The AAA 2011 Draft

[seventieslord]

If we want to be really technical about it we can always check hsp.flyershistory.com and look for the player in game summaries. I think by then the full rosters were being listed.

I would support revamping the eras used for next time. The dates chosen are an attempt to be significant dates, but if the player only has to start in that period, and starts in the tail end of it, then you don't really havde a player from that era anyway. 1980-1993 seems particularly random. And it's just 13 years wide with the other 4 eras covering the other 120 years of hockey history.

 

[BenchBrawl]

so do I take the guy or not?

 

[BenchBrawl]

Monteal select Gary Smith G for the 66-79 era and as a back-up goalie.

 

[Velociraptor]

Regina rounds out the defense with Gord Murphy, D. I imagine he'd have been the most sought after righty in the AA. ( I do not have a righty in the top-6 LOL)

Murphy played 893 NHL games and 59 more in the playoffs. He went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1996 with Florida. GF/GA figures suggest he was his team's #1 defenseman in 1991, 1994, 1995, 2000, and #2 in 1996, 1997, and 1998.

Murphy averaged an excellent 22.70 minutes per game in his fairly long career and was used extensively in all situations: 43% of his team's powerplays and 42% of their penalty kills. Not a bruiser, he relied on smarts and positioning, not unlike his namesake, Larry Murphy, who I always thought he was a very poor man's version of.

Murphy is an effective #7 defenseman because he was above average both offensively and defensively. Our defense corps is built with puck movers next to stay-at-homers, and Murphy has the skill set to complement either well.

Right handed defenseman are severely difficult to find

I have two in my top-6 (Shatalov, Potvin), but I desperately tried to go 3L and 3R, but there is close to nothing there of AAA Top-6 caliber for a right handed defenseman, Murphy was someone I had looked at, and he was third on my shortlist for a spare, but I went with Burns instead.

 

[BenchBrawl]

so I've been juggling with my line-up and I have 2 options I would like to know which one you like the most.

semin-quinn-murphy
macdonald-drouin-fox
malone/gilbert-roy-dvorak
malone/gilbert-mccormack-buchberger

semin-quinn-murphy
macdonald-drouin-fox
gilbert-smolinski-buchberger
malone-mccormack-dvorak

boucher-reekie
murzyn-brisebois
pitkanen-rivet

boucher-reekie
murzyn-dukowski
brisebois-rivet

 

[seventieslord]

so I've been juggling with my line-up and I have 2 options I would like to know which one you like the most.

semin-quinn-murphy
macdonald-drouin-fox
malone/gilbert-roy-dvorak
malone/gilbert-mccormack-buchberger

semin-quinn-murphy
macdonald-drouin-fox
gilbert-smolinski-buchberger
malone-mccormack-dvorak

boucher-reekie
murzyn-brisebois
pitkanen-rivet

boucher-reekie
murzyn-dukowski
brisebois-rivet

six of one, half-dozen of the other.

as for defense, Pitkanen's gotta be there. Like I said, he's the only defenseman you have who proved capable of being a #1 on a regular basis, even if he is inconsistent.

Dukowski, since he apparently played a lot of forward, would make a good spare.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

You have no righty defensemen in your lineup 70s? That's a dangerous game you're playing. Best to dress Murphy and probably play him on the powerplay.


(So says the team with 3 righties)

 

[seventieslord]

I'm pretty sure Robidas is a good pick... lol. pretty sure, anyway. I liked him when he was taken last year. as guys got picked this year, he moved up my list again and again, until he reached the top. And once he reached the top.... I couldn't do it. I passed on him, not once, not twice, but three times since then.

I think the reason I didn't is because he was just a #3-5 defenseman for 7 years, and then a #1 for the last three... when playing on a fairly weak Dallas team. He did improve as a player and really emerged as a legitimate top-30 defenseman (but closer to 30th than 15th IMO) which is pretty good.

I'm just glad I don't have to agonize over whether to select him going forward.

 

[seventieslord]

You have no righty defensemen in your lineup 70s? That's a dangerous game you're playing. Best to dress Murphy and probably play him on the powerplay.


(So says the team with 3 righties)

heh, I have a feeling I'm not alone.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Having a lefty and a righty on each side is nice but I think we might be taking it a bit too far.. it does make it easier to come off the boards but one nice thing about having the off hand on a side is they are shooting from the middle of the rink more quickly on the PP.

That can be really nice if they have a good shot and you have a powerplay that sets them up in the middle of the point or jumping into the slot.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Having a lefty and a righty on each side is nice but I think we might be taking it a bit too far.. it does make it easier to come off the boards but one nice thing about having the off hand on a side is they are shooting from the middle of the rink more quickly on the PP.

That can be really nice if they have a good shot and you have a powerplay that sets them up in the middle of the point or jumping into the slot.

Basically, handedness helps with 2 things - getting better angles for shots from the point, which is mostly an issue on the PP, and being able to more quickly clear the puck, which is mostly an issue for defensemen who can't skate the puck out of trouble.

There's a reason that NHL GMs pay big bucks to get right handed shots for the powerplay. The best PP pointmen can be effective from any side, but those guys were all drafted in the main ATD. At this level, when not all that much separates guys talent-wise, I think it's much more important to have a righty or two in the mix.

I agree that at even strength, it doesn't matter much if a guy is playing his off-side as long as he can skate the puck out of trouble. (But again, with the talent level much lower here, having a guy play his best side is proportionally more important).

On the PK, it's also nice to have your right side guy be a righty to clear the puck if he's a guy who isn't a good skater (like Larry Cahan on our team), but it's not as important as the PP.

 

[BraveCanadian]

There's a reason that NHL GMs pay big bucks to get right handed shots for the powerplay. The best PP pointmen can be effective from any side, but those guys were all drafted in the main ATD. At this level, when not all that much separates guys talent-wise, I think it's much more important to have a righty or two in the mix.

I agree that at even strength, it doesn't matter much if a guy is playing his off-side as long as he can skate the puck out of trouble. (But again, with the talent level much lower here, having a guy play his best side is proportionally more important).

On the PK, it's also nice to have your right side guy be a righty to clear the puck if he's a guy who isn't a good skater (like Larry Cahan on our team), but it's not as important as the PP.

I'm not saying it isn't an advantage in the ivory tower sense. I do think that all other things being equal it is a plus. But they never are.. so as usual it depends on the individual and the specific context almost by situation like you were pointing out.

I'm just saying that it being one of the draft templates like the 3rd line almost always being a shutdown line or your team loses is putting too much weight on it imo.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

I'm not saying it isn't an advantage in the ivory tower sense. I do think that all other things being equal it is a plus. But they never are.. so as usual it depends on the individual and the specific context almost by situation like you were pointing out.

Considering we are down to like the 1600th best player of all time, I think all other things are mostly equal if everyone is drafting well.

I'd much rather have a righty next to a lefty on the PP, even if the lefty averaged 1 or 2 more PP points per season that's for sure. I think having proper shooting angles would more than make up for a guy who statistically scored 1 or 2 more points per 82 games in the NHL.

I'm just saying that it being one of the draft templates like the 3rd line almost always being a shutdown line or your team loses is putting too much weight on it imo.

In the main draft, when there are significant differences in terms of talent, I agree, it's a minor bonus if anything. But the farther down you go, when you really have to stretch to find talent differences between guys, the more important it gets. I think by this point teams without a righty on the powerplay are at a major disadvantage. All the PP QBs with the talent to be dangerous from both sides were taken long ago.

 

[VanIslander]

Considering we are down to like the 1600th best player of all time, I think all other things are mostly equal if everyone is drafting well.

There are some top-1000 or top-1200 picks out there! EVERY single draft there are guys who in FUTURE drafts are drafted much higher, to wide acclaim! Why should this year be any different?

Look for quality, even if there are question marks. Don't settle for the clearly next best' thing.

 

[VanIslander]

DaveG and I wanted a 7th dman next but couldn't agree on an option (yet), so we will - with yesterday's skipped pick - go with our unanimous choice for assistant coach,...

HC Davos selects widely-respected coach Dave King

* head coached the NHL Calgary Flames to two divisional titles
* head coached in the Russian SuperLeague
* head coached Canada's Winter Olympics teams in 1984, 1988, 1992
* head coached Canada to gold in 1982 world juniors
* coached three championships at university level, CIAU coach of the year in 1980.
* In 1987 he coached Canada to the gold medal in the Isvestia Cup tournament in Moscow, becoming the first Canadian team to defeat the Soviet national team in U.S.S.R. since the 1972 Summit Series.
* coached the Canadian national team at five IIHF world championships
* the first coach of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets
* inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1997 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2001.

 

[Velociraptor]

With our final pick in the AAA Draft, the Ice Caps select a guy who we'll place on our fourth line replacing Dennis Ververgaert, Floyd Smith, RW

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

There are some top-1000 or top-1200 picks out there! EVERY single draft there are guys who in FUTURE drafts are drafted much higher, to wide acclaim! Why should this year be any different?

Look for quality, even if there are question marks. Don't settle for the clearly next best' thing.

Considering 2/3 of our top line are Swedes from the late 50s/early 60s, I think we are doing our part to look for quality even if there are question marks.

 

[BenchBrawl]

about the right handed left handed thing , Phillipe Boucher and Pastrice Brisebois are left handed ands right handed respectively and were known for being PP trigger men , I think my PP is going to be very dangerous with both of them shooting from the center of the ice.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Montreal select Gerry Hart D

 

[tony d]

Garnish rounds out their lineup by selecting RW/C Billy Bell

Known more for his defense than his offense, Bell gives Garnish a defensive cog at forward off the bench.

For more on Bell click the following link:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11956

 

[seventieslord]

With our final pick in the AAA Draft, the Ice Caps select a guy who we'll place on our fourth line replacing Dennis Ververgaert, Floyd Smith, RW

Good idea.

Also really like Dave King as the assistant coach right now. Saves me from trying to agonize over whether he is the best head coach yet, along with about 5 other guys.

 

[seventieslord]

Regina completes their roster with a guy who can fill in on any line, at any position. He has experience at center and both wings, is known as a two-way player, and topped 56 points four times.

Jim Lorentz, F

Lorentz was a very useful and productive player for some very good teams. He won the 1970 cup as a support player with Boston and then had a role in turning Buffalo from an expansion team to a perrennial contender. A decent defensive forward and only occasionally a penalty killer, he did nonetheless have the versatility to play center or either wing, and he topped 54 points 4 times, a rarity for players available at this point.

still considered one of the top prospects in the NHL... was CHL's rookie of the year in 1968 and scoring champion the next... can play LW as well as center.

there are few more versatile players in the NHL than Lorentz, who can play center, RW or LW... "I always knew I could score if I got a chance to play regularly,", he says... hard two-way worker who excels on power plays.

from handyman to regular... that's the Jim Lorentz story... originally a center, was behind Esposito, Sanderson and Standield with Boston... fits in better on wing for Sabres... "I don't care where I play, as long as I play".

one of hockey's handiest players... can play any forward position... filled in capably for the injured Gilbert Perreault...

scoring dropped off, but he's still valuable to sabres...

people keep wondering how he stays with team so packed with stars... then they check his record and find out... in four of past five years, scored more than 20 goals... type of player who just keeps going and going, almost quietly, about his business... foes recognize him as a stylist, a two-way player and a good checker... though often overlooked, he has reputation for getting goals in crucial situations.

Lorentz's playing rights belonged to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins of the later 1960s and early 1970s were a powerhouse in the NHL, led by Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito. As a result Lorentz didn't get to play a whole lot. He was shuffled around from center ice and to the wing, but was always a minor player.

Jim never minded though, as he was in the NHL and on the league's best team. In fact in his rookie season Jim was able to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.

“It’s very special." said Jim. "I know players will say this but I don’t think you really realize what you’ve done until after you’ve retired. You don’t really realize the impact of it."

Because the Bruins couldn't find a full time position for the young scoring star Jim was dealt to St. Louis after the 69-70 season, in exchange for the Blues first pick in the 1970 Amateur Draft (the pick was used to select Ron Plumb).

Jim played the 1970-71 campaign with St. Louis before splitting the 1971-72 season between the Blues, the New York Rangers and the Sabres. It was in Buffalo that he found a permanent home.

Over his six-plus seasons in Buffalo, Jim racked up 134 goals, 197 assists and 331 points in 487 games. Jim also enjoyed his best seasons in a Sabre uniform, recording a career-high 27 goals in 1972-73 and a personal-best 70 points in 1974-75, the same year he helped Buffalo reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

Jim helped a young expansion franchise in Buffalo become a league powerhouse in a very short time period. Jim has many memories of his playing days with the Sabres. One of the most exciting was the first time the team made the playoffs..

“I think the first year that we made the playoffs was very exciting. We ended up playing the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. No one gave us a prayer to win that series but we took them to six games. And one of the great moments in my career was in that sixth game in the Auditorium when the fans starting chanting in unison, ‘Thank you Sabres.’ It was a great feeling."

But of course the greatest memory was the Stanley Cup finals appearance of 1975. Jim played an important role in the Sabres improbable run, scoring 6 goals and 10 points in 16 playoff games.

That I think was one of the … next to going to the Finals in ’75, would rank right up there with the memorable moments. And of course just playing with some of the players that I did. There were great players. Gilbert Perreault, Richard Martin and Rene Robert. Jim Schoenfeld, Roger Crozier. We had a bunch of real character guys that liked to have a lot of fun and who were great players.”

 

[jkrx]

Detroit Cougars selects: Johan Garpenlöv, RW

3 SEL titles
2 WC golds
2 Canada/world cup bronze
and a key player on two teams cinderella runs. (San Jose Sharks '93 and Florida Panthers '96)

609 NHL-games, 114 goals, 197 assists, 311 points.

Anders "masken" Carlsson, C

3 SEL titles
2 WC golds and 3 silvers

His Devils career wasn't as great as his SEL or international one but a torn ACL (if I remember correctly) and a bad coach (Carpenter insisted that Carlsson should play in the bottom-6) is probably more of a reason for that. In an interview he says he sometimes regrets moving back home but home sickness and the club Brynäs very deep intrest for him made the choice easy.

This is one of Swedens most merited players.

653 SEL games, 196 goals, 330 assists, 526 points
104 NHL games, 7 goals, 26 assists, 33 points.
55 WC games, 15goals, 14 assists, 29 points.

Magnus Svensson, D

- Elitserien Most Points by Defenseman 88/89
- Elitserien SM-silver Medal 88/89
- NLA All-Star Team 90/91
- Olympic Gold Medal 93/94
- World Championship All-Star Team 93/94
- World Championship Best Defenseman 93/94
- World Championship Bronze Medal 93/94
- World Championship Gold Medal 86/87
- World Championship Most Points by Defenseman 93/94
- World Championship Silver Medal 89/90, 96/97

 

[Rob Scuderi]

Assistant Coach Glen Sonmor

Former Head coach of North Stars leads them a record 177-161-83 in 421 games coached. More notable was the playoff success had with those teams, which were thought to overachieve having to pull off some upsets. His tenure in with the North Stars ended unceremoniously after a drunken fight at a bar in Pittsburgh with a Penguins fan. He stepped down and entered treatment for alcoholism. He admitted that the pressure of the job had gotten to him and fueled his problems.

His coaching career began in the junior and collegiate levels most notaby with University of Minnesota. Sonmor coached the Golden Gopher Hockey Team from 1966 - 1971, which included a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season championship in the 1969-70 season and a WCHA playoff championship in the 1970-71 season.

In 2006, Sonmor was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States along with Steve Yzerman, Marcel Dionne, Reed Larson, and Red Berenson

His role with the Mallards as an assistant coach should help alleviate Sonmor's previous struggles. He helps fill in some of the more unclear areas of Buckna's coaching abilities. He preached hard work and physicality which will compliment Buckna's offensively geared system, which provides no explicit mention of physicality. Sonmor's teams also successfully shut down some of the greatest offensive defenders in Salming and Robinson during the postseason showing his ability to develop a successful a defensive and/or penalty kill scheme. His teams PK was also above the league average every year for what it's worth.

A time-tested strategy worked wonders for the Minnesota North Stars.
In their first-round National Hockey League playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the North Stars put all the pressure they could on Toronto defenseman Borje Salmng, who generates a great deal of the Maples Leafs' offense.

That helped Minnesota to a three-game sweep in that best-of-five series. So Wednesday night, in their quarter-final opener against the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens, the North Stars tried it again - on Montreal Standout Larry Robinson. And it worked in Game 1, anyway, when the North Stars stunned the Canadiens 3-0 to star their best of seven series.

"Throw a blanket over Salming and you eliminate the offensive thrust to a certain degree," said Minnesota Coach Glen Sonmor. "That's exactly what we wanted to do with Robinson. We wanted to make him give up the puck whenever he got it so he didn't make any of those great end-to-end rushes."

"I was really amazed with the way we played in the first period," Sonmor said. "When I looked up and saw we were outshooting them 14-1, it really startled me. But it was a very good feeling."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...7,631593&dq=coach+glen+sonmor+system&hl=en G

"With Glen (Sonmor), we seem to be having more fun than before. He wants us to just go out and work hard. With the players we have, there's so must talent, you shouldn't be putting any restrictions" -Willi Plett

In discussing what he's doing differently, Sonmor poinpointed a number of problem areas on the team: Not enough hitting, not enough game-day preparation, and too much complaining about a lack of ice time.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U3ZkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zX4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5490,213575&dq=coach+glen+sonmor+system&hl=en

"Apparently he (the fan) didn't like our hockey club and let me know about it," Sonmor said "I asked him if he wanted to [fight], and he did." Sonmor said the more he thought about the fight, the more realized he was under too much pressure and that he was no longer enjoying his profession.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=F9FRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9G0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6212,2824994&dq=coach+glen+sonmor&hl=en

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Paul Stastny, C

70+ point seasons don't grow on trees at this stage of the draft, and he has 3 of them, all in a relatively low scoring era. Injuries were a factor in his only 2 seasons without 70+ points.

• First Team All-Rookie in 2006-07
• Played in the 2011 NHL All Star Game
• VS2 points percentages: 72, 68, 67
• 328 points in 357 career regular season games (as of today)
• 3 points in 6 games and a Silver Medal at the 2010 Olympics
• 8 points in 7 career World Championship games