In Lou We Trust

Tom Gulitti has had a few words with Lou, who is very, very happy with the selection of Mattias Tedenby. If you're still skeptical about the selection, I invite you to read Sam Woo's analysis of it at Hockey Primetime. Considering what I know about Tedenby and his style of play, the fact that he would eventually fit well into Sutter's system probably was a big factor along with Tedenby's speed and skill.

With the draft now over, the many, many draft day deals are being analyzed - here by the indomitable James Mirtle. Where Chicago fans are wondering about Kyle Beach's maturity and discipline and Islanders blogs quelling an overreaction to the decision the move down instead of taking Nikita Filatov at #5 (Note: The Fanhouse does suggest that it maybe wasn't a terrible idea.), the next big date is July 1. That's the date where free agency begins. I'd expect Sergei Brylin and Jay Pandolfo's future to be confirmed by then - likely with deals keeping them in Devils red. Even with the signing of both players, the Devils will have more than a fair bit of cap space available, assuming the salary cap celing does increase to $56.3 million as estimated. Will they swing big and go for Marian Hossa? Will they focus on the defense, looking at Wade Redden or a solid #4 guy in case Bryce Salvador doesn't return? How will any signing affect the possible spots available for prospects Petr Vrana, Nicklas Bergfors, and Matthew Corrente? What will Lou do to completely surprise us? All this answered and more, in a little less than 2 weeks.

If you were fortunate enough to get to the Devils draft party early enough, you were able to get a free copy of the 2008 The Hockey News Draft Preview. It's a smart move by the organizers as it gives people like me something to read before the Devils' pick, something to follow as 17 and 18 year old hockey prospects are being picked, and something that provides some unintentional entertainment.

First, there are the photos. Seeing young players A) trying too hard to smile in their team photos ( e.g. Michael Del Zotto), B) looking surprised (e.g. Colby Robak), C) trying to look serious and tough (e.g. Zach Boychuk), or D) the rare not-even-a-hockey-related-photo (e.g. Anton Gustafsson). The best photo was THN's #37 ranked prospect, and now Calgary Flame, Mitch Wahl. They took his Spokane Chiefs photo which leads me to believe he is actually a throwback to the 1950s NHL.


Impressive.

Second, the write-ups themselves. Alan Adams had an article before the prospect profiles detailing why NHL teams are wary to pick Russian prospects due to a lack of the transfer agreement between the Russian Hockey Federation and the NHL. Alexei Cherepanov slipped to the Rangers at 17th overall, a travesty according to Pierre McGuire, because of this. Flip two pages ahead to Nikita Filatov's profile and the first quote read "Russian teenager Alexei Cherepanov tumbled on draft day last year more because of his effort and character than the NHL's problems with the Russian federation." THN is totally on the same page here, good times!

Here are some more fun quotes from scouts and the profiles and some wonderful comparisons My comments are in italics:

• THN #6 Luke Schenn - "'He's not as good as those other guys [Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo], but he plays with more of an edge, ' a scout said. 'To me, he's Brendan Witt-plus.'" Yep, if you're a team picking in the top-10, you're looking for...a Brendan Witt like player.
  

• THN #11 Kyle Beach - "'This guy could be the best player in the draft,' one scout said. 'He's Own Nolan. Yeah, discipline is an issue for him. But was discipline an issue for Claude Lemieux?'" A more logical statement would have been whether discipline was an issue for Owen Nolan?

• THN #16 Mattias Tedenby - "Size is undoubtedly an issue [Note: this is a common theme in this draft preview] when it comes to Tedenby, but scouts who have watched him wonder if they're not watching the next Saku Koivu...or the next Martin St-Louis...or the next Mats Naslund." And later we get a scout saying he's got some Paul Kariya in him. Four comparisons! That's the most in any of these profiles. Good times! Thank heavens they didn't bring up Rico Fata...

• THN #28 Tyler Cuma - "'He's good offensively, but not dynamic,' a scout said. "And he's good defensively, but he's not 6-foot-4.'" Wow. I'm still wrapping my head about the knock on his height. He's 6'1", he isn't small. Still, the profile highlights that he's just good all-around and doesn't have an elite attribute. Get excited Minnesota! This is who you traded up for!

• THN #47 - Kristofer Berglund - "Berglund has been passed over in not one, but two, NHL drafts, but that won't be the case after an impressive WJC for the silver medal-winning Swedish team and some progress with his club team." Well, THN was right. Berglund just got drafted by St. Louis. In the 5th round, 125th overall. That's not even the biggest reach by the magazine.

• THN #50 - Joel Champange - No quote, but THN has him at #50, the International Scouting Service has him at #151, and Champange just got picked at 129th overall by Toronto. Oh, THN...

• THN #60 - Kelsey Tessier - "The main thing separating Tessier from the other small, talented forwards in this year's draft is skating. The ones rated higher are terrific skaters, Tessier not so much." That's the first two sentences of his profile - ouch. That's not good for anyone. Tessier did fall out of the first two rounds, going in the fourth to Columbus.

• And now the best quote - THN# 29 - Zac Dalpe - "'Travis Zajac went 20th in his draft year and he should have gone 10th," one scout said. What?! Travis Zajac as a top ten talent! I know 2004 wasn't as deep as 2003, but saying he should have been selected ten picks earlier is bizarre. This is the same Travis Zajac we're talking about here, right? Maybe this scout is from an alternative universe where Travis Zajac is the new Anze Kopitar?
  

The last area of entertainment and head-scratching reading comes from the team-by-team sections. They have a little 10-year draft review where they list the team's top 5 shrewd picks and the top 5 that weren't so shrewd. Naturally, the former are later picks that turned out well and the latter are earlier picks that didn't meet expectations. - and are the focus of joy and sadness. Re-live the fact that Stanislav Chistov went 5th overall, Rico Fata went 6th overall, and Adrian Foster being drafted at all! Though some of those listings just seem impatient - you can't say that Logan Couture was a not-so-shrewd pick since he was drafted last year. That said, the Rangers list is an exciting list of Pavel Brendl, Jamie Lundmark, Hugh Jessiman, Manny Malhotra, and Alvaro Montoya. Bizarrely, Detroit only has two players listed in that spot. I know they draft well, but if they're going note Benoit Pouliot as not a great pick, you can't ignore Jakub Kindl.

Criticisms aside, it's a good guide to have at the draft if only to have some knowledge of who's being picked. OK, it doesn't have the panache of the TSN TV coverage, but we don't need a magazine having the equivalent of Pierre McGuire yelling "That was a gigantically positive decision!" or stating how he loves every pick. Then again I imagine him yelling at lunch, "A ham sandwich? Oscar Meyer, YOU are a McGuire Monday MONSTER."

At first, I wasn't particularly happy because I convinced myself that should Carlson be there, that's who I want for New Jersey. Then again, the Devils have professional scouts and all I have is second hand information. Upon considering the pick while waiting for the train, I'm starting to grow into the pick. Fortunately, I was able to snag a free copy of The Hockey News' Draft Preview magazine at the draft party (more on this tomorrow), providing me ample time to read up on who they think the top 60 prospects are. THN rates Tedenby at 16; and the only groups that had Carlson ranked higher than Tedenby is at TSN - which conveniently lists the rankings for comparison - and McKeens.

Tedenby is highly praised in scouting reports, such as this profile at Eliteprospects, for his speed, fearlessness, and his overall offensive skill (stickhandling, scoring, etc.). Clearly, he's a skilled forward and you can't have too many of those in the system. Likewise, the common knocks on him are the fact he's 5'9" and 165 lbs. and his defensive awareness is lacking. Well, the Devils generally select the best player available regardless of size - like Brian Gionta and Zach Parise - so I don't think the size was a deterrent. Plus, there's any team in the world that will drill defensive awareness into a player, it's New Jersey. Given that Lou traded down twice, this is clearly the organization wanted and got two extra picks for their effort. OK, so it made me take a train about an hour later than I'd like, but in a few years, that minor inconvience will be well worth it.

But enough words, check out these two 5 minute-ish videos of Tedenby doing the thing that got him drafted tonight. This one features him with the Swedish national team (I assume U-18s) and this one features him on HV71.


Welcome to the New Jersey Devils organization, Mr. Tedenby. May you still gaze that gaze in Newark in the coming years.

The 2008 NHL Entry Draft will take place tomorrow in Ottawa. With Steve Stamkos going to some team in Florida that has won a Stanley Cup, the big story isn't who will be #1 overall. No, the angle for this year's draft, according to the league website, is defensemen. The league's site has feature stories about Zach Bogosian, Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, and Michael Del Zotto. They have some other interesting stories about the top Danish prospect Mikkel Boedker and potential top Russian Nikita Filatov. Plenty to read up on. I know this sounds like a shill, but the NHL website consistently has tons of features and articles to read up on all season long. It always impresses me.

Anyway. The draft. All those guys I just mentioned? The Devils will probably draft none of them. If the TSN mock draft is anything to go by, all those guys are top 10 picks except for Del Zotto. Even then, I doubt that Del Zotto will slip unless he suddenly gained a bunch of weight in a Makarovian fashion since the combine. So who will be around? Hopefully Devils fan and big defenseman John Carlson will slip to #21. Maybe Colby Robak has enticed the Devils scouts? Most likely someone else that I didn't cover in my admittedly poor anticipation of people who could be available when the Devils have their first round pick.

Hockey's Future, a site that focuses on prospects and a site that is currently enjoying this time of year, has all kinds of team previews. Most relevantly, Jared Ramsden has an extensive and proper article about the Devils' prospect system. I don't think the team desperately needs an elite prospect. There are only so many of those every year and the cost to get them is large. As good as Bogosian or Doughty are, would a big trade to move current regular players to pick up a 18 year old kid be worth it? Maybe if they are a sure-thing, but are they? I don't know - it seems to me that Stamkos may be the only one who fits that bill and he's already taken. And even if the Devils don't get an elite prospect in this draft, I don't think it makes the Devils weaker next season. If it's a continuing trend for the next few years, then maybe. But not now.

Anyway, Ramsden thinks Jordan Eberle could be the selection. It would be a good pick. The Devils have never used size as a reason to not select someone - just ask Brian Gionta and Zach Parise. Plus, Eberle's offensive upside and goal scoring skills will become very useful if they continue to develop to be useful to the NHL level. However, some reports available via a quick Google search are a bit troubling. Dallas Hicks at My NHL Draft says he could project to Peter Schafer. Not exactly an enticing comparison. It could be worse, it could have been Pierre Dagenais. NHL Draft Notes likes his scoring ability, but reading that the work ethic isn't there could be a red flag - especially for an organization that frowns on lazy play. This article from the Ledger Post states that Eberle is prepared to be selected wherever and it gives a good overview of how he got to be in this current position for Regina and his burgoning hockey career. Lastly, and going full circle here, NHL Video has a scouting profile of Eberle on YouTube - where he states that his full speed and strength are not his strengths. Though using his snubbing in the bantam draft for motivation, could quell any questions about work ethic.

Who will the Devils draft? Neither you or I know. See you at the draft party at The Rock tomorrow!

While it's no TV party, why sit at home and watch the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft? Come on up/down to Newark, New Jersey on June 20 and attend the Devils Draft Party? There's plenty to do, according to the press release, and you'll be able to see the Devils first round pick, the twenty-first pick overall. The only way it could be any better is if you're actually going to the NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa. (Aside: IPB's Project Bicycle Spoke is a very interesting way to fill the summer. I wonder if they'll find a Devils Andrei Zyuzin card.)

In any case, that NHL Entry Draft link appears to be an official NHL site and it is loaded with more information. It's much more complete and easier to get to than reading opinions from HFBoards - not that there's anything wrong with HF. In fact, if you're looking for mock drafts, HF is a great place to go. You may want to ignore the amateurs and go right to this one done by the Daniel Nielson of Hockey's Future Radio. The radio site even ranks the players - not necessarily a mock draft - but still good as it considers all the players. Unfortunately, he thinks John Carlson will be gone before #21, but he's still thinking defense with Colby Robak. If only because there isn't much else going on with the Devils, let's see what else is out there (read: what can I find through Google) about this guy.

Lowe Tide, an Edmonton Oilers blog that seems to prefer Shawn Horcoff, notes that Robak does indeed have offensive upside and that his best asset is his skating. That's certainly good news. From Rich Hammond's Inside the Kings, you can read this interview with Robak where you can learn that he agrees he needs to be more physical and that he would love to model his game after Nicklas Lidstrom. I like reading positive things about his skating. If I learned anything from reading countless prospect profiles from THN and elsewhere, it's that skating seems to keep coming up as an issue for prospects. Given that it's a strength, that's good for Robak. Reading he needs to be more physical makes sense given his size and position, but it's good that he recognized that issue. Lastly, I found an entire blog devoted to the NHL Draft and prospects - the aptly named NHL Draft Notes. Michael Rennard has a report on Robak and he's pretty down on his lack of toughness (and strong shot) and even notes that while he'll go in the first round - he may not be worthy of that. On the upside, he echoes his skating ability and - I guess to further entice those who want an offensive defenseman in the system - states he's good with carrying and passing the puck.

What I gathered from all this is that Robak is great skater, but he needs to play more aggressively and work on turning that puck movement into production. I'm certain he'll improve on the grit as he gets into the NHL and if he is such a good skater, it'll help his (possible) eventual transition into the league. If New Jersey does draft him, it would be a good fit. With the organization's patience for prospects, they can guide Robak along the way to get bigger, play bigger, and utilize his skating skills on the blue line. I wouldn't be unhappy if #21 turns out to be Robak based on what I've read of him. If any of you readers have seen Robak - or any other potential Devils first round draft pick - play, let me know. I'm always interested in first hand accounts.