Mitch
06-22-2013, 05:02 PM
We knew coming into this draft, with originally 12 draft picks, this was a chance for our team to acquire some very good players in a deep draft and replenish our assets. We ended up trading a late 4th and three 5ths having felt comfortable with 8 picks, and most of the players that we had wanted were taken at that point.
So without further ado...
16th overall - Curtis Lazar
http://i44.tinypic.com/ek2lif.jpg
With Lazar I know I am getting a player. He's solid physically, has excellent work ethic and is one of the best players in the draft defensively. That's the type of player you win games with. There's some question whether or not his offensive potential is up to par with other players selected mid round but I definitely think it's there. He has good speed and above average hands, and a very good shot. He has all the skills to be a top 2 line center. I think he bottoms out as a very good 3rd line center and could break into the NHL within the next 2 years. I think that's good value for a mid 1st round draft pick.
17th overall - Valentin Zykov
http://i40.tinypic.com/2v2id1f.jpg
After drafting a very safe pick we decided to go with a potential home-run pick. Zykov possesses high end skills and has shown his ability to make quick decisions in tight spaces which in my opinion is very important at the NHL level. He also possesses a good shot as evident by his 40 goals in the QMJHL this year. He also has an element of physicality that allows him to drive to the net and lay big bodychecks. Like Lazar, he is a hard worker that backchecks. If he can work on his skating I think he can become a potential steal. He has the potential to become a 1st line right wing, he can also just as easily become a bust.
34th overall - Mike McCarron
http://i43.tinypic.com/mj8rp4.jpg
At 6'5 McCarron is another physical forward that plays a simplistic game for our team. He might not have the potential to be a home run pick like other players but he will definitely fill a role for our team as 2nd-3rd line right wing that can stand in front of a net, chip in physically, intimidate the other team but also bring some offense as well.
60th overall - Brett Pesce
http://i40.tinypic.com/35laosl.jpg
Pesce was a guy we targeted before the draft. We debated taking him with pick 34. Yes, he is one of the older players in the draft. However very rarely do you see a draft eligible player that has already played a full year in Hockey East, better yet given quality minutes too. He has yet to grow into his 6'3 frame, has great hockey sense and is very poised in the defensive end of the ice. He's a player I can rely on in every situation during a game.
71st overall - Nick Baptiste
http://i44.tinypic.com/15ofkle.jpg
Another right wing, Baptiste is a guy with good size, great speed, good worth ethic and a great 2-way game. He has improved his game greatly in this past year. He was voted the most underrated player in the Eastern Conference in the OHL. He has a bunch of the intangibles I look for in a player, which is why I drafted him.
74th overall - Will Butcher
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ebv8nn.jpg
A defenseman with great offensive instincts, good hockey sense and great skating ability. He is a definite boom-bust type of prospect, but with the amount of "safe picks" I have made I think this one is well worth it.
94th pick - Viktor Crus Rydberg
http://i42.tinypic.com/r9rjvb.jpg
Rydberg is a little small, at 5'11. He possesses great work ethic and covers his defensive assignments. However that's not what makes him a very intriguing prospect. He has good hands, good offensive instincts and makes good plays in tight while making quality passes. He also has an above average skating ability to boot. Another player I feel has boom/bust potential which is something I'll tend to go for in later rounds.
95th pick - Anthony Louis
http://i44.tinypic.com/9jzm1e.jpg
Louis is ... small. 5'6 small. And I'll admit, I don't know much about him. But when I heard comparisons to John Gaudreau I felt I had to draft him right away. He has put up big numbers the past 2 seasons in the USNTDP. He has high end pucks skills, very good creativity, fantastic vision and good speed. What really also stood out to me was when I read "He is also a tough player who will initiate contact, fight it out in board battles, and backcheck hard." (http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1540). To have that top end skill, and give that kind of work ethic sold me. Boom/bust pick for sure, and history says he is most likely a bust, but it is well worth the risk of only a 4th.
So without further ado...
16th overall - Curtis Lazar
http://i44.tinypic.com/ek2lif.jpg
With Lazar I know I am getting a player. He's solid physically, has excellent work ethic and is one of the best players in the draft defensively. That's the type of player you win games with. There's some question whether or not his offensive potential is up to par with other players selected mid round but I definitely think it's there. He has good speed and above average hands, and a very good shot. He has all the skills to be a top 2 line center. I think he bottoms out as a very good 3rd line center and could break into the NHL within the next 2 years. I think that's good value for a mid 1st round draft pick.
17th overall - Valentin Zykov
http://i40.tinypic.com/2v2id1f.jpg
After drafting a very safe pick we decided to go with a potential home-run pick. Zykov possesses high end skills and has shown his ability to make quick decisions in tight spaces which in my opinion is very important at the NHL level. He also possesses a good shot as evident by his 40 goals in the QMJHL this year. He also has an element of physicality that allows him to drive to the net and lay big bodychecks. Like Lazar, he is a hard worker that backchecks. If he can work on his skating I think he can become a potential steal. He has the potential to become a 1st line right wing, he can also just as easily become a bust.
34th overall - Mike McCarron
http://i43.tinypic.com/mj8rp4.jpg
At 6'5 McCarron is another physical forward that plays a simplistic game for our team. He might not have the potential to be a home run pick like other players but he will definitely fill a role for our team as 2nd-3rd line right wing that can stand in front of a net, chip in physically, intimidate the other team but also bring some offense as well.
60th overall - Brett Pesce
http://i40.tinypic.com/35laosl.jpg
Pesce was a guy we targeted before the draft. We debated taking him with pick 34. Yes, he is one of the older players in the draft. However very rarely do you see a draft eligible player that has already played a full year in Hockey East, better yet given quality minutes too. He has yet to grow into his 6'3 frame, has great hockey sense and is very poised in the defensive end of the ice. He's a player I can rely on in every situation during a game.
71st overall - Nick Baptiste
http://i44.tinypic.com/15ofkle.jpg
Another right wing, Baptiste is a guy with good size, great speed, good worth ethic and a great 2-way game. He has improved his game greatly in this past year. He was voted the most underrated player in the Eastern Conference in the OHL. He has a bunch of the intangibles I look for in a player, which is why I drafted him.
74th overall - Will Butcher
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ebv8nn.jpg
A defenseman with great offensive instincts, good hockey sense and great skating ability. He is a definite boom-bust type of prospect, but with the amount of "safe picks" I have made I think this one is well worth it.
94th pick - Viktor Crus Rydberg
http://i42.tinypic.com/r9rjvb.jpg
Rydberg is a little small, at 5'11. He possesses great work ethic and covers his defensive assignments. However that's not what makes him a very intriguing prospect. He has good hands, good offensive instincts and makes good plays in tight while making quality passes. He also has an above average skating ability to boot. Another player I feel has boom/bust potential which is something I'll tend to go for in later rounds.
95th pick - Anthony Louis
http://i44.tinypic.com/9jzm1e.jpg
Louis is ... small. 5'6 small. And I'll admit, I don't know much about him. But when I heard comparisons to John Gaudreau I felt I had to draft him right away. He has put up big numbers the past 2 seasons in the USNTDP. He has high end pucks skills, very good creativity, fantastic vision and good speed. What really also stood out to me was when I read "He is also a tough player who will initiate contact, fight it out in board battles, and backcheck hard." (http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1540). To have that top end skill, and give that kind of work ethic sold me. Boom/bust pick for sure, and history says he is most likely a bust, but it is well worth the risk of only a 4th.