THN Top 10 Mock Draft

I like Connolly at #7. But only if Gudbranson is off of the board.

Very little consensus among TSN, NHL CS, ISS, and THN after about 6, all 4 have a different 7. I don’t care at this point. What I find interesting is the lack consensus among the Oilers I’ve I talked, it’s pretty much 50/50, I would have thought Hall would be the guy they all want.

Another Finn, huh? Is it possible to have too much sisu?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

This site has the Canes drafting Connolly and Nino going number 6.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/

There are going to be a ton of mock drafts out there. We’ll see if we can somehow create a sheet combining the major ones and compare them as we get closer to the draft.

No wins without Fins! =D

Here’s an article on Austin Watson from the Boston Bruin perspective:

http://bruins2010draftwatch.blogspot.com/2010/03/austin-watson-guy-you-should-know.html

Bruins 2010 Draft Watch

Friday, March 12, 2010
Austin Watson: a guy you should know
The Bruins make no secret of their passion for big wingers with size and skill, so when you’re charting the possibilities of Boston picks in the 2010 draft, no list would be complete without the Peterborough Petes’ Austin Watson.

The 6-3, 180-pound forward is a Michigander who was traded from the Windsor Spitfires earlier this season for Buffalo Sabres’ 2009 first-rounder Zack Kassian just before breaking his ankle in the 2010 CHL Top Prospects Game in Windsor. The tough-luck injury, sustained while Watson was blocking a shot in an exhibition game in early January, was originally thought to keep him off the ice much longer than this, but Watson is back after five weeks, and the Petes have to be thrilled after losing the high-flying Ryan Spooner to a broken collarbone.

Watson is a decent skater with good hands and offensive ability, but has shown himself to be a well-rounded player in the OHL who can play effectively on special teams. A solid citizen, he is coachable and puts the team first. He got a rousing ovation from the Windsor faithful when he was introduced at the top prospects game, even though he was already a member of the rival Petes. Fans are usually a pretty good indicator of a player’s worth; when someone ceases to wear the colors and hooks on with someone else, it’s saying something when they embrace the former player like the Spitfires fans did for Watson.

He may not quite have the high-end, elite potential of other wingers in this draft, but he’s exactly the kind of player you could see the B’s snap up with Toronto’s second-round selection, and possibly even Boston’s first-round pick depending on where that one ends up.

He’s one of those guys who’s not as skilled as some, not as physical or tough as others, but just seems to bring “it” and has the look of someone who will end up being a much better pro than currently projected. And, his eight goals and 14 points in just 9 games with the Petes seem to indicate that Watson has the kind of scoring upside that’s worth taking a chance on.

Oh, and the intensity and high compete levels don’t hurt Watson’s cause one bit, either.
Posted by Kirk Luedeke at 4:26 PM

This article makes for interesting reading.

5. Brett Connolly, Left Wing, Prince George- WHL

Scouting Report: Another player who brings many dimensions. Connolly is a great skater with great strength. He battles it out for the puck, can bring his physical game to the ice at anytime and he’s a smart player who can consistently be found around the puck. Saddled with a lengthy injury, where Brett goes in this Draft remains a mystery depending on how he heals.

http://www.puckprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=417&mode=print&nocache=1271450830

Here is a draft site that has the Hurricanes picking Gormley. Connolly is show as being available. If Connolly is available at #7 and the Hurricanes don’t pick him, my cries of anguish will be heard from Raleigh to Los Angeles.

  This site shows Kabanov as pick #31. Ivan Telegin is shown as available when the Hurricanes pick in the second round, and Telegin is a player the Hurricanes ought to grab in the second round.

http://www.draftsite.com/nhl/index.php?page=1

Round 1
View Round: 2 • 3
1 Edmonton Edmonton Taylor Hall 11/14/1991 LW Windsor (OHL) 6’ 0" 180
2 Boston Boston Trade from Toronto Tyler Seguin 1/31/1992 RW Plymouth (OHL) 6’ 0" 170
3 Florida Florida Cam Fowler 12/5/1991 D Windsor (OHL) 6’ 2" 190
4 Columbus Columbus Erik Gudbranson 1/2/1992 D Kingston (OHL) 6’ 3" 195
5 NY Islanders NY Islanders Alexander Burmistrov 10/21/1991 C Barrie (OHL) 6’ 0" 170
6 Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Vladimir Tarasenko 12/13/1991 LW Novosibirsk (KHL) 6’ 0" 185
7 Carolina Carolina Brandon Gormley 2/18/1992 D Moncton (QMJHL) 6’ 1" 175
8 Atlanta Atlanta Mikael Granlund 2/26/1992 LW HIFK Helsinki (SM-liiga) 5’ 9" 160
9 Minnesota Minnesota Nino Niederreiter 9/8/1992 LW Portland (WHL) 6’ 0" 172
10 NY Rangers NY Rangers Brett Connolly 5/2/1992 RW Prince George (WHL) 6’ 1" 153
11 Dallas Dallas Mark Pysyk 1/11/1992 D Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) 6’ 0" 170
12 Anaheim Anaheim Derek Forbort 3/4/1992 D US-Under-18 (USAH-NTDP) 6’ 4.5" 198
13 Phoenix Phoenix Trade from Calgary Riley Sheahan 12/7/1991 LW Notre Dame 6’ 2" 195
14 St. Louis St. Louis Nick Bjugstad 7/17/1992 C Blaine High School (MN) 6’ 3" 190
15 Montreal Montreal Emerson Etem 6/16/1992 LW Medicine Hat (WHL) 5’ 11" 185
16 Anaheim Anaheim Trade from Philadelphia Ryan Johansen 7/31/1992 C Portland (WHL) 6’ 2" 194
17 Boston Boston John McFarland 4/1/1992 LW Sudbury (OHL) 6’ 0" 192
18 Ottawa Ottawa Jon Merrill 2/3/1992 D USNTDP (USHL) 6’ 4" 185
19 Colorado Colorado Tyler Pitlick 11/1/1991 C Minnesota State-Mankato 6’ 1" 190
20 Buffalo Buffalo Austin Watson 1/13/1992 RW Peterborough (OHL) 6’ 3" 171
21 Nashville Nashville Tyler Toffoli 4/24/1992 RW Ottawa 67’s (OHL) 6’ 0" 181
22 Los Angeles Los Angeles Dylan Mcilrath 4/20/1992 D Moose Jaw (WHL) 6’ 3" 210
23 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Ryan Martindale 10/27/1991 C Ottawa 67’s (OHL) 6’ 3" 190
24 Detroit Detroit Brock Nelson 10/15/1991 C Warroad High School (MN) 6’ 2.5" 205
25 Atlanta Atlanta Trade from New Jersey Kevin Hayes 5/8/1992 RW Noble & Greenough School (MA) 6’ 2" 201
26 Vancouver Vancouver Quinton Howden 1/21/1992 LW Moose Jaw (WHL) 6’ 2" 170
27 Phoenix Phoenix Stephen Johns 4/18/1992 D USNTDP (USHL) 6’ 4" 205
28 Chicago Chicago Stanislav Galiev 1/17/1992 RW Saint John (QMJHL) 6’ 1" 177
29 San Jose San Jose Charlie Coyle 3/2/1992 RW South Shore (EJHL) 6’ 1.5" 202
30 Washington Washington Alex Petrovic 3/3/1992 D Red Deer (WHL) 6’ 4" 180

This site is a compilation of mock draft sites.

http://thepuckdoctors.com/2009/08/2010-nhl-mock-draft-database/

I like how this mock draft thinks. It has the Hurricanes picking Connolly at #7.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/NHL-Mock-Draft/

Updated April 13th

1
Tyler Seguin
Ht/Wt:6.01/185 lbs
Position:C
Team: Plymouth (OHL)

2*
Taylor Hall
Ht/Wt:6.01/185 lbs
Position:LW
Team: Windsor (OHL)

3
Erik Gudbranson
Ht/Wt:6.03/195 lbs
Position:D
Team: Kingston (OHL)

4
Cam Fowler
Ht/Wt:6.02/195 lbs
Position:D
Team: Windsor (OHL)

5
Brandon Gormley
Ht/Wt:6.02/187 lbs
Position:D
Team: Moncton (QMJHL)

6
Nino Niederreiter
Ht/Wt:6.01/205 lbs
Position:LW
Team: Portland (WHL)

7
Brett Connolly
Ht/Wt:6.02/181 lbs
Position:LW
Team: Prince George (WHL)

8
Vladimir Tarasenko
Ht/Wt:5.11/200 lbs
Position:LW
Team: Sibir (KHL)

9
Alex Burmistrov
Ht/Wt:6.00/170 lbs
Position:C
Team: Barrie (OHL)

10
Derek Forbort
Ht/Wt:6.04/200 lbs
Position:D
Team: USA U-18 NTDP

11
Mikael Granlund
Ht/Wt:5.10/180 lbs
Position:LW
Team: HIFK (Fin)

12
Ryan Johansen
Ht/Wt:6.03/190 lbs
Position:C
Team: Portland (WHL)

13*
Mark Pysyk
Ht/Wt:6.01/180 lbs
Position:D
Team: Edmonton (WHL)

14
Nick Bjugstad
Ht/Wt:6.03/190 lbs
Position:W
Team: Blain (MN-HS)

15
Jeff Skinner
Ht/Wt:5.10/195 lbs
Position:C
Team: Kitchener (OHL)

16*
Emerson Etem
Ht/Wt:6.00/194 lbs
Position:C
Team: Medicine Hat (WHL)

17
Austin Watson
Ht/Wt:6.03/180 lbs
Position:RW
Team: Windsor (OHL)

18
Riley Sheahan
Ht/Wt:6.01/200 lbs
Position:C
Team: NDU (CCHA)

19
Jack Campbell
Ht/Wt:6.02/175 lbs
Position:G
Team: USA U-18 NTDP

20
Dylan McIlrath
Ht/Wt:6.05/215 lbs
Position:D
Team: Moose Jaw (WHL)

21
Tyler Pitlick
Ht/Wt:6.01/195 lbs
Position:C
Team: Minn. State (WCHA)

22
Tyler Toffoli
Ht/Wt:6.00/181 lbs
Position:RW
Team: Ottawa (OHL)

23
Stanislav Galiev
Ht/Wt:6.01/177 lbs
Position:RW
Team: Saint John (QMJHL)

24
Quinton Howden
Ht/Wt:6.02/170 lbs
Position:LW
Team: Moose Jaw (WHL)

25*
Jon Merrill
Ht/Wt:6.03/200 lbs
Position:D
Team: USA U-18 NTDP

26
Brock Nelson
Ht/Wt:6.02/205 lbs
Position:C
Team: Warroad (MN HS)

27
Kevin Hayes
Ht/Wt:6.02/175 lbs
Position:RW
Team: Nobles (Mass. HS)

28
Jarred Tinordi
Ht/Wt:6.05/205 lbs
Position:D
Team: USA U-18 NTDP

29
Jaden Schwartz
Ht/Wt:5.10/193 lbs
Position:C
Team: Tri City (USHL)

30
Charlie Coyle
Ht/Wt:6.02/202 lbs
Position:RW
Team: South Shore (EJHL)

2010 NHL Draft Notes

1. 2 – Boston receives Toronto’s 2010 1st and 2nd Round Picks, and a 2011 1st Round Pick for Phil Kessel
2. 13 – Phoenix Coyotes receive Calgary’s 2010 1st Round Pick, C Matthew Lombardi, and Brandon Prust from the Calgary Flames for Olli Jokinen and 2009 3rd Round Pick
3. 16 – Anaheim receives Philadelphia’s 2010 1st Round Pick, 2009 1st Round Pick, Luca Sbisa, Joffrey Lupul and a conditional 2010 or 2012 3rd Round Pick for Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle.
4. 25 – Atlanta Thrashers receive New Jersey 2010 1st round pick, Johnny Oduya, Nicklas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier for Ilya Kovalchuk and Anssi Samela. Teams are also swapping 2010 2nd round picks.

This article on Tarasenko lays out the risks inherent in taking him. The risks relate solely to the question of whether he will stick in the KHL rather than join and NHL team.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/381553-keep-an-eye-on-vladimir-tarasenko?search_query=2010%20NHL%20draft

2010 NHL Draft: Keep An Eye on Vladimir Tarasenko
Broadway Hockey Daily by
Broadway Hockey Daily
Contributor Written on April 20, 2010
SASKATOON, SK – JANUARY 4: Vladimir Tarasenko #10 of Team Russia skates with the puck during the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship Tournament Fifth Place game against Team Finland on January 4, 2010 at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images) Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

The Rangers have the 10th overall pick in the upcoming draft which is low enough to get a decent pick, but typically all of the really stand-out talent is already taken by then. Unfortunately this is what defines the Rangers lately, they have been drafting well, but have never been able to obtain the really elite talent.

However there is something that in the past the Rangers have been willing to do that ,while it’s a little risky, it would have worked out for them in the past if not for a freak accident. I’m talking about drafting a player who falls down the draft board because of signability issues.

The Rangers did it with Alexei Cherepanov a few years back. At the time Cherepanov was considered a talent worth of being drafted with the first few picks. The problem was that teams were weary of him being able to come to America because of a lack of transfer agreement between the United States and Russia. The Rangers picked him anyway and it would have really worked out for them had it not been for Cherepanov’s untimely death.

Now, according to Kirk Luedeke of The New England Hockey Journal , there is a similar case with the 18-year-old Russian-born Vladimir Tarasenko .

Luedeke wrote:

    “Now, if not for the ‘Russian factor’ Vladimir Tarasenko would give [Mikael] Granlund a run for the money, but the lack of a transfer agreement is a game-changer for a lot of NHL clubs. Some have gone so far as to completely remove Russian players from their draft lists. Tarasenko deserves to be No. 2 on the list, but he’ll go much lower because of concerns about his signability and some uneven performances/concerns about the compete level from him at times. A pure shooter who can score at will, the talent is something to behold. He’s very fast, elusive and has that killer instinct around the net. At 5-10 and under 180, he’s another one of those prototypical small guys who can really scoot and shoot and get things done on offense, but he’s going to fall victim to the Russia bias that has become a reality at the NHL draft. Some team will take him, but where it might have landed him in the top-five or seven as the No. 2 Euro, it will now likely happen outside of the top-15 or 20 if not lower.”

Thoughts : With the Rangers coming off a disappointing season, possibly even a pair of disappointing seasons depending on how you look at it, they may look to make a splash in the draft and Tarasenko might be right up their alley.

The biggest issue I’m seeing here though is that at 5′10″ and 165 lbs. Tarasenko is too similar to the recently signed Mats Zuccarello-Aasen in body type. Zuccarello-Aasen is slightly shorter and about the same weight and they are both right wingers with a lefty shot. Coming off this free agent signing the Rangers might not want to draft another player so similar in stature. The one reason why this might not matter though, the Rangers have almost no right wings in their system.

The bottom line is that it is almost impossible to completely predict the draft, but with the Rangers past history with taking risks on Russian players Tarasenko is somebody to keep an eye on.
Related Stories

    * April 17, 2010 — Toronto Star: Rangers sign Zuccarello-Aasen (1)

This article is also featured on Broadway Hockey Daily

This author has done the draft in reverse, starting with pick 30:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/359823-nhl-2010-mock-draft-30-21

http://www.bettingonhockey.net/2010-nhl-mock-draft-picks-20-11/

Still waiting for picks 1 through 10

http://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-2010-1st-round-mock-draft-playoffs-edition/

This link shows the Hurricanes taking Connolly as its first round pick.

Connolly over Granlund IMO….