2008 NHL Draft Review: New York Islanders

The Islanders had at least two selections in each of rounds 2-6 of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but they may be remembered more for whose name they didn't call than for whose name they did.

Josh Bailey - 9th overall (1st round) Center. Windsor Spitfires
With the #1 European and WJC stand-out Nikita Filatov still on the board, the Isles traded down four spots to take Bailey, who GM Garth Snow maintains the Isles had pegged all along. The most telling trait Bailey possesses is the ability to make his teammates better players (scary to think how good Kyle Okposo could be in this case) Bailey is a tireless worker, a play-maker and will be a great asset on the Isles man-advantage in the future. His on-ice intelligence allows him to read the play in all situations. This allowed him to be one of Windsor's most effective penalty killers as well.

Bailey may be a great player, but it seems the Isles fan-base had already ordered their Filatov jerseys. Drafting the flashy Russian may have made more sense for the franchise struggling to sell tickets. Hopefully in the future, Bailey can prove the critics wrong, but one wonders if he'll put any extra bodies in Uniondale.

Corey Trivino - 36th overall (2nd round) Center. Stouffville Spirit (OPJHL)
I'll be blunt: At first glance Corey Trivino looks like a 12 year-old. The Etobicoke, Ontario native looks more like the kid hawking popcorn at the Nassau Coliseum than somebody who will be on the ice. On the ice is a different story. Trivino has never been cut from an international camp. Trivino dominated the OPJHL playoffs, proving to be a clutch scorer for the Spirit. Like Bailey, he is a pass-first center. At 6'1", 170lbs Trivino will need to add muscle to his slight frame.

Aaron Ness - 40th overall (2nd round) Defenseman. Rouseau High (Minnesota HS)
Ness, who has drawn comparisons to Phil Housley and Brian Leetch was crowned "Mr. Hockey" as Minnesota's top high school player this year. A few years ago Ness may not have been drafted at all let alone in the 2nd round of a deep draft due to his size (5'10, 157lbs) . His accomplishments on the ice (1st in scoring among defenseman, 10th overall, member of the USA U-18 squad) may be not be as impressive as his dedication off the ice. Ness took eight classes on campus and three more on-line in order to graduate early and attend the University of Minnesota in the Fall of 2008.

Travis Hamonic - 53rd overall (2nd round) Defenseman. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Hamonic needs to figure out if he's a physical defenseman with an offensive flair or an offensive defenseman with a physical edge. He shows signs of being capable in either capacity, but gets caught trying to do too much.

David Toews - 66th overall (3rd round) Center. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota HS)
Toews is not a younger carbon copy of his brother, Chicago center Jonathon Toews. David is a solid player in his own right, but was not blessed with the gratuitous amount of hockey manna that his older brother was (but who the hell is?!) Any expectation that he will be should be negated from the start. But Toews wasn't drafted purely riding on his last name either. He's a good skater with an quick shot and soft hands. His keen hockey sense makes him a smart penalty killer and defensive center.

Jyri Niemi - 72nd overall (3rd round) Defenseman. Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
This kid looks like a meaner version of Ivan Drago. As hard as Drago hit Rocky Balboa, Niemi's shot hits the back of the net. His 96 mph shot wowed the crowd at the Top Prospects Game. For a rookie defenseman learning the North American game, he also hit the net often, finding the back of the cage 14 times. A few more years with Saskatoon should round out his defensive game and give him more experience as a PP quarterback.

Kirill Petrov - 73rd overall (3rd round) Right Wing. Ak Bars Kazan (Russia-RSL)
The Isles passed up one skilled Russian in the first, but they made sure they didn't let another get away. This pick may prove to be the steal of the '08 draft. Petrov is a big, powerful winger who plays well in the corners as well as finding open ice for himself and his line-mates. Petrov has made his desire to come to the NHL very clear and the Isles will be waiting at JFK as soon as he books his flight.

Matt Donovan - 96th overall (4th round) Center. Cedar Rapids Rough Riders (USHL)
Swift skating defenseman from Edmond, Oklahoma displays excellent lateral mobility which he uses well in the defensive zone as well as leading the break-out. A smart simple defenseman.

David Ullstrom - 102nd overall (4th round) Center. HV71 (Sweden-Jr)
Ullstrom will be a big body up front in a few years once his 6'3" frame fills out. Mostly used at center, Ullstrom has seen time on the wing as well. He can play physical and has a good set of hands, but is not terribly defensively adept and does not utilize his line-mates as well as he will need to in order to make it to Long Island.

David Poulin - 126th overall (5th round) Goalie. Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
There's only a decade and change left in the "Rick DiPietro Back-Up Plan". I kid, I kid. He's a butterfly goalie with good rebound control that has won games for Victoriaville this year on his own. Big and athletic like, he is very technical and plays the game by the book. Some have questioned his dedication to conditioning though.

Matthew Martin - 148th overall (5th round) Left Wing. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Winger with good size will mix it up and drop the gloves.

Jared Spurgeon - 156th overall (6th round) Defenseman. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
The 5'8" Spurgeon put up 43 points in 69 regular season games for the Memorial Cup champs, playing a good two-way game. Anyone lacking Spurgeon's size needs a ton of guts to play in the WHL and Spurgeon has it. He willingly takes the body and gets into the fracas when the opportunity arises.

Justin DiBenidetto - 175th overall (6th round) Center. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
The smallish center put up 93 points for Sarnia this year as a 20 year old improving 30 points from the previous season.

2008 NHL Draft Review: New York Rangers

Michael Del Zotto - 20th overall (1st round) - Defenseman. Oshawa Generals (OHL)
The Rangers got a slider again. A year after grabbing Russian wiz-kid Alexei Cherepanov another player that many thought would be gone well before the #20 slot fell into the Rangers' lap. Del Zotto was once touted as a can't miss top-10 pick. While he had a slow-start to the season, his fall may be more aptly contributed to the rise of the like of Doughty, Bogosian, Schenn, and others. Del Zotto is an offensive defenseman and there's no two-ways about it. As good as he is offensively, he may be worse defensively. At times, he gets caught watching the play rather than initiating it. In the future he looks to be a power play quarterback. While it doesn't plug an organizational need (Bobby Sanguinetti is a similar player) the Rangers brass most likely went for the best player available.

Derek Stepan - 52nd overall (2nd round) - Center. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota HS)
The area where Stepan excels is his creativity with the puck. Stepan became more defensively responsible this past year, becoming a top penalty killer for Shattuck. The biggest knock on him right now is he needs to get bigger, but he'll be given ample time to do so as he will attend the University of Wisconsin next year and should remain there for at least two years before making the jump to the AHL or NHL.

Evgeny Grachev - 75th overall (3rd round) - Center. Yaroslav (Russia-3)
Big power forward needs to improve on his skating in order to be effective at higher levels. His stick skills and accurate shot would be better served if his lateral movement was better.

Tomas Kundratek - 90th overall (3rd round) - Defenseman. Trincec (Czech Republic)
He's a guy who doesn't do anything especially amazingly, but doesn't do anything terribly either. Plays his best when he plays simple.

Dale Weise - 111th overall (4th round) Right Wing. Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Overager had 29 goals for the Broncos this year and followed it up with 13 points in 12 play-off games. Weise is a gritty winger with leadership capabilities.

Chris Doyle - 141st overall (5th round) Center. PEI Rocket (QMJHL)
Point-per-game player in the QMJHL, Doyle's skating may hurt him in the future. He displays a good arsenal of passing and shooting skills, but he is not a great mover.

Mitch Gaulton - 171st overall (6th round) Defenseman. Erie Otters (OHL)
Selected 6th overall in the 2006 OHL draft, Gaulton hasn't lived up to his belling since then. But, Gaulton can get the puck out of the zone effectively and has a howitzer. He has a physical side as well and would be better suited as a stay at home defenseman unless he can show better judgment when joining the rush.

Hearbreaking/heartwarming story from the Draft

David Carle, younger brother of San Jose defenseman Matt Carle, and 2008 NHL Draft prospect was diagnosed with a heart condition that leaves him at risk for sudden heart failure by the Mayo clinic. The discovery comes just a day before he was slated to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

While my heart crumbles for this kid, he seems to have a solid head on his shoulders.

"It's really not the end of the world,'' Carle said by phone Friday from Faribault, Minn., where he is visiting friends. "I'm really quite fortunate they were able to find it.

"I've still got a long life ahead of me. I have a lot to look forward to and a lot of opportunities ahead of me.''

In light of the news, Carle decided to end his hockey career at the age of 18 (I greatly respect both Carle and teh University of Denver for honoring his scholarship).

So, one would assume that's it for Carle. What team would take a kid who has publically declared he will no longer play hockey?

Enter new Lighting co-owner Oren Koulis.
The Lightning used their last pick of the draft to take Carle, who had been pegged anywhere between the late first and third rounds.

General manager Jay Feaster said prospective new owner Oren Koules knows the family and the diagnosis might not be as severe as first believed. Besides Koules said, "The kid worked his whole life to be drafted in the NHL, and I don't see a reason he shouldn't be."

Best of luck to David.

UPDATE - The original article has been edited. The first sentence quoted has been removed. It looks as though Tampa's selection was done purely out of kindness. Unbelievably generous move by the Lightning organization.

NHL Draft: NJD Round-up, Devils select Tedenby

I was hoping for the Devils to select Indiana (USHL) defenseman John Carlson, aka the Baby Dinosaur (so-called after he smashed the side of his fist down upon the melon of a fallen opponent in a fight a few years back). Alas, the Devils passed up on the puck hulking puck-mover, moving down three spots to the 24th pick to select diminutive Swedish winger Mattias Tedenby. I'm not upset, he was the second name that popped into my mind when asked who I wanted.

The kid from HV71 (yes, that's the team's name) has skills. He can flat out fly and provides some offensive flair to an organization that needs it. That said, he's small. Gionta small. He's listed at 5'10" 176 lbs, but I'm not so sure. He was about eye-to-eye with Devils GM Lou Lamoriello once he got up to the podium and about half as wide. Tedenby will definitely need to bulk up as it looked as though the geriatric Lamoriello may have been able to dismember the kid if he chose to do so. But in today's NHL, smaller players can flourish.

Bottom line is Tedenby is a kid with blinding speed, solid stick skills, but needs to bulk up to get to the NHL. He's at least a few years away from the big show.

Other selections
Brandon Burlon - 52nd pick (2nd round). Defenseman St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL)
Burlon is a beast. At only 6'0", 190lbs he finished among the top of the pack in most of the categories at the Draft Combine. While Burlon has power he uses it more for locomotion than for destruction. Not overly physical, Burlon is a very smooth skating defenseman. Is able to join the rush, but is not a pure offensive defenseman. One thing they lost when passing up on Carlson was a booming shot from the point, something Burlon possesses as well. He could turn into a solid 2nd pairing defenseman for the Devils, but will not in NJ for at least two or three years as he needs to fill out physically as well as test himself against better competition.

Patrice Cormier - 54th pick (2nd round). Center Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Cormier is a gritty, hard working, drive-to-the net center. Is it really a surprise the Devils picked him? He's not a stranger to dropping the gloves either. Scouts had limited exposure to this once highly-touted kid from New Brunswick as he was side-lined with injuries keeping him out of some of the more pivotal showcases. He may turn into one of the more valuable selections of the draft and a real steal for the Devils.

Adam Henrique - 82nd pick (3rd round) Center. Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
A teammate of Burlon's for gold-medal winning Team Ontario at the 2007 Canada Games, Henrique is another hard-working pivot who projects as a spark plug at the NHL level. A great face-off man. Oddly enough, was invited to Canada's under-18 camp when fellow Devils draft pick Patrice Cormier was unable to attend.

Matt Delahy - 102nd pick (4th round) Defenseman. Regina Pats (WHL)
A reliable stay at home defender really didn't show up on the radar until this year. Was given increasing amounts of ice-time by Regina and responded well to the added pressure.

Kory Nagy - 142nd pick (5th round) Center - Oshawa Generals (OHL)
The Devils are trying to fill the void down the middle in years to come. Nagy comes a bit off the board, not ranked by most of the scouting services and he is very similar to Henrique and both players seem to be the a hopeful replacement for John Madden. Like Henrique, Nagy is a strong face-off man who is a capable shut-down center. He's not going to be an offensive juggernaut ever. Nagy only managed 17 points in 57 regular season games. But guess what? He had 9 points in 15 playoff games.

David Wohlberg - 172nd pick (6th round) Center. USDP U-18
A physical two-way center will attend the University of Michigan in the fall. Had 22 points in 45 games for the US program.

Harry Young - 202nd pick (7th round) Defenseman. Winsdor Spitfires (OHL)
Devils take their second Spitfire of the day. This time they selected the 6'4", 200 pounder to help solidify their defensive core. Windsor head coach has spoke glowingly about Youn citing him as possibly the most improved player in all of the OHL this past season. His defensive responsibility has made him an effective penalty killer for the Spitfires. He has also been writing an off-season journal for WindsorSpitfires.com.

Jean-Sebastian Berube - 205th pick (7th round) Left Wing. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
The big winger had 118 PM and 24 points in 64 games for the Huskies. He doesn't turn 18 until July 20th.



Look for a team-by-team report throughout the coming weeks starting with the Devils divisional rivals the Isles and Rangers.

Pens: Malkin played Final while legally dead.

Pittsburgh - Every year the playoffs dole out rash after rash of horrific injury and this years post-season was no different. Today the Pittsburgh Penguins revealed that star forward Evgeni Malkin had played five games of the playoffs while legally dead and possibly partially a zombie. The Penguins had previously listed Malkin as day-to-day with "general body failure".
"I knew something was wrong the morning of Game 1 against Detroit." Malkin said through teammate/translator Sergei Gonchar. "My back was stiff and I felt a strange craving for human flesh. Also, I had no pulse".
The Penguins training staff originally cautioned Malkin about playing that night. "They were worried about me tearing something. Not a muscle or tendon, but an actual extremity. I was decaying pretty badly." While there was no blood coursing through the young Russian's veins, he showed heart. "It's the finals. It's what I dreamed about the entire season. Well, until the night before when my nightmares were consumed with encounters with Lord Satan, Prince of the Netherworld and God Almighty bargaining for my eternal soul."
Upon hearing about his opponents condition Red Wings forward Kris Draper was candid, "I thought it had to be something serious. He's a tough kid. I hit him in Game 2 and I think one of his vertebrae snapped, but he barely flinched. He just moaned, 'braaaains'. I thought it was odd, but that's what McCarty is always like. Go fig."
Malkin was brought back to life thanks to a fortuitous accident involving faulty wiring near the Penguins locker room at Mellon Arena. "7,000 volts pretty much de-Zombified me." Malkin said. Malkin is expected to make a full recovery.

Rumor: Chicago willing to give Sean Avery $4m/year

I've heard a rumor from somebody within the Rangers organization that the Blackhawks is willing to offer Sean Avery around $4m if he is does not re-sign with the Blue Shirts. The rumor came from a very respectable source, which is the only reason I'm even bothering with this (did I just sound like Eklund?).

In my opinion, there are many teams that could harbor the unique talents Sean Avery brings to the table. Chicago, however, is not on that list. In fact, they aren't even on the same pad of paper.
A young team on the rise is about roundest hole for the square peg that is Avery. What would it accomplish to bring him into that locker room? The reason Avery works in New York is there are guys like Brendan Shanahan who can sit him down and keep him in line. Three Stanley Cups and 600 goals carries with it a load of respect. Then there's Jagr on the bench as well. Add Sather in the front office and you've got guys who know how to win. Who has that in Chicago? Denis Savard? A brilliant player, but a coach very much still in the early phases of his career. GM Dale Tallon is in a similar situation. Bottom line is there is no elder statesman in the Hawks locker room to keep Avery from going overboard.

Unless Jonathon Toews can turn into Steve Yzerman come September, Avery would run roughshod.

EDIT: In talking with a friend he mentioned how much I hate Avery. I'd just like to add that Avery could be a great addition on the ice to any team. I've said before that he is one of the most versatile forwards in the NHL. He'll fight, he can skate, good shot, accurate passer, good sense. 1st line winger, 2nd line center, 3rd line checker, a guy who will drop the gloves. He'll do it all.

My issue is with his personality and whether it is a good fit for a young team, the Kind of team he was jettisoned from in LA.

Hey Geno, step up!

Who is that man wearing #71 for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past week? It certainly doesn't look like current Hart Trophy finalist Evgeni Malkin. There has been a list of reasons why Malkin has underperformed in the Stanley Cup Finals so far. He's tired, he's nervous, is he injured? His passes have been erratic, his stickhandling sloppy, his mental game cloudy. He's making rookie mistakes, miscues that should have been beaten out of habit in juniors for pete's-sake. If the no-look drop-pass didn't work the first five times, why would it work the sixth, Geno?Sometimes he's most noticeable in scrums after the whistle. While it's always good to see some fire, the Pens need Malkin to use that heat to light the lamp.

Malkin needs to find away to get over whatever is ailing him and get back to his MVP form. The Pens squeaked by Detroit to force a final game at the Igloo and if they want to come out with their best shot at Game 7, #71 has got to be as ubiquitous as he was in the earlier rounds.

There is little doubt Malkin can be a good playoff performer. He's shown that against the Senators, Rangers, and Flyers. But in order to join the ranks of the elite, Malkin has to wake-up and push past the obstacles in his way right now and find a way to lit himself up. He's got the gears all the greats before him have had, he just needs to find out how they fit together and get the machine running.