Prospect Info: Scott Harrington | D | London (OHL) | Second Round, 54th overall

[thecore]

Pens scouting team must have really liked him. I don't mind Shero going with D in the first two rounds. Its where his drafting has been the best IMO.

I agree. You can always trade prospects for other assets if they are panning out well, and our scouting department seems pretty piss poor at picking forwards, especially power forwards and european skill type guys.

If we can keep hitting on the majority of them, I will take Dmen all day long.

 

[MrBurghundy]

I agree. You can always trade prospects for other assets if they are panning out well, and our scouting department seems pretty piss poor at picking forwards, especially power forwards and european skill type guys.

If we can keep hitting on the majority of them, I will take Dmen all day long.

link or proof?

 

[thecore]

link or proof?

Just my opinion looking at past draft history. I'm not claiming it as fact, hence the "seems"

 

[Dylonus]

He's got Scuderi's dependability, he's got Paul Martin's offensive skills in puck moving and playing offensive, and he's got some physical play as well.

I love the pick. I've seen this kid before, but wasn't sure what kind of future he had.

I'd rather go for top talent then be so harsh on the organization for not going for the best scoring winger.

This tells me that (A) Jagr is going to happen or (B) a trade is lurking upon on.

Why would we keep stocking up on quality defensive prospect if this wasn't true?

 

[Phenom97]

I believe Shero's idea is to draft defensemen that will highly benefit from development in the AHL. If we have too many he can simply trade for a forward (Example Neal Trade). Defensemen that are really good tend to return more value then the other way around(and have a higher success rate). So this is a rather good idea to be honest. He can simply go after UFA offense every year and draft defensemen every year.

I'm beginning to think he is a genius to be honest.

 

[lastcupever75]

I WISH SHERO WAS HERE EARLIER.

We probably have shea weber instead of ryan stone...lol

 

[BHD]

Not to say he isn't good, because I have no clue. But... I don't think we need another defenseman at this point, especially when we just drafted Morrow.

 

[Darth Vitale]

All picks from this stage are risks / crap shoots. More than likely Shero is planning to move some of our good D prospects as they develop over the next couple years, to shore up other areas of our team. We have a good reputation we're building as a place where players develop a good D game. Stop thinking of these guys as "plugging current roster holes one day" and start thinking of them as hockey assets that other teams will trade good players for when we offer them up in combination with other roster players or picks. Because by the time they would be ready to plug the gap, it will already be filled by someone not currently here most likely.

And as risky picks go we have a history of drafting guys who were sure first rounders (projected) and then dropped down because of a bad season due to factors mostly outside of the player's control.

 

[SkullSplitter]

I believe Shero's idea is to draft defensemen that will highly benefit from development in the AHL. If we have too many he can simply trade for a forward (Example Neal Trade). Defensemen that are really good tend to return more value then the other way around(and have a higher success rate). So this is a rather good idea to be honest. He can simply go after UFA offense every year and draft defensemen every year.

I'm beginning to think he is a genius to be honest.

Look at what Burns brought in return.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Look at what Burns brought in return.

Exactly. He's looking for more "Goglanovskis". Not necessarily offensive D but guys who can skate, pass and be developed into solid NHL players, and be packaged and shipped off for better assets (and if not still be able to contribute to this team).

Almost every team is always looking to shore up their D whether heading into the playoffs or because it caused them to miss the playoffs. Always. Other than Nashville and Van a couple years ago I can't think of another team that was so loaded with D that they weren't looking to improve that side of the ice on a pretty regular basis (if they could).

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

One thing to consider here is...not many, if any, of our current defense prospects are going to turn into Whitney, Goligoski or Burns.

I mean, these guys are upper-tier offensive defensmen in this league who score at a .5 PPG or better clip.

 

[Get To Our Game]

I believe Shero's idea is to draft defensemen that will highly benefit from development in the AHL. If we have too many he can simply trade for a forward (Example Neal Trade). Defensemen that are really good tend to return more value then the other way around(and have a higher success rate). So this is a rather good idea to be honest. He can simply go after UFA offense every year and draft defensemen every year.

I'm beginning to think he is a genius to be honest.

Yep, we've now been under Shero's regime for 5 years now, and he's completely transformed the franchise. We've got the best defensive depth the team has had, great strength down the middle (when relatively healthy), and he's already turned two defensemen into our two best wingers and our best winger prospect.

Looking at his free-agency and trade history, along with his drafting style and the current state of the organization as a whole, I really am ecstatic with Ray Shero. But I might be biased.

 

[Malkin4Top6Wingerz]

He's got Scuderi's dependability, he's got Paul Martin's offensive skills in puck moving and playing offensive, and he's got some physical play as well.

I love the pick. I've seen this kid before, but wasn't sure what kind of future he had.

I'd rather go for top talent then be so harsh on the organization for not going for the best scoring winger.

This tells me that (A) Jagr is going to happen or (B) a trade is lurking upon on.

Why would we keep stocking up on quality defensive prospect if this wasn't true?

Don't see this having much relevance to Jagr tbh. Any winger picked wouldn't be NHL ready for years and Jagr in all likelihood would only be in the NHL for one or two seasons. I think, again, that Shero is going back to where he's had success - drafting and developing defenseman. Hard to be upset about the pick when they continue to pan out time and time again.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Yah who we draft has ZE-RO to do with Jagr or any other FA this summer. We're just going after the best available in the Top 2 rounds and doing the usual crap shoot after that. No bearing on Jagr or our winger situation whatsoever. It COULD have something to do with a (general) plan to develop D and trade them over the next few years for other assets, but it's a long-term thing not a fix to a specific problem.

 

[YungDankShawty]

I WISH SHERO WAS HERE EARLIER.

We probably have shea weber instead of ryan stone...lol

If we had Shero back then we probably would've taken Cam Barker instead of Malkin

 

[Malkin4Top6Wingerz]

If we had Shero back then we probably would've taken Cam Barker instead of Malkin

Shere likes his North American boys, but not to the extent that he would have passed up Malkin.

 

[Darth Vitale]

If we had Shero back then we probably would've taken Cam Barker instead of Malkin

+1 for mastering the fine art of HFB Hyperbole.

 

[Slabber Chops]

I believe Shero's idea is to draft defensemen that will highly benefit from development in the AHL. If we have too many he can simply trade for a forward (Example Neal Trade). Defensemen that are really good tend to return more value then the other way around(and have a higher success rate). So this is a rather good idea to be honest. He can simply go after UFA offense every year and draft defensemen every year.

I'm beginning to think he is a genius to be honest.

Bingo, snap, whatever. Bang on

 

[Coach Travis]

@ this board!

In the draft, especially after the 1st round, you're hoping to pick someone who will just make it to the NHL regardless of their position!

 

[Coach Travis]

I believe Shero's idea is to draft defensemen that will highly benefit from development in the AHL. If we have too many he can simply trade for a forward (Example Neal Trade). Defensemen that are really good tend to return more value then the other way around(and have a higher success rate). So this is a rather good idea to be honest. He can simply go after UFA offense every year and draft defensemen every year.

I'm beginning to think he is a genius to be honest.

I think you're reading too much into it.

I think Shero's staff might have a niche for being able to scout defense (and that's a big 'might') but you pick the best available player. And when it's all said and done if you have too many defenseman or too many centers or too many goaltenders, etc. then at least you have a good asset to trade whereas if you passed over a player just because of his position then you probably end up with a weaker talent who's of no value to you or anyone.

 

[bruinsfan46]

Don't like this pick for you guys TBH, he's a jack of all trades but master of none. He's got decent size but is rarely physical, he makes an ok first pass but his overall offensive game is not good enough to ever produce at the NHL level. So for a guy who's not overly big, not overly physical and not offensively talented for him to become an effective NHLer he's gonna have to be an absolute shutdown defender but he gets beat too much for that at the OHL level. It was certainly not a good year and he showed more promise as a 16 year old so maybe he can bounce back but I would have thought he had fallen way out of the second round.

 

[Shrimper]

Happy with this pick, Shero look to draft certain calibre players through and hopefully we see him come through.

 

[Zero Pucks]

I think this is another solid pick. Sounds like another solid defenseman with good potential, and with some good coaching I think he can regain his form that people were expecting him to be at.

 

[shureshot66]

Name: Scott Harrington
Selection: Second Round (54th overall)
Position: D
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200
Amateur Team: London (OHL)

Note: A 6-foot, 200-pound defensemen from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Harrington, 18, appeared in 67 games this past season for the Knights, collecting six goals, 16 assists and 22 points. Harrington, a Kingston, ON native, was teammates this past season with defenseman Reid McNeill, who was selected by Pittsburgh in the sixth round (170th overall) of the 2010 draft. In two seasons with the Knights, Harrington has recorded 36 points (7G-29A) and posted a plus-11 rating in 122 contests.

Sexton’s Take: “We like the way he plays. He’s a very good skate with good mobility. He sees the ice well and moves the puck. He has a big strong frame, needs to get stronger. He can play with an edge, but needs to do it more consistently. A more defensive focus than offense, but he’s not incompetent offensively.”

 

[PensFan101]

Drafting guys who were dropping in the rankings worked out pretty well in Simon Despres, and while I hate London, Harrington two years ago was a really highly touted kid and has all the tools. What I expected out of a 2nd round pick.