If the 2006 draft were tomorrow, pick Top 10

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#66

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X-SHARKIE said:
I caught him twice in a stretch, where he also played against MSOE. I like Saguinetti as well....nothing against him or Eric Johnson. I think you missed the part where I said upside. At the moment yeah Eric is way ahead of him, but several years from now they both could be top pairing defenseman IMO. I'm just speaking in projection. Just going by what i've seen.

The Czech Republic has weird way of developing their best young talent. Frolik is falling in the same trap that Michalek & Olesz were put in. As 16-18 year olds they're asked to play against men as 3rd & 4th liners. They're not asked to perform offensive roles, plus the Elite league is a very soft and defensive league and it's difficult to put up big numbers. Jiri Hudler however did break through and astounded me with his output years back. Frolik is going through that now. He still has performed badly at the last U-18 & WJC's...so that scares me off, while Backstrom is consistantly breaking through and forcing his coach to play him in all situations, all the while being great for Sweden at every tournament. Even watching them side by side at the U-20's I came away Backstrom > Frolik..but Frolik is very intriguing and will likely go top 10 because of his Havlat like upside.

Komisarek was a stud in his draft year and was furthur along then Wishart and Williams. Mike would've been ahead of both of them if they would be in the same draft. I like Monster Bertuzzi's comparison of a Coburn esq player for Wishart, how ever...I think we're just seeing the tip of the ice berg for Wishart and with small development in a few areas he could be a dominating defenseman. He has caught my eye.
Those Czech teams were in a ton of turmoil and Frolik hardly played. So judging him from those games isn't really fair because he was so misused. IMO Frolik's raw ability and sense is as good as anyone in this draft. Plus he's very well rounded for a young player and has value all over the ice.

I'm not saying that this is how the draft will go but this is the order in which I like these players...

1) Erik Johnson - All the tools are there to be a great #1 defenseman. Coming out of this draft he can be on par with Jack Johnson as one of the best defensive prospects.
2) Jordan Staal - Just a big horse of a player that is still very raw. I can care less about the Staal bloodline. The Staal name means character and this kid will work to be the best that he can be. I think that he can be a Carter type of player with more skill but not in Malkins elite class.
3) Mikal Frolik - IMO he has a chance to become one of the better 3D players in the league. By 3D I mean that he has value in the offensive zone, the defensive zone and in transition. He also seems to play well along the boards and has some great hand skills.
4) Niklas Backstrom – Its hard to ignore what he’s doing right now. While I don’t think that he’s in Forsbergs elite class, his skilled game does remind me a little Pavol Demitra (not at that age though). He has some scrap to him too and he’s not soft at all.
5) Phil Kessel – I still don't think that his game will translate well to the pro's. My question marks about him aren't about things that can be worked on, like his skating or his shot but more in term of his sense and style. IMO those make his question marks huge as he will have to change his game alot. There are alot of things that he does that remind me alot of Maxim Afinogenov. That being said, I think that he still has the most upside in this draft. His shot isn't the most accurate but he gets a ton on it and his skating is elite. There are some things that he does that remind me alot of Alex Mogilny, mostly getting a hard shot off while striding. IMO theres alot of boom or semi-bust in Kessel and there are some other players that I like in this draft that might not have the upside but seem to be surer shots in the NHL.
6) Johnathan Toews – IMO this kid is a sure shot NHLer. The only question is, how good will he be offensively? He already does a lot of pro things and has great sense. I think that he’s a hard read right now because his ability is very, very raw right now. He reminds me of Brad Richards as far as vision and a feel for time and space but he also brings the work ethic of a great role player. While I do think that he can be a great player in his own right, I think he would be best served as a player that complements a star, kind of like the way Ron Francis complemented Jagr.
7) Peter Mueller – He could work on his foot speed but this kid is putting up some nice numbers. He’s projected to be a future power forward that plays with a chip on his shoulder. In the games I’ve seen, he isn’t that flashy but gets the job done playing a straight ahead, up and down game.
8) Bryan Little – More than anything sense comes to mind when I think of Little. He just always seems in position to make a play. He isn’t the fastest player but again he just seems to out think other players. He reminds me a lot of Mark Savard because of that sense and his scrappiness.
9) Nigel Williams – Seems to be a little under rated to me. Very good skill and great size. I’ve seen some people rank him as low as 15th. If a team gets him that low they’re going to be extremely happy.
10) Derick Brassard – Just a great playmaker. He’s another player that is alittle raw right now but his passing is just awesome.
 

CH Wizard

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1. Erik Johnson
2. Phil Kessel
3. Nicklas Backstrom
4. Jonathan Toews
5. Jordan Staal
6. Peter Mueller
7. James Sheppard
8. Micheal Frolik
9. Derick Brassard
10 Bryan Little

HM: Sanguinetti
 

badrobot101

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Jan 16, 2006
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1. Erik Johnson
2. Phil Kessel
3. Jordan Staal
4. Jonathan Toews
5. Nicklas Backstrom
6. Peter Mueller
7. Bryan Little
8. Nigel Williams
9. Michal Frolik
10. James Sheppard

I'm not saying it's a good idea for Frolik to fall out of the top 5, it's just a trend I've spotted in the past few drafts. Guys like him drop a little, usually to L.A. who steal a good mid-round prospect. (Not this time, though. Apologies to Kings fans, both of them :sarcasm: )

Prediction: Leafs will take Nige Williams in the first round.
 

Pipeandin

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Dec 7, 2004
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bigd, do you really think he won't make the U18 Champ. team and why? I saw that he was playing for the U17s this weekend. Do you have any information? :help:
 

#66

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Rob said:
If the Pens get the #1 pick I would imagine that they would go with Johnson for sure.
I'm hoping that they go with him too. They could really use a goal scoring winger that can follow up plays too. I haven't seen enough of Okposo to comment about his hand skills and I haven't seen Sheppard at all. I've also seen Toews look good playing wing and a Toews/ Crosby combo could work out well. Crosby spearheading the offense and Toews following up plays with that shot would be fantastic.

If the Pens do move down, I'm hoping that they can stay in the top 10 or trade the pick to get a great prospect back. Maybe the Canes would want to put the Staal boys together and offer up Jack Johnson.
 

Lionel Hutz

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I'm pretty sure Sheppard will not slip past 8, and may go 5th or 6th. I'm quite surprised so many people have him barely in the top 10, or outside the top 10. He's not getting near enough attention, IMO.
 

bigd

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Pipeandin said:
bigd, do you really think he won't make the U18 Champ. team and why? I saw that he was playing for the U17s this weekend. Do you have any information? :help:
He makes too many mental mistakes when he's under pressure. The fast pace of the World Championships would be very challanging for him. If he does go I don't see him getting a lot of playing time.
 

Rather Gingerly 1*

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God Bless Canada said:
*Bob Sanguinetti: Third in OHL scoring at age 18. Decent size. Looked good at prospects game.

What number did Sanguinetti wear in the TPG? I have the tape of the game but never noticed him before
 

Scotianhab

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Aug 2, 2005
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Nova Scotia
1. Erik Johnson
2. Phil Kessel
3. Jonathan Toews
4. Jordan Staal
5. Nicklas Backstrom
6. Peter Mueller
7. Derick Brassard
8. James Sheppard
9. Micheal Frolik
10 Bryan Little
 

5mn Major

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As 2006 Mr Hockey in the state of Minnesota...watch out for 6' 3" D-man David Fischer. Minnesota has been producing top notch blueliners...and he's one that on the move.
 

Ola

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Cush said:
any thoughts on Backstrom? Who would you compare him to?

IMO there aren't a player who Bäckström resembles more then Datsyuk, though he resembles Forsberg very much in the way he keeps the puck close to his body straight infront of him. Doesn't really have Forsbergs extreme strength and physical game though, which isn't a small part of Peters game. "A Spezza with better two way skills" isn't either that far off.

Its not everything, but right now Bäckström is playing amazing hockey. He is leading his team in the SEL PO's. Running the PP, playing on the 1st PK unit, taking important face offs, leading the rush. There are no ice time stats but he probably plays around 25 minutes per night, extremely much for a center. IMO Niklas have developt allot just the last month or so. The fact that he have put up good numbers all year really only confirms the fact that is a great playmaker. But lately he have brought the game to another level, he is transporting the puck up ice. Pretty much every shift he gets the puck in his own end, dekes one or two forecheckers and starts the rush. Never making any misstakes. Earlier this year, at the time of the WJC Bäckström wasn't at all so dominating for Brynäs, unless he had the puck down low. He just made safe plays in the neutral zone.

The scouting reports on Bäckström isn't always extremely impressive, some are almost bleak. I think allot of that have to do with the level Niklas is playing in, he was in fact the 2nd higest scoring draft eligeble player in the WJC, just behind Kessel and miles ahead of guys like Towes.

All players in the SEL aren't that good, but the teams are better and really organized. I am comparing Bäckström with Datsyuk in this post. If the two of them where to change position(Bäckström to Detroit and Pavel to Brynäs) today there wouldn't be a remarkable diffrence for the two teams, how often can you say that about a draft eligeble player?

I can't say that I am very familiar with the "top 10" picks in this years draft, though any player picked ahead of Niklas should be damn good.
 

Transported Upstater

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X-SHARKIE said:
1. Kessel
2. Johnson
3. Staal
4. Okposo
5. Backstrom
6. Toews
7. Mueller
8. Williams
9. Sheppard
10. Wishart



Okposo > Toews and Backstrom? No freaking way.
 

West

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Coolburn said:
Jagr's stats from his rookie season in the Czech league in 39 games was 8 goals, 10 assist for 18 points. As for the league itself, the leader in points & goals was Vladimir Ruzicka with 84 pts and 46 goals (Jiri Lala was 2nd in pts with 66) in 45 games. Compared to the current leader in points Josef Beranek who has 13 goals, 38 assists for 51pts in 46 games.

Just a note Jagr started playing in the elite league the year before his draft year. If memory servers he was a point a game or better during his draft year.
 

Amazing Oopah

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E. Johnson will go first but I'm coming around to the idea of Jordan Staal as second. He better thank his brother for that ranking because no GM will pass up the opportunity of a Staal as their franchise center after the season Eric is having. Hope the Caps sink far enough to grab him: Ovechkin-Staal (plus one of Semin or Fehr?) in a top line in a few years = :eek: :eek: :eek:

Kessel will probably go third but he might slip down a few more if GM's see 'Alexander Daigle' written all over him.

Anyways, here's my top 10:

Johnson
Staal
Kessel
Backstrom
Toews
Mueller
Frolik
Sheppard
Williams
Little/Brassard (some GM will bite for one of these guys here)
 

Roo

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Oct 3, 2005
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1. Johnson
2. Kessel
3. Staal
4. Frolik
5. Backstrom
6. Toews
7. Mueller
8. Little
9. Sheppard
10. Brassard
 

CoolburnIsGone

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The problem with a top 10 is that you really do have to take into account the teams doing the picking. Like if St. Louis gets the #1 pick, they may go with Kessel instead of Johnson (and if the Pens got the pick they'd prefer Johnson over Kessel IMO). That's why I have yet to post a top 10 because I don't think you can disregard the teams involved (as borro suggested when this thread was started). To me, that's like what Redline does and its never exactly as the top 10 goes compared to his list (I just look at his top 10 to see who's rising or falling based on recent play). So I'm going to use the current standings and put a top 10 list attached to the teams (obviously without any lottery consideration which could change the order):

1. Pittsburgh - D Eric Johnson
2. St. Louis - C Phil Kessel
3. Chicago - C Jonathan Toews
4. Washington - C/RW Niklas Backstrom
5. Columbus - C Jordan Staal
6. Boston - LW/RW Michael Frolik
7. Florida - D Nigel Williams
8. Phoenix - C Peter Mueller
9. Toronto - C James Sheppard
10. NY Islanders - RW Kyle Okposo

Even including the teams and looking at the list, looks pretty close anyways (with maybe Williams & Frolik possibly being higher than most would have them). I don't think either Brassard or Little are going to be top 10 picks (but should be in the 10-15 area definitely) but it could definitely depend on the team selecting and how much those teams in that 8-10 area like them.
 

borro

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J17ster said:
When will you listen, Frolik IS IN A MANS LEAGUE GETTING 3RD LINE MINUTES! Its as simple as that. Whta do you expect from him, a ppg? Jagr was in the same position to Frolik, and he only posted slighty better figures. Frolik also was mis-used in the tourney, and if your using that arguement against him then you always saying the samething about Toews. Frolik has about as much potential as anyone in this draft, and i dont think hes that much of a project either. How is Little a safe pick anyway? To me he is a very risky pick.
I have serious doubts about Little, and Brule is far more talented than Little anyway. The only issue with Brule isnt because of his size, but his injuries and the way he throws himself around. If Brule stays healthy, he'll be elite ... something IMO Little never will.

So lets set a few rules...
First, just because I don't agree does not mean I don't listen. If I listen i don't have to agree. All I said was the guy is almost COMPLETELY a projection. This is factually correct. In my mind, a projection has a higher bust side than upside. This does not mean he will bust or will not. It just means it's a larger risk. In my scoring system, and most scouts use a scoring system to set up their boards, a high bust side would lower a guys score. Just my opinion. Little has very Little jump to make. He has proven nearly everything you could expect. Little is a producer. Something you seem to put no value on. Successful scouts will value it. I appreciate your opinion. I'd also take Little over Frolik in a heartbeat. You might get the better player in the long haul. Little is more likley to be a safer pick.

Lastly, please don''t assume someone does not listen because they question your logic. Jagr compared to Frolik is the same as as Little to Brule. I think the Little/Brule is a far more valid comparison. Jagr is many years removed from this process. Little's issues are not on the ice but simply size. Has anyone ever heard frolik is a Great skater? Great passer? Rough customer? What is it that will let him parlay that talent into production? Little has 103 pts and nearly 100PM in 60 games. Frolik has 9 points in 48 games. How can you say he is not a MAJOR projection. PLEASE, try to be objective. Projection does NOT equate to failure. AO was a projection from Russia. He has done great. So just chill and call a spade a spade.
 
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