thad

Theodore over pouliot? Pouliot is one of the best defense prospects out there. He's got a Duncan Keith like ceiling. Out of any of the assets aquirable from Pitt or Ana, I think pouliot is the best by far.

How's he doin? Man I hope someone goes off the board in the top 5. Getting him or Dal Colle would be outstanding. Or Bennett would be unreal If not, Ritchie is my guy, I'm over arguing about it on here haha but he's my number 6. They all got flaws and risks but I want the smasher power forward and hope he's the next neely. Wishful thinking and I don't care lol if people can pretend Ehlers is the next bure, then I can pretend Ritchie is the next Neely haha. If they do wanna go small skill then i want Nylander. Him and Ehlers your both taking risks. Might as well be on the kid that's "the most pure skilled in the draft". Go with the one that has the elite superstar max ceiling. Still won't be butt hurt if they take anyone else. These guys watched all the players 100 times more than I did. If they say Tuch or Kapanen are going to be stars, then it's probably for good reason.

June 2011 till now canucks haha torts just took it to a whole new level.

I felt like I was watching the canucks haha. Controlling the game, outshooting, can't buy a goal lol

Kinda weird about landeskog. The big dogs like mackenzie were all raving about him. I remember them saying he was likely the most nhl ready of any of the draftees too. I wonder if his sources are messing with him.. "Oh ya landeskog, most likely gonna be an ahl grinder"... "Cory, my man, just callin to let you know Fiala is going top ten this year, buddy, book it"

Yeah hearing about his playoff series definitely bumped him up in my book. I really hope we draft the kid. He's got the all around tools and the concerns in him are very coachable and correctable. Conditioning, is one I hear. That's the easiest concern to correct. We have a great development team in van. I have no doubt that by the time Ritchie steps on nhl ice he'd be a physical freak of natured and absolutely shredded. Our organization would make sure of it and give him all the help their highest pick since the twins needs to become something special. Consistency is another. I've heard he has big games and off nights. That is something that will come from experience and coaching as well. Having utica is going to be great for all our prospects. We can now micro manage them a lot better and help with consistency issues. We now decide who coaches our kids. I won't be bummed if we draft Virtanen though. I just think his "concerns" could go either way. He has an unbelievable shot, one of the best I've ever seen from a junior. I just don't see the all around game in him. Now you gotta teach a guy who loves to do it all himself to pass the puck. It might not come as easy to him as Ritchie lifting more weights and eating better. Still he's a great prospect that if he pans out we would have an unbelievable right handed shot on the team. Ehlers or Nylander are kinda boom or bust and I'd prefer to take a hard nosed Canadian. If they overcome the size issue and add a little bite to their game, the payoff could be huge. But again the size issue is a lot harder to correct than Ritchie's conditioning. I just look Ritchie as having the all around tools. Good vision, knows when and where to be for prime scoring chances. Great shot and good passes and can completely overwhelm you physically. He seems to have a fair balance of qualities and an easier road to success... That as opposed to the other guys who gotta learn to pass more or play a little more gritty to hang in the nhl. Ritchie doesn't need to alter his style at all. It's all there he just needs to be shown the ropes and be directed down the path to being a pro.

It's just funny how everyone went from being pretty open to most players in the 6-10 range, to guaranteeing certain players don't have what if takes to hang in the nhl.

Everyone seems so focused on trying to land another top ten pick in the draft but I think that's pretty unreasonable unless Anaheim gives up the Ottawa pick in a Kesler trade. I'm wondering what it would take to snag a high second? Could a team like Florida looking for vets be open to trading the 32nd pick? I could see that pick landing us sanheim before the oilers draft in the second.

The crazy thing about sanheim is he's playing his rookie chl season and somehow figured it out fast enough to be possibly considered a late first early second. I gotta think he's got some serious potential... I'd be shocked if the oilers didn't snag him right before us in the second.

This thread is getting ridiculous haha

C'mon dude, you can't leave me cheering for Ritchie all by myself haha If we draft Ritchie and he goes on to be a star, I get full I told you so rights, you only get I kinda told you so rights now lol

Solid post man. I still want Ritchie personally but that made me feel a lot better if they draft Ehlers.

That's pretty impressive to excel that much in your rookie year to be considered a late first or early second round pick. I gotta think sanheim is only scratching the surface of his junior potential. Usually these guys get a rookie season to figure it out and then a sophomore year to really show what they've got. Kid did it all in his draft year. You got me liking pollock now too. I like the idea of taking guys that are on the rise.

What's the deal with this sanheim guy? He pretty good or what? Edit: pretty good article on him. He sounds like he could be a steal. Played midget last year so he hasn't really had the time to elevate his stock. Perhaps after this season he could look like he should have went high first had he had more time in the whl. Get ready to start hearing Travis Sanheim's name a little more over the next couple of months. It was only a year ago that the Elkhorn product had finished his season with the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League's Yellowhead Chiefs. On Sunday the 6-foot-3, 185-pound defenceman helped Canada's under-18 men's team win bronze at the world championship in Finland. Not only that, but opposing coaches voted the Calgary Hitmen blue-liner one of Canada's top three players in the tournament. As a result, his draft stock will only be on the rise. "I don't really look into that too much," Sanheim said Sunday from Finland after Canada beat Sweden 3-1 for the bronze. "I just kind of focus on each game, and at the end of the day if I get drafted I get drafted. It doesn't really matter where I go, as long as I get drafted. "Then the next step is to move on from there and work my way up. That's only the start, is to get drafted, and then the work really begins." Sanheim was at No. 53 among North American skaters when the final NHL Central Scouting rankings were released earlier this month, but perhaps TSN analyst Craig Button was on to something when he had Sanheim ranked No. 32 -- among every eligible player -- on his March list. Sanheim had three assists in seven games for Canada at the world under-18 tournament, including setting up the last-minute game-winner against Switzerland in the quarter-final round. Not bad for someone who last winter considered himself too small to play in the WHL. "I was a step behind them already playing midget last year, so I kind of had to make a huge jump this year. My play this year started off a little slow, but definitely towards the second half I kind of found my role and got a lot more comfortable and obviously played good enough to get selected for Team Canada," said Sanheim, who had five goals and 24 assists in 67 games for Calgary. "There's a lot of good players out there, so to be recognized by Team Canada and even just getting selected is just such an honour." Now he has been recognized as one of Canada's top players at an international tournament, which he chalked up to preparation. The Hitmen were eliminated from the WHL playoffs on March 29, allowing Sanheim to get used to playing for under-18 team head coach Kevin Dineen, and assistants Gord Murphy and Trevor Letowski. "I felt pretty comfortable for the most part. I got to go to the camp in Toronto, so I've been here with the team for about a month now, just getting a lot more comfortable with the coaching staff and players around me," he said. "By the time the tournament started I felt pretty comfortable and jumped into a pretty key role, which was good for me. I got to see quite a bit of ice time, and I play my best when I'm playing lots. "I just managed to find success at the right time." Other players with Manitoba connections who won bronze with Canada on Sunday were Roblin's Jayce Hawryluk, and his Brandon Wheat Kings teammates, Ryan Pilon and John Quenneville.

He was a steal where we got him in his draft year.

Bob mackenzie composed a top ten from surveying 12 teams scouts. It went Ritchie 6th Ehlers 7th and your Virtanen 8th.

Kids a beauty, he's already got my vote.

We got a team of guys that can win puck battles consistently, they just can't do anything after they win it haha

I can't help but imagine a lower mainland politician going through letters from concerned citizens and half of them are all arrest mike gillis and put English on the tooth paste sign.

That's pretty cool, I'm gonna have to check that site out next season. Do they have play by play too?

Damn that kid has got some skills. Doubt he slides out of the first round though. Even if he does I could see whoever takes ekblad taking him before us in the second. Get your franchise dman and go for the home run star Russian winger. Would be a beauty situation for Florida.

I wouldn't mind fleecing a delusional GM that thinks he's playoff bound for a couple first round picks.

I get the concern but I'd argue wait for that player when he comes with a bit more size. Ritchie is the BPA of his type of player that we've seen in a long time. I like taking him and keep looking for that play making genius. I wouldn't be opposed to Nylander or Ehlers if the scouts really like em but I think we could find a better version down the road.

Yeah fair enough. That's the reason I like Ritchie more. Not only does he have the awareness to get to the high percentage areas he can also make some pretty slick passes. Also I think expecting a star in the 6-10 range is unrealistic so I like Ritchie's package(no homo). He's got the skills and size to compliment a top line real nicely. Even though he's no Daniel Sedin he could play very effectively in that spot as long as he's got a top centre of hank quality and a dangerous sniper on the other side. You'll never have a team with every position filled by a guy 100% qualified for it, it's why Crosby plays with Kunitz, twins played with burr in the best season this city has ever seen ect. I think Ritchie is not only a safe pick because he could still be a great third liner if he doesn't reach max ceiling, he also has the skills/intangibles to round out a top line. I feel drafting 6th in a weaker draft year, that's more than you could ask for. Some people bring up conditioning concerns but i think of it as, if someone told me to smarten up a little in that area and I'll play in the nhl, there's no question I'd make that the number one priority in my life.

You could pick out something from any player about to be drafted or that has ever been drafted that might not translate to the nhl. I still think he'd be a good pick, not my top choice but there's something about that shot that says this guy could be a real goal scorer in the nhl. I like his chippyness too, he's not afraid to poke the bear and that's great. It may lead to a bad penalty here and there but that's every guy that's ever walked the line. You might get caught, you might not but your going to do it anyways and the decision making of when to do it will only get better with time. Again I still want Ritchie more but I don't think if we draft Virtanen he'll keep trying to drive wide on nhl defenseman every time till he ends up in the Swiss league. He'll figure it out and when he does he's got the serious tools to be one hell of a player.