2011 entry pick- sleeper picks

AwesomePanthers

Maybe next season
Aug 20, 2009
10,292
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Steffen Søberg. He has played well in the Norwegian Elite League. He had the second best SV% during the U-18 WC (on the second worst team. He was very close to have the best SV% too) and he played really well at WJC (except against Canada, but he was 17).

He a very interesting prospect and has been a riser on very lists over the past few months.

How do people call 1st and 2nd round picks sleepers (they're more steals than sleepers). To me sleepers are players that are late round picks that could have an impact for a team in the future. Klefbom, Peumple, St.Croix, Rattie etc. aren't sleepers to me.
 

FolignoQuantumLeap

Don't Hold The Door
Mar 16, 2009
31,084
7,399
Ottawa
Travis Boyd seems like a candidate here. I don't see his name often but he has good skill and produced for a good team. Could be a 5th-7th rounder that really pays off down the road.
 

puckfan13

Registered User
Jan 18, 2010
2,758
2
I also like Zach Yuen as a sleeper to make the league one day, have heard good things about the guys skills, character and work ethic from teammates and divisonal opponents. He has good size, poise and untapped offensive potential. Stepping up to QB the TC PP next year will do good things for his stats.
 

flamebird

Registered User
Jul 28, 2007
915
107
Does Kucherov qualify as a sleeper? Could be a keeper down the road despite him falling due to being Russian
 

Marky9er

Registered User
Jan 30, 2008
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Joshua Leivo? Barclay Goodrow? Guys I am hoping for in middle to late rounds.

What about Jonathan Parker? I know he's 19 and supposedly has a wicked shot? Late bloomer ready for AHL? I think Grand Rapids could use a prospect like that!
 
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memcup99

Registered User
Jul 25, 2007
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Tyler Graovac. Im impressed every time i watch him and think he could explode given a bigger role.

He has all the skills, plays a responsible defensive game, just needs to add consistency and stay healthy and he should have a tremendous year.
If Martindale does indeed come back for his OA year TG may end up on the wing but either way he's a top 6 er with tons of upside.
IMO he has more skills than Martindale.
 

hawksfan50

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
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Redline's Kyle Woodlief says MAREK TVRDON could be a sleeper pick (because injury limited him to 12GP this past season for Vancouver -WHL) -but he likes the guy's dangerous scoring ability around the net plus some other nice attributes as a power forward..Woodlief says he is a good choice to risk on if you have an extra 2nd rounder.
 

Hossa

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Feb 27, 2002
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He has all the skills, plays a responsible defensive game, just needs to add consistency and stay healthy and he should have a tremendous year.
If Martindale does indeed come back for his OA year TG may end up on the wing but either way he's a top 6 er with tons of upside.
IMO he has more skills than Martindale.

I like Graovac and think a team would be wise to draft him late, but the Martindale part I'm not sure. There is a similarity there, but Graovac needs to show a lot more offensive consistency to be compared to Martindale, who has a pretty good combination of hands and hockey sense. I mean Martindale has struggled with consistency since breaking into the league, and he has still had three productive seasons in a row.

The other deep sleeper from the 67s is Janes. Similar skill set to Graovac but more physical. He looked great early until his injury, but all it takes is a scout who was seeing him as a potential 2nd or 3rd rounder before that who still is intrigued enough to take him late.
 

GermanLeaf

Registered User
Jun 9, 2011
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"6. Stephen Michalek, Loomis-Chaffee (HIGH-CT): Michalek, bound for Harvard, is the top-rated scholastic goalie on Central Scouting's list of domestic keepers. He could be a sleeper, too. The 6-1 1/4, 183-pound shot blocker sported a .918 save percentage while making over 1,000 saves for a prep team that finished 3-20-2 in 2010-11. He also earned a silver medal for the U.S. Under-17 Team at the Ivan Hlinka last summer.

"Every time I've seen the kid play, he takes between 50 and 60 shots," Jensen said. "In a way, it was good because plenty of scouts got to see him. He plays big and is very good laterally. When he's in his butterfly, he looks big, he's smooth and controlled. He's very composed and he battles and fights through traffic to track the puck well."

Sounds good to me.
 

GM17*

Guest
What about overager Kirkpatrick? He's pretty slick and had strong seasons throughout his junior career. He played with a dislocated shoulder in the mem cup and got 5 pts. that's pretty good indication of how hard he's willing to push himself he'll at the very least be a good late round pick. Maybe he's gotta put more bulk on, but I'm sure it can be done w/ a few AHL seasons he'd be a nice player to have in the farm.

+ Pageau was very good, wouldn't mind seeing him go late as well.
 

Ohashi_Jouzu*

Registered User
Apr 2, 2007
30,332
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Halifax
I also really like Stransky as a major sleeper. Not a very good skater, but really elevated his game down the stretch and into the Blades playoffs. A big body who protects the puck very well. Also had some of the best 1 on 1 moves of any player I have seen in the WHL this year. Major consistency issues though.

This is the guy I was going to pick as well. I ended up picking him for someone else in something like the 5th or 6th round of our board's mock draft. I thought he adapted really well in his first year in North America as a 17 year old, and like you said, by playoff time he looked like he was getting really comfortable. Has all the size and skill you could ask for, and I don't expect consistency to remain one of his "defects" moving forward now that the adjustment period is likely coming to an end and he can just focus on developing his game. I wouldn't be surprised if he busts out with near 40 goals and 80 points next year in Saskatoon, especially if he moves up to that top line to replace Viedensky (who will be kicking ass in Worcester next year).
 

Mantha Poodoo

Playoff Beard
Jun 5, 2008
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Wait wait, if they're sleeper picks, then how does anyone besides the staff of one or two teams know about them?
 

Ohashi_Jouzu*

Registered User
Apr 2, 2007
30,332
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Halifax
Wait wait, if they're sleeper picks, then how does anyone besides the staff of one or two teams know about them?

They're "sleepers" as in it's possible that they end up being far better than their current projections/rankings as of their draft year, not as in a terrorist cell, lol. Hockey games are played in public, so SOMEone has seen each and every one of these guys.

edit: I forgot to add that I think a couple kids out of Slovakia, Lamper and Korim, are dark horses to even get drafted, and I think that'd surprise draft watchers 10 years from now.
 
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rmartin65

Registered User
Apr 7, 2011
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2,143
Nicolai Meyer

I think we look back at this draft in 10 years and wonder how the heck he dropped to the last couple rounds of the draft.
 

Kevin Forbes

Registered User
Jul 29, 2002
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Nova Scotia
www.kforbesy.ca
What about overager Kirkpatrick? He's pretty slick and had strong seasons throughout his junior career. He played with a dislocated shoulder in the mem cup and got 5 pts. that's pretty good indication of how hard he's willing to push himself he'll at the very least be a good late round pick. Maybe he's gotta put more bulk on, but I'm sure it can be done w/ a few AHL seasons he'd be a nice player to have in the farm.


He was invited to the Minnesota Wild camp either last season or the year before.
At 20 years old, he's able to sign as a free agent.
 

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