Prospects
With the 13th Selection in the SB Nation Mock Draft, Die by the Blade Selects...
by D.O.
on Jun 20, 2009 6:00 AM EDT
in Prospects
7 comments
The hockey wings of the SB Nation Megaverse are running a mock draft. Three picks are being made a day, with the master list running through James Mirtle's From the Rink. He'll update the list each day with the next picks and links to each blog's rationale. Today, it's our turn.
When I was informed that SB Nation was going to have a mock draft I was excited. I wanted to be prepared so I quickly started to research the potential picks and I quickly fell in love with one player in particular. Before I give you our pick I will remind you of the 12 players that have already been selected.
| # | Team | Pick | Blogger's notes | More analysis: |
| 1 | N.Y. Islanders | John Tavares, London (OHL) | The sexy pick, the consensus pick, the right pick. He's what this team and franchise needs most. Get ready for "Islanders goal scored by #91..." because they're coming in bunches. | Lighthouse Hockey |
| 2 | Tampa Bay | Victor Hedman, Modo (Swe) | A boy playing among men in the Swedish Elite League (and thriving) the past two seasons, Hedman starts immediately on the TB blueline and can contribute at both ends of the ice. | Raw Charge |
| 3 | Colorado | Matt Duchene, Brampton (OHL) | No big surprise here; we’ll take whichever of the big 3 is available and immediately offer them a position as GM & coach. | Mile High Hockey |
| 4 | Atlanta | Evander Kane, Vancouver (WHL) | Named after Atlanta boxing legend Evander Holyfield, Kane adds some scoring punch to Atlanta's top six — perhaps as early as this fall. | Bird Watchers Anonymous |
| 5 | Los Angeles | Braydon Schenn, Brandon (WHL) | Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson is the popular pick here, seeing as how the Kings need a left winger badly, but I'm counting on Dean Lombardi's love of grit and distaste for Swedes to influence his decision here. Plus, I really wanted to upset Toronto fans. |
Battle of California |
| 6 | Phoenix | Jared Cowen, Spokane (WHL) |
The Coyotes are deep on forward prospects and badly need young defensemen. Cowen is a beast who could play in the NHL very soon if his recently repaired knee doesn't hamper him. | Five For Howling |
| 7 | Toronto | Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson, Timra IK (Swe) |
Most of Canada already hates him, so he'll fit in just fine. Plus he provides the high-end Swedish forward that the Leafs have been missing since last April. | Pension Plan Puppets |
| 8 | Dallas | Oliver Ekman-Larssen, Leksand IF (Swe-2) |
Dallas is fortunate to not only draft the best player available but also pick a defenseman that fills a glaring need in the Stars' system. |
Defending Big D |
| 9 | Ottawa | Nazem Kadri, London (OHL) |
With Ottawa's recent emphasis on drafting skilled defencemen, Kadri gives the Senators a good skilled forward to fill out the team's development systems — maybe even one of those ever-elusive top-six forwards. | Silver Seven |
| 10 | Edmonton | Ryan Ellis, Windsor (OHL) | No 17-year old defensemen has ever led the OHL in assists — not even Bobby Orr. That is, no one has done it until Ryan Ellis did this year. The only thing keeping him out of the top three is his height. | Copper & Blue |
| 11 | Nashville | Jordan Schroeder, University of Minnesota (NCAA) |
He may be short in stature, but he's long on talent and strength. Just as he played alongside Colin Wilson at the World Juniors, he projects to be the next top Predators prospect to come out of collegiate hockey. | On The Forecheck |
| 12 | Minnesota | Zach Budish, Edina Minnesota (USHS) |
After missing last season for the Hornets with a torn ACL from his football playing days, Budish has added size and strength during his rehab. Now at 6'3" and 229 pounds, Budish is the type of power forward the Wild have always lacked. | Hockey Wilderness |
To see the pick revealed just follow the jump.
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Chris Kreider: 2009 Draft Profile
by D.O.
on Jun 19, 2009 9:00 AM EDT
in Prospects
2 comments
In preparation for the NHL Draft on June 26, Die by the Blade will profile potential Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks. This feature will run daily with one or two players profiled each day.
Chris Kreider
Center
Andover (U.S. High School)
6'-2" 201 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Boxford, MA
Date of Birth: April 30, 1991
Stats: 26 GP, 33 G, 23 A, 56 PTS
Scouting Report
The Good - Kreider is an amazing offensive player that projects as a power forward with scoring ability in the NHL. He is a smooth skater with amazing speed or a kid his size. He has extremely soft hands and great vision. He is a threat to score or set up a goal every time he touches the puck.
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Jacob Josefson: 2009 Draft Profile
by D.O.
on Jun 18, 2009 5:00 PM EDT
in Prospects
1 comment
In preparation for the NHL Draft on June 26, Die by the Blade will profile potential Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks. This feature will run daily with one or two players profiled each day.
Jacob Josefson
Center
Djurgarden (Swedish Elite League)
6'-0" 190 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
Date of Birth: March 2, 1991
Stats: 50 GP, 5 G, 11A, 16 PTS
Scouting Report
The Good - Josefson is not a real big player but he plays a tough physical game when he needs to. He is best known as a two-way player that has talent at both ends of the rink.
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Peter Holland: 2009 Draft Profile
by D.O.
on Jun 18, 2009 10:00 AM EDT
in Prospects
1 comment
In preparation for the NHL Draft on June 26, Die by the Blade will profile potential Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks. This feature will run daily with one or two players profiled each day.
Peter Holland
Center
Guelph (Ontario Hockey League)
6'-2" 195 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Caledon, ON
Date of Birth: January 14, 1991
Stats: 68 GP, 28 G, 39 A, 67 PTS
Scouting Report
The Good - Holland has the size and skill to become a power forward in the NHL at some point. He skates well and has great athleticism for a player his size. He is able to battle along the boards because he uses his size very well.
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Zack Kassian: 2009 Draft Profile
by D.O.
on Jun 17, 2009 5:00 PM EDT
in Prospects
1 comment
In preparation for the NHL Draft on June 26, Die by the Blade will profile potential Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks. This feature will run daily with one or two players profiled each day.
Zack Kassian
Right Wing
Peterborough (Ontario Hockey League)
6' 3" 210 lbs.
Shoots: Right
Hometown: Lasalle, ON
Date of Birth: January 24, 1991
Stats: 61 GP, 24 G, 39 A, 63 PTS
Scouting Report
The Good - Look no further than his profile on NHL.com to find out what type of player he is. His favorite website is dropyourgloves.com, favorite book is Hockey Tough and his pump up song is "Thunderstruck" by ACDC. It doesn't get much tougher than that.
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Ryan Ellis: 2009 NHL Draft Profile
by D.O.
on Jun 17, 2009 12:27 PM EDT
in Prospects
0 comments
In preparation for the NHL Draft on June 26, Die by the Blade will profile potential Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks. This feature will run daily with one or two players profiled each day.
Ryan Ellis
Defense
Windsor (Ontario Hockey League)
5'9" 173 lbs.
Shoots: Right
Hometown: Freelton, ON
Date of Birth: January 3, 1991
Stats: 57 GP, 22 G, 67 A, 89 PTS
Scouting Report
The Good - Ellis is an amazing offensive talent on the blue line. He is a great skater with outstanding speed. His skating ability has been compared to Brian Campbell but his offensive upside seems even better.
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John Moore: 2009 Draft Profile
by D.O.
on Jun 16, 2009 11:43 AM EDT
in Prospects
1 comment
In preparation for the NHL Draft on June 26, Die by the Blade will profile potential Buffalo Sabres Draft Picks. This feature will run daily with one or two players profiled each day.
John Moore
Defense
Chicago (USHL)
6' 2" 189 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Hometown: Winnetka, IL
Date of Birth: November 19, 1990
Stats: 57 GP, 14 G, 25 A, 39 PTS
Scouting Report
The Good - Moore is a world class skater that is agile both with and without the puck. His acceleration is unrivaled by any potential draft picks. He uses his speed to create offensive opportunities and is great in transition. He has a huge advantage over slower opponents.
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A Special Welcome
by D.O.
on Mar 16, 2009 11:00 PM EDT
in Prospects
1 comment
If there is one thing that is missing from Die by the Blade it is propsects talk. I've tried in the past to keep you informed on the Sabres prospects but could never devote the time to both the big club and the prospects that are scattered throughout the world.
The lack of prospects coverage is about to end now. I am happy to announce that Bakes the Prospect Guru from SabresProspects.com will become a contributor to Die by the Blade. Bakes will continue to run SabresProspects.com but will have at least one post a week here at Die by the Blade.
It's still a work in progress so bear with us while put together the details. As of now it looks like Bakes will do a three stars of the week among the Sabres prospects but we will tinker with it as necessary. If you have any ideas as to what you would like to know from Bakes, feel free to comment on this post or send me an e-mail directly.
Bakes will continue to the great work he does at SabresProspects.com to keep us informed on a daily basis what is going on with the young guys.
There is only one change to the site becasue of this new development. We have changed the Top 20 Prospects to the SabresProspects.com Top 25. Bakes is the guru so we'll let him be in charge of the rankings. The ranking you see to the left are brand new rankings that were just posted. For further information on the Top 25 check out this post.
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