I had fun watching Ekblad(#5) in the Canada Sweden game at the Ivan Hlinka... if you need a hockey fix I suggest you watch too.
Lots of draft eligible players in the game. For example #20 for Sweden is Nylander. #25 for Canada is Roland McKeown who is considered by most to be the 2nd best defenseman available after Ekblad. Lots of the forwards for Canada are expected to go 1st round... Have fun.
By all reports, Ekblad has been amazing at the U18s.
I know GMs have become weary of drafting defencemen so high, but I'd be pretty upset if we passed on him for anyone but Reinhart.
I have been as loud as anyone about not drafting defensemen with lottery picks. But considering the Flames' prospect situation (with Monahan, Baertchi, Gaudreau and potentially Poirier and Klimchuk), I would have a hard time looking past Ekblad for anyone other than Reinhart.
It is early of course and things will change over the next 11 months. But a 6'3" >200 lb (at 17), good skating D-man with a right hand shot would look awful good added to our prospect pool.
Roland McKeown - the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection - headlines a tantalizing group of draft eligible prospects in Kingston. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defenseman is a highly gifted offensive talent with exceptional skating ability. After encountering an adjustment period with a youthful Frontenacs squad last year, McKeown quickly became one of the team's most trusted defensemen, logging heavy minutes as an OHL rookie. Finishing the year with 7 goals and 29 points, it would be unwise to expect nothing short of a significant bump in both departments this year. McKeown is coming off a solid showing with the Canadian U18 team as an underager and will have a great opportunity to start 2013-14 off with a bang as he should play an important role with the Canadian U18's at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
Last edited by sureLoss; 08-10-2013 at 08:08 AM.
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Feels like forever since the Flames drafted Swede... (yes I still suppress the memory of Tom).
RW/LW Anton Karlsson is 6'1'' and 203 lbs. He has leadership abilities... so much so the Swedish teams seem to keep coming back to him with letters.
C - IIHF U17 gold medal winning team in 2013
A - IIHF U18 in 2012
C - 4 nations tournament in 2013
and likely C of Sweden's U18 team this year
Future Considerations descirbes him as:
Quote:
Karlsson is a strong forward that is tough to handle at full speed. He has a good compete level, solid checking ability and the smarts to play both ends effectively. He's a strong playmaker given his vision, timing and soft hands but can finish, too. -See more at: http://futureconsiderations.ca/playe....iIftjGxo.dpuf
I have also read that people describe his game as "North American" style and he can get under his opponent's skin with some agitating ability. He is also described by some as a heavy hitter.
Unfortunately it is somewhat difficult to get highlights of junior players in Europe but this is what I was able to find:
Loubardis describing Karlsson (skip to the 1 min mark)
Highlights from the U17gold medal game (assist at 9:00, goal at 11:00, EN at 13:00)
Last edited by sureLoss; 08-13-2013 at 08:55 AM.
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did anyone listen to guest Kelly Freisen on the fan Monday who talked about the 2014 Draft class? I was hoping it would be "On Demand" part of the website but its not.
1. Sam Reinhart - Kootenay (WHL) Nov. 6/95 C R 6'1/186
2. Aaron Ekblad - Barrie (OHL) Feb. 7/96 D R 6'4/216
3. William Nylander - Rogle (SWE) May 1/96 LW R 5'11/169
4. Sam Bennett - Kingston (OHL) Jun. 20/96 C L 6'0/178
5. Kasperi Kapanen - Kalpa (FIN) Jul. 23/96 RW R 5'11/172
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'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
I haven't looked too deep into the defensmen besides Ekblad and McKeown but it feels like this year is pretty thin for dmen compared to the last 3 years. FCAV or Commandant care to comment?
I'll preface any comments by the fact that I personally don't see every player play (that's why I have a scouting staff), nor am I the scouting director in the organization (again, why I have people taking care of that for me), but something for your consideration.
In our final ranking for the 2013 NHL Draft, we had seven defensemen in the top-20, eight in the top-30 and 16 in the top-50.
In our preliminary ranking for the 2014 NHL Draft, we have four defensemen in the top-20, seven in the top-30 and 12 in the top-50.
There isn't much in the way of top-end defensemen (only two in our preliminary top-10), but there is plenty of time for depth to fill out.
Lane Bauer, who had been committed to Alaska-Fairbanks, has signed with the Edmonton Oil Kings:
Alaska-FairbanksAl
Alaska-Fairbankshas been signed by the Edmonton Oil Kings:
John Haydon of the Niagara IceDogs is out 4-6 weeks after breaking his ankle at a team golf outing. He was previously chosen to play in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American game:
John Haydon of the Niagara IceDogs is out 4-6 weeks after breaking his ankle at a team golf outing. He was previously chosen to play in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American game:
We've started rolling out some 2014 NHL Draft profiles in which scouts discuss prospects. Here's the one just released on Brayden Point:
Quote:
“Although he’s a small guy, Point uses his elite hockey sense and top-notch scoring skills to make himself an impact player,” Herasymiuk said. “Despite his size, Point goes to the tough areas and isn’t afraid to battle along the boards.”
and just to underscore how weak this draft is, McKenzie says there is some debate as to whether Ekblad will even be a #3 dman in the NHL and if Reinhart may max out as top 6 forward not a top 3
If this draft is so weak, maybe we should avoid the Cammy for 1st, Stempniak for 2nd, Stajan for 2nd trades this year?
We're losing at least 2, likely 3 of those players.
Just ask for more than you usually would. Burke is a good trader.
I think the returns will look something like this:
Cammalleri ($2M retained salary): 1st rounder from a good team like Ottawa
Stempniak: 2nd rounder from a good team like Pittsburgh
Stajan: 4th or 5th rounder from a bubble playoff team
I've really enjoyed tracking the top prospects from the last couple of years. This year should be interesting as Calgary is likely in line for a top ten pick.
Some highly ranked first rounders off to good starts:
-Center/winger Michael Dal Colle with 3g and 4a through 2.
-Defenseman Rolland McKeown has 4 points and is a plus six after two games.
-Winger Nikolay Goldobin with 3 points in his first game of the season.
-McDavid's old line-mate, Sam Bennett with 3 points in two games.
-Ivan Barbashev has 4 points through 3 games in the Q.
-Sam Reinhart had a goal in his first game of the year.
It would be nice to see a couple of surprises like Drouin emerge this year.
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“With his combination of size, smarts, and good offensive tools, Draisaitl will certainly be looked at long and hard by NHL teams this season,” Herasymiuk said. “It’s likely he is picked within the first 10 picks of the 2014 NHL Draft and even challenge Reinhart as the top WHLer in the draft.”
“He is really something special. He’s a player that can combine all the necessary offensive tools to be effective – and at such an early stage of his career, the sky is the limit,” said Future Considerations’ scout Patrik Hall. “His shot, vision, creativity and general puck skills makes his game in the attacking zone so lethal, he can hurt you in so many different ways. These will all be invaluable assets for him when he makes in pro league debut this fall for Rogle.”
