Get up-to-date info and thoughts from Islanders personnel all weekend long from the 2008 NHL Draft in Ottawa
Newyorkislanders.com's Draft Central Blog is your one-stop shop for all things Islanders at the 2008 NHL Entry in Ottawa.
With over two dozen Islanders personnel at the draft, there are plenty of people to hear from. Visit this blog to find up-to-the-minute info about each Islanders selection at this year's Draft.
Click here for the 2008 Islanders Draft Central where you can find out about previous Drafts and information leading up to this year's Draft.
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| Aaron Ness and Steve Mears |
Posted By: Josh Bernstein, VP of Communications
Posted On: June 21 at 3:35 pm
Trivino and Ness
What an exciting day.
Here are some pictures I took from my blackberry of a couple of the new players. You'll see them in person soon enough on Long Island.
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| Aaron Ness with Blog Boxers |
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| Corey Trivino with Blog Boxers |
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| Justin DiBenedetto |
Posted By: Tim MacLean, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 2:12 pm
Justin is a 1988-born player who went through last year's draft. He is very skilled and was linemates with Matt Martin (chosen earlier by the Islanders) and Steven Stamkos. He put up a lot of points and that wasn't just from feeding off Stamkos. Justin likes to go in the dirty areas. He has a good shot good and is a finisher. He knows how to get to the open ice and developed good chemistry with his linemates.
Justin works hard and plays well with skilled players. With older players, you're always taking a chance, but that's why we chose him in the sixth round.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 1:40 pm
OHL SCORING FORWARD THE FINAL ISLES PICK
Left Wing, Born Aug 25 1988 -- Vaughan, ON, Height 6.00 -- Weight 186 -- Shoots L
The Islanders have selected OHL left wing Justin DiBenedetto with the 175th overall pick. DiBenedetto finished second on Sarnia in scoring with 93 points, behind only Steven Stamkos.
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| Jared Spurgeon |
Posted By: Ryan Jankowski, Assistant GM/Director of Amateur Scouting
Posted On: June 21st, 1:28 pm
Jared has the ability to play at an elite level. He plays against the top players each game. He's smart with the puck, can hit and skates out of trouble well. Jared has a strong first pass and follows up on the rush. He's good on the power play and is a pass-first guy. But Jared is a player who fits the mold of a new NHL defenseman.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 1:25 pm
WHL D-MAN PICKED IN THE 6TH
Defense. Shoots Right. 5'8", 175 lbs. Born: Edmonton, Alberta, November 29, 1989.
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta
The Islanders have selected WHL defenseman Jared Spurgeon 156th overall. Spurgeon finished the 2007-08 season first among Spokane defensemen in goals (12), assists (31) and points (43).
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| Matthew Martin |
Posted By: Tim MacLean, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 1:19 pm
A KID WHO STICKS UP FOR HIS TEAMMATES
I love how Matt plays the game. He's a big, physical force, who hits really hard. Matt is a guy who forechecks hard and forces turnovers due to his physical play. He's someone who sticks up for his teammates and is willing to drop the gloves. But he also has an offensive upside. He has good hands and can put the puck home. Matt played on a line with Stamkos, who speaks very highly of him as a player as does Islanders prospect Mark Katic. Matt has come a long way over the past two years.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 1:15 pm
AN ENFORCER CHOSEN IN THE 5TH
Right Wing, Born May 8 1989 -- Windsor, ON, Height 6.02 -- Weight 180 -- Shoots R
The Islanders have selected forward Matthew Martin with the 148th overall pick. As a right wing for the Sarnia Sting of the OHL in 2007-08, Martin compiled 155 penalty minutes in 66 games. He also picked up 25 goals and 13 assists.
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| Kevin Poulin |
Posted By: Sudarshan Maharaj , Goaltending Coach
Posted On: June 21st, 15:55 pm
Kevin is a very big, athletic goalie from the QMJHL. He played for Team Canada at the Under-18 Championship a year ago. He will be attending the Canadian development camp this summer which is a recipe for good pedigree. This is the type of kid that will make the big saves and dominate at times
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st 12:45
QMJHL GOALIE TAKEN IN THE 5TH ROUND
Goaltender. Catches Left. 6'2", 210 lbs. Born: Montreal, Quebec, April 12, 1990
Hometown: Longueuil, Quebec
The Islanders have selected goaltender Kevin Poulin with the 126th overall pick. A netminder for the QMJHL's Victoriaville, Poulin finished the 2007-08 season with a 3.69 GAA and .887 SV%.
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| David Ullstrom |
Posted By: Anders Kallur, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 12:30pm
A PLAYER WITH A LOT OF UPSIDE
David is a very good offensive player. He's has solid puck skills and passing ability. One thing he needs to improve is his endurance and his physical stature. But he has a lot of upside. With two more years playing in Sweden, he should be ready to play in North America. He has some international experience having played on the national team.
David hopes to make the World Junior Team next season.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 12:15 pm
SWEDISH FORWARD CHOSEN 102ND OVERALL
Wing. Shoots Left. 6'3", 198 lbs. Born: Jonkoping, Sweden, April 22, 1989
The Islanders have chosen in the fourth round Swedish wing David Ullstrom with the 102nd overall pick. In 40 games with HV 71 of the Swedish Junior league, Ullstrom was 27-27-54.
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| Matt Donovan |
Posted By: Toby O'Brien, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 12:07 pm
Matt made the jump well from high school hockey to juniors. He also took part in some international tournaments, including the 8-Nations Select tournament for under 18 players. He had the chance to play against quality competition in Europe. He's a good all-around kid that makes good decision with the puck. He shoots puck well and skates well. Matt's biggest thing he has is a future ahead of him. He has high potential with strong growth in front of him. Next year he'll be going to Denver, which has a good program to help him develop. He has so much more ahead of him. I expect to see him in the NHL in the future.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Hune 21st, 12:05 pm
USHL DEFENSEMAN PICKED IN THE 4TH ROUND
Defense, Born May 9 1990 -- Edmond, OK, Height 6.00 -- Weight 190
The Islanders have selected USHL defenseman Matt Donovan with the 96th overall pick. Donovan was first among defensemen on Cedar Rapids with 12 goals, 19 assists and 31 points.
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| Jyri Niemi and Kirill Petrov |
Posted By: Vellu-Pekka Kautonen, Chief European Scout
Posted On: June 21, 11:45 am
STEALS IN THE THIRD ROUND
I am extremely happy about picking up Jyri and Kirill in the third round. Jyri was ranked to go at the end of the first round or early in the second. He's a very good skater good, has good size and has a mean streak. He probably has the hardest shot in the draft at 97 miles per hour and he's only 17. It can only get harder and should get to over 100. He did real well with his transition to the North American game.
I met with him recently and he was extremely happy about playing in North American and wants to continue playing there.
The reason Kirill was available so late was because what I wrote about yesterday – the new Russian league. But Kirill said he is committed to playing in North America. He is an unreal player with first line potential. He reminds me of a young Keith Tkachuk. Kirill is a bull and goes through people to get to the net. He's not fancy like most Russians, but he's an effective power forward.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 11:10 am
EUROPEANS SELECTED BACK-TO-BACK
The Islanders selected defenseman Jyri Niemi with 72nd overall pick and wing Kirill Petrov with the 73rd pick at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Niemi, a native of Finland finished first among WHL rookie defensemen with 14 goals and third with 34 points (14-20-34). He also won the hardest shot competition at the 2008 CHL Top Prospects Game – his shot registered at 97 miles per hour.
Petrov, the second ranked European skater at the Draft, played in 41 games with Kazan of the Russian Super League and was 4-6-10. Petrov was named the Top Forward and to the All-Star team at the 2008 Under-18 IIHF World Championships after scoring five goals (5-2-7) in six games for Russia. Also participated in the 2007 Under-18 World Championships, playing all seven games for Russia and totaling three points (0-3-3)
Niemi's vitals:
Defense. Shoots Left. 6'2", 192 lbs.
Born: Tampere, Finland, June 15, 1990
Hometown: Hameenkyro
Petrov's vitals:
Right wing. Shoots Left. 6'3", 198 lbs.
Born: Kazan, USSR, April 13, 1990
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| David Toews |
Posted By: Denny Scanlon, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 11:10 am
A NOSE FOR THE NET
David has really great hands and a great nose for the net. He has great finishing ability and doesn't miss when he's around the net.
Davis knows what to do in the scoring areas. This kid has special hands. We were very surprised to see David available so late in the draft. He was a potential first rounder, so it was a great pick in the third. David will be following in his brother's foot steps and attend the University of North Dakota next season.
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| David Toews |
Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 11:10 am
SCORING CENTER PICKED IN THE 3RD
Center. Shoots Right. 5'10", 175 lbs. Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 7, 1990.
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
With the 66th overall pick, the Islanders have selected scoring center David Toews in the third round. Brother of Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews, David was 44-56-100 in 51 games with highly-regarded Shattuck-St. Mary's.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 11:08 am
ISLES GAIN A PICK
The Islanders acquired an extra fourth–round pick after trading the 68th overall pick to Chicago for the 72nd overall and 102nd overall picks. The Islanders will select 72nd and 73rd.
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| Travis Hamonic |
Posted By: Eric Cairns, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 10:53 am
A SHUTDOWN DEFENSEMAN
Travis is your prototypical shutdown defenseman. He keeps it simple makes it hard on the other team's forwards. He's the type of guy you don't notice and that's a good thing. We're happy to get Travis where we got him. We got a solid puck-moving defenseman with Ness and got more of a defensive guy with Travis, who can still move the puck well.
Travis plays a nitty-gritty style like Brendan Witt.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 10:50 am
DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN CHOSEN IN THE 2ND ROUND
Defense. Shoots Right. 6'0", 192 lbs. Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba, August 16, 1990.
Hometown: St-Malo, Manitoba
The Islanders have selected defensive defenseman Travis Hamonic with the 53rd overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. A member of the WHL's Moose Jaw, Hamonic won gold with Team Canada at the Under-18 IIHF World Championships in 2008 and helped lead Team Manitoba to a silver medal at the 2007 Canada Winter Games. In 2007-08. Hamonic was 5-17-22, along with 101 PIM in 61 games.
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Posted By: Eric Cairns, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 10:48 am
A SMART DEFENSEMAN
Aaron is a smart defenseman with good offensive skills. He's real mobile and a good skater. He's offensive, but still responsible in his own end and very solid on the puck. His potential could be anywhere from John-Michael Liles-type to a Brian Rafalski-type. Ness will be heading to powerhouse University of Minnesota next season. We're happy to get this caliber player in the second round to add to our system.
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| Aaron Ness |
Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21st, 10:40 am
QUICK MOVING DEFENSEMAN SELECTED 40TH
Defense. Shoots Left. 5'10", 157 lbs. Born: Bemidji , Minnesota, USA, May 18, 1990.
Hometown: Roseau, Minnesota
With the 40th overall selection, the Islanders have chosen American defenseman Aaron Ness. A Minnesota native, Ness helped lead Roseau to a perfect 25-0 regular season. His 72 points (28-44-72) in 31 games led all defensemen and placed him 10th overall for Minnesota high school hockey scoring. Ness became the first Roseau player to win the Mr. Hockey award in 2008 (given annually to the top Minnesota high school hockey player) and after his selection Roseau declared March 17-21 "Aaron Ness Week" – Roseau is a town of just 2,800.
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Posted By: Tim MacLean, Pro Scout
Posted On: June 21st, 10:30 am
A QUALITY PLAYMAKER
I had the opportunity of seeing Corey play a number of times. He's a very skilled playmaker and adept at finding open linemates in scoring position. Corey has the ability to run the power play. His team used him on the blueline all season during the man advantage. He had a lot of international experience this season and proved he has the ability to step up. Corey is primarily a playmaker but also has a very good shot. He does a good job of getting to the open ice. He has excellent hockey sense and sees the ice well. Corey brings a lot creativity and is a good kid. We're excited to get Trivino in the second round of the draft. He will be attending Boston University in the fall.
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| Corey Trivino |
Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: 10:10 am
TALENTED CENTER CHOSEN 36TH
Center. Shoots Left. 6'1", 170 lbs. Born: Etobicoke, Ontario, January 12, 1990.
Hometown: Etobicoke, Ontario
The Islanders have selected center Corey Trivino with their first second-round pick (36th overall). With Stouffville of the OPJRA, Trivino finished first on the team in assists with 50 and second in points with 69.
Trivino was second on Team Canada at the World Under-18 Tournament with four goals, helping them lead to a Gold Medal.
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Posted By: Ryan Jankowski, Assistant GM/Director of Amateur Scouting
Posted On: June 21 at 9 am
A SUCCESSFUL FIRST DAY
We are very excited about the day yesterday. We got a great player in Josh bailey and we were able to stock picks for what is a deep 2nd round.
josh makes players around him better. His vision, hockey sense and puck movement is what allowed him to be close to a hundred point guy in the OHL. He is a leader on and off the ice and has tremendous character to complement his skill.
We are excited about the potential of today, many players on the board would have been 1st rounders last year. With a deep draft like this, our ability to build the foundation of the Islanders continues today.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21 at 9:58 am
MAKING THE MOVE
NHL.com's Dan Rosen talks about how the Islanders made the moves they wanted to get the pick they wanted – Josh Bailey – and additional picks in the process.
Click here to access the article.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 21 at 9:25 am
Catch Draft rounds 2-7 live by
clicking here.
Just a reminder: Here are the picks the Islanders have in rounds 2-7.
GM Garth Snow must decide whether to take Toronto pick #60 (2nd round) along with their third round pick in 2009 or the #60 pick (3rd round) and their second round pick in 2009.
1st Round: Joshua Bailey
2nd Round: #36, #40 (Nsh to NYI), #53 (Ana to Edm to NYI), (#60) (Tor to NYI)
3rd Round: #66, (#68), #73 (Edm to NYI to Edm to Ana to NYI)
4th Round: #96
5th Round: #126, #148 (Phi to NYI)
6th Round: #156, #175 (Min to NYI)
7th Round: None
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Posted By: Josh Bernstein, VP of Communcations
Posted On: June 20 at 10:15 pm
Say hello to the newest Orange & Blue
I snapped this with my Blackberry. Not great quality, but you get the idea.
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 20 at 8:49 pm
BAILEY IS AN ISLANDER!
OHL scoring forward selected 9th overall
The Islanders have selected Joshua Bailey, a center from the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, with the ninth overall selection.
Bailey ended the 2007-08 campaign with a bang, finishing with a nine-game point streak, registering 23 points (5-18-23) and helping the Spitfires finish third in the Western Conference. On the year, he led his team in scoring while ranking 10th overall in the league in points with 96 (29-67-96). His 67 assists ranked third overall in the OHL. In addition, he was an alternate captain with Windsor. He was selected to the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic and had two goals in the 2008 CHL Top Prospects Game, leading his team to an 8-4 victory.
Via two trades, the Islanders earned three extra draft pick. Earlier, the Islanders acquired the ninth overall pick and the 40th overall pick in 2008 from Nashville in exchange for the seventh overall pick. Prior to that, the Islanders acquired the seventh overall pick and the 60th overall pick in 2008 and a 2009 third-round pick or the 68th overall pick from 2008 and a 2009 second-round selection from Toronto in exchange for the 2008 fifth overall pick.
The Islanders will have until tomorrow to make their decision.
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| Josh Bailey |
JOSHUA BAILEY
Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Position: Center
Born: October 2, 1989 in Oshawa Ontario (Age 18)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 188
Shoots: Left
2007-08 Regular Season: Games Played (67), Goals (29), Assists (67), Points (96), PIM (32)
Strengths: Bailey is the quarterback on the power-play, from down low, for the Windsor Spitfires and is going to continue to be that. He is a good play-making centerman with the ability to feed his linemates when he needs to and shoot the puck when the play requires that.
What They’re Saying:
"Josh is a really hard working up and down guy who has great puck skill and play-making ability. He has the ability to pass through any type of traffic and is an energy guy for Windsor. He's not a fighter but he's not one to be afraid of anyone or back down and he doesn't get knocked around. The biggest component of his game that needs improvement was his competitiveness, but he stepped it up down the stretch and really showed that next level."
- NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards
"Joshua is a highly skilled player who can play on both ends of the ice as well as on the penalty kill and power-play units. He has the unique ability to make players around him better."
- Windsor Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner
Here are the updated picks for the Islanders in 2008:
1st Round: Joshua Bailey
2nd Round: #36, #40 (Nsh to NYI), #53 (Ana to Edm to NYI), #60 or #68 (Tor to NYI)
3rd Round: #66, #73 (Edm to NYI to Edm to Ana to NYI)
4th Round: #96
5th Round: #126, #148 (Phi to NYI)
6th Round: #156, #175 (Min to NYI)
7th Round: None
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Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: June 20 at 8:25 pm
ISLES GAIN TWO PICKS
The Islanders will select ninth overall and gain a second-round pick from Nashville
The Islanders have acquired the ninth overall pick and the 40th overall pick in 2008 from Nashville in exchange for the seventh overall pick.
Earlier, the Islanders acquired the seventh overall pick and the 60th overall pick in 2008 and a 2009 third-round pick or the 68th overall pick from 2008 and a 2009 second-round selection from Toronto in exchange for the 2008 fifth overall pick.
The Islanders will have until tomorrow to make their decision.
Here are the updated picks for the Islanders in 2008
1st Round: #9
2nd Round: #36, #40 (Nsh to NYI), #53 (Ana to Edm to NYI), #60 or #68 (Tor to NYI)
3rd Round: #66, #73 (Edm to NYI to Edm to Ana to NYI)
4th Round: #96
5th Round: #126, #148 (Phi to NYI)
6th Round: #156, #175 (Min to NYI)
7th Round: None
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Posted By: Josh Bernstein, VP of Communications
Posted On: June 20 at 4:35 pm
The Calm Before the Storm
The sun is finally shining in Ottawa after 2 days of rain. We are on a shuttle bus on the way to the arena for the draft tonight. The excitement is building. I am sitting next to Steve Mears who is resting his voice in preparation for some ITV action later.
The ITV crew is busy editing and uploading all of the video blogs from scouts today. Bill Guerin is here and he did a video blog this afternoon talking about attending his first draft since his own in 1989 (when tonight's draft picks weren't born yet and our own Corey Witt was in Kindergarten). Billy's gonna kill me for that reference....
Tonight's draft party should be fun at the Coliseum. We are looking forward to hooking our 1st pick up via satellite with host John Buccigross for a live one-on-one.
Gotta go. More later!!
Josh
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Posted By: Vellu-Pekka Kautonen, Chief European Scout
Posted On: June 20 at 12:35 pm
The Continental League Factor
We're all very excited about this year's draft not only because we have ten picks, but also because of how deep the draft is. I told Ryan (Jankowski) this morning I'm excited about the 5th overall pick today, but I might be more excited about the picks tomorrow with two in both the second and third rounds. It's going to be a good draft.
But it's going to be a little different this year than in the past, especially on the European side. For those who don't know, Russia has decided to start their own professional hockey league to rival the NHL, starting in the 2008-09 season. The league will replace the current Russian Super League.
Right now, the league will have teams primarily from Russia, but also one from Kazakhstan, Latvia and Belarus. In the future, there may also be teams from Sweden and Finland.
Since Russia has a lot of money and willing to pay players a good sum of money, it's going to be interesting to see how this league plays an effect in Russian players' willingness to come to North America. How this affects the NHL, no one really knows yet.
I'm confident that other European kids – outside of Russia – will still choose the NHL over this new Russian League. These kids grew up watching the NHL and know all the stars. It's been their dream to play in the NHL.
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| Ryan Jankowski |
Posted By: Ryan Jankowski, Assistant GM/Director of Amateur Scouting
Posted on: June 19 at 4:30 pm
Greetings from Ottawa!
It's an exciting feeling as we approach Draft Day. Over the past few days we've had individual meetings with area scouts re-confirming lists and thoughts on players. We have 25 personnel in Ottawa helping Garth with the draft process.
There has been so much hype about the fifth overall pick, but we're making sure to focus on spending as much time on the late rounds as the top pick. We're excited about finding those late-round gems.
There is a buzz in Ottawa now that all of the team officials have arrived. Some of us have been here since Tuesday and now the hotel is full. It's all business right now. Not much down time because we are being very diligent about making this a successful draft. I'll check in later with everyone and perhaps you'll hear from me during the Draft Party tomorrow at the Coliseum.
Just for reference, here are the ten picks we have this year.
1st Round: #5
2nd Round: #36, #53 (Ana to Edm to NYI)
3rd Round: #66, #73 (Edm to NYI to Edm to Ana to NYI)
4th Round: #96
5th Round: #126, #148 (Phi to NYI)
6th Round: #156, #175 (Min to NYI)
7th Round: None
- Ryan
