Surprise picks; plummets name of draft
Patrik who? A few draft fans wonder the same thing about Patrik Nemeth after the New York Islanders took a chance on the young Swede.
The 2010 WCHL Entry Draft concluded yesterday, with the final pieces of the seventh round falling into place. While the bigger names were long gone by that point, teams were still eager to round out their prospects pool and recounting a draft gone by where everyone felt like a winner.
"We did good, real good," proclaimed Los Angeles Kings General Manager Ryan Tilley. "We were excited to see some of the players still available at our selections and we feel we came away with a better outlook for the future."
With Alex Burmistrov falling to the Kings at 17 after having been forecasted as a top 10 selction, the Kings were right to be pleased, but Burmistrov wasn't the only player who seen his stock jump wildly at the draft.
Brandon Gromley, once thought of as a darkhorse top three pick, fell to Ottawa at 20, while Mark Stone rode a wave of momentum from a late round pick all the way to a surprising first round selection, ironically also by Ottawa.
While Stone's pick did raise a few eyebrows, it was the New York Islanders who once again were swivelling heads with their selections. While top prizes Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler did go early to Long Island, it was the middle first round picks tha generated a lot of buzz.
With three straight picks from 12th to 14th, Islanders GM Jimmi Bornstrom, who has always shown a strong penchent for European players, went off the board and selected Calle Jornkrok, Johan Larsson and Patrick Nemeth.
"We had Jarnkrok and Larsson in the first round, so we weren't as shocked as some others were apparently, but Nemeth was really out of left field. We had him mid-third round," explained one GM.
The moves really shook up a draft which was anything but ordinary. One team, the Florida Panthers, dealt away their first round pick and ended up not even making a selection at all.
"I think for some of our lower teams from last year, it was a good draft, especially if you look at Dallas," said Commissioner Trent Allen. "They made a few moves and picked up some help now in players like Marian Hossa and Rob Scuderi, but they also drafted two really good defensemen in Justin Faulk and Eric Gudbrandson. They took a big step forward today and you'll see the dividends of that starting next year. They will be a better team next year."
Justin Faulk (left) and Eric Gudbrandson are the wave of the future for the Dallas Stars.
Now the eyes of the scouting world have turned towards 2011, when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Gabriel Landeskog will battle it out with Adam Larsson, Sean Couturier, Jonathan Huberdeau and a host of other aspiring young hopefuls for top spot and a chance to lead the next wave of talent into the WCHL.
Expect to hear Jonathan Hubereau's name called early at next years' Entry Draft.
Patrik who? A few draft fans wonder the same thing about Patrik Nemeth after the New York Islanders took a chance on the young Swede.
The 2010 WCHL Entry Draft concluded yesterday, with the final pieces of the seventh round falling into place. While the bigger names were long gone by that point, teams were still eager to round out their prospects pool and recounting a draft gone by where everyone felt like a winner.
"We did good, real good," proclaimed Los Angeles Kings General Manager Ryan Tilley. "We were excited to see some of the players still available at our selections and we feel we came away with a better outlook for the future."
With Alex Burmistrov falling to the Kings at 17 after having been forecasted as a top 10 selction, the Kings were right to be pleased, but Burmistrov wasn't the only player who seen his stock jump wildly at the draft.
Brandon Gromley, once thought of as a darkhorse top three pick, fell to Ottawa at 20, while Mark Stone rode a wave of momentum from a late round pick all the way to a surprising first round selection, ironically also by Ottawa.
While Stone's pick did raise a few eyebrows, it was the New York Islanders who once again were swivelling heads with their selections. While top prizes Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler did go early to Long Island, it was the middle first round picks tha generated a lot of buzz.
With three straight picks from 12th to 14th, Islanders GM Jimmi Bornstrom, who has always shown a strong penchent for European players, went off the board and selected Calle Jornkrok, Johan Larsson and Patrick Nemeth.
"We had Jarnkrok and Larsson in the first round, so we weren't as shocked as some others were apparently, but Nemeth was really out of left field. We had him mid-third round," explained one GM.
The moves really shook up a draft which was anything but ordinary. One team, the Florida Panthers, dealt away their first round pick and ended up not even making a selection at all.
"I think for some of our lower teams from last year, it was a good draft, especially if you look at Dallas," said Commissioner Trent Allen. "They made a few moves and picked up some help now in players like Marian Hossa and Rob Scuderi, but they also drafted two really good defensemen in Justin Faulk and Eric Gudbrandson. They took a big step forward today and you'll see the dividends of that starting next year. They will be a better team next year."
Justin Faulk (left) and Eric Gudbrandson are the wave of the future for the Dallas Stars.
Now the eyes of the scouting world have turned towards 2011, when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Gabriel Landeskog will battle it out with Adam Larsson, Sean Couturier, Jonathan Huberdeau and a host of other aspiring young hopefuls for top spot and a chance to lead the next wave of talent into the WCHL.
Expect to hear Jonathan Hubereau's name called early at next years' Entry Draft.
