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The 2014 NHL draft class can be forgiven for feeling as thou

 
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BerichtGeplaatst: 22-02-2019 06:19:07    Onderwerp: The 2014 NHL draft class can be forgiven for feeling as thou Reageren met citaat

The 2014 NHL draft class can be forgiven for feeling as though it has a case of middle-child syndrome. Nike Sneakers Clearance Sale . Which is to say, the top of this years draft class is not as dynamic or exciting as the 2013 class of Nate MacKinnon, Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Drouin and Seth Jones and its not as strikingly promising as the highly-anticipated 2015 slate of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin. But it would be a disservice to damn Aaron Ekblad, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Leon Draisaitl and Michael Dal Colle with faint praise. "They are all very good prospects, theyre all going to play in the NHL, they all should turn out to be very good players for a long time," one NHL scout said. But the draft is all about projection. And where MacKinnon, Barkov and Drouin were projected as first-line forwards and Jones was projected a likely No. 1 defenceman – destined for greatness -- this years crop of forwards is projected more as second liners with defenceman Ekblad perhaps getting "top pairing" billing though not necessarily a future dynamic No. 1. Good, maybe very good, but not necessarily great. The draft is also about question marks and, according to the scouts, even the elite picks this year have a few. And once one gets outside the top five of this years draft, question marks really abound. "There are some really talented kids in this draft, and not just at the top either," an NHL scout said, "but I dont recall a year recently when there were as many question marks. Skilled kids who lack size; players who might have issues with attitude or commitment. It seems to be a really volatile draft. Good luck trying to figure out this one." That said, in the eyes of the scouts, at the top, its rock solid, and, really, it has been all season long. Barrie Colt defenceman Aaron Ekblad is No. 1 on TSNs Top 60 Final Rankings for the 2014 draft, a position hes owned or had a share of since last September. Seven of the 10 scouts surveyed by TSN to compile the rankings had Ekblad at No. 1. No scout surveyed had him outside of the top three. Only two other prospects got first-place votes. No. 2-ranked Sam Reinhart, a centre with the Kootenay Ice, had one and No. 3-ranked Sam Bennett, a centre with the Kingston Frontenacs, had two. "The difference between the top guys this year is not significant," a scout said. "Thats why youre hearing more talk of teams drafting with position in mind." To say nothing of those question marks. For example, as good as the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Ekblad is, some scouts wonder if he an upside greater than being a steady, reliable two-way defender. Is there a dynamic quality there that is usually associated with a potential first overall pick? Barrie head coach Dale Hawerchuk, a former NHL star, doesnt know about dynamic, but he does know impactful, because thats what Ekblad has been from the moment he showed up to Barrie as a 15-year-old who was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to enter the OHL a year early. "Hes been a top pair, shutdown defenceman who played against the best players in our league from the day he got here," Hawerchuk said, "and theres no doubt in my mind, none whatsoever, that hes going to be a really good top pair, shutdown defenceman who plays against the best players in the NHL. Hes been impactful since Day 1. He does it all and he does it all consistently and hes going to be a 15 to 20 year top-pair NHL defenceman." This years top prospects earn rave reviews for some specific trait or quality, but the praise is accompanied by a question. Reinharts hockey sense, for example, is widely hailed, elite level, as good as it gets. But will his average speed and size put a second-line ceiling on him or reduce his effectiveness against men? Bennetts complete game – equal parts skill, smarts, spirit, edge and work ethic – is lauded but can an average size centre translate that style to the NHL against men? No. 4-ranked Leon Draisaitl, the Prince Albert Raiders German-born and –trained centre, has a big NHL frame and can make plays but will the lack of a dynamic step keep him from being a first-liner? No. 5-ranked Michael Dal Colle, the Oshawa Generals rangy winger who is equally adept at shooting or making plays, but will his play without the puck be an issue? And yet, for all the questions being asked, scouts concede these five are all good NHL prospects with a strong likelihood of having long NHL careers. But there is a high degree – higher than usual – of subjectivity this year. Nowhere is that more evident than in the players, ranked Nos. 6 through 10 on TSNs list. No. 6-ranked Nick Ritchie, the Peterborough Pete winger, has all the physical tools to be the consummate scoring power forward but theres been a lot of immaturity, inconsistency as well as some injuries in his game. No. 7-ranked Jake Virtanen, the Calgary Hitmen winger, is another who has all the tools to be a scoring power forward but some scouts are a little wary because he tends to get tunnel vision when he has the puck. No. 8-ranked Haydn Fleury, the Red Deer Rebel defenceman, has the size and speed scouts love but he has not established himself as either an offensive defenceman or a punishing defenceman. No. 9-ranked William Nylander, the Canadian-born, Swedish-trained winger, may be the most skilled player in the entire draft class, but scouts worry about a stubborn streak that has often seen him play a more individual than team game. No. 10-ranked Nikolaj Ehlers, the Halifax Mooseheads Danish winger, was as prolific as any prospect this year, scoring 49 goals and 104 points in 67 games, and theres no doubting his skill level, but hes listed at 160 pounds, or as one scout put it, "he has to put on 20 pounds to be considered small." "Its a funny draft," a scout said. "A kid like Ritchie, with his size and skill, or Nylander, with his skill level, could one day be the best of this class but theres some real risk associated with these guys. What if Ritchie doesnt get fully committed to being as good as he can be? What if Nylander just decides hes going to play like hes the only guy on the ice?" Thats always a theme in any draft, but this year it seems to be even more prevalent earlier than ever involving more prospects than usual. Size is certainly on the mind of a lot of teams, especially after the very large Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup. Whether anyone likes it or not, thats the standard by which players are now judged. "I look at these kids and I try to project them playing against the Los Angeles Kings one day," a scout said. "Can they play that game at that level?" Even that exercise can be fraught with peril because two of those outstanding Kings – Tanner Pearson, who went 30th overall in the 2012 draft, and Tyler Toffoli, who went 47th overall in 2010 – were passed over by many teams in their respective draft year because they were perceived as too slow or too weak or too incomplete or too flawed. Go figure. Guelph centre Robby Fabbri (No. 14 on TSNs list) scored 45 goals for the Storm in the regular season, was the OHLs playoff MVP and plays a hard-nosed game for a 5-foot-10 pivot, but will he stand up to the L.A. King litmus test? Ditto for smallish Swiss forward Kevin Fiala, No. 15 on the TSN list, though Fiala had the benefit of playing against men in both the Swedish League and for Switzerland at the World Championships. But no two players represent the uncertain quality of this years draft like the 30th and 31st-ranked Josh Ho Sang of the Windsor Spitfires and Anthony DeAngelo of the Sarnia Sting. Ho Sang is an electrifying, highly-skilled albeit undersized skilled forward who has some very firm ideas on how the game of hockey should be played and how he should play it. First-round talent? Absolutely. Will a team step up and take him in the first round? Thats the fascinating aspect of this draft. So much natural talent; so many question marks. "The question with Ho Sang is whether he wants to be a hockey player or he wants to be an artist or an entertainer," one scout said. "When he plays the give and go game, hes effective and dangerous but a lot of the time he only wants to go, theres no give (the puck to anyone else). Is he going to figure it out? Because if he does, the skills he has…" DeAngelos situation, though, takes it to another level of uncertainty. The American blueliner is undersized at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but he put up 15 goals and 71 points in 51 games for Sarnia. Imagine how many more points he would have registered if he hadnt been suspended on three separate occasions this season for either violating the OHLs diversity policy or verbally abusing an on-ice official or, as fate would have it, both. In December of 2013, DeAngelo was suspended five games for violating the leagues diversity policy in a verbal spat with an on-ice official. In January of 2014, he received an eight-game suspension for violating the leagues diversity policy in a verbal exchange with a teammate. Five games after returning from that eight-game suspension, he was suspended two games for (verbal) abuse of an official. Many scouts dont know what to make of DeAngelo. The vast majority of them say the north New Jersey kid, wholl effectively be at "home" for this weeks NHL draft in Philadelphia, is (in spite of size concerns) a first-round talent, a smart, mobile and offensively gifted blueliner. "Look at the talented small defencemen and where theyve been taken in the draft, guys like Ryan Ellis, Ryan Murphy, Derrick Pouliot, even Erik Karlsson," a scout said. "DeAngelo should, on talent, be taken in that 10 to 20 range but Im not sure he will be because of the other stuff." Some of the scouts surveyed by TSN said they wouldnt take DeAngelo at all. Others said he would be a consideration in the second round – talent like that is hard to pass – but a couple did say they wouldnt rule out considering him in the first round. "If you read stuff that people write, I think they go overboard with it because they dont know the details," DeAngelo told the Camden Courier Post. "They think I have character issues. I dont think I have character issues." Interestingly, USA Hockey chose to not invite DeAngelo to its summer evaluation camp for the 2015 U.S. national junior team. Of all the stories in what is expected to be an unpredictable draft, DeAngelos is bound to be one of the most compelling. Hes expected to have upwards of 100 friends and family in attendance Friday night and whether hes chosen or not in the first round will be an intriguing storyline. Getting consensus for the TSN rankings was never more difficult than this year. Outside of perhaps the top 35 to 40, there was no real consensus. Even within the top 30 in the first round, there was a far greater variance from player to player than ever before. TSNs rankings do not take into account the teams order of selection; theres no allowance made for a teams personal or positional preference. These rankings are not so much an evaluation of which players will one day turn into the best NHLers as it is a forecast of what order in the draft this Friday and Saturday these players will reasonably be chosen. The list is determined on a mostly objective formula based on numerical rankings assigned by the scouts interviewed by TSN. Nike Sneakers Cheap China . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver. Nike Sneakers Wholesale China . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. http://www.wholesalesneakersnike.com/ . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. CALGARY -- While the Winnipeg Jets have reversed their fortunes under new coach Paul Maurice, it was same old, same old Thursday night for the Calgary Flames. Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. "Its pretty tough to generate energy when you give up the first two goals," said Flames coach Bob Hartley. "Bad coverage right in front of our net. In the NHL, you let guys get great shots from 10, 15 feet away, youre looking for trouble." Considering the Flames had scored only two goals over their previous six home games, that early 2-0 deficit courtesy of Little at 5:01 and Dustin Byfuglien three minutes later seemed to take the life right out of the building, except for the pockets of vocal Jets supporters. "Its frustrating for our fans, for sure," admitted Flames centre Matt Stajan, who has gone 16 games without a goal and has no points in his last 12. "Every year, we take pride in wearing this jersey, especially on home ice. Weve always had success in this building. In this recent stretch, it hasnt been very pretty. " The Flames have been outscored 22-4 during the losing streak at the Scotiabank Saddledome, which broke the previous mark of six straight losses set in December 1998. "We cant wait for it to turn around. The game doesnt work that way. Its not just all of a sudden, youre going to start winning. Youve gotta make it happen," Stajan said. Home or away, goal scoring has been a real trouble spot of late. Calgary has mustered only 12 goals in its last 11 games. They have lost nine of those games to sit 28th in the NHL, three points up on Edmonton. The last place Buffalo Sabres have climbed within six of the Flames. "I felt tonight, not to make up any excuses, but we had zero legs." Hartley said. "In the third period, we saw a little life but in the first two periods, skating was painful. We were trying but I dont know if it was the trip, and I even hate to mention this, but we had zero intensity, we couldnt move." Travelling a long distrance for a short two-game road trip, Calgary played back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, winning in Carolina and losing in Nashville. Jacob Trouba also scored for Winnipeg (21-23-5), which opened up a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes and cruised to its second consecutive win under Maurice. "We just have to keep focusing on what were doing and getting better everyy game and having a short memory is going to be good for us," said Trouba. Nike Sneakers China Free Shipping. "Forget about the game we just played and treat every game as a new one and be ready to play." Maurice was hired Sunday, the same day that former Jets coach Claude Noel was fired. Winnipeg won 5-1 over Phoenix in Maurices debut on Monday. "Hes been really good for us," said Scheifele. "Hes really instilled a mindset that were playing for each guy in the locker room, youre playing for the guy beside you. I think thats the big thing, weve really been doing that the last two games." The Jets will try to make it three wins in a row Saturday night when they play host to the Edmonton Oilers. "I thought we were pretty good," Maurice said. "Calgary wasnt sitting back and feeling sorry for themselves. They compete, they work and to our credit, we respected that coming into this game. We came to work because we knew they would." Mark Giordano and Lance Bouma scored for Calgary (16-26-6), which hits the road for games in Vancouver and San Jose next. "It seems like were lacking confidence offensively right now but you try not to think about too much," said Flames winger Paul Byron. "It seems like when we get a goal early in a game, we have a completely different hockey team so we know thats a recipe for success so hopefully we can get back to doing that." Exposed on Byfugliens first-period goal, leaving him uncovered in the slot, Calgarys defensive coverage was also poor on both second period goals. Schieffle was left all alone at the side of the net for an easy tap-in at 9:09, set up neatly by Blake Wheeler. At 17:31 on the power play, nice puck movement resulted in Jokinen having an empty net to fire his 13th of the season into. Making his fourth start in a row, Pavelec finished with 20 saves to improve to 13-19-4. Berra had 18 stops. The 27-year-old first year goaltender from Switzerland falls to 5-14-2. Notes: Prior to the game, the Jets placed Evander Kane (hand) on injured reserve and recalled Carl Klingberg from St. Johns (AHL). Klingberg has played seven career NHL games but has yet to make an appearance with the Jets this year.... Calgary LW Mike Cammalleri (concussion) missed his third game... The Flames next home game is against Phoenix next Wednesday... Flames LW TJ Galiardi has no goals in his last 32 games... The next game for both Flames LW Jiri Hudler as well as Byfuglien will be their 500th career NHL game. ' ' '
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