'04 Top End Depth

After seeing that Malkin is tearing it up and appears to be a potential franchise guy to go with Ovechkin, how many top-end guys (potential being reached will be be franchise-type players) does everyone think will be in the draft next year?

BTW, whatever the # is I'm sure the Caps will get the next pick

 

Cam Barker.

He may be the next 18 year old defenseman in the NHL.

 

I know he's a big time offensive talent, but are his D skills good enough to be that good.....much less to start as an 18n yr old (I don't know enough about him)?

 

I don't know much about him either, but that's what I've heard from a couple media sources.

Starting the season off, he was a top 5 pick, a possible top 3. USA Today's Kyle Woodlief latest 2004 NHL draft update had some rather negative things about Barker, according to NHL scouts.

 

I've also seen Olesz ranked real high......anyone got any info on him?

 

Rostslav Olesz: Skilled, nasty, big time team leader type. would look nice with garth murray. Rostislav is a perfect mix of skills, size and toughness. He can play the game at top speed and has explosive speed and a threatening arsenal of offensive weapons with nop-notch acceleration, Olesz is a persistent player who doesn't mind working in traffic and scoring dirty goals. He is a pure high-scoring machine with excellent on-ice vision and a sneaky shot. His 59 penalty minutes in 20 games with the Vitkovice juniors signify Rostislav's on-ice aggressiveness. According to HF's Czech writer Robert Neuhauser: "Once on the puck, Rostislav explodes and is very good in one-on-one situation. He also can play hard, fights along the boards and goes in front of the net. His shoots very well and accurately. Also a good passer but prefers to shoot the puck and has a nose for the net. (Rostislav's) individual skill is really great..."

 

I don't understand what Woodlief has against Barker, at least on the ice, 'cause of all I've seen of him he's been dominant.

 

Thanx for the info.......looks like he''s qualified to be seen as a "top-end talent".

Hmm, could be a 1,2,3 offensive russian draft.....all in a year when the RHF is gonna become a pain (which will probably keep at least 1 of these guys outta the top 3)

BTW, you got any info on Malkin?....he intrigues me for some reason.

 

What do you think of his defensive ability? I know he's a big time o-Dman, but does his defensive side match up (Pronger/Blake or Niedermayer/Ozolinsh?)

 

Olesz is a Czech, no army BS baggage with him.

 

Good. Should be interesting to see if all this garbage the RHF is pulling will wind up leapfrogging Olesz over Malkin (granted, not much of a leap at this point) in most GM's eyes because they don't wanna put up with their BS red tape.

 

MMMM....

Nash - Olesz - Zherdev.

Couple of questions, not to throw this thead OT, but I have seen Olesz listed as a Winger and C. Which is the predominant position.

Same question for Zherdev. He played RW for CSKA, from what I can tell... and so far for the CBJ he has played LW??? What is his natural position, and could this be part of the reason he wasnt producing in Moscow?

 

Barker probably looked at Woodlief cross-eyed. Once again, the power of the written word hurts a great player.

 

His defense is steady, he's a big guy, could probably get nastier in front of the net, from what I've seen of them both he sorta looks like Phaneuf to me when he plays, he just jumps up offensively more and sacrificies a bit defensively, but I'd put him more in the Ray Bourque kinda mold defensively (not that I'm comparing the two, just similar in style), he picks his spots very well.

 

I'm a huge fan of drafts. I have my current top 30 out, But heres my top 10. I really lilke the 2004 draft top players. I think some like Larui Tukonen are highly underated while some like Wolski and Olesz are overated. Now before I get hung for this list, I must admit I do have biasness to some players. Definitly, I usually like guys more then others do or I just don't see it. Example...Top 10 2003 as of June 14th 2003 was....1. Fleury 2. Zherdev 3. Staal 4. Michalek 5. Horton 6. Kastisyn 7. Suter 8. Couborn 9. Parise 10. Carter
So I didnt hit the nail in the coffen judging by what NHL teams thought. So heres MY top 10 as of December 3rd 2003.

1. Alexander Ovechkin.. Best player in along time to come threw a draft, If it wasn't for Iyla I would say the best player in a decade aside to come out of the draft.
2. Robbie Scrhemp: I love this player, His play on the ice amazes me. I thnk many teams well eat crow for not taking him because of the off ice issues. Why? I say there is hardly any off ice issues. He's a great guy!
3. Evgeni Malkin: Now after seeing his stats I'm interested in seeing more of him. Truth be told I havent seen him since last winter. So take his ranking with a grain of salt. He definitly has great amount of skill, I wish he would work harder off the ice though and bulk up!
4. Cam Barker: Was #2 pre season ranking. I like hinm alot. I dont know what the fuss about his defensive game is about, sure he's more offense but he's going to be a stud and a #1 defensman for the team thatt takes him. Here that Blue Jackets?
5. Rostislav Olesz. Only seen him once and that was recently. Very hard nosed tough to play against player. Nasty actually. Has skill to boot. I see him being a force in the NHL but the points are not going to come IMO. Reminds me of a less talented Owen Nolan. Once again only seen him one time. So mabey he had a bad game? But I think he's overated.

G2g in 5 mins better get going. Anyone who is intrested in a top 30 for this draft PM me.

 

I cant see Schremp going as high as 2nd, especially with the way Malkin is playing and what Barker and Olesz can bring to the table. Schremp is having a relatively poor year and has some excess backage with off-ice issues. I could see him falling outside of the top 5 and more into the 6th or 7th position.

 

My top 10 is:

1. Alexander Ovechkin: Great strength in all aspects of the game. Reads the play well. Good anticipation. Plays well in both ends of the ice. Excellent Skater. Strong on his skates. Natural goal scorer. Unbelievable Quick wrist shot. Plays with a great amount of grit and determination.Ovechkin is a big, fancy goal scorer and a fancy skater with spectacular stickhandling skills. He has exceptional maturity and understanding of the game for a kid his age. According to a scout, Alex is a player who could be unreal. Good playmaker. He makes defenses get that deer in the headlights look everytime he touches the puck". He also has size, and could grow to 6'4" before he is drafted. Just a great combination of a player. I guess he is a more rounded and filled out version of Joe Thornton.

2. Evgeni Malkin: Highly skilled, smooth skating, playmaking power-forward centerman, but needs to be more consistent in his physical game. Finesse player. A threat when ever he is on the ice. Good on face-offs. Good anticipation. Sees the ice well. Smart Player. Knows where his teammates are all the time. Good playmaker. Creates scoring opportunities for his teammates. Malkin is like a pitbull with a nose for the net. He is a 6'3" 205 lb. He showed his fluid stride, superb vision and creativity, and wonderfully soft hands. And he plays surprisingly well in his own end (he finished the tourney at +11 and was not on ice for an even strength goal against)

3. Rostislav Olesz: Skilled, nasty, big time team leader type. would look nice with garth murray. Rostislav is a perfect mix of skills, size and toughness. He can play the game at top speed and has explosive speed and a threatening arsenal of offensive weapons with nop-notch acceleration, Olesz is a persistent player who doesn't mind working in traffic and scoring dirty goals. He is a pure high-scoring machine with excellent on-ice vision and a sneaky shot. His 59 penalty minutes in 20 games with the Vitkovice juniors signify Rostislav's on-ice aggressiveness. According to HF's Czech writer Robert Neuhauser: "Once on the puck, Rostislav explodes and is very good in one-on-one situation. He also can play hard, fights along the boards and goes in front of the net. His shoots very well and accurately. Also a good passer but prefers to shoot the puck and has a nose for the net. (Rostislav's) individual skill is really great..."

4. Cam Barker: He is a 2 way defenseman. More into the offensive game. The best all around defenseman in his age group. Big and physical with great mobility. Confident with and without the puck, showed great maturity. Sees the ice well, makes a good first pass or can carry the puck out of the defensive zone. Makes sound decisions under pressure. Stands up at the blueline forcing the play - confidence in his mobility. Closes his man out well and finishes his checks. He's a hard guy to play against, he’s strong in the corners and in front of the his net. Put up amazing numbers for a 16 year old dman in the dub. Has good size. I see him as a better all around Seabrooke. At 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, Barker has the size that teams like in a defenseman. He has better than average offensive skills. He hits, he has great positional play, he is very strong on the ice, is able to take guys out with ease, he has very soft hands for a big guy and is very poised and calm when bringing the puck down the ice, has great passing ability and a good shot from the point, creates alot of offense and is able to pinch in once in awhile for some help in the offensive end. This guy was very very impressive for me as he is the complete package on defense.

5. Rob Schremp: He is a very selfish player, but I think when he makes it to the CHL they will fix that. He is an amazing stickhander who is fast on his skates and very agile. He has crazy moves with the puck and can do it all at high speed... Schremp has an accurate shot and when he passes, he does a good job of that... So he can do it all offensively. Schremp has been described as a bit of a floater and a player reluctant to play defense consistently, but his talent level is (at the top) of all offensive categories... He will be a superstar in the OHL." Schremp was the OHL's rookie of the year in 2003 and he racked up impressive numbers, with 26 goals and 74 points in 65 games. He has game-breaking offensive skills and great vision. He loves playing the game and when he's on the ice he lets his instincts take over. He made a name for himself in his early teens when he scored 300 goals in a season.

6. Wojtek Wolski: An offensive threat every time he’s on the ice. Fast with great agility and acceleration. Excellent stickhandler. Creative with the puck, has the ability to beat opposing defenders one on one Excellent down low and protects the puck well. Uses team-mates effectively… Hard accurate shot with a quick release. He is big and skilled. Not sure if he will develop into a power forward but he has good hands and offensive awareness.

7.Lauri Tukonen: A very talented player. Good size, exceptional skater and effortless acceleration, and is very hard to knock off the puck. Blessed with a massive frame, Tukonen likes to be physically challenged and is a punishing hitter who has no trouble handling the rough stuff. Also highly skilled, he is a excellent puckhandler with a lethal shot and solid passing skills. One of his main assets is his good hockey sense and vision. Possesses natural goal-scorer instincts. Despite his terrific offensive arsenal, Tukonen is not one-dimensional as he does come back to help out the defense as well.

8. Evan Mcgrath: A pure offensive player. He is a playmaker. Top end skating ability, excellent lateral movement, great acceleration ... scored a goal by jumping in the play and creating a 2 on 1 situation ... showed good hands on the goal, moving to his back hand and beating the goalie ... doesn't carry the puck as much as he should, would like to see this player make more of an effort on the fore check ...

9. Adam Pineault: All around offensive player. Has a good frame. Needs to add some weight. Will attend BC next year. A future power forward; long powerful strides, good size & strength, very hard to knock of the puck, and a very good shot. Reads the play well, good anticipation and willing to go into the corners and in front of the net. Gives and receives passes well, works hard for the puck and competes every shift. Aggressive on the puck and completes his checks. Needs to mature and play with more discipline. Big power forward defensively aware (always been my favorite kind of player), but this year will tell if he can score massively and especially improve on last year's numbers. Last year's production was good (18 goals in 46 games). The only thing with him is that he may not opt in in 2004 which would be kind of a bumer. He's aggressive with the puck and drives hard to the net.

10. Andrej Meszaros: Has elite passing skills, good lateral mobility and agility. Excellent skater with smooth strides. Stands up at the blueline forcing the play. Has his head on a swivel in his zone - reads the play well. Able to QB a Power-play effectively, makes good decisions with the puck. Jumps into the play – good offensive instincts. Doesn't panic under pressure. Needs to bulk up and add muscle in order to improve his physical play.

 

What's the word on O'Neill, that's who I want the Wild to pick up because I don't think they'll have a chance at Barker.

 

Wes O'Neill: A Phenomenal defenseman with tons of potential. Excellent skater with long smooth strides. Excellent mobility and agility for a player with his size. Stands up at the blueline forcing the play - confidence in his mobility. Has his head on a swivel in his zone - reads the play well. Able to QB a Power-play effectively, makes good decisions with the puck. Jumps into the play – good offensive instincts. Doesn't panic under pressure. Needs to bulk up and add muscle in order to improve his physical play.

 

^^^^^^^

Cut, copy, paste.

 

I already made myself a top 30 where I have all the scouting reports of the players I need for the next year draft.

 

Some of those scouting reports are like two years old.

 

I took the ones that were the most recent I could have.

 

You should give credit where it is due. You are quoting word-for-word in some cases. Give your source.

 

Heres my top 30. Some players I saw play but do not have the correct stats on them so do not look for this to be accurate on Height and weigth, but thats how they look to be around. Also all these players i've seen at least one time. I'm not a expert by any means but here is my view on the 2004 entry draft at the moment.
1. Alexander Ovechkin F 6-2/200 Moscow
2. Rob Schremp F 6-0/200 Fulton
3. Evgeni Malkin F 6-3/205 n/a
4. Cam Barker D 6-3/210 Winnipeg
5. Rostislav Olesz F 6-2/205 Ostrava
6. Lauri Tukonen F 6-2/195 Hyvinkaa
7. Marek Schwarz G 6-0/175 n/a
8. Wojtek Wolski F 6-3/200 Zabze
9. Wes O'Neill D 6-3/200 Essex ...Although he's likely to opt out
10. Devan Dubnyk G 6-5/180 Regina
11. Drew Stafford F 6-2/200 Faribault
12. Adam Pineault F 6-3/200 Holyoke
13. Evan McGrath F 6-1/180 Oakville
14. Kyle Chipchura F 6-1/195 Vimy
15. Enver Lisin F 6-1/180 n/a
16. Kevin Mailhiot F 6-1/185 Granby
17. Ladislav Smid D 6-1/190 N/A
18. Andrej Meszaros D 6-2/190 n/a
19. Alexandre Picard LW 6-1/200 n/a
20. Lukas Kaspar F 6-2/190 N/A
21. Cory Schneider G 6-2/195 Marblehead
22. Andrew Ladd LW 6-?188?Calgary
23. Brian Bickell Lw 6-1/200/ Ottawa
24. Ryan Garlock C 6-2/196/ Guelph
25. Alexander Radulov C 6-3/203/ Dynamo
26. Johannes Salmonsson F 6-3/180 Uppsala ...Would be top 13 but he got hurt early and may opt out to increas stock
27. Joe Barnes F 6-3/190 Winnipeg
28. Mark Fistric D 6-3/220 Edmonton
29. Konstantin Makarov F 5-11/195 Magnitogorsk
30. Petteri Nokelainen D 6-1/ 180 Saipa

Any impressions needed on these guys let me know.
Guys who are not listed that I like alot.

Dmitri ****ikov...He's the Jiri Hudler of the 2004 draft. Skill that should be int he 1st round but a body that should be a 9th round. He's tiny! Robbie Earl, Jeff Likens, Jake Dowell, David laliberte, Bruce Grahm, Alvaro Montoya, David Brown, Nate Dey, The list goes on. This draft is full of good ones. No where near 2003 though.