top 75 for the 2012 Draft- Sept 11, 2011
By Ian Esplen
ok here is my pre-season top 75 for the up coming draft. any questions or comments are appreciated
1- Nail Yakupov F 5”11 180 Sarnia Sting RUS
Assets- pure scorer, great shot, skill and skating, willing to play physical, hard worker, great attitude, smart
Flaws- sometimes forgets about his own end, D still needs work
NHL Comparison- Steven Stamkos
2- Mikhail Grigorenko F 6”2 192 CSKA Moscow RUS
Assets- Size, out of this
Mock draft- September 5 , 2011
by Ian Esplen
Alright, hockey seasons just around the corner and here my first crack at a mock draft. I'm sure things will change completely between now and next june but for now enjoy. Any questions on comments are appreciated.
Order based on odds to win the Stanley Cup as of August 28
1- NY ISLANDERS- Nail Yakupov F 5”11 180 Sarnia Sting
2- FLORIDA- Mikhail Grigorenko F 6”2 192 CSKA Moscow
3- COLUMBUS- Griffin Reinhart D 6”4 202 Edmonton O
Alexandre Grenier
Selected by Vancouver Canucks round 3 #90 overall 2011 NHL Entry Draft
By Ian Esplen
Over the past few weeks I have exchanged emails with Canucks draft pick Alexandre Grenie. I am very happy Mike Gillis choose him in this years draft. I am very impressed with him as a hockey player, but more so impressed with him as a person. He is a quality person who has exceptional character and strong family values. I think he will be wearing a Canucks jersey a whole lot sooner th
3rd and 4th rd- 91 and 121 OA
By Ian Esplen
A brief look at the pros, cons, and comparisons of some of the players the Canucks may draft and what rounds those players may go( if the Canucks were to select them).
3rd round(91 OA)
Robbie Russo, Defenseman USA U-18
Pros- high skill, great passer, poised, controls the game from the backend, solid on both the PK and PP, good skater, works hark
Cons- needs to get stronger, not so good in the corners or in front of the net, inconsistent
2nd round(61st OA)
By Ian Esplen
A brief look at the pros, cons, and comparisons of some of the players the Canucks may draft and what rounds those players may go( if the Canucks were to select them).
Vincent Trocheck, Center Saginaw
Pros- Great leader, strong character, good at both ends, great shot, good skill, works hard every shift, strong will to win
Cons- a bit small, average skater, may top out as a 3rd line player
NHL Comparison- Joe Pavelski
Matthew Nieto, Left Wing Bosto
Draft Snapshots
By Ian Esplen
A brief look at the pros, cons, and comparisons of some of the players the Canucks may draft and what rounds those players may go( if the Canucks were to select them).
1st round- 30th OA
Scott Mayfield, Defenseman Youngstown
Pros- Excellent conditioning, very good skater, can play a ton of minutes, big, strong, great shot, good character, natural leader, plays physical
Cons-limited offensive upside, may top out as a 4/5 D
NHL Comparison- Braydon Coburn
Max Friberg, LW, 5’11, 185, Skövde IK
34 Games, 13 Goals, 27Assists, 40 Points, 6 Pim
Currently playing in Swedish Division 1 with Skövde IK
By Ian Esplen
If you could pick one word to describe Max Friberg, that word would be “hustle”. If you wanted to use two words, those words would be “work ethic”. He lists his father as his biggest influence in his hockey career, and the reason behind these two characteristics, “He taught me all about hard work, and that even if you’re not scoring and
Daniel Catenacci, C, 5’9, 180, Sault St. Marie
Drafted 1st overall in the 2009 OHL Draft
65 games, 26 goals, 45 assists 71 points, -3 +/-, 113 pim
By Ian Esplen
Some will say Daniel Catenacci has been a disappointment so far in his OHL career. That is what happens when you go 1st overall in the draft, and fail to live up to the standards that Stamkos and Tavares have set for going 1st. Catenacci is a different type of player then those two, and should not be labeled a disappointment, in an
Ty Rattie, LW, 5’11, 170, Portland
Drafted 2nd overall in the WHL Bantam Draft
52 games, 22 goals, 43 assists 65 points, +18 +/-, 41 pim
By Ian Esplen
When you watch the Winterhawks play, Ty Rattie may not stand out at first. He's not that big (5'11, 170). He's not that fast either. However, he will likely be in the right place at the right time most of the night. Some scouts will tell you that Rattie may be a step to slow, but his coach thinks not. "I remember when the Sedins (Henrik and
Victor Rask, C, 6’1, 195, Leksand,
35 Games, 5 Goals, 6 Assists, 11 Points, 8 pim
Currently playing in the Allsvenskan with Leksand
By Ian Esplen
Victor Rask is having a yo-yo season. A player that was top 10 on most draft list when the season started, dropped to middle of the second round, and is now clawing his way back into the first round. Rask as everything you would look for in an NHL centre. He’s big, fast, smart, and skilled. For some reason, he had a slow start to the seas
Jean-François Leblanc, C, 6’4, 192, Val-d’Or
43 games, 15 goals, 23 assists, 38 points, -17 +/- 24 pim
Drafted 4th overall in the 2009 QMJHL draft
By Ian Esplen
Jean-François Leblanc is an interesting player to NHL scouts and General Managers. He is 6’4 192 pounds and skates very well. He is a solid player in all three zones and he thinks the games extremely well. He has soft hand and a fairly high skill level. What makes his interesting is that for some reason he has yet to become a star
Patrick Koudys, D, 6’4, 200, Rensselaer
Drafted in the 7th round, 124th overall by the Oshawa Generals
20 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 point, 6 pim, -3 +/-
By Ian Esplen
Patrick Koudys might be one of the rawest talents available in this years’ draft. The 6’4, 210 pound defenseman has the size, skating, and skill that NHL general managers look for. Unfortunately for Koudys, general managers have not seen much of him this year because he is seeing very limited ice time as Rensselaer’s sixth
Vladislav Namestnikov, C, 6’0, 160, London
Selected 20th overall in the 2010 CHL import draft
40 games, 18 goals, 23 assists, 41 points, +15+/-, 20 pim
By Ian Esplen
Vladislav Namestnikov was born in Russia, but spent a lot of his early childhood years in North America. He traveled from city to city, while his father (Evgeny Namestnikov) tried to make it to the National hockey league, like his uncle Vyacheslav Kozlov. Growing up in North America did have its perks for Namestnikov. He would
Tomas Jurco, RW 6"2 190 Saint John Sea Dogs
Drafted 4th overall in the 2009 CHL import draft
34 games, 18 goals, 15 assists, 33points, 8 pim, +26 +/-
By Ian Esplen
Tomas Jurco came to Saint John last year with one dream, the dream of making it to the NHL one day. After a season in a half, he appears to be well on his way to making that dream a reality, in the near future. Since bursting into the QMJHL last season, he has electrified crowds with his stick handling and shoot out moves. He i
Tyler Biggs, Right Wing, 6"2 200, USDP
Committed to University of Miami Ohio
39th overall in bantam draft by Oshawa
31 games, 10 goals, 8 assists, 18 points, 88 pim
By Ian Esplen
Growing up in Cincinnati, the son of a local hockey legend, Tyler Biggs has always had big shoes to fill. Lucky for Biggs, he's used to big things. Big things, like being on the big stage, and playing for the United States at the U-17 tournament. Big goals, like the one he scored to win the United States the gol
Jamie Oleksiak D, 6'7 245 Northeastern University
18 games, 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points, +5+/-, 20pim
By Ian Esplen
You don't have to look to hard to find Jamie Oleksiak on the ice. He's the
player that looks more like a basketball player or a tight end, then a hockey
player. The big defenceman, is currently playing for the Northeastern Huskies in
the Hockey East Conference, in the NCAA.
Oleksiak had a few stops before finding his way to Northeastern. He played his
minor hockey
Mark Scheifele, C, 6’3, 175, Barrie
40gm/10g/35a/45pts/-13+-/16pim
Drafted 134th overall by Saginaw in the ohl draft
By Ian Esplen
Growing up in the Kitchener Minor Hockey Association, not much was thought of Mark Scheifele. After all, at 15 he was not overly big, weighing only 150 pounds. His skill and speed were good, but not seen as great, by the scouts. Then there was also the college hockey cloud that hung over his head, with most people thinking he would go that route.
