2002 draft

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HuskyFlames

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lowetide said:
He might be a late bloomer, lord knows his dad was. Bob Nystrom was a poor skater the summer he was drafted by the Islanders, but they sent him to a power skating teacher and he improved his foot speed. If he has any of the grit and desire of his old man, I wouldn't bet against him.

They have said he has all the grit his dad had PLUS a little more offense in him. Doesn't sound too bad to me. At 21 players CAN IMPROVE.
 

SwOOsh*

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Captain Conservative said:
I'll do my top 20:

1 Nash
2 Lehtonen
3 Pitkanen
4 Bouwmeester
5 Toivonen
6 Semin
7 Lupul
8 Leneveu
9 Steen
10 Bouchard
11 Stajan
12 Whitney
13 Higgins
14 Babchuk
15 Hudler
16 Stoll
17 Eminger
18 Daley
19 Ward
20 Ballard


Edit-Tks for reminding me about Whitney Jaded-fan

I know your probably trying to not be bias, but Whitney ahead of Eminger by 5 slots?
 

Jaded-Fan

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SwOOsh said:
I know your probably trying to not be bias, but Whitney ahead of Eminger by 5 slots?

It has only been 2 years, Whitney only just signed and was assigned to WBS (the baby Pens). He was immediately their best defensive player and building on a good year at Boston College has begun to even more so show why he was a top 5 pick. Look on the Pens board, under the post on Whitney, here . . . http://www.hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=74390

Most who have been following him are pretty excited about what he has been showing and see him as our top Defensive prospect, which is saying something with defense being the strongest part of our prospects, outside of goal, with Orpik, etc on the team or upcoming. Some prospects come up faster than others and we left Whitney in college to develope. It remains far too early to make a final call on who is better than who and we will need to revisit this in a year or two, but yes, Whitney is showing every sign of being better than Eminger.
 
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Jacob

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Feb 27, 2002
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db23 said:
He and Orpik were getting lit up like tea lights in the last AHL playoff game. I think they were both something like -4 in the game.
So? Why use only one game to back your opinion on? Look at the big picture; Whitney has an even rating.. And the team advanced.

Orpik was the one that sucked in that game by all accounts. Whitney has outperformed him in the AHL playoffs, and pretty much every other defenseman, despite missing a month of competitive hockey.
 
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stardog

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Patrick - Flames Fan said:
How can you compare Nystrom NHL talent or what he may bring to the NHL when the guys below him on that list are also basically non-existant in the NHL as well. How many guys below Nystrom on that list have made a great impact on their team or are known in the NHL? Maybe 1 or 2 guys has played NHL but not much more than that. Like I said, you can't compare Nystrom as he hasn't played in the NHL nor you can't compare him to 90% of the other guys as they haven't done anything either.

Who cares? The draft was two years ago so of course alot of these guys aren't in the NHL yet. All we have to go by is what the have accomplished in thier respective leagues and how far thier games have come since draft day.

Ovechkin has yet to play in the NHL also but I think you would easily take him over Nystrom or most of the guys in the 02' draft that have already played in the bigs, no? I understand your point about not playing in the NHL, but that has little to do with the discussion at hand. When talking about which prospects were the best draft choices from 2 years ago, we cant simply go by who has and has not made the NHL.

You can easily compare Nystrom with anybody in his draft year based on any number of factors, not just on NHL experience. In fact, that is what a draft itself is all about. Comparing and projecting.

I for one, feel that Button could have made a much better pick as well. And I could care less if he has yet to play in the NHL or not because I feel that he has not progressed much since his draft day.

If you are sitting there saying that you would make the same pick again then that is your perogative. I happen to think there are a few others that I would have taken over him quite easily.
 
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stardog

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Pens had what looks to be a solid draft.
Whitney
Nemec
Fernholm (who the year before was said to be a top round pick before his injuries)
Talbot
Barschi

All look like they could play regularly in the NHL.Though I doubt all of these 5 will make it, two years after the fact, these are the ones who I believe to have NHL potential. Some will add Christensen to that list but I am not to high on him.

The other guys they drafted in 02' I am not all that enamored with.

However, the funny thing for me is that in what was considered the worst draft in recent memory (99'), the Pens had easily thier best draft in a LONG time (Koltsov, Murley, Caron, Ryan Malone, Kostopolous and Malenkhyk).
 

stardog

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db23 said:
Upshall averaged less than a point per game in the AHL. His PPG average is the same as Chris Higgins. Both have a goal a game in limited playoff action. There isn't anything to choose between those two. Higgins is a little bigger and better defensively, Upshall plays a more physical game. Overall, I think that Higgins is a more useful player.
Disagree entirly. Upshall is going to be the better player between the two IMO.
And I also disagree that Higgins is better defensivly.
Upshall has better offensive upside as well. Both guys are cut from the same mold it seems, though I would take Upshall over Higgins (which isn't a knock on Higgins).
 

stardog

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db23 said:
He and Orpik were getting lit up like tea lights in the last AHL playoff game. I think they were both something like -4 in the game.

And Komisarek never had a bad GAME? Or any other player, especially a young one? Did you happen to address what he said about how GOOD Whit has looked in the AHL? He has had dominating games also, yet you choose to nit pick the one poor showing that he had? What of the other 5 games? Why not address the point Dr. K was trying to make and talk about those?

Dear Lord, I am no fan of Ryan Whitney and I question his defensive awareness, but your analysis is so far wrong it is unreal.

He improved offensivley by a great margin this year. He has been VERY good in the AHL since he arrived despite the ONE game that you are basing his AHL play on.

I don't really care if you think he's a dissapointment at all but basing this on false reports is simply wrong.

To me, a guy who has yet to improve in any way is a dissapointment. That isn't the case here. Ask any Pens fan and you will find that I am Ryan Whitney's biggest detractor on the Pens board. I didnt like the pick and I wonder about his defense. I am also looking at this, not as a Pens fan, but as a realist. I wasn't a fan of the pick then, and am not one now.
However, you are wrong, plain and simple about him being a dissapointment. While he hasn't set the world afire, he certainly shouldn't be labled a "dissapointment" for false reasons or using one freaking game to back up your point.

And as someone who has easily been the hardest on him out of the people on the Pens board, I should also note that I am beginning to wonder if I may have to eat some crow DUE in part to his AHL games. Yet I am not going to be blind and base changing my opinion on him because of one series (let alone one game).
 
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HuskyFlames

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stardog said:
If you are sitting there saying that you would make the same pick again then that is your perogative. I happen to think there are a few others that I would have taken over him quite easily.


I am just tired of people prematuring writing off players. Nysrom may not be the most offensively skilled forward BUT he is tough, gritted and big. These are all the traits that Sutter's system of hockey requires. So if Nystrom is one of the few 1st rounders from 2002 to play with an edge then he is one of the only few that will fit into SUtter's system. I would rather chose a guy that has the qualities to fit in with Sutter's system then a guy with more flash but less willing to play SUtter's style.
 

me2

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Patrick - Flames Fan said:
I am just tired of people prematuring writing off players. Nysrom may not be the most offensively skilled forward BUT he is tough, gritted and big. These are all the traits that Sutter's system of hockey requires. So if Nystrom is one of the few 1st rounders from 2002 to play with an edge then he is one of the only few that will fit into SUtter's system. I would rather chose a guy that has the qualities to fit in with Sutter's system then a guy with more flash but less willing to play SUtter's style.


No one said he won't make the NHL just that he wasn't a good pick relative to the position and those taken around him. Let me put it this way, would you rather have him or one of these guys taken in the after him

11 Buffalo Keith Ballard U. of Minnesota (NCAA)
12 Washington Steve Eminger D Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 17 0 2 2 24
13 Washington Alexander Semin L Chelyabinsk Jrs. (Russia)
14 Mtl. Canadiens Christopher Higgins C Yale University (NCAA)
15 Edmonton Jesse Niinimaki C Ilves Tampere (FNL)
16 Ottawa Jakub Klepis C Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
17 Washington Boyd Gordon R Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
18 Los Angeles Denis Grebeshkov D Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (Russia)
 
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No love for Lupul? He had a great first season with an underacheiving team, and showed that he can be a good future scorer. He has a helluva shot and showed that the Ducks were smart enough to make sure he fell to them rather than to Nashville.

My top ten:

1.Rick Nash(CBS)
2.Jay Bouwmeester(FLA)
3.Kari Lehtonen(ATL)
4.Joni Pitkanen(PHI)
5.Joffrey Lupul(ANA)
6.Ryan Whitney(PIT)
7.Scottie Upshall(NSH)
8.Hannu Toivonen(BOS)
9.Alexander Semin(WSH)
10.Matt Stajan(TOR)
 

EVH

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Don't jump ship on him yet LT.....

lowetide said:
Jesse Niinimaki was rated 50E is CSB 2002, and hasn't really done anything to justify the massive reach the Oilers made to take him at 15.

His numbers were really good for a 20 year old playing in the elite league before he broke his shoulder. Personally, I really don't mind the pick. He's big and fast, with skill to boot. Hopefully he can stay healthy next year and come over to NA in 2005-2006.
 

HuskyFlames

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me2 said:
No one said he won't make the NHL just that he wasn't a good pick relative to the position and those taken around him. Let me put it this way, would you rather have him or one of these guys taken in the after him

11 Buffalo Keith Ballard U. of Minnesota (NCAA)
12 Washington Steve Eminger D Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 17 0 2 2 24
13 Washington Alexander Semin L Chelyabinsk Jrs. (Russia)
14 Mtl. Canadiens Christopher Higgins C Yale University (NCAA)
15 Edmonton Jesse Niinimaki C Ilves Tampere (FNL)
16 Ottawa Jakub Klepis C Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
17 Washington Boyd Gordon R Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
18 Los Angeles Denis Grebeshkov D Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (Russia)

The only guy I would take from that list would be Semin. Other than that no other guy really jumps out at me.
 
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