NHL Draft | eyeonthesens

Senators News: November 19th; Binghamton 4, Hamilton 2

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch asks himself five about the Sens (link): 1. Can the Senators remain a playoff contender?, 2. Is the sky the limit for Erik Karlsson?, 3. Is Craig Anderson rounding into form?, 4. Do the Senators need a second-line centre?, 5. What happens when Matt Carkner returns? Garrioch doesn’t answer his questions, but my views are: 1. No–at their current pace they will finish with 84 points (which would be 11th in the East last year), 2. Yes, 3. I don’t think Anderson could have played worse at the start of the season, so yes, I think he is rounding into form, 4. Until they’ve seen Peter Regin play a substantial number of games I don’t think they know, 5. Either David Rundblad gets sent to Binghamton (which I doubt unless it’s clearly temporary), they carry eight defenseman, or they trade a blueliner.

-In another article Garrioch gets comments from Murray and MacLean about the team’s performance thus far (link), with MacLean saying, “My expectations were, we were picked to be last, we earned that distinction somehow and I think, at this point in time, we are a little better than that. We’re still working to be better every day and we’ve gone through some adversity which has helped to make us stronger. We’ve had some success, some adversity and now we’re having success again. That’s kind of what we expected with the type of players we have. At this time, we’re really pleased to be where we are.” Murray adds, “Being above .500 after the first 20 games, especially after changing a number of the players, certainly I’m satisfied and I’m more satisfied because we had a streak at the beginning where we didn’t look like a very good team. The good thing is, history tells me that you should get a little better as you go forward. Young players will grow, get used to the league somewhat and be able to produce more consistently.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Wayne Scanlan gives the Sens rookies grades (link), without providing the specifics of what those grades are based on. Briefly: Jared Cowen A- (“Tough. Physical. Strong defensively. A player on track to be developed into a top-pairing, shutdown defenceman in the mould of a Zdeno Chara…. Cowen has just one goal and no assists, the points will come as the rookie becomes more comfortable in the league“), David Rundblad C- (“The Swedish rookie is adjusting to a completely different style of game and size of ice surface. …Rundblad’s game is predicated on skill and risk, and it will take time to do this at the NHL level. Rundblad has shown brilliant flashes and horrible giveaways“), Bobby Butler C (“He’s a shooter, right? Then shoot, Bobby, shoot! Fourteen shots in 11 games does not a sniper make“), Stephane Da Costa C+ (“The jury is out on Da Costa, a small, likeable centre with terrific vision“), Erik Condra B (“You could set your watch by this dependable checking winger“), Kaspars Daugavins B+ (“The [PK] unit has been vastly improved since Daugavins rejoined the team early this month”), Colin Greening A- (“none has had more opportunity than the man his teammates call the Cyborg: a spot on the first line alongside centre Jason Spezza…. Greening is minus-8, tied with Da Costa for the team worst“). My grades: Cowen is a B+ (save the A’s for rookies who dominate like Gabriel Landeskog), Rundblad is a B- (he’s not expected to be a defensive dynamo), Butler is a C- (yes he’s produced lately, but he was awful previously), Da Costa is a C (if Regin were healthy he’d be in Binghamton), I agree with Condra, Daugavins is a B (he was regularly a minus player until recently, unlike his linemates), and Greening is a B+.

-The Binghamton Senators snapped their losing streak last night and defeated Hamilton 4-2. Nikita Filatov and Mark Parrish each had 3-point games while PTO Riley Armstrong had a two-point night. For the box score go here link, for Joy Lindsay’s game summary go here link.

-Joy Lindsay’s post-game notes includes some interesting quotes from Kurt Kleinendorst (link), “He hasn’t been any kind of distraction, Nikita, for me. He’s taking the right approach. I can’t speak to what’s going on because I haven’t talked to Bryan, haven’t really discussed it with Nikita. But I’m not too concerned about it, because to me, his attitude has been very good, very productive. Tonight was a perfect example of that. When he wants to play, he’s a pretty special player.” And “He [Armstrong] had a big goal, but it’s more than that. He took key faceoffs, won key faceoffs. He’s been around, has hundreds of games in the American League. He’s a solid veteran player and brings a solid veteran presence, which is maybe something that we’ve been missing. He played an important role here for us. And all our younger guys played well, as well. That’s the good thing. We are all about development, and you develop better when you win. I thought Mark Parrish was awfully good. Mike McKenna was awfully good. And the list goes on. David Dziurzynski was awfully good. You can’t pin this win on any one player. It really was everyone.”

-The Elmira Jackals lost 5-3 last night; Louie Caporusso had two assists and Jack Downing scored his first professional goal

-ISS has released their updated top-30 prospects for the 2012 draft (for a look at the old list, go here link; I’ve listed their previous rank in brackets):
1. Grigorenko, Mikhail, RW 5/16/94 L 6.03.25 200 Québec QMJHL (2)
2. Yakupov, Nail, LW 10/6/93 L 5.10.5 189 Sarnia OHL (1)
3. Forsberg, Filip, RW 8/13/94 R 6.01 176 Leksands SweAl (4)
4. Murray, Ryan, LD 9/27/93 L 6.00.5 201 Everett WHL (3)
5. Dumba, Matt, RD 7/25/94 R 5.11.75 183 Red Deer WHL (6)
6. Trouba, Jacob, RD 2/26/94 R 6.02 196 USA Under-18 NTDP (7)
7. Koekkoek, Slater, LD 2/18/94 L 6.02 184 Peterborough OHL (10)
8. Aberg, Pontus, LW 9/23/93 R 5.11 187 Djurgarden SweE (19)
9. Gaunce, Brendan, C 3/25/94 L 6.02 215 Belleville OHL (8)
10. Rielly, Morgan, LD 3/9/94 L 5.11.5 190 Moose Jaw WHL (5)
11. Ceci, Cody, RD 12/21/93 R 6.02.5 207 Ottawa OHL (20)
12. Reinhart, Griffin, LD 1/24/94 L 6.03.75 207 Edmonton WHL (11)
13. Maatta, Olli, LD 8/22/94 L 6.01.5 202 London OHL (16)
14. Maidens, Jarrod, C 3/4/94 L 6.00.5 178 Owen Sound OHL (13)
15. Frk, Martin, RW 10/5/93 L 5.11.5 204 Halifax QMJHL (14)
16. Collberg, Sebastian, RW 2/23/94 R 5.11 174 Vastra SweJE (15)
17. Galchenyuk, Alexander, RW 2/12/94 L 6.00.5 198 Sarnia OHL (17)
18. Pouliot, Derrick, D 1/16/94 L 5.11.25 186 Portland WHL (22)
19. Kerdiles, Nicholas, C/L 1/11/94 L, 6.01.5 200 USA Under-18 NTDP (26)
20. Girgensons, Zemgus, F 1/5/94 L 6.01.25 201 Dubuque USHL (23)
21. Matheson, Mike, LD 2/27/94 L 6.01.25 180 Dubuque USHL (24)
22. Ebert, Nick, RD 5/11/94 R 5.11.25 205 Windsor OHL (9)
23. Athanasiou, Andreas, C 8/6/94 L 6.00 179 London OHL (18)
24. Sissons, Colton, C/R 11/5/93 L 6.01 189 Kelowna WHL (NR)
25. Slepyshev, Anton, LW 5/13/94 R 6.02 187 Novokuznetsk KHL (27)
26. Wilson, Thomas, RW, 3/29/94 R 6.03.5 203 Plymouth OHL (NR)
27. Curcuruto, Gianluca, LD 2/25/94 L 6.00.25 195 S.S. Marie OHL (28)
28. Skjei, Brady, LD 3/26/94 L 6.03 203 USA Under-18 NTDP (29)
29. Finn, Matthew, LD, 2/24/94 L 6.00.25 195 Guelph OHL (NR)
30. Thrower, Dalton, RD, 12/20/93 R 5.11.25 189 Saskatoon WHL (NR)
Falling out of the top-30: Marcantuoni, Matia (12), Schmaltz, Jordan (21), Laughton, Scott (25), and Samuelsson, Henrik (30)

November 19, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

Senators News: October 18th

-The lineups in practice yesterday (link), with Bobby Butler and Jesse Winchester still injured and Craig Anderson absent due to personal reasons:
Colin Greening-Jason Spezza-Mika Zibanejad
Milan Michalek-Stephane Da Costa-Daniel Alfredsson
Nick Foligno-Peter Regin-Chris Neil
Zack Smith-Zenon Konopka-Erik Condra
Chris Phillips-Brian Lee
Filip Kuba-Erik Karlsson
Jared Cowen-David Rundblad

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren looks at Ottawa’s young blueline (link). Jared Cowen talks about playing in the NHL, “If you try to do too much, well, you just can’t play that way. You’ve got to pace yourself. Things will come to you. For me, I’m used to playing a lot. I just got rolling. If you play a shift and you do something wrong, you’re still going to be going back out there. Against Washington, we could have won just as easily as we lost.” David Rundblad said, “It was pretty good for me to watch those games. Just to see how everything is and to learn about all situations. I played close to 21 minutes, I got my confidence.” Paul MacLean wraps things up with, “Evaluating them on a day-by-day basis is the only way to go and we expect the next one to be just as good. Consistency is what we’re looking for.”

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch looks at Sergei Gonchar‘s reaction to be booed (link). There’s not much new here, other than Paul MacLean saying, “To me, Sergei is a very accomplished player. He’s not a physical player, but he doesn’t need to be. The one thing we’ve talked to him about is making sure that he skates. As long as he’s skating and moving the puck, we like him.”

-ESPN and THN’s weekly power rankings are out (link and link), with Ottawa ranked 29th and 30th.

-ISS has released their updated top-30 prospects for the 2012 draft:
1. Yakupov, Nail, LW 10/6/93 L 5.10.5 189 Sarnia OHL
2. Grigorenko, Mikhail, RW 5/16/94 L 6.03.25 200 Québec QMJHL
3. Murray, Ryan, LD 9/27/93 L 6.00.5 201 Everett WHL
4. Forsberg, Filip, RW 8/13/94 R 6.01 176 Leksands SweAl
5. Rielly, Morgan, LD 3/9/94 L 5.11.5 190 Moose Jaw WHL
6. Dumba, Matt, RD 7/25/94 R 5.11.75 183 Red Deer WHL
7. Trouba, Jacob, RD 2/26/94 R 6.02 196 USA Under-18 NTDP
8. Gaunce, Brendan, C 3/25/94 L 6.02 215 Belleville OHL
9. Ebert, Nick, RD 5/11/94 R 5.11.25 205 Windsor OHL
10. Koekkoek, Slater, LD 2/18/94 L 6.02 184 Peterborough OHL
11. Reinhart, Griffin, LD 1/24/94 L 6.03.75 207 Edmonton WHL
12. Marcantuoni, Matia, C 2/22/94 R 5.11.75 194 Kitchener OHL
13. Maidens, Jarrod, C 3/4/94 L 6.00.5 178 Owen Sound OHL
14. Frk, Martin, RW 10/5/93 L 5.11.5 204 Halifax QMJHL
15. Collberg, Sebastian, RW 2/23/94 R 5.11 174 Vastra SweJE
16. Maatta, Olli, LD 8/22/94 L 6.01.5 202 London OHL
17. Galchenyuk, Alexander, RW 2/12/94 L 6.00.5 198 Sarnia OHL
18. Athanasiou, Andreas, C 8/6/94 L 6.00 179 London OHL
19. Aberg, Pontus, LW 9/23/93 R 5.11 187 Djurgarden SweE
20. Ceci, Cody, RD 12/21/93 R 6.02.5 207 Ottawa OHL
21. Schmaltz, Jordan, RD 10/8/93 R 6.02 175 Sioux City USHL
22. Pouliot, Derrick, D 1/16/94 L 5.11.25 186 Portland WHL
23. Girgensons, Zemgus, F 1/5/94 L 6.01.25 201 Dubuque USHL
24. Matheson, Mike, LD 2/27/94 L 6.01.25 180 Dubuque USHL
25. Laughton, Scott, C 5/30/94 L 6.00 177 Oshawa OHL
26. Kerdiles, Nicholas, C/L 1/11/94 L, 6.01.5 200 USA Under-18 NTDP
27. Slepyshev, Anton, LW 5/13/94 R 6.02 187 Novokuznetsk KHL
28. Curcuruto, Gianluca, LD 2/25/94 L 6.00.25 195 S.S. Marie OHL
29. Skjei, Brady, LD 3/26/94 L 6.03 203 USA Under-18 NTDP
30. Samuelsson, Henrik, C 2/7/94 R 6.02 204 Modo SweJE

October 18, 2011
Categories: NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Senators News: October 12th

–Chris Neil talks about what it’s like to play for Paul MacLean (link), “He’s a guy you want to play for. It’s been fun around here, he expects you to work hard and if you work hard he’s happy with you.” In the same potpourri Don Brennan article Stephane Da Costa says, “I think I’ve proven I can play at this level. Now I’ve got to prove I can do it consistently.”

–The Silver Seven‘s Mark Parisi wonders if fans should boo Sergei Gonchar (link) “when we consider that it’s in everyone’s best interests for his play to improve, and booing him in no way contributes to that improvement, we must also consider that when we jeer our own players in our own arena, we’re cutting off our nose to spite our face. From that point of view, it seems clear that when we boo Sergei Gonchar, we’re acting directly counter to our desires for him“; I agree with him that it’s not a great idea.

-Rob Brodie writes about to David Rundblad for the Sens website (link), who talked about what he learned while in the pressbox “You can see the whole rink. It’s a lot easier to watch every situation. These games are much faster compared to the games I played in the pre-season … everything is more intense and faster. So I’ve got to learn to play faster and move my feet more.”

-Joy Lindsay tweets (link) that Andre Petersson and David Dziurzynski are questionable for Friday’s game, while she believes Louie Caporusso, Max Gratchev, and Shaun Heshka will play this weekend.

-Both The Hockey News (link) and Sports Illustrated (link) have their NHL power rankings up (neither of which includes last night’s win), with the former listing Ottawa in the league’s basement (30th) and the latter putting Ottawa 27th (ahead of Winnipeg, Calgary, and Columbus).

–The Calgary Herald‘s Kristen Odland writes about Sens prospect Mark Stone (link), who talks about making Team Canada under Don Hay, “You hear what the coaches like, the type of players they like, the way they like to play. I’ve obviously heard a lot about him. Everybody’s got a lot of respect for him. He plays a hard game. And if you aren’t going to buy into his system, you probably aren’t going to be a good fit on his team. You learn stuff at the summer camp at the way he approaches the game and take it into your every day game.”

–The Record-Gazette‘s Jeff Blay writes about Sens prospect Darren Kramer (link), who was named captain of Spokane this season. He talks about his experience at Sens camp, “It was a great experience in Ottawa, but I’ve told a few people already that I couldn’t decide if it was a learning experience or a wake up call. You learn very quickly what it takes to play in the NHL, and it’s not easy, but it’s what I love to do and what I’ve worked for my entire life.” And, “The message was pretty clear when I was in camp in Ottawa that 47 fights was unacceptable. It’s what got me noticed and it was what I was willing to do to get to the next step, but now it’s time to develop my game.” The latter comment echoes my own thoughts since he was drafted (eg, link).

-The Elmira Jackals announced the release of five of their players (link), John Mori, J. P. Martignetti, Mike Sellitto, Corey Milan, and Larry Sterling. They also announced the signing of Donnie Harris to a contract (who was in camp on a tryout).

–Red Line Report‘s latest issue is out with an updated list of 2012’s top prospects (with the position changes noted):
1. Nail Yakupov (Sarnia, OHL)
2. Ryan Murray (Everett, WHL) (+1)
3. Filip Forsberg (Leksand, Sweden) (+2)
4. Nick Ebert (Windsor, OHL) (-2)
5. Henrik Samuelsson (US NTDP, USHL) (-1)
6. Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton, WHL)
7. Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia, OHL)
8. Zemgus Girgensons (Dubuque, USHL)
9. Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec, QMJHL)
10. Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw, WHL) (+1)
11. Olli Maatta (London, OHL) (-1)
12. Matt Dumba (Red Deer, WHL)
13. Sebastian Collberg (Frolunda, Sweden)
14. Jacob Trouba (US NTDP, USHL)
15. Pontus Aberg (Djurgarden, Sweden) (+4)
16. Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough, OHL)
17. Derrick Pouliot (Portland, WHL) (+1)
18. Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL) (-3)
19. Matia Marcantuoni (Kitchener, OHL) (+1)
20. Jordan Schmaltz (Sioux City, USHL) (-3)
21. Eric Locke (Barrie, OHL)
22. Calle Andersson (Malmo, Sweden)
23. Gianluca Curcuruto (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
24. Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67s, OHL)
25. Chandler Stephenson (Regina, WHL)
26. Brendan Gaunce (Belleville, OHL)
27. Teuvo Teravainen (Jokerit, Finland)
28. Troy Bourke (Prince George, WHL)
29. Damon Severson (Kelowna, WHL)
30. Jarrod Maidens (Owen Sound, OHL)
No one fell out of the top-30 this month, but here’s the movement among former top-30 players: Scott Laughton (#32, -1), Luca Ciampini (#39, +1), Ryan Olsen (#40, -4), and Patrik Machac (#53, -17)

October 12, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

Senators News: September 16

Sens training camp opened today with medicals. The news of interest:

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren writes about the expectations for the team (link). Alfredsson said, “The expectations are not as high as we’ve had previously, but I think we’ve got a real good group of guys that can play to a real high level. And who knows how far that’s going to take us? I think we’ll be exciting to watch and come February or March, I hope we’re in position to make a push for the playoffs. But most importantly, we hope to see progress.” Paul MacLean said, “I don’t know who they are [people predicting Ottawa will finish last], but that doesn’t really matter, either. All I want to do is to get better every day. Do things right. Do it right every day.”

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Don Brennan talked to Daniel Alfredsson about his health (link), who said “I don’t think anybody’s going to camp 100%. But I feel good, and obviously excited to start off. Training has been going good so far. I’m happy where I am. As you get older, that’s going to be tougher and tougher, but we’ll assess the situation, how I feel, as we go along. Starting off, I expect to play a lot.”

-The Elmira Jackels announced three more signings (link): Dominic D’Amour (3-88 2002 Tor, CHL 59-11-12-23), Michael Devin (NCAA 34-6-10-16), and Jordan Lane (CHL 61-3-0-3)

–Red Line Report‘s latest 2012 draft preview is out. Here’s their top-thirty (with the position changes noted):
1. Nail Yakupov (Sarnia, OHL)
2. Nick Ebert (Windsor, OHL)
3. Ryan Murray (Everett, WHL)
4. Henrik Samuelsson (US NTDP, USHL) (+1)
5. Filip Forsberg (Leksand, Sweden) (+6)
6. Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton, WHL) (-2)
7. Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia, OHL)
8. Zemgus Girgensons (Dubuque, USHL) (+1)
9. Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec, QMJHL) (-3)
10. Olli Maatta (London, OHL) (-2)
11. Morgan Rielly (Moose Jaw, WHL) (-1)
12. Matt Dumba (Red Deer, WHL)
13. Sebastian Collberg (Frolunda, Sweden) (+2)
14. Jacob Trouba (US NTDP, USHL) (-1)
15. Martin Frk (Halifax, QMJHL) (-1)
16. Slater Koekkoek (Peterborough, OHL) (+2)
17. Jordan Schmaltz (Sioux City, USHL) (-1)
18. Derrick Pouliot (Portland, WHL) (-1)
19. Pontus Aberg (Djurgarden, Sweden)
20. Matia Marcantuoni (Kitchener, OHL)
21. Eric Locke (Barrie, OHL) (+1)
22. Calle Andersson (Malmo, Sweden) (+11)
23. Gianluca Curcuruto (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) (-2)
24. Cody Ceci (Ottawa 67s, OHL) (+1)
25. Chandler Stephenson (Regina, WHL) (-2)
26. Brendan Gaunce (Belleville, OHL) (-2)
27. Teuvo Teravainen (Jokerit, Finland) (+1)
28. Troy Bourke (Prince George, WHL) (+3)
29. Damon Severson (Kelowna, WHL) (+3)
30. Jarrod Maidens (Owen Sound, OHL) (+7)
Falling out of the top-30: Scott Laughton (#31, -1), Ryan Olsen (#36, -9), Patrik Machac (#36, -7), and Luca Ciampini (#40, -13)

September 16, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

Senators Sign Mika Zibanejad

The Ottawa Senators have announced the signing of sixth-overall pick Mika Zibanejad (senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=569213). The Sens had until July 15th to get him signed or else have to pay 100k to his club team. This means Zibanejad can compete for a roster spot in training camp (if he fails to make the team he will be returned to Djurgarden to fulfill his contract with them for the 2011-12 season). According to Capgeek (http://www.capgeek.com/players/display.php?id=2090) Zibanejad has a cap hit of 1.775/yr.

July 13, 2011
Categories: NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Reviewing the Ottawa Senators’ 2011 NHL Entry Draft

[July 25th update: Red Line Report‘s draft analysis has come out and Ottawa was ranked as having the 3rd best draft (behind Edmonton and Florida). “The draft was all about their aggressive trade-ups to secure players they felt strongly about. Mika Zibanejad is the big power center they’ve lacked forever [apparently Mike Fisher was not]. For a team with no offence, Matt Puempel was a godsend at No. 24 as one of the best pure scorers in the draft. Nobody improved as much as Stefan Noesen over the course of the season. And Shane Prince is a first round talent stolen at the top of the 3rd round [they mean the end of the 2nd] – only available due to troubling late season shoulder and head injuries. In the later rounds, they also tapped the draft’s nastiest enforcer in Darren Kramer. That’s four of Red Line‘s top 36 ranked prospects, plus our best fighter.” They also list Shane Prince as the 14th best value pick [“Clear 1st round talent in our view. Did enough before the injuries that he shouldn’t have dropped this far, but small guys always have ot deal with durability concerns.” All in all, very positive sentiments, unlike their review of last year’s draft.]

With the draft in the books it’s time to take a look at how the Ottawa Senators did. Following the team’s usual pattern under Murray, they selected a Swede (two this year), over-age players (three), a player off-the-board (Fransoo), and made draft-day deals (trading picks #35 and #48 to Detroit for #24, then trading pick #66 for Nikita Filatov). They also illustrated how much their own player rankings varied from those published (for example, taking Noesen at #21, whose best ranking I could find was Bob McKenzie’s at #33). In total the team selected eight forwards and two defensemen.

The picks are outlined below, followed by scouting reports on each of them.

First Round
-selected Mika Zibanejad 6th overall
-selected Stefan Noesen 21st overall (Nashville’s pick, acquired in the Mike Fisher trade)
-traded two second round picks (their own at #35 and Chicago’s at #48, which was acquired in the Chris Campoli trade) to Detroit in order to select Matt Puempel 24th overall

Second Round (31 picks due to Montreal’s compensatory selection)
-35th overall pick traded to Detroit (Tomas Jurco)
-48th overall pick traded to Detroit (Xavier Ouellet)
-selected Shane Prince with the 61st overall pick which they acquired from Boston in the Chris Kelly trade

Third Round (29 picks due to New Jersey losing their’s for the voided Ilya Kovalchuk contract)
-traded their third round pick (#66) to Columbus for Nikita Filatov; Columbus selected T. J. Tynan

Fourth Round
-selected Jean-Gabriel Pageau 96th overall

Fifth Round
-selected Fredrik Claesson 126th overall

Sixth Round
-selected Darren Kramer 156th overall
-selected Max McCormick 171st overall (Anaheim’s pick acquired in the Jarkko Ruutu trade)

Seventh Round
-selected Jordan Fransoo 186th overall
-selected Ryan Dzingel 204th overall (Pittsburgh’s pick acquired in the Alex Kovalev trade)

The Players

Mika Zibanejad (C/RW, 6’2, DOB 1993, 26-5-4-9 SEL)
The second highest ranked European by Central Scouting, Zibanejad split the year playing for Djurgarden’s junior and men’s team. An assistant captain for Sweden’s under-18 team (where he tied Gustav Bjorklund for the team lead in points), he’s considered to be one of players in the draft closest to being NHL-ready (“Like Landeskog, he’s physically developed and capable of playing with men“, THN). Prior to the draft Zibanejad was brought with Ryan Strome (#5 to the Islanders) and Sean Couturier (#8 to Philadelphia) to workout with the team–there’s little reason to doubt the three were the competing options for Ottawa depending on who remained at the #6 slot. I don’t foresee the Sens rushing Zibanejad, so if he isn’t ready for the NHL he’ll be returned to Djurgarden. Otherwise, he’ll compete with either Peter Regin as the second-line pivot or Bobby Butler on right wing.
Two things to note in the scouting reports: ISS and RLR have the exact opposite opinion of his ability to receive difficult passes; RLR and FC have the opposite opinion of his speed. Regardless, all the comparisons are flattering and deserving of such a high pick.
The ISS Scouting Report (ranked #7): “A very intense player, Zibanejad has extremely explosive technical skills combined with great power and a determined work ethic. He applies tremendous physical pressure on the puck carrier in all zones and can really hammer opponents with his hitting ability. He displayed excellent awareness and intelligence away from the puck and is always calculating his next move. Zibanejad drives the net well and never has very much trouble penetrating the middle lanes off the rush with the puck. His hands and offensive timing could still stand to improve as he doesn’t always handle passes well and struggles to deal with bouncing pucks. NHL Potential: Two-way energy player who can fit a variety of roles including special teams and offensive situations. Style compares to: Jarome Iginla.” They list his strengths as his intensity, passion, desire, and net drives, while his weaknesses are his backhand pass reception and shot execution. They list his physical play and competitiveness as excellent and all his other skills as very good (besides size/strength which is merely “good”).
The Future Considerations assessment (ranked #10): “Strengths: A balanced wide leg skater who has a nice top speed that once he get it going is hard to stop or slow down. A power game and uses his strength and size to his advantage in both sides of the puck. Throws hits, has good energy and engages in battles all over the ice, usually coming out ahead. Hard to knock off the puck as he shields it with his reach and body
positioning. Sees the ice well and makes chances for himself and his teammates by driving the puck to the net or getting one of his heavy and accurate shots on net. Can handle the puck but is not really a quick stick puck dangler but instead utilizing more of the strong power moves and positioning. Plays with some compete and real desire to win. Defensively he has some room to grow but is aware most of the time and does backcheck effectively. Should be a real beast once he adds another twenty pounds of muscle. Weaknesses: Largest area that needs work in his game is his foot speed and overall quickness out of the gate. This is not considered something that will hold him back from getting to the next level but more of a small blemish to an overall impressive package and should be easily corrected. Could also use some added leg strength which will help his skating correct itself. Notes: Started off the year as a solid prospect in the books of most but it wasn’t until the month of December that he became a must see prospect. He has been compared to Mats Sundin by some in the scouting community. NHL POTENTIAL: First line offensive forward.”
Other rankings: Hockey Prospect’s #4, TSN #9, THN #11.

Stefan Noesen (RW, 6’0, DOB 1993, 68-34-43-77 OHL)
An off-the-board pick in the sense that his highest ranking was Bob Mckenzie’s at #33, the Sens were clearly thrilled to get him. Noesen’s production in Plymouth almost muliplied by 10 this season (scoring eight points in thirty-three games last year) and clearly the Sens believe the sky is the limit. He was tied with Robert Czarnik (LA 3rd rounder from 2008) for leading his team in scoring. There’s no reason to doubt that he will be returned to the OHL next season to continue developing.
The assessments below are all very similar, with the only variety being projections about his upside. THN quotes a scout “He’s very skilled, has great speed and makes plays at full speed” and then they add “Consistency is an issue“.
The ISS Scouting Report (ranked #49): “He kept elevating his game throughout the year to secure his promising ranking here at ISS for the upcoming NHL draft. Noesen is a big, physical center that plays a real hard-nosed style of game. He possesses a very good combination of physical tools; he skates well considering his size, displays soft hands and a real touch with the puck while using his size effectively. He seems to relish playing in traffic while showing a willingness to compete in all three zones. Noesen shows the odd flash of quickness and he is always moving his feet. A very unselfish player, he is aware of where his teammates are and makes good crisp passes. Excellent secondary scoring option that brings great energy to shifts. NHL Potential: Solid two-way forward can chip in offensively. Style compares to: Colin Wilson.” They list his strengths as playing hard in all three zones, being a competitor, and having a heavy shot; his weaknesses are foot speed and keeping his feet moving. Most of his assessments are listed as very good, with his puck skills, offensive/defensive play given a “good” and his skating “average”.
The Future Considerations assessment (ranked #45): “A hard working winger with some offensive ability. A good straight line skater who has some trouble with quick turns and his first couple steps. Nothing that will hinder him from developing but should improve with added strength and time. Is a tenacious forechecker who likes to lay the body and disrupt using physical play. Hard along the wall and drives to the net with
abandon. A very strong penalty killer who is not afraid to drop in front of shots and take a hit to make a simple clearing play. Has a good quick stick and a nice hard shot. Put up some good point totals as an opportunistic scorer this past season however his pro offensive upside is questionable as he lacks creativity and offensive instincts. NHL POTENTIAL: Third line checking forward.”
Other rankings: TSN #33, CS #35NA, HP #36, THN #39.

Matt Puempel (LW, 6’0, DOB 1993, 55-34-33-69 OHL)
Ranked between #15 (RLR) and #29 (ISS), Ottawa traded two picks to get Puempel, who was nearly selected at #21 instead of Noesen. A hip-injury hurt his season, but the former CHL rookie of the year easily lead Peterborough in scoring. Like Noesen, there’s no reason to expect that he won’t be returned to junior to continue his development.
The scouting reports below include two comparisons to Patrick Sharp (ISS and RLR) along with two admonishments that he needs to improve his effort level (RLR and FC), with THN saying “He’s not a great skater, but he has good feet and is a pretty hard worker“.
The ISS Scouting Report (ranked #29): “Puempel is a left handed skilled forward that possesses a great stick and shows a high end of ability to finish. His lofty ranking here at ISS may surprise some experts however. Pure goal scorers are a highly sought after
commodity come draft day, and Puempel may just be the best sniper in this draft. Has good speed with quick acceleration. He makes a lot of smart touches with the puck and makes pretty solid decisions. He is at his best in the offensive zone, especially below the top of the face off circles. He has tremendous offensive instincts and is tenacious in offensive situations. He had to have season ending hip surgery, causing him to miss the Under 18’s, however he is expected to make a full recover. NHL Potential: Pure goal scorer with a bright future ahead of him at the next level. Style compares to: Patrick Sharp.” They rate his shot as excellent, defensive and physical play average, competitiveness and size/strength good, and everything else very good.
The Future Considerations assessment (ranked #16): “Strengths: A goal scorer who puts up good offensive numbers. When on his game, is a force on the ice not only offensively but also with a little agitation to the opposition. Skates well with a healthy amount of speed and an extra gear that comes out when he has the puck on his stick and smells blood in the offensive zone. Shows good creativity with the puck and instinctive offensive anticipation. Possesses goal scorers hands that delivers a heavy snap shots and an accurate wrist shot with lightning quick release. Finds the sweet spots on the ice to get open for a scoring opportunity and has a willingness to go to the net looking for rebound opportunities. When he is on his game he is a threat to score every time he is on the ice. Weaknesses: Consistency is something he will need to improve if he plans on becoming a productive pro hockey player. You never knew what you were going to see in Peterborough or if you would see him at all as he went through stretches of invisibility. Needs to round out his game and work on the defensive aspect as well as his board work to really up his overall effectiveness from shift to shift. Showed that a goal scorer is not much use to a team if he is not scoring goals and that is the rut he fell into a couple times this past season. Notes: His season was an up and down roller coaster ride as he started the year with a bad back while playing at the Ivan Hlinka U18 Championship before coming on mid-season in the OHL and then missing the final month with a bone chip on his hip which ultimately required surgery to repair. He is not excepted to have any long term negative effects from his injury. NHL POTENTIAL: Top six goal scoring forward.”
Other rankings: THN #21, HP #23, TSN #27, CS #28NA.

Shane Prince (C/LW, 5’10, DOB 1992, 59-25-63-88 OHL)
The final selection of the second round, Prince becomes only the third Ottawa 67 selected by the Senators (after 2009’s Corey Cowick and 2003’s Will Colbert). An undersized, skilled forward, Prince will return to the 67s for another year of development.
The scouting community cited below is divided along the lines of whether Prince benefitted from his linemates or vice versa (ISS and RLR); he’s viewed as a boom or bust selection. THN cites two scouts with varying opinions, one emphasizing his results and the other saying “I’m not sure how much substance there is“.
The ISS Scouting Report (ranked #72): “Prince hasn’t enjoyed a lot of the same hype that fellow OHLer Ryan Strome has even while eclipsing him in the scoring column for part of the season. The reason for this is that scouts believe Princes stronger supporting cast is amplifying his skill set and that without this he doesn’t project as well. Ranked much higher at CSS, however ISS scouts have not been impressed by Prince’s production away from his star teammate Tyler Toffoli. Prince is the big risk/reward!” All his skills are listed as very good except his size/strength which is “average”.
The Future Considerations assessment (ranked #39): “A small but highly skilled playmaker who likes the puck on his stick. He skates real well with both impressive top speed and a nice quick jump to his first couple steps. Has soft hands that enable him to dance around the offensive zone with the puck looking for an opportunity. Excellent vision and timing on his passes. Can not only set-up a play but also shows some nice goal scoring ability as well. Does not have the ideal size and can get crunched pretty good by bigger bodies. Can play a solid defensive responsible game when needed but not always willing, preferring to stay on the attack. If game gets chippy, Prince has the tendency to become invisible and a non-factor. One heck of a good Junior player but pro upside and how his game translates to the next level is the real question. NHL POTENTIAL: Top six playmaking forward.”
Other rankings: CS #26NA, TSN #43, THN #52, HP #69.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (RW, 5’8, DOB 1992, 67-32-47-79 QMJHL)
A small forward from the Gatineau Olympiques who lead his team in scoring and impressed Senators brass with his strong playoff performance (24-13-16-29). His rankings were all over the place (from #61 by Hockey Prospect’s to #176 by RLR). None of the scouting material I read had a detailed report on Pageau, but RLR offers this, “Another midget with 2^ndround skills, but no size“, and THN “Hardworking and very talented, size is an obvious handicap“. He’ll return to junior to continue his development. Other rankings: THN #93, ISS #102, CS #116NA, #159 FC.

Fredrik Claesson (DL, 6’0, DOB 1992, 35-2-0-2 SEL)
Ranked as the #27 European skater by Central Scouting, Claesson spent most of the year playing with Zibanejad‘s Djurgarden’s SEL squad (he also played with Sens draft pick Marcus Sorensen, who will play with Skelleftea next year). He was the youngest blueliner to dress for the team. Last year he won a silver medal at the under-18 WJC. The organisation has compared him to Anton Volchenkov, which is high praise indeed, but he’ll return to Sweden for at least another year. Other rankings: ISS #112 and FC #172.

Darren Kramer (CL, 6’1 DOB 1991, 68-7-7-14 WHL)
A rough and tumble player who was passed over in the 2010 draft. Krammer made the jump from the AJHL to the WHL and turned into a glue-guy for Spokane (Jared Cowen‘s team; also coached by former Binghamton bench boss Don Nachbaur, who loves him–see the Silver Seven link below). According to Hockey Fights he dropped the gloves 47 times this past season, so the focus in his development will be less on toughness and more about rounding out his game. He’ll be returned for his final junior year. Only RLR had him ranked coming into the draft (#242), calling him the best fighter available.
http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/15705
http://www.silversevensens.com/2011/6/25/2243902/senators-select-darren-kramer-156th-overall

Max McCormick (LW, 5’11, DOB 1992, 55-21-21-42 USHL)
Ranked #161 CSNA (but nowhere else), McCormick is on his way to Ohio State of the NCAA after his first and only USHL season. He was named an all-star while leading his team in penalty minutes. Last year he won Wisconsin’s Mr. Hockey award after posting huge numbers for Notre Dame. A long term project, McCormick is a hard working energy forward who can fight. He’s expected to spend the full four years in college under the tutelage of coach Mark Osiecki.

Jordan Fransoo (DR, 6’2, DOB 1993, 63-6-12-18 WHL)
Not listed anywhere that I could find, Fransoo graduated from the SMHL to join Mark Stone on the Brandon Wheat Kings. Fransoo is viewed as a very raw defenceman that will develop slowly (the Silver Seven say he’s expected to be a physical blueliner). He’ll spend the next two seasons with Brandon.
http://www.silversevensens.com/2011/6/25/2243947/ottawa-senators-take-d-jordan-fransoo-at-186-overall

Ryan Dzingel (CL, 6’0, DOB 1992, 54-23-44-67 USHL)
Eligible for last year’s draft, the Sens selected the Lincoln Stars leading scorer as a long term project. He’ll join Max McCormick at Ohio State where it’s expected he’ll spend the full four years developing. The hope is that he’ll turn into a high skill, top end player.

June 26, 2011
Categories: NHL Draft, Ottawa Draft, Ottawa Senators, Ottawa trades . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 7 Comments

Reviewing the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

[No one has been waiting for an update to this data, but I wanted to incorporate ISS’ into the analysis. While the scouting organisation does not rank skaters and goalies together, that information is presented in a way that I can be reasonably incorporate it. In essence, all I’ve done is include the number of goalies per round within the framework and adjusted the skaters accordingly–this gives ISS 220 kicks at the can, but that’s a minor statistical advantage.]

Going into this year’s draft the consensus was that beyond the top-10 there was little difference between the next 40 or so players and that after that, the draft would be something of a crapshoot (each team having its own ideas on the calibre of particular players). Without a doubt, the conventional wisdom was spot on. Collective predictions held up fairly well over the first two rounds, but after the third round prognostication crashed and burned.

The Comparison:

First Two Rounds (all sources)
Myself – 47/61
TSN – 43/61
FC – 40/61
HP – 38/61
RLR – 36/61
THN/ISS – 33/61

First Three Rounds (minus TSN because Bob McKenzie’s list is only the top-60)
Myself – 56/90
FC – 47/90
HP – 46/90
RLR – 45/90
ISS – 41/90
THN – 38/90

All Rounds (this excludes TSN and THN)
Myself – 68/210 (32%)
RLR – 58/210 (27%)
FC – 57/210 (27%)
ISS – 56/220 (25%)
HP – 49/210 (23%)

Listed players taken (not necessarily in order, but those listed to be selected in the draft)
Myself – 147/210 (70%)
ISS – 132/220 (60%)
HP – 100/210 (47%)
RLR – 93/210 (44%)
FC – 93/210 (44%)
Overage players selected: 29
Unranked players taken: 10 [Alexander Ruutu (2-51), Tom Nilsson (4-100), Emil Molin (4-105), Yaroslav Kosov (5-124), Nick Seeler (5-131), Sam Jardine (6-169), Mitchell Theoret (7-185), Jordan Fransoo (7-186), Anton Forsberg (7-188), and Michael Schumacher (7-200)]

The numbers are well below last year (with 72% accuracy and 87% of those listed), but still ahead of the sources used. One trend I noticed with selections in terms of source-assessments: European skaters were both underrated and the least accurately rated. The most surprising player not drafted was Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall (Myles Bell had better overall rankings, but with his legal troubles it’s not a surprise that he was not selected).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

June 25, 2011
Categories: NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 10 Comments

Looking Back on Round One of the 2011 NHL Draft

The first round is in the books and it featured a barrage of trades along with the 30 players selected. Here I’ll take a quick look to see how I (and my sources) did in predicting tonight’s results.

Precise predictions (player X going at #X) are almost impossible. Last year Bob McKenzie of TSN lead the way with 6/30 (I was one behind him). This year has produced very similar results:

4/30 – myself, TSN (Bob McKenzie), and FC (Future Considerations)
3/30 – RLR (Red Line Report) and HP (Hockey Prospect)
2/30 – ISS (International Scouting Service)
1/30 – THN (The Hockey News)

The more important thing to look at is how many players selected to be drafted in the first round actually were. Last year I edged out TSN by one (26/30), but this year there’s a three-way tie for accuracy:

25/30 – myself, TSN, and FC
24/30 – RLR
23/30 – HP
22/30 – ISS
21/30 – THN

Of the truly off-the-board selections, no one had Stefan Noesen (21st, Ottawa) or Phillip Danault (26th, Chicago) as potential first rounders. Rickard Rakell (30th, Anaheim), and Stuart Percy (25th, Toronto) were only selected by one source as first round selections while Conner Murphy (20th, Phoenix) appeared in only two.

The highest ranked players who were not selected are 5’6 Rocco Grimaldi, Brandon Saad (whose production tailed off in the second half), Ty Rattie, and Tomas Jurco.

The first round is the easiest to predict (although our friends at THN continue to struggle), so tomorrow the test will be tougher. Last year I managed 126/180 (70%) and I hope to improve on that this time around.

June 25, 2011
Categories: NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Analysis and Predictions for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

With the advent of the NHL salary cap after the 2004-05 lockout, it became paramount for all organisations to invest in their scouting operations and draft well. Teams could no longer buy their way out of trouble or plug holes with expensive free agent talent. Draft prediction has become a cottage industry for many hockey fans, but the wide variety is not created equal and few of those who provide their opinions will reflect on their subsequent accuracy. It’s my purpose here to collate the best sources and provide insight into who will be selected in this year’s upcoming NHL entry draft.

Last year I wrote a series of articles for the now defunct Hockey Herald in preparation for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Using a variety of sources for comparative analysis, I was 26 for 30 in the first round (86%) and 152/210 (72%) for the entire draft (as detailed in “Assessing Draft Prognostication”). What follows is a continuation of the same analysis.

My method is to take the sum of reliable sources and produce an aggregate number. This gives me a broad overview of where players will be slotted. I then engage in further comparative analysis—for instance, if player X has a higher aggregate score, but player Y is consistently ranked higher (ie, the higher median score), the latter is given the higher position. Precise predictions (player X at pick #29) are almost impossible. Last year the closest any of my sources came to exact positioning in the first round was TSN’s Bob McKenzie (6/30, or 20%)—there are simply too many variables to get that specific. Instead, my aim is to assess which players will be selected in which round.

Determining my Sources of Data

While a wide variety of media and bloggers produce draft predictions (especially for the first round), not all are created equal. My preference is the scouting community itself and those sources that they rely on. For that purpose, The International Scouting Service (ISS), Kyle Woodlief’s Red Line Report (RLR), and Central Scouting (CS) are particularly weighty. Central Scouting is the NHL’s scouting service, while ISS and RLR are independent scouting services used extensively within the NHL. Another source, new to me, is Mark Edwards’ Hockey Prospect, which is also an independent scouting source whose audience is the public.

I always give TSN’s Bob McKenzie predictions a lot of weight. His rankings serve as an excellent barometer for draft results.

Rounding out my sources are The Hockey News (THN) and hockey magazine Future Considerations (FC). They provide extensive predictions and are put together by knowledgeable hockey people. One of the reasons I use these final sources is because of inherent comparative problems with CS and ISS. Central Scouting does not create a master list—players are divided into North American and European skaters, as well as being separated into goalie and skater categories. This makes comparison virtually impossible, as there is no way to compare the #7 North American with the #7 European. ISS is more inclusive, but also separates goalies into their own set of rankings. Because of these drawbacks, loading up with additional data provides perspective.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there is a difference between assessing who the best player is versus who a team will draft. Some publications give weight to the latter, while my sources do not.

Notes

Acronyms: ISS (International Scouting Service), CS (Central Scouting), RLR (Red Line Report), HP (Hockey Prospect), TSN (The Sports Network), THN (The Hockey News), and FC (Future Considerations).

Ranking depth: CS 392 (212 skaters and 30 goalies in North America along with 140 skaters and 10 goalies in Europe), RLR 312 (311 are listed, but there are two #246’s), ISS 220 (200 skaters and 20 goaltenders), HP 210, FC 200, THN 100, and TSN 60.

The analysis itself: the aggregate is the total score of the player divided by the number of sources ranking that player (this score does not include the CS ranking given the issues detailed above). When I say a player beats another “head-to-head” I mean that when the scores are lined up against each other one has better overall rankings than the other even if the aggregate score goes the other way.

First Round

1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (1.00) – the consensus #1 selection, appearing as such in every source
2. Adam Larsson (2.50)
3. Jonathan Huberdeau (3.33) – a near dead heat with Landeskog, but edges him out
4. Gabriel Landeskog (3.83)
5. Sean Couturier (5.17) – solidly in the #5 slot
6. Dougie Hamilton (9.00) – his score hurt by his HP ranking (21), he easily beats everyone else otherwise
7. Ryan Murphy (7.17) – just ahead of Strome in almost every source
8. Ryan Strome (7.67)
9. Mika Zibanejad (9.17) – a lot of variety in his placement, but he easily beats out those below him
10. Nathan Beaulieu (13.00) – the last player with multiple top-ten selections
11. Duncan Siemens (15.00) – hurt by his low (24) ranking from RLR, but otherwise beats his competition
12. Mark Scheifele (20.00) – hurt by THN’s ranking (41)
13. Mark McNeill (15.67)
14. Sven Bartschi (16.67) – a wide variety of opinion about him (8-27)
15. Joel Armia (17.00)
16. Oscar Klefbom (19.67) – has a higher threshold than Oleksiak and Brodin
17. Jamie Oleksiak (18.50) – hurt by his low (28) ranking from RLR
18. Jonas Brodin (18.83)
19. Brandon Saad (21.33)
20. Matt Puempel (21.83) – beats Biggs head-to-head
21. Tyler Biggs (22.83)
22. Rocco Grimaldi (22.17) – there’s a strong diversity of opinion about him
23. Nicklas Jensen (23.33)
24. Ty Rattie (24.83) – hurt by my magazine sources (FC and THN rank him at 33)
25. J. T. Miller (28.00) – a higher threshold than Morrow
26. Joe Morrow (27.17)
27. Alex Khokhlachev (28.67) – beats Phillips head-to-head
28. Zack Phillips (28.17) – his score boosted by THN (9)
29. Vladislav Namestnikov (29.67)
30. Tomas Jurco (31.50) – the last player with four first round selections

Honourable mention:
Boone Jenner (29.33) – boosted by his HP (12) ranking
David Musil (33.33) – not highly considered by HP (58) , but beats out John Gibson head-to-head
John Gibson (30.80) – the last player with three first round selections

Also receiving first round rankings:
Dmitrij Jaskin (32.50) – beats Mayfield head-to-head
Scott Mayfield (31.33) – his score boosted by HP (14)
Connor Murphy (37.67) – two first round rankings
Brett Ritchie (42.00) – a wide variety of opinion (25-59), but two first round selections
Rickard Rakell (39.20) – one first round ranking (THN)
Victor Rask (41.83) – one first round ranking (ISS)
Mario Lucia (43.67) – one first round ranking (THN)
Stuart Percy (47.17) – mostly slotted as a mid-second rounder, HP likes him (19)
Christopher Gibson (50.00) – one first round ranking (THN)
Ryan Sproul (53.40) – boosted by HP (28)

Second Round

Note: Montreal receives a compensatory pick in this round (for being unable to sign 2006 first round pick David Fischer), making it 31 picks long.

31. B. Jenner (29.33) – boosted by his HP (12) ranking
32. D. Musil (33.33) – not highly considered by HP (58), but beats out John Gibson
33. John Gibson (30.80) – the last player with three first round selections
34. D. Jaskin (32.50) – beats Mayfield head-to-head
35. S. Mayfield (31.33) – his score boosted by HP (14)
36. C. Murphy (37.67)
37. B. Ritchie (42.00) – a wide variety of opinion (25-59), but he’s the last player with two first round selections
38. R. Rakell (39.20) – one first round ranking (THN)
39. S. Noesen (39.67)
40. V. Rask (41.83) – a dead heat with Catenacci, but he does have one first round ranking (ISS)
41. D. Catenacci (41.83)
42. M. Lucia (43.67) – a dead heat with Clendening, but he has one first round ranking (THN)
43. A. Clendening (46.67)
44. P. Danault (46.83)
45. S. Percy (47.17) – mostly slotted as a mid-second rounder, HP likes him (19)
46. C. Gibson (50.00) – beats Nieto head-to-head and has one first round selection (THN)
47. M. Nieto (49.00)
48. L. Lessio (50.00)
49. S. Prince (51.00) – a wide variety of opinion on Prince (31-72), who could slip to the third round
50. R. Sproul (53.40) – boosted by HP (28), despite differing opinions he’s the last player receiving a first round selection
51. N. Shore (52.40)
52. C. Jacobs (53.60)
53. S. Ambroz (55.40)
54. G. Hofmann (56.50) – his score suffers from ISS’ low opinion of him (85)
55. J. Edmundson (57.80) – suffers from RLR’s low opinion (86)
56. V. Trochek (59.00) – has four placements in the second round versus St. Croix’s two
57. M. St. Croix (56.60)
58. X. Ouellet (67.83) – his score is thrown by RLR’s rating (112)
59. S. Perhonen (59.20) – widely divergent opinions on the Finnish netminder (42-88)
60. M. Salomaki (69.50) – easily wins head-to-head comparisons with those who follow
61. R. Russo (63.20) – his three second round selections push him ahead of higher aggregate scores Ewanyk and Lowry

Honourable mention (players with three second round selections):
N. Kucherov (70.17)
D. Honzik (74.50)
J. Binnington (81.75)

Third Round

Notes: New Jersey loses its third round pick due to the Ilya Kovalchuk deal, making the round 29 picks long. Three of Bob McKenzie’s final four top-60 selections remain in this round (the first three listed).

62. N. Kucherov (70.17) – wins the head-to-head battle with the other triple-selected second rounders
63. D. Honzik (74.50) – hurt by his FC ranking (134)
64. J. Binnington (81.75) – three second round selections
65. R. Boucher (65.60) – edges out Ewanyk and Lowry head-to-head
66. T. Ewanyk (60.25)
67. A. Lowry (63.00)
68. J. Labate (69.75)
69. T. Rieder (70.20)
70. A. Quine (72.60)
71. T. Wotherspoon (73.40)
72. M. Mersch (74.00)
73. R. Scarlett (76.80) – beats Hudon head-to-head
74. P. Hudon (76.80)
75. K. Kessy (79.80) – beats Bengtsson head-to-head
76. R. Bengtsson (77.40)
77. J. Nermark (80.80) – beats Noebels head-to-head
78. M. Noebels (80.75)
79. N. Cousins (73.00) – his score boosted by HP’s ranking (33)
80. M. Bell (93.00) – his score is thrown by ISS’ ranking (195)
81. M. Paliotta (85.20) – beats Pedan head-to-head
82. A. Pedan (85.00)
83. S. Harrington (87.80)
84. P. Koudys (88.25) – not ranked by RLR
85. M. McKee (89.00) – scores all over the place (40-158)
86. M. Friberg (116.80) – low scores from RLR (178) and HP (195) throw his numbers
87. J. Boyce-Rotevall (101.00) – his RLR ranking (168) throws his score
88. A. Brassard (93.00) – beats Lowe head-to-head
89. K. Lowe (93.00)
90. M. Shalunov (108.80) – a wide variety of opinion (81-176)

Honourable Mention:
M. Granlund (98.20) – the only remaining player with three third (or lower) selections
M. Hellberg (81.50) – hurt by his fourth round ISS assessment

Fourth Round

91. M. Granlund (98.20) – the only remaining player with three third (or lower) selections
92. M. Hellberg (81.50) – hurt by his fourth round ISS assessment
93. Z. Arzamastsev (97.80) – hurt by his FC ranking (146), he beats McColgan head-to-head
94. S. McColgan (97.00)
95. L. Shaw (92.00) – his score benefits from HP’s high assessment (62)
96. W. Karlsson (103.00) – hurt by his RLR ranking (151)
97. M. Tvrdon (103.67) – hurt by his ISS score (156)
98. S. Fogarty (74.50) – only ranked by two sources (RLR and FC)
99. Z. Larraza (101.00) – hurt by FC’s ranking (153)
100. O. Archambault (111.40) – heavily disliked by RLR (212)
101. D. Pribyl (96.50) – only ranked by two sources (RLR and FC)
102. Z. Yuen (103.75)
103. A. Fritsch (127.20) – hurt by his RLR ranking (220)
104. J. Cramarossa (106.25)
105. P. Placek (102.50) – only ranked by two sources (RLR and ISS)
106. M. Everson (107.75) – beats Leivo head-to-head
107. J. Leivo (106.67)
108. M. Machovsky (108.50)
109. D. Simpson (113.00) – beats those with better scores head-to-head
110. A. Zlobin (112.33) – beats Sullivan head-to-head
111. C. Sullivan (113.50) – beats Killian head-to-head
112. M. Killian (110.67) – boosted by his FC ranking (78)
113. J. Sefton (117.00) – huge variety of opinion, with two ranking him in the third round (ISS and THN) and two in the fifth (FC) or sixth round (RLR)
114. V. Arvidsson (131.00) – hurt by his FC ranking (171)
115. F. Simonelli (114.67)
116. J. Pageau (118.20) – a wide variety of opinion on him (61-176)
117. R. Tesink (117.50) – hurt by his RLR ranking (156)
118. J. Sundstrom (124.00) – either a third round pick (ISS and THN) or a sixth (FC) or seventh (RLR)
119. S. Kuraly (132.50) – the final player with two third round selections (ISS and HP), he suffers from his RLR ranking (264)
120. T. Vance (100.00) – only ranked by two of my aggregate sources (RLR and FC), but drops because of CS’ low rating (149NA)

Honourable Mention:
V. Berglind (117.50) – enjoys a high CS ranking (22E)
A. Marchenko (117.33) – slips behind Berglind because of his lower CS ranking (25E)
A. Reid (127.00) – suffers from his FC ranking (179)
J. Vesey (115.50) – only ranked by two aggregate sources (RLR and RC), but has a low CS rating (150 CSNA)
B. Serville (142.20) – suffers from his RLR ranking (252), he is the last on Bob McKenzie’s top-60 list

Fifth Round

121. V. Berglind (117.50) – enjoys a high CS ranking (22E)
122. A. Marchenko (117.33) – slips behind Berglind because of his lower CS ranking (25E)
123. A. Reid (127.00) – suffers from his FC ranking (179)
124. J. Vesey (115.50) – ranked by two aggregate sources (RLR and RC), he has a poor CS rating (150 CSNA)
125. B. Serville (142.20) – suffers from his RLR ranking (252), he is the last on Bob McKenzie’s top-60 list
126. N. Nesterov (120.00) – beats his competition head-to-head
127. G. Meurs (119.25) – beats Kichton and Franko head-to-head
128. B. Kichton (118.67)
129. C. St. Clair (138.00) – a wide variety of opinion, with some seeing him as a third rounder (ISS and THN) and others seeing him as a sixth (RLR and FC) or seventh (HP) rounder
130. Z. Franko (119.00)
131. B. Benson (126.25)
132. J. Racine (137.50) – another player with a wide variety of rankings, with ISS and HP placing him in the third round, but FC has him in the sixth and RLR the seventh
133. D. Broll (135.20) – hurt by his HP ranking (196)
134. K. Johansson (130.50) – very highly regarded by CS (15E)
135. M. McNeely (128.67) – hurt by his RLR ranking (164)
136. M. Curtis (129.67) – hurt by his HP ranking (162)
137. M. Mahalak (134.00) – a wide variety of opinion on him (94-182)
138. D. Straight (134.25) – beats Griffith head-to-head
139. S. Griffith (130.00)
140. K. Dahlbeck (136.50) – enjoys a high CS ranking (23E)
141. L. Lockhart (138.25) – a great diversity of opinion on him, with two third-round selections (ISS and HP)
142. H. Ruopp (122.50) – only ranked by two sources (ISS and HP)
143. S. Salminen (123.00) – only ranked by two sources (RLR and ISS)
144. E. Wittchow (130.00) – only two sources, RLR is very high on him (80)
145. R. O’Gara (135.00) – only two sources, RLR is very high on him (73)
146. J. Forsberg (139.60) – beats Smith head-to-head
147. C. Smith (139.00)
148. F. Claesson (142.00) – highly ranked by CS (27E)
149. M. Le Sieur (149.33) – hurt by his RLR ranking (221)
150. A. Sergeev (147.00) – the last player appearing in five sources

Honourable Mention:
M. Morrison (159.00) – a wide variety of opinion on him, with ISS and FC seeing him as a second-rounder, but RLR and HP in the sixth
K. Komarek (147.33) – hurt by his RLR ranking (185)
A. Ruuttu (106.00) – highly regarded by CS (16E), but only ranked by ISS
J. Dirk (101.00) – only ranked by RLR
M. Peca (130.00) – only ranked by two sources

Sixth Round

151. M. Morrison (159.00) – a wide variety of rankings, with ISS and FC seeing him as a second-rounder, but RLR and HP in the sixth
152. K. Komarek (147.33) – hurt by his RLR ranking (185)
153. A. Ruuttu (106.00) – highly regarded by CS (16E), but only ranked by ISS
154. J. Dirk (101.00) – only ranked by RLR
155. M. Peca (130.00) – only ranked by two sources
156. A. Yarullin (153.75) – diverse rankings, but he is the last player with two third-round rankings (ISS and THN)
157. M. Reilly (142.75) – one of the last players with a third-round ranking (FC), he beats Galansky head-to-head
158. T. Galansky (141.00)
159. A. Welinski (149.00) – suffers from a poor RLR ranking (229)
160. G. Cloutier (159.50) – the last player with a third-round ranking (THN)
161. S. Soberg (143.00)
162. P. Ceresnak (154.33) – hurt by his RLR ranking (188)
163. M. Backman (164.00) – hurt by his RLR ranking (219)
164. A. Czarnik (143.50)
165. S. Dyk (144.00)
166. L. Froberg (144.00) – highly regarded by CS (13E)
167. J. F. Leblanc (144.00)
168. B. Pietila (146.75) – beats Veilleux via his higher CS ranking (105NA)
169. Y. Veilleux (146.75)
170. S. Grist (149.00)
171. A. Wuthrich (149.67) – beats Houser head-to-head
172. M. Houser (147.00)
173. J. Jokipakka (152.50) – highly regarded by CS (38E)
174. M. Elliot (156.00) – hurt by his FC ranking (196)
175. D. Willick (156.33) – beats Dietz head-to-head
176. D. Dietz (153.00) – beats Trutmann head-to head
177. D. Trutmann (152.00)
178. B. Andrews (160.00) – hurt by his RLR ranking (208)
179. C. Wyszomirski (160.33) – hurt by his HP ranking (202)
180. G. Bjorklund (164.00) – hurt by his FC ranking (194)

Honourable Mention:
T. J. Tynan (155.67) – highly regarded by RLR (102)
C. Duininck (160.50) – hurt by his RLR ranking (192)
M. Topping (159.00)
T. Boyd (160.00)

Seventh Round

Note: at this point all of TSN and THN’s selections are gone. I give increasing importance to the higher end ISS, RLR, and CS sources (along with multiple selections).

181. T. J. Tynan (155.67) – highly regarded by RLR (102)
182. C. Duininck (160.50) – hurt by his RLR ranking (192)
183. M. Topping (159.00)
184. T. Boyd (160.00)
185. B. Goodrow (161.00)
186. H. Auvinen (165.67) – hurt by his RLR ranking (184)
187. T. Hyka (161.50) – hurt by his RLR ranking (196)
188. T. Fiddler (160.50)
189. C. Suellentrop (162.00)
190. L. Liston (167.00) – beats Williams head-to-head
191. J. Williams (165.00)
192. J. Mustonen (167.50) – hurt by his RLR ranking (203)
193. K. Cutting (168.00) – highly regarded by CS (87NA)
194. M. Gernat (165.00)
195. P. Noren (168.50) – highly regarded by CS (45E)
196. S. Noreau (167.50)
197. S. Michalek (175.00) – hurt by his RLR ranking (211)
198. A. Blomqvist (182.33) – hurt by his RLR ranking (272)
199. D. Wruck (177.75) – highly regarded by CS (99NA)
200. A. Camara (178.00) – opinions about him are divided, with ISS seeing him as a fifth rounder
201. B. Thomson (169.00)
202. J. Pavelka (212.00) – hurt by his RLR ranking (274)
203. D. Kukan (227.00) – highly regarded by CS (36E)
204. S. Windle (204.00)
205. G. Bourret (206.00) – the last player on all five remaining lists
206. S. Oke (183.67) – highly regarded by CS (44NA)
207. D. Donnelly (175.33) – little regarded by ISS (199)
208. K. Rau (183.67) – highly regarded by FC (138)
209. L. Sedlak (191.00) – a solid ranking from CS (57E)
210. L. Brossoit (195.00) – seen as a fourth-rounder by ISS

Honourable Mention:
P. Netterberg (98.00) – RLR is a fan, but he is otherwise unranked (CS gives him a 123E)
E. Palenga (114.00) – RLR is a fan, but he is otherwise unranked
S. Guerra (134.00) – an ISS pick (CS gives him a 41E)
S. Shmelev (152.00) – CS is a fan (28E), but ISS is the only other source that ranks him
L. Hultstrom (158.00) – an RLR pick (CS gives him a 78E)
D. DeMelo (169.00) – highly regarded by HP (114)
N. Lieuwen (170.33) – HP see’s him as a fourth rounder (117)
T. Pavelka (184.50) – a decent ranking by ISS (160), he’s otherwise little regarded
A. Pettersson (185.00) – ranked highly by CS (29E), but ISS is the only other source that ranks him
J. Gaudreau (185.00) – not enough rankings or a high enough threshold to make it in
M. Pereira (190.00) – a fifth-rounder in HP eyes (128)
H. Liedes (194.50) – ranked highly by ISS (128), he’s otherwise little regarded
B. Conz (196.00) – the fourth ranked European goalie from CS
A. Bertaggia (198.00) – ranked highly by CS (30E), but RLR is the only other source that ranks him
J. Nielsen (198.50) – highly regarded by ISS (104)

June 22, 2011
Categories: NHL Draft, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 5 Comments

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