Official 2006 NHL Draft Thread

[DBAHO]

The draft kicks off tomorrow at 6 p.m in Vancouver.

 

Currently the Hawks have the 3rd pick. It looks like the Blues are going to take Erik Johnson D, as the #1 pick, unless they trade down which looks unlikely at this stage.

 

After the Luongo trade today, the big rumor going around now is of a trade b/w the Penguins and the Hurricanes. The Penguins would get Jack Johnson D, who was the #3 pick in last year's draft, for the #2 pick in this year's draft, and then Carolina would draft Jordan Staal C, Eric Staal's brother.

 

Makes sense for both teams and I think that deal will get done. Pittsburgh have a HUGE need for defense, and they don't really need another forward as a huge need since they already have Crosby and Malkin.

 

So Johnson and Staal are likely to be the top 2 picks.

 

Then the Blackhawks pick 3rd. Can't see us drafting Kessel since supossedly him and Jack Skille the #7 pick in last year's draft don't get along with each other.

 

So it should come down to either Jonathan Toews (pronounced TAYS) or Nicklas Backstrom from Sweden. They're both centers and fairly similar players. Backstrom played in the 2006 Worlds, so he could probably contribute straight away. He's only 6'0 though, but he's a solid 2 way player who's been compared to Forsberg. Toews is probably a little quicker and more of a leader who can also play wing.

 

Considering Tallon's propensity for taking North American Players in the past drafts, I think we're going to end up with Toews. Backstrom would go 4th to Washington since they need a cneter to play with Ovechkin and Kessel would go 5th to Boston.

[SoxFan1]

FWIW, CSN interviewed Tallon and it seemed that he was most likely to pick Toews.

[DBAHO]

FWIW, CSN interviewed Tallon and it seemed that he was most likely to pick Toews.

Ok cool, doesn't really suprise me. This is what TSN.CA says about him (he's rated above Staal as the #2 prospect FWIW);

 

JONATHAN TOEWS, C, North Dakota

Born: 4/29/88 Ht: 6-1 Wt: 195 Shoots: L

From NHL Central Scouting - Possesses excellent acceleration, agility, quickness and is an extremely smart player who is versitile and has played both wing and centre equally well this season...possesses a dangerous shot with quick release, can make big plays and finish...unselfish and willing to take a hit to make a play.

From ISS - He is a strong skater blessed with incredible skill and gifted with brilliant on-ice vision. He has the highest hockey IQ in his draft class and has great leadership abilities. As the season progressed it became obvious his competitiveness & desire are second to none. He's a highly skilled kid that has the ability to make the players around him better. Versatile and has played both wing and center equally well.

From TSN - In 2004-05 he had 110 points (48-62) in 64 games with Shattuck St. Mary's in winning the US national midget championship...Captain for Team Western that won gold medal at 2005 World Under-17 championships, was the tournament's leading scorer with 12 points (8-4) in six games, and was named tournament MVP.

[Goldmember]

awesome. sounds like toews is very promising...

 

please tell me the draft isn't on oln...

[CWSGuy406]

Johnson

 

Staal

 

Toews

[DBAHO]

Yep no suprise there in us taking Toews.

[DBAHO]

The Hawks have made some MAJOR reaches in the 2nd round with Igor Makarov (20th ranked European Skater) and hulking defenseman Simon Danis - Pepin.

[DBAHO]

The Hawks traded into the 3rd round and picked Swedish center Tony Lagerstrom.

 

Also Craig Anderson has been traded to Florida for a 2008 6th rounder, and according to Comcast Barnaby has been bought out.

[The Critic]

The Hawks traded into the 3rd round and picked Swedish center Tony Lagerstrom.

 

Also Craig Anderson has been traded to Florida for a 2008 6th rounder, and according to Comcast Barnaby has been bought out.

Thank God.

Matthew Barnaby = 0

[DBAHO]

The Hawks may be interested in Pronger;

 

Since the Hawks selected Toews, Tallon obviously didn't find a potential trade to his liking, even though the Edmonton Oilers are offering defenseman Chris Pronger.

 

The Hawks have needed a defenseman of Pronger's caliber since trading Chris Chelios, and Tallon has said he is in the market for a blueliner who can help a miserable power play, which Pronger clearly could improve.

 

"There's interest," Tallon said. "We have to figure out what the value is to get a guy like that. [Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe] and I talked and he [is] keeping me in the mix. I haven't heard back. He had some interest in our third pick."

 

Tallon was unwilling to include the pick in a potential package for Pronger, who won both the Hart Trophy and Norris Trophy in the 1999-2000 season and was possibly 60 minutes away from being this season's playoff MVP.

 

Maybe if you offered a deal with Aucoin and some prospects, Edmonton would be interested in that.

[Credepopsup]

Makarov is a quality prospect - #19 overall at the Red Line report. He's a very "un-Tallon like" pick, but a very good one. He's a classic "boom or bust", but you can't ignore the huge upside this kid has.

 

Trading up for Lagerstrom was a good move, as was taking Juutilainen in the 6th. Both captained their countries in the u-18 world championships, and can certainly play the game. They represent good value at where they were picked (particularly Juutilainen - an absolute steal, imho).

 

Shutron and Palmer should also have been long gone, before the spot where they were taken.

 

This was potentially a very good draft for the Hawks.

[CWSGuy406]

Crede -- what's your thoughts on Toews in comparison to Staal, Backstrom, and Kessell?

[Credepopsup]

Crede -- what's your thoughts on Toews in comparison to Staal, Backstrom, and Kessell?

 

I've never seen Toews play, but it seems to be common belief that he was the most complete player available. He plays all three zones well, and has the offensive ability to put up good numbers.

 

It will be interesting to see what kind of season he has as a sophomore at N.Dakota - he should start to play an even bigger role than he did last year (as should Skille at Wisconsin).

 

In his interviews, he comes across as an intelligent and level headed kid. He's real "captain material", and I think the Hawks made the right choice.

 

Staal obviously has the size to be a monster, but I think too much emphasise is put on his "bloodlines". His brother Eric is a quality player, but that doesn't mean a thing to me when talking about Jordan. Steve Kariya anyone??

 

A few years from now, Kessel could easily be the best of the four. He's a great skater and he'll definitely put up numbers, howver he isn't as defensively responsible as Toews or Staal, and rumors of attitude problems follow him around. I also didn't like what I saw/heard from him prior to the draft - He doesn't seem to be particularly smart (and, I'm being polite there..). He'd have been a ballsy pick for a franchise like Chicago, who are in need of offensive talent, but I understand why four teams passed on him.

 

I don't know much about Backstrom, but the little that I have heard has been very positive. Comparisons to Forsberg have been made, and he's probably the most NHL ready (expect to see him next year). Backstrom assisting on Ovechkin goals will be a common occurrence for years to come, and if Toews had gone at #2, he would have been my preference for the Hawks.

[DBAHO]

Makarov is a quality prospect - #19 overall at the Red Line report. He's a very "un-Tallon like" pick, but a very good one. He's a classic "boom or bust", but you can't ignore the huge upside this kid has.

 

Trading up for Lagerstrom was a good move, as was taking Juutilainen in the 6th. Both captained their countries in the u-18 world championships, and can certainly play the game. They represent good value at where they were picked (particularly Juutilainen - an absolute steal, imho).

 

Shutron and Palmer should also have been long gone, before the spot where they were taken.

 

This was potentially a very good draft for the Hawks.

That's really good to hear on Makarov. All I could really find on him from TSN yesterday was that he was the 20th ranked European Skater, and that he had a falling out with the Russian Coach or something.

 

Lagerstrom got called the sleeper pick of the draft somewhere IIRC. Apparently, he didn't have that good of a season this year, but he was ranked as a possible 1st rounder last year.

 

People on HockeysFuture were saying that were REALLY suprised Juutilainen lasted until the 6th. He was the 3rd ranked Finnish Skater on there.

[DBAHO]

Yikes;

 

Edmonton is reportedly seeking a fair share of young talent for Chris Pronger.

Reportedly GM Kevin Lowe asked Florida GM Mike Keenan for 23-year-old defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, 21-year-old center Nathan Horton and the 10th-overall pick in yesterday's draft for Pronger, who will turn 32 in October. While these discussions obviously did not go anywhere, if this is an indication of what it will take to get the Oilers' blueliner, it will be a while before he changes addresses. Jun. 25 - 8:59 pm et

 

That's like us offering Cam Barker, Tuomo Ruutu and a future 1st.

[Credepopsup]

That's really good to hear on Makarov. All I could really find on him from TSN yesterday was that he was the 20th ranked European Skater, and that he had a falling out with the Russian Coach or something.

 

I also heard that he has a bit of an attitude, and I think that's what makes him an unusual pick for Tallon.

 

He seems to preach about "character" a lot, and most of the picks from the last year or two have been safe, character type kids who can play a bit.

 

Makarov is a very, very skilled player (RedLine's "career potential" comparison was Ottawa's Martin Havlat), but his and other Russian prospects draft projections were lower than they should have been, because of the Russian federations reluctance to sign the transfer agreement, that all the other European leagues had signed.

 

Russia finally agreed to sign up a week or so before the draft, and suddenly the Russian kids were very draftable again.

 

He'll either be a great pick or a complete bust, but with Toews already in the bag he was worth the selection.

 

I just hope that Tallon has more luck with Russian draftees, than Mike Smith did . Radulov Yakubov