Islanders 2012 Draft Central - Scott Laughton and Adam Pelech

In the days leading up to the NHL Draft, newyorkislanders.com will break down the top 50 eligible prospects

Friday, 06.01.2012 / 12:00 AM / Islanders 2012 Draft Central

By Travis Betts

Scott Laughton
Oshawa, OHL

Position:	C	Shoots:	Left
Height:	6'0"	Born:	30-May-94
Weight:	177	Hometown:	Oakville, ONT

2011-12	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
Oshawa	64	21	32	53	101

Adam Pelech
Erie, OHL

Position:	D	Shoots:	Left
Height:	6'2"	Born:	18-Aug-94
Weight:	210	Hometown:	Toronto, ONT

2011-12	GP	G	A	P	PIM
Erie	44	2	18	20	52

Scott Laughton was not a huge scoring threat during his first season with Oshawa, posting 23 points in 63 games. After a slow start in 2011-12, the Oakville, ON native finished with 41 points in his last 39 games. Still, the 18-year-old's biggest value may be as a shutdown forward -- he effectively shadowed no. 1 prospect Nail Yakupov at the NHL's research and development camp last summer, and was second among Oshawa forwards with a plus-8 rating last season.

A bright spot on a bad Erie team, Adam Pelech finished second among team defensemen in plus/minus, and led Otters blueliners in scoring with 20 points. The Toronto native was a member of Team Ontario's under-17 squad that won a gold medal at the 2011 World Hockey Challenge, and later in the year was part of the Canadian team that won gold at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

Ryan Strome, Islanders first round pick in 2011
Scott Laughton is a good two-way center. He’s tough, physical and has a little bit of a scoring upside. Kind of like a Mike Richards-type player, maybe a future captain of the team in Oshawa.

Trent Klatt, Islanders Player Development
Laughton is a very versatile player. In addition, he is a responsible player at both ends of the rink.

Ryan Strome, Islanders first round pick in 2011
Adam Pelech is real steady. We played Erie a lot. They had a bad team, but he was one of the rocks that kind of held them together. He is a real solid two-way guy, and is only going to get better.

Trent Klatt, Islanders Player Development
Pelech doesn’t look pretty on the ice, but seems to find a way to make the play. He is not afraid of physical contact.

Click here for Islanders 2012 Draft Central's breakdown of the top-50 players available in this year's draft.

Scott Laughton (left) of the Oshawa Generals and Adam Pelech (right) of the Erie Otters are the #42 and #41 ranked prospects.

Edmonton Oilers
2.

Columbus Blue Jackets
3.

Montreal Canadiens
4.

New York Islanders
5.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Round 1 - 4th overall
Round 2 - 34th overall
Round 2 - 50th overall
Round 3 - 65th overall
Round 4 - 103rd overall (from BUF)
Round 5 - 125th overall
Round 6 - 155th overall
Round 7 - 185th overall

Islanders last five first-round picks
2011: Ryan Strome (5th overall)
2010: Nino Niederreiter (5th overall)
2009: John Tavares (1st overall)
2008: Josh Bailey (9th overall)
2006: Kyle Okposo (7th overall)

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