may have been the best goaltender outside of the NHL at this time. He would post 16 shutouts in 31 World Championship and Olympic games for Britain. He also led Britain to the 1937 and 1938 European Championships. Until 2002 he was the only Scot to have won a gold medal in the winter Olympics.

Foster returned to Canada in 1940 and continued his outstanding ice hockey career in Glace Bay and Quebec City.

And certainly never before in Olympic history had anyone put on a more scintillating net-mind display than did Foster.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XVA1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=jtoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1296,1388215&dq=jimmy+foster+hockey&hl=en

In his first full season Carey chipped in with 72 points including 24 goals and 48 assists in 74 games. Only Mario Lemieux had more points as a rookie that year. Lemieux's rookie linemate Warren Young also had 72 points. Carey's 72 rookie points was a franchise record (previously held by Tom Lysiak - 64 pts.). Although Carey finished a distant fifth in the rookie voting, he was Calgary's most effective forward throughout most of the season. Carey in fact maintained the same pace as Mario Lemieux while playing on the same line as Richard Kromm and Colin Patterson. His fine play earned him the rookie of the month honors in October 1984. When both Kromm and Patterson went down with injuries, Carey was shifted to a more checking role, reducing his scoring. He also played on a line with Dan Quinn and Kent Nilsson or Ed Beers and Hakan Loob. Late in the season he was put on a fourth line that became an instant hit among Flames fans. It became dubbed "The Tank Line". Carey played with Gino Cavallini (215 Ibs) and Tim Hunter (205 Ibs).

In 1985-86 the Flames made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, upsetting the Edmonton Oilers en route. In the finals the Flames would fall short to the Montreal Canadiens. Wilson was unable to play in the finals due to a ruptured spleen courtesy of a nasty speer by Oilers defenseman Steve Smith, the same Smith who scored on his own net to allow the Flames to escape with the playoff series victory.

Carey was a solid if unspectacular contributor for a deep Calgary team before being traded to Hartford early in 1988. Less than one year later he was shipped to New York, and the Rangers. They traded him back to Hartford in the summer of 1990, but Hartford wasn't his last destination. He got traded once again, but this time back to were it all started...Calgary. It's worth noting that he played very well in both Hartford and New York where he scored a total of 164 points in 197 games.

Back in Calgary he only played parts of three seasons before hanging em' up after the 1992-93 season. Wilson, who was constantly on the injured reserve list for all sorts of ailments, was forced into retirement with torn tendons in his right knee. Carey scored a total of 427 points including 169 goals and 258 assists in 552 regular season games, as well as 24 points including 11 goals in 52 playoff games.

Carey was a very intelligent player who seldom made a bad decision on the ice. He was also very intelligent off the ice, majoring in biochemistry and qualifying as a pre-med student before leaving Dartmouth for a career in hockey. During his off seasons he continued his studies.

After missing the target with Doug Wickenheiser and Brian Lawton, the Rangers may have hit the bull's-eye with Carey Wilson in their efforts to get the big center they desperately need.

Wilson has played only two games since his acquisition from Hartford on Monday, but he has earned the respect of his new coaches and teammates.

''I rate him in the top 10 as far as skills,'' John Vanbiesbrouck, the Rangers' goaltender, said. 'He's big and strong and can do everything a big centerman is supposed to do.''

Wilson, 26 years old, is 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds. He can be productive offensively, especially on the power play. He can win face-offs, kill penalties, take punishment (as the fresh scars on his face prove) and, in his words, ''never back down from pressure.''

When the New York Rangers lost center Carey Wilson with a knee injury in late October, their power play went with him. The Rangers' fast start was based largely on their excellent special teams showing. With Wilson centering the the Rangers' top line, the Rangers were 19 for 64, a league-leading 29.4 percent, on the power play. Ulf Dahlen, Wilson's left wing, had five of his six goals on the power play.

But Wilson was hurt on October 28 in a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders, and the Rangers' power play hasn't been the same since. With Wilson on the sidelines, the rangers are 16 for 110, a 14.5 percent showing that would rank them 19th, Dahlen has all but disappeared - he hasn't had a goal since Octover 19.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=14lGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bDMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5760,1638688&dq=carey+wilson+hockey&hl=en

 

[tony d]

The Pirates select G Jimmy Foster and C Carey Wilson

Great pick with Wilson, he was in the running for me for a #1 centre, just a solid and un-appreciated player.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Great pick with Wilson, he was in the running for me for a #1 centre, just a solid and un-appreciated player.

Thanks, I couldn't figure out if I wanted him or Rucinsky so you made it easy on me

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Martin Rucinsky was one of the top playmaking wingers we were looked at in the AAA draft when we thought we might get a goal scoring center (Oliver Seibert). Dropped the idea when another team drafted Seibert.

Good pick at the AA level definitely.

 

[seventieslord]

Regina selects Coach Paul Thompson.

Thompson may have a career losing record, but he was no loser. In his first full season as coach, 1940, Thompson led a ragtag bunch of Hawks to a 4th -place finish and was the runaway winner of the 1st all-star team honours.

In 1942, Thompson was the nd all-star team coach behind behind Frank Boucher, before finishing 32rd in voting (with significant votes) in three straight seasons.

Not sure why Thompson ended up 3rd with 24 voting points in the 1945 season, when the official record says he coached one game and was then replaced. It may have been a co-coach or assistant coach situation, the voting could have been misappropriated to Thompson, or the official record could be wrong. Some newspaper searches can probably figure this out.

Still, with an “Adams†voting record of 1st , 2nd , 3rd , 3rd , “3rd â€, I think he looks pretty damn good at the AA level.

Also notable - Thompson went to the PCHL for the 1946 and 1947 seasons and won a league title in the first of those years.
________________________________________

Regina also selects LW/C Matti Hagman. He was a Finnish offensive star throughout the 70s and 80s who I believe had the capability to be an NHL-level contributor (probably not a ‘star’) for most of that time.

Based on the numbers Hagman was able to put up as a little-used 21-year old rookie in 1977, and then in the WHA at age 22, and then as a scoring line player in the NHL at 25-26, he's got the goods to have been a productive NHLer for a long time - it's just not the path he chose:

Matti Hagman was the first ever player trained in Finland to play in the NHL. He played a full season with the Bruins in 76/77. Next year, he switched to the WHA where he produced at PPG pace. However, he was unhappy with his life in the Northern America and he returned to Finland for two seasons. He scored a record of 87 points in just 35 games. The record wasn't broken until the number of games player was increased by 9. It was clear that he was way too good player to play in Finland and he received an offer he couldn't refuse. He joined the Edmonton Oilers in 1980 where played the next two seasons. In 1981 he played left wing on a line with Messier and Anderson.

Bookending his two NHL seasons with Edmonton are two seasons as the Swedish league's first all-star center. Hagman was just 19 when he placed 6th in the Finnish league in points, kicking off a string of excellent seasons there, finishing 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, and 5th in points.

Mixed in with all of this is a stellar international resume. In 56 major international games, Hagman had 39 points for a team that was often outclassed. Among these performances are a 10th in scoring at the 1976 Worlds and 11th in the 1976 Canada Cup. Both times he led the Finns in scoring.

While names like Jari Kurri and Teemu Selanne are household names in North America, Finnish hockey fans are quick to point out Matti Hagman as one of the best players the small Scandanavian country has produced.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Ruslan Salei

Height: 6' 1''
Weight: 212 lbs
Born November 2 in 1974
Died in the KHL planecrash September 7 in 2011
917 games played + 62 playoff games.
Averaged 21:37 minutes per game during his career
Averaged 26:05 minutes per game in the 02-03 Anaheim playoff run.
Three 100 + pim seasons and six 90+ pim seasons.

One of the top Belorussian players, Ruslan Salei was a solid and physical NHL defenseman. His 917 NHL game career was best remembered with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, though he also played with Florida, Colorado and Detroit.

Unfortunately for me, I probably never appreciated Salei for being as good of a player as he actually was. I still tend to remember him for early career controversies where he hit Mike Modano from behind, sending the defenseless superstar awkwardly into the boards. His reputation was cemented early after the scary play and the resulting 10 game suspension. It was a bit of an unfair reputation as for the most part Salei was a reliable and steady physical defender

Not known as a scoring defenseman, Ruslan Salei is known as a player who plays a physical game

In 2002-03 Salei was a key player in the Ducks run to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, only to lose a hard-fought seven game series to the New Jersey Devils.

 

[VanIslander]

Martin Rucinsky was one of the top playmaking wingers we were looked at in the AAA draft when we thought we might get a goal scoring center (Oliver Seibert). Dropped the idea when another team drafted Seibert.

Dave G and I talked about pairing Rucinsky with Seibert on our 2nd line when we drafted Oliver, but decided to go with a playmaking right winger instead (Hemsky) and use the left wing slot for a glue guy (Sturm).

We later talked about Rucinsky as a spare but decided he added nothing to our starting line-up, whereas Byfuglien was multipositional and brought power, and Brannen was a great sub for injury-prone Hemsky on the right side. So Rucinsky remained in the end on our shortlist of "would-like-to-get-but-haven't-the-room".

I was always a huge Rucinsky fan, a really underappreciated forechecker. He was great along the side boards. Not one of the guys who took the body, he took the puck! His stickhandling, determination and hockey sense meant he fished out many pucks from traffic, sparking rushes and increasing team puck possession time.

 

[VanIslander]

The Czechoslovakian national team was top level quality competition for over a decade, peaking in the mid- to late seventies with world championship golds in 1976 and 1977, losing close final games of the 1976 Canada Cup to Canada and the 1976 Olympics to the Soviets, winning 1975, 1978 Izvestia Cups and 1976 Spengler Cup and seven times that decade going to the world championship finals.

Rensselaer Engineers draft two longtime top-6 forwards on that Czechoslovakian team, a left winger and a right winger, one with Hlinka's line, the other with Novy. They have been front and in the heat of the battle at the highest level of competition, each with a memorable clutch performance to go with their long time mainstay role on the Czechoslovakian top-6:

Left winger Josef Augusta scored a tying goal with 5 minutes remaining in the 1976 Canada Cup final game,
the team losing to Canada in overtime on a Sittler goal.

Right winger Eduard Novak scored a go ahead goal with eight minutes remaining in the 1976 Olympics final,
but the Soviets later (with 17 ATD board draftees) tied it up and won it all on a Kharlamov goal late.​

------------

BIO INFO:

Eduard Novak

He was primarily a finisher. He had a very quick release of his shot.

http://www.azhockey.com/No.htm#Eduard Novak

Right-wing. Played 16 seasons and 560 league games in Czechoslovakia (306 goals). Worked well with Milan Novy.
International Career : Played for Czechoslovakia 113 times (48 goals) appearing in four World Championships between 1971 and 1977. Played in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.
Club Career : Played for Poldi SONP Kladno 1967-80, TJ Gottwaldov 1980-81, Klagenfurter AC 1981-82, Furukawa Denko 1982-84 and Duisburger SC 1984-85. He had a few games for Poldi SONP Kladno in 1983 when he helped them avoid relegation.
Medals : Won the World Championship in 1976 and 1977.
Won the Czechoslovakian Championship winner 5 times 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1980.
http://www.azhockey.com/No.htm#Eduard Novak

-------------

Josef Augusta

A classic left wing who worked all over the ice

http://www.azhockey.com/Au.htm

24 goals in 100 games for the Czechoslovakian national team
scored 2 goals and an assist in the 1976 Olympics (Silver);

mostly on a line with... Ivan Hlinka or with Eduard Novak and Milan Novy. Played in four World Championships between 1969 and 1978, in 1976 he played in the Olympics and the Canada Cup.
Club Career : Played for Dukla Jihlava 1964-82 and VEB Selb 1982-83.
Won the Czechoslovakian league 8 times between 1967 and 1982.
http://www.azhockey.com/Au.htm

 

[Hobnobs]

Michigan Wolverines is proud to select:

Vic Heyliger, Coach.

Coaching record (NCAA), 228–61–13, Pct. .776

Heyliger helped revolutionize college hockey as the first coach to actively recruit players. He was also instrumental in organizing the first NCAA Championship and the formation of a conference that served as the forerunner to today’s WCHA.

At the international level, Heyliger played a major role in helping to organize the only U.S.-hosted International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in 1962 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He also served as head coach of the 1966 U.S. National Team.

Heyliger was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974 in recognition of his lifetime achievement in the sport of hockey.

Mikael Andersson, W

Swedens answer to Dave Poulin. Could produce offensively but it's his role as a defensive specialist and was proficient at removing stars. Underrated player. Won everything except olympic gold and stanley cup. He is known to be a loyal player and a warrior.

NHL: 761-95-169-264
SEL: 164-32-30-62
AHL: 179-53-103-156
WC: 21-5-3-8
WJC: 19-7-8-15

 

[DaveG]

Yep, no qualms with saying that Rucinsky would have easily been deserving of a nod in the AAA draft, if not a spot in most of the top 9s there. Fantastic pick.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

The Pirates select LW Josef Cerny and D Rick Lanz

75 Goals in 210 international matches
409 Goals in 683 Czechoslovak Extraliga matches
(both per eliteprospects)

IIHF HOF
Czech Hockey HOF

x2 Czechoslovakian Extraliga Goal-scoring champion
x1 WC AST Team
x3 European Cup Champion
x2 OG Bronze
x1 OG Silver
x4 WC Bronze
x4 WC Silver

First Czechoslovak player to score 400 goals in top national league. He was on 12 World Championships and 4 Olympic Games. Captain of HC Kometa Brno and Czechoslovak national team.

From his very first games, he began to assert himself as a scorer... a very fast skater... From 1959, he had a regular place on the national team. He even became team captain... stayed on top of the overall GP list for a long time... throughout his career, he grabbed every opportunity that came along to compete at a higher level...

Defenceman Rick Lanz was an imposing combination of size and skill. He was a fine skater and puck handler whose booming shot from the point made him particularly lethal on the power play.

Born in Karlouy Vary, Czechoslovakia, Lanz came to Canada with his family as a boy. He was selected seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980 Entry Draft after three outstanding seasons with the OHA's Oshawa Generals. The skilled youngster was also picked to represent Canada at the 1980 World Junior Championships.

Lanz was impressive as a rookie in 1980-81 with 29 points in 76 games and a plus/minus rating of +1. The next year he played only 39 games because of injuries and missed the club's run to the Stanley Cup finals. In 1982-83, Lanz rebounded with 48 points and played for Canada at the 1983 World Championships. During the 1983-84 season, the gifted blueliner recorded 57 points and was one of the top power play quarterbacks in the league with 14 goals while playing with the extra man. He remained a fixture in the Vancouver line up until the club started making changes in 1986-87.

In December 1986, Lanz joined the Toronto Maple Leafs and helped the club come within a game of reaching the semi-finals. He also scored a key overtime goal that evened the first round series against the St. Louis Blues. Toronto regressed in the late '80s, and Lanz left the club in 1989 to play for Ambri-Piotta in Switzerland. He played one game for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1991-92 but was chiefly a minor leaguer until retiring in 1993.

Rick is a skilled player whom we feel can contribute to our hockey club. He is an experienced point man on the power play, he has good size and strength and can play a physical game. He knows what it takes to play in this league.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1zkpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NmUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2776,2598704&dq=rick+lanz&hl=en

 

[tony d]

Garnish selects Chris Gratton and Craig Muni.

Chris Gratton:

The Gratton pick may be a little controversial but I wanted a physical force to play with Rucinsky and Skriko on the first line, I think Gratton does that for me.

Some more stats on Gratton:

-568 points in 1092 games
-2 Seasons of 60 or more points
-6 Top 10 Finishes in Games Played

For more on Gratton click the following link:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=15012

Craig Muni:

Muni was an anchor on the Oilers defense during their dynasty days winning 3 Cups with them, not known for offense, Muni was known for his defensive game which was quite strong during that time.

For more on Muni click the following link:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11156

 

[seventieslord]

Saskatoon selects Frank Martin, D, who was a very good O6 AHL defenseman who got into a few hundred NHL games, earning significant all-star votes one season.

- 6'2", 190 lbs
- Made NHL All-star game on merit (1955)
- 7th in Norris voting, 9th in All-Star Voting (1956)
- AHL 2nd all-star team (1959)
- 57 points in 282 NHL games
- 210 points in 560 NHL games
- at time of selection, was 5th in NHL GP by available defensemen (no others ahead of him had any recognition as an NHL star like Martin)

Frank Martin was a great junior hockey player in his native St. Catharines, Ontario. He starred with the junior TeePees for 3 years, excelling at both the forward and defense positions. He played defense exclusively as a professional.

Martin also excelled on the baseball field. In fact, he had the unusual choice of attempting a career in eithe rpro hockey or pro baseball, as the Brookly Dodgers invited him to thier training camp. Since it was so rare for a Canadian to break in to the major leagues of baseball, Frank opted to stay with hockey.

Martin was introduced to the NHL by the Boston Bruins in 1952-53, though it wouldn't be until the following year that he'd make the Bruins blueline full time. Frank was having a tremendous first full NHL season but halfway though the year "things went kind of flat for me" he explained. During the summer, Martin was traded to Chicago.

Frank can only speculate how good he could have become if he stayed in Boston however.

"If I had've stayed there (Boston), as I got a little more seniority, who knows what could've happened?" he couldn't help but wonder.

Martin put in three full seasons in Chicago before "things started to really fall apart."

"I really couldn't put my finger on what was going on," Martin said of his diminishing playing ability.

The Hawks sent Martin down to the minors in 1957.

"I knew when I went there (the minors), I wouldn't be coming back," he said.

And he was right. He'd spend the next 8 years in the American Hockey League, first with Buffalo and later with Quebec before one final season in Cleveland. He retired in 1965.

We also select a versatile forward who will play on our 2nd or 3rd line, Kevin Miller.. VI last year opened my eyes to the fact that he was more than just a second rate offensive player. He was a battler and had solid defensive skills too.

- 5'11", 190 lbs
- 4 46+ point seasons
- 28% career PK usage (team results 1% better than league average)

Miller has light fet and quick acceleration to breakaway speed... a stride or two and it's bye bye. He always gains speed through the zone so he can attack the blueline at top flight... Miller is patient and lets the opposition beat himself. He commands a lot of space from most defensemen because he can burn them with speed or moves... he has good hands and can pick off passes by batting them out of the air and finish plays any number of ways... to those assets, Miller adds good ice vision....

though not a big player, Miller uses what size he has to play a rugged game. And he does have a mean streak. he will click out. he will fight. He will hit hard. He will be confrontational. he will hack and crosscheck and elbow... his talentas are more suited to center than RW, but the wings are loaded there... it is always an advantage to have a RW with a center's skills, shiftiness, speed and sense.

A two-way forward with a tremendous work ethic... The role of checker was once limited to players who didn't have scoring skills, but players like Miller, who can create turnovers with his smart, persistent forechecking, and who have the finesse skills to produce points as well, have refined the role.

Miller is an energetic skater who is all over the ice. He is a better playmaker than finisher. he is not overly clever and most of his opportunities come from the forecheck. He has fairly quick hands but lacks a goal scorer's touch... he's small, but he plays much larger.

The spunky Miller takes the body well, although he doesn't have great size. He is very strong and has a low center of gravity, which makes it tough to knock him off the puck... He will get overpowered in heavy traffic areas, but that doesn't keep him from trying. Miller will frustrate opponents into taking swings at him and draw penalties... Miller has the unique ability to fill a checking or scoring role... Miller loves to play.

 

[seventieslord]

Gratton shouldn't be controversial. Career numbers alone make him a solid pick right now. Who else has 500 points? He really only has one standout season which raised expectations unnecessarily high, and was forever branded "inconsistent" or "disappointing" after that, as he settled into physical/defensive 3rd line roles, playing them fairly well but not great, still managing to post 30-40 points with regularity. Not sure he has the peak to warrant a 1st line role here, but he definitely belongs.

 

[BenchBrawl]

HC Krylya Sovetov select Tom Poti D

other pick coming later have to talk with velociraptor

 

[seventieslord]

Noooooooooooo not muni!

 

[BenchBrawl]

nevermind

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Damn pretty sure everyone wanted Muni haha. He seemed like one of the best defenders profiled in the undrafted thread or B draft from last year.

I was trying to steal Frank Martin later on too after catching his AST recognition. He seems like a pretty solid offensive guy so I'm interested to see what you can dig up on him.

 

[VanIslander]

I agree with seventieslord that Gratton and Miller are quality picks that don't belong on a top line ideally. I'd throw Poti into that group too, as a quality pick but not a top pairing guy. He hasn't the defense nor stamina for that. he's injury prone, can't handle the rough stuff, and is ideally used as a #4/#5 on the blueline and top powerplay unit. At least put Poti in the #3 slot on the second pairing!

In terms of positioning (especially top line and top pairing), it's better to draft a question mark who might possibly handle the role than a surefire deficient who clearly couldn't.

 

[VanIslander]

Engineers draft Ernie McLea, the center of hockey's first dynasty, the Montreal Victorias, who won all Stanley Cup challenges from 1896-1899 with this player front and center between McDougall and Drinkwater up front, Cam Davidson at rover. McLea is listed 11th in career goals as of the end of that century, with 18, tied with Norman Rankin and two others, ahead of Harry Trihey and teammate Cam Davidson. Ernie McLea was the team's center over a 5-year stretch that included all four of the dynasty years. He may have been a lesser light on a team of all-time greats but he clearly fit on the squad and held down his job. McLea had played football and cricket at McGill as well as hockey. Two months short of his 21st birthday, McLea had a fantastic performance in arguably the greatest contest in hockey history to that date, in the 1896 Stanley Cup challenge against Bain's Winnipeg Victorias. McLea scored the first goal, the tying goal and in the closing seconds the winning goal in a thrilling 6-5 win that began the Montreal Victoria's four year reign. McLea was noted for winning face-offs, checking and generating turnover opportunities in accounts of that great match in which he had scored the Stanley Cup's first ever hat trick.

]

...the Montreal Victorias challenge of the Winnipeg Victorias was scheduled on this date in 1896 to be played at the Granite Rink in Winnipeg.

It was described at the time as the greatest sporting event in Winnipeg history, with fans paying as much as $12 for a seat while fans back in Montreal gathered for up to the minute reports via telegraph.

Things went well for the home team as Winnipeg led at halftime by a score of 4-2. Montreal fought back, and while Winnipeg was able to score again, the team from the east was able to tie the game at 5-5 before the 20 year old Ernie McLea, who had already scored twice for Montreal and with time winding down, fired his third goal of the game past Winnipeg goaltender Merritt to win the game in the closing seconds to regain the cup for the Montreal Victorias in what was called "the finest match ever played in Canada" when it was all over.

McLea's three goals were the first hat trick in Stanley Cup history.

http://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/2010/12/1896-97-montreal-victorias-ernie-mclea_30.html

... the Montrealers overcame a 2-0 "half-time" deficit and returned the Stanley Cup to the east, with a final 6-5 victory. Ernie McLea scored the winning goal in what was modestly called "the finest match ever played in Canada."

http://www.nhl.com/cup/incidents.html

from Eric Zweig's book Twenty Greatest Hockey Goals, pages 21-24:

Ernie McLea of Montreal beat (the Winnipeg captain) to the opening faceoff, but Winnipeg quickly gained possession and headed toward the Montreal net. Soon, though, McLea won another draw. This time he and winger Bob McDougall rushed the puck to the other end... A few minutes later McLea set up McDougall for a goal.. but it was also waived off... according to the Winnipeg Tribune, McLea and McDougall made matters tough (for Winnipeg dmen).. McLea finally put Montreal on the scoreboard... (after the intermission) McLea and McDougall went on the attack, and after pouncing on the rebound of a McDougall shot, McLea's second goal of the game evened matters at 4-4. ... McDougall put Montreal ahead 5-4... just two minutes after Bain had scored, Graham Drinkwater carried the puck out of trouble in the Montreal end. He passed to Ernie McLea, who eluded the Winnipeg defense and fired a shot past (the goaltender). It was McLea's third goal of the night... Ernie McLea's winning goal had launched hockey's first great dynasty. The Montreal Victorias would hold onto the Stanley Cup for three more years before they were finally dethroned at the end of 1898-99.

http://books.google.ca/books?id=pMX...qBiqtoU&hl=en#v=onepage&q=ernie mclea&f=false

Other references used:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/Lege...rwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1895-96Dec
http://hfboards.com/archive/index.php/t-293965.html

 

[VanIslander]

Engineers draft reliable defenseman Toni Lydman, who, after winning the trophy as best defenseman in Finland in 2000, jumped to North America and had 10+ straight NHL seasons as a top-2 minutes played blueliner, coming within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals by leading all Buffalo Sabres skaters in minutes played and tying the team lead in plus-minus (+14) in a Game 7 conference finals run in 2006. He has also scored a goal in each of three world championships and an Olympics, and careerwise is a member of the unofficial Quadruple Silver Club having lost the Olympic final (2006), World Championship final (1998, 1999), World Cup final (2004) and Stanley Cup final (2004).

Looks after his own zone first and foremost, but also possesses some puck-moving ability. Rarely gets caught out of position and is an outstanding skater.

http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?447

 

[vecens24]

Good Lydman pick...I think he actually had a pretty solid Norris result last year no?

 

[VanIslander]

Good Lydman pick...I think he actually had a pretty solid Norris result last year no?

His first season in Anaheim? He had a +32 on a Ducks team where most players were minus. I didn't watch that team much last season and haven't the Norris trophy voting stats on hand. Maybe someone else can provide input. Seventieslord?

 

[Hedberg]

His first season in Anaheim? He had a +32 on a Ducks team where most players were minus. I didn't watch that team much last season and haven't the Norris trophy voting stats on hand. Maybe someone else can provide input. Seventieslord?

He only had 1 vote, a 3rd place selection (technically finishing 13th)