Prospect Watch

Hello To All/Late Draft Review

Hello to all readers on Hockeyanalysis.com. I am the new prospect blogger, Yuri Suderov.

With my interest in prospects and junior leagues the draft is naturally my favorite day of the hockey year. We all get to see the next generation of NHL stars and which teams they go to. I will do a quick review of each teams picks and give some analysis as to whether they are a good fit or not.

1. John Tavares - New York Islanders - It is debatable whether in 5 years people will say this was the right pick. Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman could very well end up being more valuable to their teams as they are more complete players, but for now Tavares is exactly what the Island needs. He will play in the NHL next season.

2. Victor Hedman - Tampa Bay Lightning - Hedman is my favorite player in the draft because you rarely see such a perfect blend of offense and defense, size and skating, and physicality with grace. He is a perfect building block for Tampa. He should make it to the NHL next season.

3. Matt Duchene - Colorado Avalanche - Just as Sakic is winding down Colorado drafts his replacement. Okay so that might be a bit of a stretch, but Duchene is a perfect fit for the #1 center there.

4. Evander Kane - Atlanta Thrashers - He is a solid, goal scoring forward. He should fit in nicely with Bryan Little eventually. He is still too small for the NHL right now, but his rookie season shouldn’t be too far off.

5. Brayden Schenn- Los Angeles Kings - Great fit, he will play with Dustin Brown and make the opposing defense’s life a living hell.

6. Oliver Ekman-Larrson - Phoenix Coyotes - I personally would have taken Jared Cowen in this spot, but Ekman-Larrson is a great puck mover.

7. Nazem Kadri - Toronto Maple Leafs - I was sure Burke was going with Cowen at this spot and at first I didn’t like this pick. However Kadri does have huge offensive potential, and plays with some tenacity, so he should be a good fit. He is a few years off.

8. Scott Glennie - Dallas Stars - Good, solid, offensive forward.

9. Jared Cowen - Ottawa Senators - Big, strong, horse of a defensemen fell from the top picks because of a knee injury, but he should be a great fit playing with Karlsson a few years down the line.

10. Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi - Edmonton Oilers - The second installment of Swedes with double last-names is a fast as lightning, but lacks a natural scoring touch.

11. Ryan Ellis - Nashville Predators - Phenomenal power play quarter back, fast skater, and a booming shot will be a great offensive defensemen. However don’t expect to see him for a good long time as he has a lot of growing to do.

12. Calvin De Haan - New York Islanders - My least favorite pick of the draft without question. The Islanders wasted picks they desperately need in order to move up to get a guy who likely would have been available at 26, where they were originally picking.

13. Zach Kassian - Buffalo Sabres - The meanest forward in the draft has a major edge to his game. He can also contribute offensively.

14. Dmitri Kulikov - Florida Panthers - He went a little later than most expected but all things considered that is not a huge surprise. He has all the tools to be a great offensive defensemen.

15. Peter Holland - Anaheim Ducks - He has decent offensive tools and respectable size to compliment that. He may end up being a solid 2nd line power forward.

16. Nick Leddy - Minnesota Wild - Smallish, fast moving defensemen. They would have loved to have Ellis, and once he left they traded down to get some extra picks and Leddy.

17. David Runblad - St. Louis Blues - St. Louis is building a very nice core of young defensemen. Runblad is another puck moving defensmen.

18. Louis Leblanc - Montreal Canadiens - Pressure is on, drafted by his home town team, with the draft in Montreal. He is a very competitive player, he has great vision and decent size.

19. Chris Kreider - New York Rangers - He has some good size, phenomenal speed, and is dangerous on the PK.

20. Jacob Josephson - New Jersey Devils - The Devils got a very good player in Josephson, he is a prototypical two way center. He isn’t a spectacular offensive producer, but he plays a great all around game. he is a steal at 20th in my opinion.

21. John Moore - Columbus Blue Jackets - John Moore is an offensive defensemen with explosive speed. He has gotten some comparisons to Mike Green, likely not as good, but you never know.

22. Jordan Schroeder - Vancouver Canucks - He was once seen as a definite top 10 selection. I would describe him as Patrick Kane with less skill, and more fiestiness.

23. Tim Erixson - Calgary Flames - Big, fast, defensemen who can play a number of roles.

24. Marcus Johansson - Washington Capitals - He is not spectacular, but could be a solid offensive producer who can play both end of the rink.

25. Jordan Caron - Boston Bruins - Very steady, dependable center who will not become a big offensive guy, but he will be a decent second line center if he develops.

26. Kyle Palmieri - Anaheim Ducks - I have heard some comparisons to Chris Drury, but that is probably a bit of a stretch. He is a very intelligent player, nothing spectacular about his game, just dependable.

27. Phillippe Paradis - Carolina Hurricane - He plays hard, shoots well and goes to the net. He has good size to compliment that.

28. Dylan Olsen - Chicago Blackhawks - Olsen may not have an easy time breaking into the Hawks defense as they have a plethora of good young defensemen. Olsen is just a big, all around defensemen.

29. Carter Ashton - Tampa Bay Lightning - He should be a nice second line center to Stamkos. He plays the typical power forward game.

30 Simon Despres - Pittsburgh Penguins - I was surprised he fell to 30th. A good team just got better as Despres is a defensive defensemen who will be a rock on the Penguins blueline.

By the end of the summer I will have my first draft for my 2010 mock draft.