2013 Entry Draft Results
#30 Valentin Zykov - Left Wing (Baie-Comeau - QMJHL)
He's a power forward who can skate really well. He already has NHL size, so what's not to like? At the time of the pick he was only the second Russian player that I had ever drafted, and both have been first rounders. Anaheim claim that they would have taken him at pick 32 in the second round. He went 37th in the NHL draft, but I think that had more to do with the "Russian factor" than pure skill. Time will tell.
#90 Niklas Hansson - Defence (Rogle - Swe. Jr.)
Had to wait quite a while to make another pick, but Hansson was a good value pick based on where he was selected in the NHL. (Of course, the last time a guy fell this far his name was Rasmus Bengtsson, who is looking like a second round bust...). I had Hansson 73rd on my list and he went 68th in the NHL. He is a highly skilled defenseman who is really calm on the back end. Sometimes a bit too calm so he overextends himself, but we're hoping that with good coaching we can rein that in a bit.
#97 Anton Slepyshev - Left Wing (Novokuznetsk - KHL)
I wanted to take this guy last year. He was a late third rounder so I was glad to have him drop to the fourth round. I had him rated at #79 on my list, so once again I was happy to see him fall to me. Slepyshev is a chippy, two-way forward that we hope will be a third liner for our club in the not too distant future. We just have to figure out how to lure him away from the KHL.
#108 Eric Roy - Defense (Brandon - WHL)
Some of our scouts love this kid, some had reservations about him. That's what happens with mid-round players. In the NHL, teams kept passing on him and he dropped to #135. Our scouting department had him sitting at #85 on our list. He's a real composed player with a really strong shot. Known more as a finesse player, he is willing to take a run at an opponent. He'll need to work on his skating and defensive awareness, but we feel there is a lot of raw talent to develop with this young man.
#115 Viktor Crus Rydberg - Center (Linkoping - Swe Jr.)
Crus Rydberg was taken immediately after Eric Roy in the NHL draft, and we had him just below Roy at #92 on our list. He's a thinking-man's player who has a real knack for making big plays. He has a ton of skill and a low panic threshold. He excels defensively, so we see him as a potential third line center who can provide some good scoring punch.
#120 Connor Clifton - Defence (USA U-18)
Not sure why I reached for this young man - I just had a feeling that he will be a good one. He's undersized and is known to chase the play, but he makes an excellent first pass and is solid defensively. I may regret taking my #108 guy here, but felt that the guys I had ahead of him would slip a little further because of where they went in the NHL draft.
#139 Gustav Possler - Left Wing (MODO - Swe. Jr.)
Once again I reached down my list a bit to take the guy I had at #112. He went 130th in the NHL and I just didn't think he'd make it to my next pick. possler is known as a speedy and energetic player who drives the net with reckless abandon. He's one of those players who just oozes energy. We had taken a few strong players who needed to work on their skating, so this pick counter-balances. Possler is a great skater who needs to build some strength. With his high energy level he may just develop into a top 9 power forward.
#153 Anton Cederholm - Defence
After reaching with my previous two picks I went back to the group of players that I had passed over. The fellow I wanted was still there. I had Cederholm sitting at #99 on my list, but having gone 145th in the NHL I felt it was worth the risk to let him slide past #120... perhaps letting him get past #139 was too much of a risk, but it panned out this time. Cederholm is a steady, stay at home defenseman who makes good outlet passes.
#154 Alexandre Belanger - Goalie (Rouyn-Noranda - QMJHL)
I came into this draft wanting to add a goalie, and kept missing the ones I wanted by a whisker. With one pick left I didn't really care that I was taking a player 46 picks earlier than when he went in the NHL draft. Belanger is a highly competitive goalie with very good reflexes, quick legs, and is strong side to side in the crease. The biggest knock on him is that he plays too deep in the crease, which is a habit that is highly breakable. A bit of good coaching on better positioning could transform this young goalie into a very solid pro.
2012 Entry Draft Results
#14 Zemgus Girgensons - Center (Dubuque - USHL)
Girgensons is a gritty two-way forward who is a character guy. He uses his strength to charge the net and is excellent on faceoffs. We were hoping that there would be a run on defensemen and Zemgus would fall to us. Didn't quite go that way, so we were nervous before Winnipeg's pick, but he went with Malcolm Subban, which made our next two picks easy to make.
#15 Andrei Vasilevsky - Goalie (UFA - KHL)
Vasilevsky is an athletic goalie who is calm and great with low shots. He has excellent flexibility and can be a gamechanger. We had considered gambling that one of the top two goalies 23rd, but with Subban picked at #13 we knew we had to take our top rated goalie immediately. Andrei is the first Russian player I have ever drafted.
#23 Scott Laughton - Center (Oshawa - OHL)
Laughton is a smart center who seems to have the puck follow him around the ice. He is creative, is known for big open ice hits, and is a strong leader. His work ethic is something that the Leafs really like about this young man.
#45 Brian Hart - Right Wing (Philips Exeter High School)
Hart has the sort of skill set and size (6'3" 215 lbs) that should allow him to develop into a power forward. He is an average skater and will need to work on his defensive awareness, but that is something that can be taught. He may have been a bit of a reach at this spot, but we felt we could not pass on the size and skill combination.
#75 Mackenzie MacEachern - Center/Left Wing (Brother Rice Prep)
MacEachern fell a bit in the draft and the were glad to scoop him up. He is a speedy skilled player who is known to elevate his game when it matters. Unfortunately, he is also known to float at times. With maturity and the opportunity to play at a higher level down the road we expect Mac to develop into a very good player for our organization.
#82 Tanner Richard - Center (Guelph - OHL)
Tanner is a versatile and creative foward who has soft hands. Already noted for decent power, he needs to add muscle. He is under 6' tall, so he will need to fill out his frame to really battle at the pro level.
#113 Seth Griffith - Right Wing (London - OHL)
We were set to take Griffith at #93 but Dallas came calling and we felt Griffith would still be available at #113. Turns out we were right. We knew he was a real reach that early in the third, so flipping that pick for a couple of fifth rounders added more depth to the organization. Seth is a bit undersized, but we love his fabulous hockey sense and determination.
#124 Dominic Toninato C – East Duluth High School
We were thrilled to pick up this tall lanky center. He has high end hockey sense, is a fearless leader who willing throws his body in front of shots, and is very mobile. Dominic has no real weakness, other than the level of competition he has played against. I know it’s a cliché to talk about players who drop, but we had him rated as a third rounder, and one of our scouts even recommended using a second-rounder on him. Time will tell, but we feel we got a real sleeper here.
#132 – Mike McKee D – Lincoln High School
McKee is 6’4” and 230 lbs. He is tough, mean, and clears the crease well. He is quite mobile for his size, but needs to learn not to hold the puck too long. He is a bit of a project, but we have the depth to wait and see how he turns out.2011 Entry Draft Results
2011 Entry Draft Results
Ryan Strome C - 6’1” 183 R Niagara (OHL) – 7th Overall (5th in NHL)
We were very excited to bring this human highlight reel into our system. But he was not drafted because he will show up on the play of the day on a regular basis. He is a dynamic center who has fantastic skill, is a strong skater, and gives a great effort at both ends of the ice. He needs to add strength so that he can’t be pushed off the puck, but other than that he is a fairly complete package in our scouts’ opinion.
Jonas Brodin D – 6’1” 179 L Farjestad (SEL) – 18th overall (10th in NHL)
We were hoping to add a forward here, but we stunned that Brodin was still available. Brodin spent the past season playing against men in the Swedish Elite League where he established himself as a very competent defenseman who can eat up minutes. He is a very poised and calm player who skates beautifully, and is already emerging as a good leader. He’s a mature kid who should become a top four two-way defenseman. He desperately needs to pack on some muscle and develop the offensive side of his game, but we believe he will develop into a fantastic defenseman. Ty Rattie LW – 6’0” 170 R Portland (WHL) – 35th overall (32nd in NHL)
We traded down from 27 because there were several players we had rated higher than that at this point and felt it was a good gamble to add a fourth. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to have this young man still there. I know this is a draft day cliché, but our organization had Rattie at 21st on our list. We love the way he creates space for his linemates by drawing defenders away and then makes a great pass. He is feisty kid who is very opportunistic on the ice, and has tremendous hands. He’s a good skater, but we would like to see him work on adding a high gear and develop his defensive responsibility, but those can be coached. We love the intangibles, hockey sense, and fearlessness that this kid has.
Rasmus Bengtsson D – 6’2” 193 L Rogle (Allsvenkan) – 78th overall (59tth in NHL)
This was another pleasant surprise for our organization. We picked up a late second rounder in the second half of the third round. This kid is a solid defenseman who sees the ice really well and has excellent wheels. He is still a work in progress defensively, but his recovery and determination can get him out of trouble. His shot is excellent, but he needs to work on his release. There is a lot to work with here, but he needs time to develop. We expect to be very patient and see him here in a few years.
Marcel Noebels LW – 6’3” 211 L Seattle (WHL) – 108th overall (112th in NHL)
We projected this kid as a third rounder and were glad that he fell in the NHL draft so that he would still be available in the fourth. He skates very well for such a big man, is unselfish with the puck, but can drive to the net as well. He is good on the walls and is defensively responsible. There has been some concern about his leg strength and acceleration, but it seems as though he has finally finished growing, so we expect this to come around.
Jonathan Racine D – 6’1” 182 L Shawinigan (QMJHL) – 113th overall (87th in NHL)
This time we picked up a kid who really was a third rounder in the NHL. This kid is a really physical young man who stepped up as the season went on. We believe he has excellent leadership skills, so if he can continue to develop and learn to move the pick more quickly, he could be at worst a very good bottom pair defenseman.
Shane McColgan RW – 5’8” 168 R Kelowna (WHL) – 112th overall (134th in NHL) – acquired through trade from Carolina.
We decided that it would be too much of a reach to grab McColgan or Noebels at 100th, so we traded down in the hopes that he was not on someone else’s radar. Then at 108 we decided to take Noebels because he was bigger and was less likely to fall. Carolina picked McColgan at 112. We were thrilled to get Racine with the next pick, but to put it nicely we let Carolina know that we would be interested in acquiring this kid. McColgan has fabulous skill and last year was even considered a possible first rounder. He had a good season in the WHL, but his size was a factor there. He was still a good player and we feel that while he may take a bit longer to get there, he has a very good chance of being a good offensive player for us down the road. We gave up a sixth rounder and a very good player who may be lost to Russia for three years, so we felt this was an acceptable risk for the pure potential McColgan has.
Phillipe Hudon RW – 6’0” 190 R Choate-Rosemary HS (HIGH-CT) – 122nd (145th in NHL)
This may have been a bit of a reach, but Hudon is a big powerful kid who is strong on the boards and skates well. He is smart, has good hockey sense, and drives to the net. Playing in high school makes him much harder to rate, but we feel that a few years in college could help him to develop into a very good energy line forward who can be a threat to score.
Reece Scarlett D – 6’0” 170 R Swift Current (WHL) – 126th (159th in NHL)
Two scouting organizations actually had this kid a late second rounder in spite of his -37 rating. Our scouts talked me out of grabbing another forward here, so I will trust them. He has a long way to go physically, but once ha packs on some weight we could have a very good bottom pair defenseman here. He reads the play well and has a long reach, so with some added size he could be very punishing. We do not expect him to become a scoring threat at all though.
Sean Kuraly C – 6’1” 192 L Indiana (USHL) – 138th (133rd in NHL)
We see Kuraly as potentially a good two-way center for the third line. He is a good skater who can battle on the wall and create space down low. The knock on Kuraly is that he is inconsistent. When he is on he brings a ton of energy, so we are hoping that this will come with maturity because there are some good skills here.
Blake Pietila LW – 5’11” 197 L U-18 US National Development (USHL) – 149th (129th in NHL)
This kid is a good positional player who works really hard and is strong on the PK. We feel there is space for him to develop some offensive skills to go along with his defensive awareness. He is planning to play in the NCAA and we feel that four years there will be very good for his development.
Travis Boyd RW – 5’10” 172 L Kelowna (WHL) – 161st (177th in NHL)
Yeah, we reached a bit here, but this kid is a shifty skater with excellent hands. He has good vision and was the youngest player in the draft. We expect him to take on more of an offensive role for Kelowna next year, so this was an easy pick to make.
Petr Placek RW – 6’4” 200 R Hotchkiss (HIGH-CT) – 169th (176th in NHL)
Placek is an interesting kid. He made the unusual choice to come to New England to play high school hockey and is committed to Harvard in the NCAA. He goes hard to the net and makes things happen. He is smart, has a good work ethic, and is poised. He had some injury problems this past year which limited his viewings, so we hope that we’ve uncovered a gem here.
Max Everson D – 6’0” 184 L Edina (HIGH-MN) – 183rd (203rd in NHL)
Everson has fantastic foot speed and moves the puck well. He is a powerplay quarterback and is good at finding open teammates. While he is solid defensively and quite poised he definitely needs more upper body strength as he is often overpowered. Like Placek he is committed to Harvard, so we see him as a long term project with a ton of upside.2010 Entry Draft Results
2010 Entry Draft Results
#5 Erik Gudbranson D
We were thrilled to get Gudbranson here as he was third on our draft list. We felt that he was without a doubt the safest pick after the obvious first two because of his size and skill package. No doubt that he will be outscored by other blueliners picked this year, but we feel Erik will be a huge part of our club going forward.
#35 Alexander Petrovic D
There was no real reach here for us, but we hummed and hawed about John McFarland or Alex Petrovic. Alex's stock had risen late in the year, while McFarland was falling. We felt more certain of Petrovic, so it was a gut call to go with the blueliner. He suited an area we have long been looking to upgrade, so he will add depth and we can hope for the best.
#65 Jordan Weal C
We had Weal as a mid-second rounder, and this time we had to choose between hulking Brock Beukeboom or diminutive Jordan Weal. Both players fit areas we were looking to shore up, but this time we opted for the forward. Jordan is super dynamic and a points machine, but his size may be an issue down the road. We aare willing to be patient because if he pans out we may have added a fantastic scorer early in the third round.
#125 Morgan Ellis D
We had Morgan listed just outside of our top 100 players, so to add him with the 125th pick felt pretty good. Morgan is seen as a fairly well rounded defenseman who we hope can continue to develop in the QMJHL.
#140 Yasin Cisse RW
We had Yasin as a late 4th rounder, so once again we will brag about this being a "steal" pick. Yasin has great scoring ability, but a knack for getting injured. We hope that he can get healthy and develop that skill.
#143 Kenneth Agostino LW
Kenneth is a high school player that we feel has the ability to become a good scorer at the pro level. He has a solid skill set and just needs the opportunity to test his skills against a higher level of competition.
#148 Mark Stone RW
This guy has a great shot and fantastic offensive abilities, but he is very slow-footed. We are hoping that he can either improve his skating or has the Luc Robitaille-type of talent where skating simply won't matter.
#155 Maxime Clermont G
Maxime is one of several goalies that we were hoping would still be available in the later rounds. There is no doubt in our mind that he has all the qualities to be a solid professional goalie. We just hope he can pull them all together and get to the NHL level.
#185 Kevin Lind D
While we prefer to take the "best player available" at all times, we will break that rule occasionally to draft by position in later rounds. Since we had chosen several defensemen early in this draft we passed Lind over to take Mark Stone in the fifth round, even though we had Lind rated at #131 overall on our list, one spot ahead of Stone. We then passed him over again to add Maxime Clermont because we had not chosen a goalie and were worried that if we did not take him we would not end up with a goalie we wanted. So we were amazed to see Kevin Lind still available in the seventh round. There is nothing really flashy about him, but we like his steadiness. Our scouts felt he was a good pick and were upset when we passed him by.
2009 Entry Draft Results
#3 Matt Duchene C
The toughest thing about our first-ever franchise pick was fending off trade offers. We knew we would get an incredibly skilled player here with Tavares, Hedman, and Duchene generally seen as the big three. This was especially good for our club because we felt that center and the blueline were the areas we needed to shore up the most - especially center. So when Duchene fell to us, we were thrilled. This is a young man who we feel could be our number one center within five years. He has the skill set and the drive to be a star in this league.
#39 Ethan Werek C
We traded down a few times because we were fairly determined to get another center with our next pick. We feel we added to our depth with the additional picks we got, and are very happy with the two-way game that Ethan will bring to our organization. We feel he has the potential to be a very good third line center, with the possibility of being a good second liner, assuming his skating catches up to his skill set.
#93 Michael Latta C
We had to wait a while to make another pick, but were glad when Latta was still on the board. We figued this small but abrasive forward with good offensive skill would be long gone early in the third round, but for some reason he kept falling. We are thankful he did.
#97 Daniel Delisle C/LW
We felt this dominant high schooler was worth the risk because we had added so many centers already who we fell will develop more quickly. Time will tell whether or not this was a good pick.
#118 Byron Froese C
Froese was a decent scorer in the WHL and we feel that his style of play will translate well to the pro game.
#123 Kieran Millan G
We had Kieran Millan rated as a late fourth rounder, even though he eventually was picked in the fifth round in the NHL. Our scouts feel he is a very mentally tough goalie who controls rebounds well. He is well-liked by his teammates and because of his high character and excellent college stats we felt he was a real good value goalie.
#124 Patrick Wey D
This skilled player will be heading off to college where we hope he can become a bit more physical and round out the offensive side of his game.
#151 Nick Jensen D
Nick is a real raw defensive defenseman who is heading to college to round out his game.
#156 Jere Sallinen RW
A good skater with a good scoring touch, but he has struggled with back problems. A bit of risk, but once you get past the first couple of rounds you have to be willing to take a long-shot.
#167 Gus Young D
Another defenseman heading off to college to improve his game. He sees the ice well, distributes the puck, and brings a physical edge to his game.
#183 Adam Almquist D
This may have been a reach, taking the 210th pick in the NHL here, but we feel that his scoring ability in the Swedish junior leagues is not a flike. He is mobile, good with the puck, and has excellent hockey sense. It`s hard to thumb your nose at a late-round Swedish player taken by the NHL's Red Wings.
#186 Petteri Simila GOne of the youngest players in the draft, Simila is a long shot. Our scouts feel that if he was a couple days older he might have been a second rounder next year. If they are right, this is a great value pick. If they goofed, we may still have a solid goaltending prospect here.
