How are the other top picks doing?

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

“@mirtle: Lightning send Jonathan Drouin back to junior.”

Brent Sutter and hockey Canada are happy about this

[PeteMoss]

Surprising... but if they want him at play centre perhaps they are hoping Halifax will play him there.

[ThePrince]

Bo Horvat also going back to junior, as per TSN.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=433043

[Henry Fool]

Dumba is close to making the Wild, which might be surprising to some. Goes to show what a difference a year makes.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by dammage79

You guys go ahead and believe what you want. Zero games or not, he's had the strongest preseason out of the 2013 class and theres no reason to believe otherwise at this point.

Chuck Kobasew.

[sureLoss]

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 10s VAN's Hunter Shinkaruk is headed back to Medicine Hat of the WHL.

[BurningSteel]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 10s VAN's Hunter Shinkaruk is headed back to Medicine Hat of the WHL.

Thank God!!! Now we dont have to hear how Feaster screwed up that pick and how much better he is than EP

[Vulcan]

Here's a list of 2013 draft picks and their status with their NHL team.

1.MacKinnnon - made the Avalanche
2. Barkov - looks like he's the third line centre for the Panthers
3. Drouin - back to Halifax
4. Seth Jones - being toted as rookie of the year
5.Lindholm - same situation as Monahan, on tryout for 9 games
6. Monahan - on tryout for 9 games but looks good
7. Darnell Nurse - returned to junior but was impressive
8. Ristolainen - playing with men has paid off and made the Sabres
9. Horvat - returned to junior
10. Nichushkin - also being toted as rookie of the year candidate
11. Morin - returned to junior by Philadelphia
12. Domi - returned to junior by Arizona
13. Morrissey - returned to PA by Winnipeg
14. Wennberg - playing in Sweden for Frolunda
15.Ryan Pulock - returned to Brandon to play with Roy
16. Zadorov - injured but still up with the Sabres
17. Lazar - returned to Edmonton
18. M. Mueller - returned by SanJose to Everett

as far as I know Rychel, Mantha, Gauthier, Poirier, Burakovsky, Shinkaruk, McCarron, Theodore, Dano, Klimchuk, Dickinson and Hartman have all been returned to the minors.

That means 7 2013 draft picks have made the opening night's roster with Zadorov still to be determined.

[squirtle]

Anthony Mantha has been in beast mode. 5 GP 8 Goals 14 Points. Friggen Red Wings

[Fire]

Originally Posted by squirtle

Anthony Mantha has been in beast mode. 5 GP 8 Goals 14 Points. Friggen Red Wings

Isn't he comparable to Brendl though?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

If it was, Jon Sim would be in the hall of fame. Having said that, Rookies make the team often based on preseason, so you can't totally discount it

I remember when that Finnish kid who the Flames had almost stolen from the Jets led the pre-season in scoring. Took him in the draft that year. 76 goals later...

[Stay Golden]

Ristolainen for BUF could be one to watch early.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Fire

Isn't he comparable to Brendl though?

Brendl's draft season was somewhere between Stamkos and Crosby, so I don't think they're comparable.

In Mantha's favour, every single CHL player who had a better goal-scoring draft campaign than he did, except Brendl, went on to be a very good NHL player.

http://www.coppernblue.com/2013/6/17...ha-comparables

Mantha appears to be the guy who slipped through the draft, further than he should have.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

Ristolainen for BUF could be one to watch early.

I recall the behind the scenes draft video where they were super worried that he'd get taken before their turn. Sounded like they had him higher than many other teams. Seems less strange now.

A little surprised by him myself.

Barkov has been on the second line throughout the preseason and the expectation is that he'll play in the top-6.

Really interested in Hertl's rookie season. Sounds like he'll get good offensive ice time. One of the rationalisations for the Jankowski pick was that it was supposed to be a marginal draft year so you can take the long shot. We'll see. Määttä is still in Pittsburgh. Chicago was crazy about Teräväinen when he was in NA a couple of weeks ago, even Scotty Bowman singled him out for praise and compared him to Larionov. Haven't looked at the other guys.

[Dienasty]

Originally Posted by SebC

Brendl's draft season was somewhere between Stamkos and Crosby, so I don't think they're comparable.

In Mantha's favour, every single CHL player who had a better goal-scoring draft campaign than he did, except Brendl, went on to be a very good NHL player.

http://www.coppernblue.com/2013/6/17...ha-comparables

Mantha appears to be the guy who slipped through the draft, further than he should have.

I think he meant he doesn't hustle, play in his own end, care about hockey. Not his point production.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I remember when that Finnish kid who the Flames had almost stolen from the Jets led the pre-season in scoring. Took him in the draft that year. 76 goals later...

And I recall the next year when another Finnish kid led the Jets in pre-season scoring, including 4 goals in his first game - his name was Hannu Jarvenpaa.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Dienasty

I think he meant he doesn't hustle, play in his own end, care about hockey. Not his point production.

Would you say a guy who hustles, plays in his own end, and cares about hockey is a Pavel Datsyuk comparable if he doesn't have the production?

[Textcritic]

This is probably as good as any a thread to occasionally bump (On a side note, how nice is it not to constantly see annoying remainders about the "Canadian teams" every time the Jets win a game? This was a real pet-peeve of mine the last two seasons, and I do hope that the thread is somehow permanently lost for the duration of this season)...

Anyhow.

· MacKinnon, Barkov, Jones (thanks, Tinordi) and Monahan all having excellent beginnings to their NHL careers.
· Anthony Mantha on an absolutely ridiculous 3 pt/game tear in the Q
· Flames prospects Poirer and Klimchuk leading their teams in scoring, with Poirier also just having received player-of-the week honours.

Here's an interesting note for some discussion: Since his return to the Mooseheads, #3 pick Jonathan Drouin has managed only 2 goals and 5 points in his first four games. Respectable for a first-rounder, but he was a top-pick in a deep draft, and touted by many to be the most skilled player in the whole lot. Perhaps a bit more disconcerting is that Drouin is not even in the League's top-one-hundred scorers to begin the season. Granted, he has played in only half the games, but there are 48 players that are playing at an equal or higher pts./game pace, and his team has dropped from dominant Mem-Cup champions to the middle of the pack in the QMJHL.

So, how much do Drouin's present struggles have to do with MacKinnon's absence? Perhaps more pertinently, how much did MacKinnon positively impact Drouin's draft position? Is he good for his top-three status, or was he overexposed and over-rated, thanks to his time spent with the best player in the class?

[Tinordi]

No mention of Seth Jones who's looking fit to bill?

He's played 25, 25 26, 21 minutes a game in the last four games.

[RyZ]

Nichishkin riding the pine as a healthy scratch for the stars tonight. He has 0 pts and 1 SOG for the stars through 4 games so far this season.