BB's 2006 Top 50

[Blue Bullet]

Notes and thoughts on my rankings and the 2006 draft

This year reminds me in some ways of the 1993 draft when you had the talented and dynamic Alexander Daigle (though I think Kessel will turn out better than Daigle) go 1st overall and the big two-way d-man in Pronger go 2nd. This year I think it will be a reversal of the two with the d-man going 1st.

It was very tough in choosing between Johnson and Kessel. Johnson edged Kessel out due to the rarity of big d-men with his mobility and two-way play.

Though the WJC exposed some holes in Kessel’s game (which most scouts already knew about), I still think there is a bit of a gap between him and the #3 spot. In my mind, Kessel did not do anything to lose the #1 spot but instead Johnson earned it.

The top end of the draft is very good this year with the top 12 guys on my list all having the potential to be top line players and stars on the teams that pick them.

There is not much that separates the players between 3rd and 8th. I was really struggling to separate them as all of them bring very good all-around games. In the end, I ranked them in accordance to which ones had the best combo of skill, skating, size and intangibles.

Nigel Williams has entered my potential star category. At times this year, he has looked like the best big man on his team over Erik Johnson. He is a bit of a late bloomer and he is still raw in some of his development but the upside is huge. Williams is at the stage in his development that Erik Johnson was at a year ago.

There is a slight drop-off between 12th and 13th

After the first three d-men are gone, the rankings are made up of offensive d-men with some warts to their game and second pairing stay-at-home d-man. Most of the offensive d-men have a combination of the following problems: skating, physical play or defensive awareness.

There are still good offensive forwards available after the top 25 but they are of the boom or bust variety. The other forwards on the list are guys that may wind up as 2nd line players but are more likely to turn out as checkers and role players.

I like the top end of the draft but the draft does lack depth in the later rounds.

This year I did factor in the lack of an IIHF agreement with Russia. In the end there were no Russians that I felt were worth taking a risk on in the top 50. However, if I had done a top 60 or 75 you would have likely seen Alexandrov, Zharkov, Vasyunov and Makarov all make my list.

RANK NAME POS TEAM BD HT/WT

1 Erik Johnson D USA U-18 (NTDP) 3/21/1988 6’4/222
Future star d-man in the making

2 Phil Kessel C Minnesota (WCHA) 10/2/1987 6’0/189
Most dynamic player in the draft

3 Jordan Staal C Peterborough (OHL) 9/10/1988 6’4/209
Has the best combo of size, skill and skating of any forward in the draft

4 Jonathan Toews LW/C North Dakota (WCHA) 4/29/1988 6’2/195
Most complete player in the draft

5 Niklas Backstrom C Brynas (SWE) 11/23/1987 6’0/183
He may be the best Swedish player in years

6 Michael Frolik RW Kladno (CZE) 2/17/1988 6’1/187
Skating and hands second only to Kessel

7 Peter Mueller C Everett (WHL) 4/14/1988 6’3/210
His skating is the only reason he is ranked 7th instead of 3rd

8 James Sheppard C Cape Breton (QMJHL) 4/25/1988 6’2/201
Like Mueller his skating drops him to the 8th spot

9 Bryan Little C Barrie (OHL) 6/9/1987 5’10/194
A talented player whose game is intended for the new NHL

10 Nigel Williams D USA U-18 (NTDP) 4/18/1988 6’5/226
Late bloomer that has outperformed Johnson at times this year

11 Bob Sanguinetti D Owen Sound (OHL) 2/29/1988 6’2/182
Fast skating, smart two-way d-man but lacks a physical game

12 Derick Brassard C Drummondville (QMJHL) 9/22/1987 6’0/174
One of the most talented offensive players but his all-around game is lacking

13 Kyle Okposo RW Des Moines (USHL) 4/16/1988 6’0/195
Good player in the mold of Brendan Morrow or Kyle Calder

14 Chris Stewart RW Kingston (OHL) 10/30/1987 6’2/227
Not as talented as his older brother but makes up for it with a better work ethic

15 Jiri Tlusty C Kladno (CZE) 3/16/1988 6’1/198
Has the skills, skating and grit to be a solid 2nd line player

16 Cory Emmerton C/LW Kingston (OHL) 6/1/1988 6’0/181
Has the hands and two-way play to be a very good 2nd line center

17 Jonathan Bernier G Lewiston (QMJHL) 8/7/1988 5’11/180
The top goalie in the draft due to his athleticism and reflexes

18 Ty Wishart D Prince George (WHL) 5/19/1988 6’5 214
Solid, reliable d-man that plays a very smart and safe game

19 Jesse Joensuu RW Assat (FIN) 10/5/1987 6’4/207
Big power forward that lacks the hands to be a top 10 pick

20 Ivan Vishnevsky D Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL) 2/18/1988 6’0/178
Talented offensive d-man with good speed and a hard shot

21 Michael Forney LW Thief River Falls (USHS) 5/14/1988 6’2/185
Has goods hands for a player his size but the rest of his game needs work

22 Mark Mitera D Michigan (CCHA) 10/22/1987 6’3/202
Stay-at-home d-man with good mobility for a player his size

23 Ben Maxwell C Kootenay (WHL) 3/30/1988 6’0/175
Talented offensive player that needs to bulk up

24 John DeGray D Brampton (OHL) 3/14/1988 6’4/202
Reliable, smart, stay-at-home d-man with limited offensive upside

25 Joey Ryan D Quebec (QMJHL) 10/19/1987 6’2/186
An underrated physical stay-at-home d-man

26 Brian Strait D USA U-18 (NTDP) 1/4/1988 6’1/200
Similar description to that of Ryan

27 Leland Irving G Everett (WHL) 4/11/1988 6’0/177
Reliable goalie that plays an economical game

28 Ryan Hillier LW Halifax (QMJHL) 1/25/1988 5’11/184
Hard working energy player with speed and skill

29 Nick Foligno LW Sudbury (OHL) 10/31/1987 6’0/190
Physical forward that has had an inconsistent year

30 Tomas Kana C Vitkovice (CZE) 11/29/1987 6’0/189
Good two-way player with a decent skill level

31 David Kveton RW Vsetin (CZE) 1/3/1988 5’11/180
Talented offensive player that plays too much on the perimeter

32 Billy Sauer G Michigan (CCHA) 1/622/1988 6’2/170
Solid goalie that is already a starter at the college level

33 Ben Shutron D Kingston (OHL) 6/14/1988 6’0/188
Offensive d-man that lacks a physical game and needs to improve in his own zone

34 Chris Summers D USA U-18 (NTDP) 2/5/1988 6’2/180
Solid puck-moving d-man whose stats do not reflect his offensive game

35 Ryan White C Calgary (WHL) 3/17/1988 6’0/204
Physical center that will be a very solid checker at the NHL level

36 Bobby Hughes C Kingston (OHL) 11/11/1987 5’11/181
Good combo of skill and work ethic but in a smaller frame

37 Tony Lagerstrom C Sodertalje (SWE JR) 7/19/1988 6’1/187
Good two-way player whose offensive game has improved over the year

38 David Ruzicka D Kladno (CZE JR) 3/8/1988 6’3/185
Lanky d-man who is being ranked all over the map

39 Matt Corrente D Saginaw (OHL) 3/17/1988 6’0/196
Physical d-man with some offensive skill but needs to improve in his own zone

40 Tomas Marcinko C/W Kosice (SVK JR) 4/11/1988 6’4/187
Talented big man whose work ethic is very inconsistent

41 James McGinn LW Ottawa (OHL) 8/5/1988 6’1/183
Solid energy player whose scoring totals have been rising as of late

42 Mathieu Carle D Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) 9/30/1987 6’0/200
Offensive d-man that needs to improve his all-around game

43 Riku Helenius G Ilves (FIN JR) 3/1/1988 6’3/202
A big, talented Finnish goalie that is moving up the rankings

44 Ryan Flynn RW USA U-18 (NTDP) 3/22/1988 6’3/212
Hard working, physical player with 3rd line potential

45 Francois Bouchard C Baie Comeau (QMJHL) 4/26/1988 6’0/180
Talented playmaking center who will be a boom or bust

46 Trevor Lewis C Des Moines (USHL) 1/8/1987 6’1/192
Okposo’s center is starting to get some credit due to his strong play

47 Codey Burki C Brandon (WHL) 11/17/1987 6’1/193
Speedster with decent hands; probably a bottom 6 energy player

48 Niko Hovinen G Jokerit (FIN) 3/16/1988 6’5/198
Like Helenius, a big Finn that covers a lot of the net

49 Hugo Carpentier C Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL) 3/17/1988 6’2/200
Underrated player with decent hands and a good size frame

50 Logan Pyett D Regina (WHL) 5/26/1988 5’10/199
Short, stocky d-man whose play has regressed over the last little while

Click to read more...

 

[sehnsucht]

From a Flame's perspective, they need forward depth and Sutter likes forwards who are safe picks, guys who work hard enough, are smart enough, and responsible defensively enough to make the NHL in some role, like Chucko, Boyd, Ryder, Prust to an extent, etc. He doesn't mind making a surprise pick, taking someone who was pencilled in the 2nd as a late 1st rounder. So, in your opinion, which forwards from this draft fit that description?

 

[JSmith81x]

Pretty good, although I don't think Bernier will drop that far. 1996 was the last time there wasn't a goalie taken in the top 14; only 2 of the last 10 Drafts had a goalie not go in the top 10 (1996, 1998).

In the end there were no Russians that I felt were worth taking a risk on in the top 50.

...

20 Ivan Vishnevsky D Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL) 2/18/1988 6’0/178
Talented offensive d-man with good speed and a hard shot

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

From a Flame's perspective, they need forward depth and Sutter likes forwards who are safe picks, guys who work hard enough, are smart enough, and responsible defensively enough to make the NHL in some role, like Chucko, Boyd, Ryder, Prust to an extent, etc. He doesn't mind making a surprise pick, taking someone who was pencilled in the 2nd as a late 1st rounder. So, in your opinion, which forwards from this draft fit that description?

Thats the probably with the Flames IMO, safe picks are great but you guys really need a great offensive prospect and i cant see Sutter taking a risk.

 

[Blue Bullet]

Pretty good, although I don't think Bernier will drop that far. 1996 was the last time there wasn't a goalie taken in the top 14; only 2 of the last 10 Drafts had a goalie not go in the top 10 (1996, 1998).

Your probably right that a goalie will be taken higher than 17th. I wouldn't if I was drafting but that's just me.

I forgot about Vishnevskiy. As for Russians playing in Russia, I would hesitate on taking one unless you get some guarentee he will be able to come over and won't re-enter the draft in two years.

 

[badrobot101]

Great list, lots to think about.

As a Leafs fan, and convinced that we need to focus on the blueline, I'm hoping we might get Nigel Williams or Sanguinetti. I guess that would require us to keep choking and miss the playoffs though.

 

[Blue Bullet]

From a Flame's perspective, they need forward depth and Sutter likes forwards who are safe picks, guys who work hard enough, are smart enough, and responsible defensively enough to make the NHL in some role, like Chucko, Boyd, Ryder, Prust to an extent, etc. He doesn't mind making a surprise pick, taking someone who was pencilled in the 2nd as a late 1st rounder. So, in your opinion, which forwards from this draft fit that description?

The guy I think best fits your description is Ryan White from the Calgary Hitmen as a guy that is a Sutter type player.

Others include Lagerstrom, McGinn, Flynn, Burki and Calla.

 

[bigd]

One of the better lists I've seen so far.

 

[kruezer]

From a Flame's perspective, they need forward depth and Sutter likes forwards who are safe picks, guys who work hard enough, are smart enough, and responsible defensively enough to make the NHL in some role, like Chucko, Boyd, Ryder, Prust to an extent, etc. He doesn't mind making a surprise pick, taking someone who was pencilled in the 2nd as a late 1st rounder. So, in your opinion, which forwards from this draft fit that description?

I'd like the Flames to pick Ben Maxwell if he is still around when they have the chance to select.

 

[The Mighty Duck Man]

I'm hoping Bob Sanguinetti will fall to the Ducks this year in the first round, and I hope they could pick up Ryan Flynn or Logan Pyett in the second.

 

[All Star United]

Hey BB, how many of these players have you seen playing live? How many times have you seen them on average?

Thanks

 

[B Boarding]

Where would you pick Jhonas Enroth (goalie SWE jr) and Niclas Andersén(d SWE Jr), though stay-at-home defender compared to Ulfie Samuelsson? They should at least be close to making the list IMO...

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

5 Niklas Backstrom C Brynas (SWE) 11/23/1987 6’0/183

And I guess Martin St.Louis is 5'11''?

 

[Blue Bullet]

Hey BB, how many of these players have you seen playing live? How many times have you seen them on average?

Thanks

Forgot to put my usual disclaimer. I am not a scout or try to pretend to be one. I do get to watch these guys on t.v. but being up here in Edmonton the only time I get to see the WHL live is if I go down to Red Deer or Calgary to watch them play. However, I do not get to see these guys enough times to get my own scouting report of them.

I do this in a similar fashion to that of a person playing the stock market. You gather as much information as possible and from that information you try to decide whether you want to buy or sell. Instead of stocks I do this with players. So basically this list is based on my analysis of the scouting reports and rankings at my disposal.

 

[Blue Bullet]

Where would you pick Jhonas Enroth (goalie SWE jr) and Niclas Andersén(d SWE Jr), though stay-at-home defender compared to Ulfie Samuelsson? They should at least be close to making the list IMO...

They both were considered as well as Ahnelov and Berglund. They are both in the next group of players (top 75). You should see them both on my top 100 list at the end of the year.

 

[Blue Bullet]

And I guess Martin St.Louis is 5'11''?

That is what everybody has him listed at and he looked at least close to 6' at the WJC.

 

[Letang fan 58]

Notes and thoughts on my rankings and the 2006 draft


47 Codey Burki C Brandon (WHL) 11/17/1987 6’1/193
Physical player with checking line potential

Thats about the exact opposite of a true description on Codey Burki.......makes me ponder wether you have seen most of these players ever play or are going by what other people say?

Burki for those who dont know...........is not a physical player at all.........he has some scoring potential..........can make some plays.......has some speed..........and a pretty accurate shot

 

[monster_bertuzzi]

That is what everybody has him listed at and he looked at least close to 6' at the WJC.

TSN listen him at 5'10'', which is probably what he is.

 

[B Boarding]

TSN listen him at 5'10'', which is probably what he is.

I think you are confusing him with Nicklas Bergfors? He is 5-10, 5-11. But Bäckström is 184 cm, which is 6-0 and almost a half inch...

 

[no Gino]

Thats about the exact opposite of a true description on Codey Burki.......makes me ponder wether you have seen most of these players ever play or are going by what other people say?

Burki for those who dont know...........is not a physical player at all.........he has some scoring potential..........can make some plays.......has some speed..........and a pretty accurate shot

Don't know if I'd go as far as "not physical at all", but I thought the same thing when reading his description. It definitely didn't describe his game at all.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Flynn has a lot more than 3rd line potential. He has top line potential but a more likely chance to hit the 2nd or 3rd line.

 

[Letang fan 58]

Don't know if I'd go as far as "not physical at all", but I thought the same thing when reading his description. It definitely didn't describe his game at all.

Other than taking the odd huge hit, and rubbing out players once in a while hes pretty much not physical at all.

 

[sbtatter]

Other than taking the odd huge hit, and rubbing out players once in a while hes pretty much not physical at all.

He's more a speedster with decent hands than physical. Ryan White and Ryan Reaves are more my definition of physical.....

 

[CoolburnIsGone]

TSN listen him at 5'10'', which is probably what he is.

NHL's Central Scouting, on their site, lists Backstrom at 6'0" which is what he actually is since it doesn't benefit CSB from listing incorrect heights on their site. This is also as of the midterm rankings so he may have grown since they measured him as well.

 

[Rookie Chargers]

NHL's Central Scouting, on their site, lists Backstrom at 6'0" which is what he actually is since it doesn't benefit CSB from listing incorrect heights on their site. This is also as of the midterm rankings so he may have grown since they measured him as well.

Another site also has him at 6.00, 185.