[Spectacular]

The only ones I see making the NHL as consistent performers are Oberg, Heshka, Ellignton and Sauve. And these guys will probably be second/third pairing defencemen. We lack offense from our back-end... At least Edler has potential to be a number 1 defencemen offense wise, defence wise and in a perfect world, leader wise. People seem to forget he is 23.

Imagine a pairing of:
Bourdon - Edler

The shot-blockers would be too scared to shot block with those blasts...

RIP Bourdon...

[bieksa3-]

BLAZIN SKULL 85, on Jun 17 2009, 11:41 PM, said:

He is 6'11" and 195lbs, and he does have some defensive zone struggles.

6'11"? holy crap he must be the tallest hockey player and we have him yay!!! tell shaun (6'1") i said hi

Good eye.

D-Money, on Jun 18 2009, 01:44 PM, said:

No mention of Ellington? Outside of Sauve, he's probably the most likely to become a regular NHL'er.

Check again.

[rgrewal3]

Minnesota Duluth’s successful season has helped pave the way to professional hockey for Evan Oberg. The sophomore defenseman agreed to terms Saturday with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and expects to sign a three-year, free-agent contract by Tuesday and forgo his final two years of college eligibility.

Oberg, 21, from Forestburg, Alberta, was one of UMD’s top defensemen as the Bulldogs made a post-season rush in winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title and advancing to the NCAA Division I quarterfinals.

“I could tell as the season went on that I was improving, as I finally got a full-season under my belt. I felt more and more comfortable,” said Oberg, who missed half of his freshman year with a broken leg. “This is the most confident I’ve been and the best I’ve ever played. My improvement is a testament to our coaching staff and playing on such a good team.”

Oberg’s two-way contract will be worth approximately $65,000 per year, if playing in the minor leagues, plus an annual signing bonus of $87,500. He would earn about $600,000 annually if playing in the NHL.

Its likely Oberg will be assigned to Vancouver's American Hockey League team, the Manitoba Moose, in Winnipeg. He played junior hockey for Camrose in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, where Vancouver forward Mason Raymond played.

“Evan had ups and downs this season, but at the end he was playing better, and better, and better,” said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. “This is what [athletes] play for, to get the opportunity to play as a professional, and now he has that chance.”

Oberg figured six or seven NHL teams expressed interest since the end of the season, after UMD lost to Miami of Ohio in the NCAA West Regional title game March 28 in Minneapolis. He spoke with Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis before accepting the team’s offer.

Oberg, 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, finished with seven goals and 20 assists for 27 points in 43 games this season, and scored the tying goal in the NCAA's first round game against Princeton, which the Bulldogs won in overtime. He had 30 points in 67 career games with the Bulldogs.

He played two seasons with Camrose and started well as a UMD freshman as the Bulldogs went 4-1-1 in his first six games in 2007-08. But in an accident at practice, he fractured a leg and considered a medical red-shirt season, before eventually choosing to return for the final 18 games.

Last week, UMD senior center MacGregor Sharp signed a free-agent contract with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and has played four games with the club's American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Chops in Des Moines.

[big man]

bieksa3-, on Jun 17 2009, 06:53 PM, said:

Lately I have been looking in our shallow defensive prospect pool, and have been thinking about the chances that maybe one of them could grab the 6/7 defenseman role next year. This is in no particular order.

The first guy is Nathan McIver, we have seen him quite a bit. He is a very agressive defenseman who isn't afraid to drop the gloves, as we all have seen. We lost him on waivers to Anahiem earlier in the year. Then he scored the winner on the breakaway against Roberto in the preseason. Sorry to bring that up! We later traded Mike Brown to Anahiem for McIver.

http://www.hockeysfu...s/nathan_mciver

As stated above they say McIver needs to add more bulk to his frame, standing 6'3" tall and weighing in at 205lbs. How much more does he need to add in the weight department? He doesn't get pushed around out there.
Selected by Vancouver Canucks round 8 #254 overall 2003 NHL Entry Draft

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2005-06 Manitoba Moose AHL 66 1 6 7 155 12 0 0 0 28
2006-07 Manitoba Moose AHL 63 1 2 3 139 2 0 0 0 0
2006-07 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1 0 0 0 7 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Manitoba Moose AHL 43 3 3 6 108 6 0 1 1 11
2007-08 Vancouver Canucks NHL 17 0 0 0 52 -- -- -- -- --
2008-09 Anaheim Ducks NHL 18 0 1 1 36
2008-09 Manitoba Moose AHL 28 0 2 2 59
2008-09p Manitoba Moose AHL 10 0 0 0 10

I say he has turned out well for a 8 round pick, obviously he isn't going to a Powerplay guy. But you never know.

Second guy is Daniel Rahimi who was selected by Vancouver Canucks round 3 #82 overall 2006 NHL Entry Draft, he stands at 6'3" feet tall at 213lbs. He also doesn't seem as a very big offensive threat, but supposedly has a mean side to his game.


http://www.hockeysfu...s/daniel_rahimi


--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2005-06 Bjorkloven IF Swe-1 6 0 0 0 4
2006-07 Bjorkloven IF Swe-1 33 0 2 2 104
2006-07 Manitoba Moose AHL 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2
2007-08 Victoria Salmon KingECHL 19 0 5 5 14 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Manitoba Moose AHL 41 3 2 5 37 -- -- -- -- --
2008-09 Manitoba Moose AHL 58 1 5 6 49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The third guy is Shaun Heshka a more offensive type of defenseman. One of our more offensive defensive prospects with exception to Yann Sauve. Shaun also hasn't made his NHL debut yet. He is 6'1" and 195lbs, and he does have some defensive zone struggles.


http://www.hockeysfu...ts/shaun_heshka

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2002-03 Melville Millionaires SJHL 53 6 14 20 53
2003-04 Everett Silvertips WHL 66 3 7 10 25 21 0 2 2 8
2004-05 Everett Silvertips WHL 72 12 26 38 21 11 2 0 2 6
2005-06 Everett Silvertips WHL 66 10 49 59 91 14 3 10 13 10
2006-07 Manitoba Moose AHL 57 2 4 6 14 7 0 0 0 8
2006-07 VSalmon Kings ECHL 3 0 1 1 4 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Manitoba Moose AHL 77 9 21 30 59 6 0 1 1 4
2008-09 Manitoba Moose AHL 77 3 23 26 25
2008-09p Manitoba Moose AHL 22 0 5 5 12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now our top defensive prospect Yann Sauve his point totals have consistently increased through his 3 years in the QMJHL, but from what I hear he is a few years away from making the jump.


http://www.hockeysfu...ects/yann_sauve

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2006-07 Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL 60 2 13 15 75 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL 69 6 15 21 92 14 1 2 3 23
2008-09 Saint John Sea Dogs QMJHL 61 5 25 30 64
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like I said earlier his point total has increased consistently, more in assists then goals, but he still has a few years before he is eligible for the AHL.

He was signed in April out of college Evan Oberg, he also seems like an offensive defenseman. I'm going to do a little more research into him
Evan Oberg
Defense
Born Feb 16 1988 -- Forestburg, ALTA
Height 6.00 -- Weight 165 -- Shoots L


--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2005-06 Camrose Kodiaks AJHL 44 4 9 13 56
2006-07 Camrose Kodiaks AJHL 52 9 14 23 86
2007-08 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCAA 24 1 2 3 10
2008-09 U. of Minnesota-Duluth NCAA 43 7 20 27 50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I will be looking forward to Camp to see how he does.

We also have Patty Coloumbe but it seems like his problem is to get out of the ECHL, and Kris Fredheim will probably play out his college years. Also there is Zack Fitzgerald who is with the moose at the moment.

Taylor Ellington who signed an entry level deal this year with the Canucks who played for the Everett Silvertips. From what I hear he loves to hit lots. He is 6'2" and 208lbs.


--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004-05 Everett Silvertips WHL 47 0 0 0 48 8 0 1 1 4
2005-06 Everett Silvertips WHL 63 0 7 7 62 15 1 2 3 16
2006-07 Everett Silvertips WHL 60 5 8 13 65 6 1 0 1 2
2007-08 Everett Silvertips WHL 48 3 11 14 66 4 0 0 0 0
2008-09 Everett Silvertips WHL 69 6 26 32 130 5 0 5 5 6
2008-09 Manitoba Moose AHL 1 1 0 1 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He got to play one game with the Manitoba Moose this year, and he scored a goal in that game. Future Offensive defenseman star? Maybe a left handed Mike Green? We will have to see. I tried to find his hit total for this year but couldn't find anything. Well people say he is our best defensive prospect. But like I said we will have to see.

Ellington averaged 30 minutes a game last year in Everett and 12 hits per game!!!

[GrassyPonderous]

Ellington is NOT an offensive player. He was a horse for Everett, used in every situation because they did not have anybody else to do it. Lucky for us as Canucks fans, as it was a big learning experience for him and it will benefit him next year (hopefully on the Moose). He is a defensive-minded, physical defenseman that would fit nicely alongside a smooth puck-moving type. Not a bad organizational piece moving forward with character and integrity..

[Abaddon]

Sauve is a very underrated prospect around here. I think he's going to be a very good top-4 guy soon.

[BOB1]

big man, on Jul 2 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

Ellington averaged 30 minutes a game last year in Everett and 12 hits per game!!!

I like!

[1915is2Luongo]

big man, on Jul 2 2009, 11:18 AM, said:

Ellington averaged 30 minutes a game last year in Everett and 12 hits per game!!!

But how is his skating and positioning? We need defenders who can defend and smash and crunch players like Toews and Kane.

[fedlibs]

We should have selected Adam Almqvist. It looks like he'll be the steal of the draft, and by Detroit again...darn

as long as we were willing to wait..

http://www.redwingsc...03_Almqvist.php

future Jonathan Ericsson?

[Hafizzle]

Nice research there OP. We are a bit shallow on D but I still think Ellington, Rahimi, Sauve, Oberg will make it to the NHL in the next few years.

[Gnickers87]

fedlibs, on Jul 10 2009, 11:26 PM, said:

We should have selected Adam Almqvist. It looks like he'll be the steal of the draft, and by Detroit again...darn

as long as we were willing to wait..

http://www.redwingsc...03_Almqvist.php

future Jonathan Ericsson?

In terms of being the last pick in the draft and becoming an NHLer? Quite possibly

however, Ericsson is 6'5 and Almqvist is 5'10 Reading about Almqvist, the hope would be that he become the next Rafalski. This is what Eliteprospects says

Quote

A really offensively skilled defenseman. Almquist has top-notch hockey sense and passing ability. Has the ability to turn the game quickly with long and distinct passes. Puts up a lot of points from the blueline, where his set-up ability comes in handy.

On the downside, Almquist needs to improve his skating skills and even more so his strength and fill out his frame. Although being undersized, he likes to play the body at times, but his game would really be much better with improved size and strength.

Their big steal last draft looks to be Gustav Nyquist...I actually made a thread about him the minute he was drafted titled "Did Detroit just do it again?"

[fedlibs]

Gnickers87, on Jul 11 2009, 12:21 PM, said:

Their big steal last draft looks to be Gustav Nyquist...I actually made a thread about him the minute he was drafted titled "Did Detroit just do it again?"

mehh...looking at Detroit's European scouting, I think we really need to expand our European scouting. (expand, not exactly improve) Other than Detroit, almost no other NHL teams have the large scouting presence in Europe. We should aim to be #2!

By expanding, [our] Euro scouting shouldn't only rely on watching the world junior tournaments and the circulating rumors about potential gems. We need to rely on ourselves, as there's such a wide range of elite players looming around in Europe. that said, this is much harder said than done...but we should have this potential. (after all, we did triple our scouting budget)

Road to success: Hire more European scouts and be willing to go to obscure places to scout new gems.

[Gnickers87]

fedlibs, on Jul 11 2009, 04:13 PM, said:

mehh...looking at Detroit's European scouting, I think we really need to expand our European scouting. (expand, not exactly improve) Other than Detroit, almost no other NHL teams have the large scouting presence in Europe. We should aim to be #2!

By expanding, [our] Euro scouting shouldn't only rely on watching the world junior tournaments and the circulating rumors about potential gems. We need to rely on ourselves, as there's such a wide range of elite players looming around in Europe. that said, this is much harder said than done...but we should have this potential. (after all, we did triple our scouting budget)

Road to success: Hire more European scouts and be willing to go to obscure places to scout new gems.

It's all the doing of Hakan Andersson

St.Louis might have their own budding European Drafting Guru in Jarmo Kekalainen