Atd#7 Minor League Draft

[God Bless Canada]

I was hoping Murphy would be around to announce these picks, since I'm the one doing all the talking, but I guess I'll do it.

The Estevan Strippers are pleased to select one of the top offensive LWs in the draft, a player who scored more than 35 goals three times, and posted over 300 goals for his career: LW Tony McKegney.

And we are also delighted to select a player who played a few games in our rink during his junior days with the Flin Flon Bombers. One of the few players on the board with four 40-goal seasons, and the NHL goals king in 1979-80: RW Blaine Stoughton.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Gus Adams was a very solid player. The perfect wing compliment for Pavel Bure: excellent speed, strong instincts and hockey sense, good two-way game. Would have had much better numbers if he could have stayed healthy. He was good for a couple serious injuries each year.

 

[VanIslander]

LW Tony McKegney.

320 goals, 639 points in 912 NHL games (47 pts in 79 NHL playoff games).

...a gifted scorer who could produce on the power play and kill penalties

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11080

 

[VanIslander]

RW Blaine Stoughton.

258 goals, 449 points in 526 NHL games (6 pts in 8 NHL playoff games). In NHL all-star game (1982).

Basically, years of being shuffled around and not clicking or scoring except for one early year in Toronto and then, after years of lack of success landing a full season anywhere in the WHA he suddenly lands full-time work in the NHL and actually plays four straight seasons of hockey with a team, all peak performances:

1979-80 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 56 44 100 16 +9
1980-81 Hartford Whalers NHL 71 43 30 73 56 -17
1981-82 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 52 39 91 57 -17
1982-83 Hartford Whalers NHL 72 45 31 76 27 -23

Traded halfway through the next season, the year after in the AHL and then Italy, it's as if he was possessed for four years by the gift and never before or after: a player who clicked in the right situation for him.

 

[God Bless Canada]

258 goals, 449 points in 526 NHL games (6 pts in 8 NHL playoff games). In NHL all-star game (1982).

Basically, years of being shuffled around and not clicking or scoring except for one early year in Toronto and then, after years of lack of success landing a full season anywhere in the WHA he suddenly lands full-time work in the NHL and actually plays four straight seasons of hockey with a team, all peak performances:

1979-80 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 56 44 100 16 +9
1980-81 Hartford Whalers NHL 71 43 30 73 56 -17
1981-82 Hartford Whalers NHL 80 52 39 91 57 -17
1982-83 Hartford Whalers NHL 72 45 31 76 27 -23

Traded halfway through the next season, the year after in the AHL and then Italy, it's as if he was possessed for four years by the gift and never before or after: a player who clicked in the right situation for him.

But how many players in this draft had that kind of a peak? You're not going to find RWs who had a great, sustained peak. Those types are selected in the main draft, especially a 28-team main draft. You're either going to find players who had sustained levels of good, but not great, production, or players who had a great, but relatively short peak, but couldn't sustain it over an extended period of time.

 

[VanIslander]

The Windsor Bulldogs (via PM'd pick) select versatile forward Vyacheslav Kozlov.

305 goals, 710 points in 963 NHL games (79 pts in 118 NHL playoff games).

... excellent speed, quickness, and scoring ability,.. played for the USSR at European Junior Championships in 1990 where he was named the top forward and placed on the tournament all-star team. Kozlov scored 11 points in seven games when the USSR won silver at the World Junior Championships in 1990. That year he was also named the USSR Rookie-of-the-Year... enjoyed solid post-seasons when Detroit won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10831

 

[VanIslander]

You're either going to find players who had sustained levels of good, but not great, production, or players who had a great, but relatively short peak, but couldn't sustain it over an extended period of time.

Or, one better, there might be some guys left who had great 3-4 seasons in the midst of a solid 10+ year career.

Still, having a winger who scored four consecutive 40+ goal NHL seasons is a valuable commodity worth taking at some point and definitely belongs in this draft.

 

[ck26]

Vyacheslav Kozlov

I'm amazed that he's still around. I was really close to taking him. There is a player who had sustained good with a couple seasons of great, IMO.

 

[vancityluongo]

Ilya Kovalchuk is a way better pick than Jose Theodore IMO. He was actually taken 5 time out of 7 in the Major All-Time Draft, and he was actually on our list (well he was until we took two LW's in our first two picks).

Says the Habs fan.

Totally off-topic: are there enough arenas with enough quantifiable, tangible benefits / impacts on the game to throw them into the next draft? I recall the national arena in Moscow having chicken wire instead of glass during the Summit Series (how much would a dirty forechecker love THAT), and the Slurpee that we called the ice at Reunion Arena in Dallas worked wonders helping guys like Craig Ludwig and Derian Hatcher keep up with their smaller, faster opponents. The Edmonton building is praised during every national telecast for having the fastest ice in the history of sub-freezing temperatures. This is something that should tie into players / team style ... dunno, just a thought.

Well, since our arena is PacCo, players like Adams would naturally have an advantage over the guys that never played there, even if Adams isn't on the Giants.

Yeah, it could be something to factor into a series, especially very close, tight series', but I don't think it should be of major consideration. A great idea though.

 

[VanIslander]

Yeah!

By the end of the draft, every team specify what kind of building will be used for home games.

Rink size: big or small
Ice condition: good or slushy

... what other conditions to specify?

Home ice officiating: old, modern, 80s, clutch-and-grab 90s, new NHL

 

[God Bless Canada]

Says the Habs fan.



Well, since our arena is PacCo, players like Adams would naturally have an advantage over the guys that never played there, even if Adams isn't on the Giants.

Yeah, it could be something to factor into a series, especially very close, tight series', but I don't think it should be of major consideration. A great idea though.

Your rink should absolutely dictate the type of team you have. If my team was the Notre Dame Hounds or the Minnesota Golden Gophers, I'd want a quick, skilled team because those teams play on Olympic-sized ice. Estevan plays in a rink that was built to be a miniature version of the Boston Garden. So big defencemen are a must.

A rink like the old Pacific Coliseum doesn't really have any unique characteristics that create home ice advantage. With the micro-management of the game by recent administrations, the days of having home ice advantage through ice size, or board and glass structure, are over.

 

[pitseleh]

I guess I'll have the biggest home ice advantage, since the Bulldogs played in a rink with no glass.

 

[VanIslander]

With the micro-management of the game by recent administrations, the days of having home ice advantage through ice size, or board and glass structure, are over.

yes but this is an all-time league

 

[Wisent]

I like the idea of personalizing your rink. Sounds like fun.

 

[VanIslander]

I like the idea of personalizing your rink. Sounds like fun.

Gets you and others thinking about chemistry factors, styles of play, etcetera. A good thing.

K. Everybody do it on the roster thread by the end of the draft.

I for one would love to use it in deliberating how teams would do in the regular season.

 

[Wisent]

Is it just me or does anyone else have problems selecting goalies at this point of the draft? No real stand-outs anymore IMO.

 

[ck26]

You're forgetting about Ken Dryden.

Edit: nevermind

 

[MXD]

But how many players in this draft had that kind of a peak? You're not going to find RWs who had a great, sustained peak. Those types are selected in the main draft, especially a 28-team main draft. You're either going to find players who had sustained levels of good, but not great, production, or players who had a great, but relatively short peak, but couldn't sustain it over an extended period of time.

I'll name one : Bronco Horvath

 

[God Bless Canada]

Is it just me or does anyone else have problems selecting goalies at this point of the draft? No real stand-outs anymore IMO.

Even in the minor league draft for the 5th all-time draft, that was my feeling. Entering that minor league draft, 51 goalies had been selected, and there just wasn't that guy who screamed "must-have." (I had Kirk McLean as my No. 1 in that draft, and he was a must-have for me, but for sentimental reasons).

Now we're in a draft with 84 goalies picked. And there really isn't anything to choose between the goalies available.

I think it's a waste of a pick to select a goalie in the first 10 rounds of this minor league draft. With the shortage of defencemen and left wingers, and the quality that still exists for scoring centres and right wingers, plus defensive forwards, there's lots of reasons to not worry about a goalie at this point in time.

 

[kruezer]

Even in the minor league draft for the 5th all-time draft, that was my feeling. Entering that minor league draft, 51 goalies had been selected, and there just wasn't that guy who screamed "must-have." (I had Kirk McLean as my No. 1 in that draft, and he was a must-have for me, but for sentimental reasons).

Now we're in a draft with 84 goalies picked. And there really isn't anything to choose between the goalies available.

I think it's a waste of a pick to select a goalie in the first 10 rounds of this minor league draft. With the shortage of defencemen and left wingers, and the quality that still exists for scoring centres and right wingers, plus defensive forwards, there's lots of reasons to not worry about a goalie at this point in time.

I disagree a bit, I like to grab one goalie early, focus on defense and not worry to much about forwards, but that is just me.

 

[VanIslander]

Pick distribution to date (through pick 46):

defensemen - 16
left wingers - 12
centers - 10
right wingers - 4
goaltenders - 2
coach - 1

NHL careers: 34
partial NHL careers (less than 5 full seasons): 4
non-NHLers: 8​

Hockey Outsider and I pegged d-men and left wingers as a priority due to low supply of top talent, and it's turning out to be other g.m.s' thinking as well. More centers are going than expected, given there are quite a few good ones and playing them out of position would be a question mark and chemistry concern. All in all, pretty much as expected by us.

 

[raleh]

Go ahead and skip us for now, have to confirm with Arrbez before I make this next pick as I may have overstepped some boundaries with the last one!

 

[MXD]

Even in the minor league draft for the 5th all-time draft, that was my feeling. Entering that minor league draft, 51 goalies had been selected, and there just wasn't that guy who screamed "must-have." (I had Kirk McLean as my No. 1 in that draft, and he was a must-have for me, but for sentimental reasons).

Now we're in a draft with 84 goalies picked. And there really isn't anything to choose between the goalies available.

I think it's a waste of a pick to select a goalie in the first 10 rounds of this minor league draft. With the shortage of defencemen and left wingers, and the quality that still exists for scoring centres and right wingers, plus defensive forwards, there's lots of reasons to not worry about a goalie at this point in time.

Well, with 84 goalies picked prior to this draft... The remaining ones are kinda interchangeable... I have no problems making a Top-10 list of goalies, and most of us would come with at least 7 identical guys on 10, probably 8.

 

[MXD]

Random thought : I don't know if ShawnMulling is doing what I think he's doing... But if so, as we say in french "Yé tombé sur la tête".

 

[God Bless Canada]

Go ahead and skip us for now, have to confirm with Arrbez before I make this next pick as I may have overstepped some boundaries with the last one!

If arrbez has a problem with the selection of Ab McDonald, then you should probably be seeking another guy to be GM with. McDonald was one of the top 5 LWs on our list, along with McKegney, Kovalchuk and two other scorers who haven't been picked yet. A very solid pick, would have likely been our guy if we didn't get McKegney.

I should be around all night, in case anyone needs me to announce their pick.