Your Reach Player of the 2011 Draft

In basically every single draft ever conducted by a major sports organization, players have been taken higher than their pre-draft ranking suggests.

If I could time travel back to last year and assure everyone McIlrath would be drafted before both Fowler and Gormley, nobody would believe me. It happened again in the 1st with Hishon being taken 17th, and so on and so forth.

So, tout a prospect you believe is going to be drafted a lot earlier than their ranking suggests. The bolder the better, and try and keep the "YOU THINK [Player X] WILL GO BEFORE [Player Y]?? WHAT AN IDIOT YOU ARE" type comments respectible.

I see John Gibson as a shock in the mid 1st round. People are saying this isn't a draft for goalies but I feel he's really emerged as the #1 netminder and a team with an aging goalie will want to take a chance on him.

 

Wow, tough question. I'm having trouble trying to think of anyone that is even justifiable.

EDIT:

Not a huge gamble, but I will say Grimaldi going in the top 18-20.

 

I could see Oleksiak being taken higher than most thought he would go.

 

Mcneil top 10.

 

Grimaldi, if a team really believe that his amazing talent makes up for his lack of basically any size, then he could be a reach. He could also fall back and be a steal. Either way, I see him being picked anywhere from mid 20s to mid 30s

 

Zibenejad goes top 10. Boone Jenner goes in the 1st round.

 

I'm gonna go with Jaskin, top 15 or top 20.

 

I second Oleksiak. While he's a good prospect, I could see a team going for "size" and drafting him higher than many thought he'd go.

 

Such as?...

Not a huge reach.

Not a huge reach.

Not a huge reach.

The biggest reach yet, I thought about it too.

 

Tobias Rieder with Phoenixs late first round pick.

Boldest one so far imo.

 

Top 10 possibly if a team is in love with his size and skating ability.

He can thank Tyler Myers if that happens.

 

Not sure this is much of a reach but Oleksiak 10-15

 

Kale Kessy in the 2nd round....this years Kyle Clifford, Dalton Smith, Brett Bulmer.

 

Wouldn't be shocked.

Many people talk about him as a 3rd rounder.

If he goes first half of the second I will be surprised, but not if he goes in the later second.

 

Oleksiak is another guy that could even go in the top 10. Boston, Jersey, St. Louis, Columbus, and even Buffalo could all use a 6'7 defenseman.

Could you imagine Myers and Oleksiak on the PK? Good luck getting any shots on Miller.

 

Matt Puempel taken in Top 10.
I'll go with that.

 

If his injury doesn't scare scouts off then that's not really a reach, he's a high end prospect.

 

That's a pretty good guess, considering his injury-status.

 

<-- Max Friberg. Detroit or Vancouver's 1st rounder.

 

At this point I would not consider Zibenejad going anywhere after pick #8 as a surprise.

That is 9th or below. 8th or above means he goes ahead of one of Strome. Huberdou, Hamilton, or Mourphy....not gonna happen as in should not happen. That would be kind of a shock if he goes 5th to 8th. Anywhere above that is a mega shock.

I have a feeling Oleksiak is gonna dupe a GM into picking him in the top 10.

 

St. Croix taken in the late first round.

 

That's what I thought too.

 

I'll put Xavier Ouellet in the top 20 for the draft, but I'd be surprised if he's even in the first round.

 

Lol I was going to use Rieder as well, but I couldn't think of where I would put him.

I'll say Ben Thomson in the mid-late second.

 

Tyler Biggs
Ht/Wt:6.02/202 lbs
Position:RW
Team: US NTDP

I have seen him in multiply mock drafts as the #5 pick... Including Hockey Future's

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=891754