Scouts’ Meeting:
Rick Pracey: The goal of the next couple of days is as always. This first meeting is probably to get the framework kind of 60% along our way. Our North American staff is here; our European staff will join us at the Combine. We will integrate our lists at that point in time.
The key is, especially at this point and time, is to stick to our strengths, stick to what we believe in. Fullest will be on the philosophy of best player available. Key is always, from our mandate, it's skill; it’s compete; it’s character. So when we’re putting these players in order, that is the primary focus. I guess the best way to start is to start looking at number two.
The OHL and WHL were represented very well in both our top pick and the 11th pick. The Europeans, we still need to keep that on the side. We know we still have a lot of interest in Adam Larsson. But for the discussion in this meeting let’s concentrate on North America, but make no mistake about it: Adam Larsson is a player that is someone we have a great deal of interest in.
I would like to start by talking about the top player in Ontario, Gabriel Landeskog.
Brad Smith: Well, we’ve talked before. He’s a character guy. He’s also a guy that has character and skill which is a rare combination. And he’s a power forward, so he brings all the three things to the table we’re looking for, no question about it.
Guy Perron: One other thing that he does well is get around in the blue paint. His size definitely helps us. I like him.
Pracey: He certainly does have some power in his game.
Smith: And I mean a character character character guy. He’s obviously Swedish born so they made him captain. He’s the first captain in Kitchener Rangers that is a 17-year-old and is a European. So this guy does it at both ends of the ice. He fights hard; he’ll fight, fight, stick up for his teammates. Not that fighting is a big part of it, he only had three all year, but they were all for sticking up for teammates. And he can score. He’s got a heavy shot. He takes the puck to the net. This guy is just an all-around player. There’s so much upside to this guy it’s scary.
Pracey: Okay, the top player in the West was Hopkins. Donny? With all your years of experience, talk to us about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Don Paarup: Well right now there’s as much interest in him among all of the scouts as there was, say, in Dany Heatley when he was playing…up there. This kid offensively sees the ice as well as anybody I’ve seen in 20 years. His puck reaction, his creativity, and his mechanics are just outstanding, and as far as I’m concerned, I haven’t seen a kid like this in many years, as far as offense is concerned.
Pracey: Is there anybody in this room that thinks that Nugent-Hopkins’ offense won’t translate?
(silence)
Pracey: I’ll take that as a no. Hopkins will be up against Larsson. Hopkins will be up against Landeskog. Our top player in Quebec was Couturier. You want to speak to Couturier, Guy?
Perron: Yes, he, last year, he led the league in scoring as an underage. He’s a big forward, centerman. This year was pretty close to his numbers as last year with ten less games. He had mono and a slow start. Definitely is a big forward that draws, protects the puck well down low. Definitely MVP of the league this year in the Q. Definitely the top part of the draft.
Pracey: Quickly around the room, any concerns on Couturier?
Smith: The problem is he plays so much. It’s every second shift. There is a little bit of standing around, but I’m not too sure if that’s basically because he plays so much.
Rick Lanz: (unable to hear question)
Smith: Just tired. He plays thirty minutes a night because he’s on every second shift. And he’s holding people off, he’s down low, he’s got people on his back, and he’s so big and strong - or so big and he can hold people off, but then they get it. It doesn’t translate sometimes into pushing the pace all the time. He’s kind of the guy that slows it down and draws people to him to make the play. It’s not push the pace. That would be a concern, but I think it will improve as he gets stronger. These kids are 18-years-old, so he will get stronger. But it would be some little bit of concern there.
Pracey: In terms of body type and game, I know you hate this sometimes, but we’ve been drawing some comparisons to Corey Perry or Bobby Ryan because the size and the skill is evident, but the skating was a knock on both kids in their years. Do we see Couturier’s offense as high end as Perry’s and Ryan’s?
Perron: I would say yes.
Pracey: You would say yes? Well one question I want to bring up is that we talked about Couturier at length. There’s been a lot of momentum generated by Huberdeau in St. John. Guy, real quick on Huberdeau and how do you compare him to Couturier?
Perron: Well I think that this guy has been very good throughout the year. Hockey sense, creativity with the puck, down-in-low guy who will get in tough areas and who will get the big goals. St. Johns (is) probably going to have a lot of traffic this year. They have a good team and probably will end up in the Memorial Cup, so…and he’s a big part of it.
Smith: I guess the way you look at it, too, is for Couturier, it’s his third year in the league; that’s where he’s getting back. He’s older. It’s his third year in the league cuz he was (born) in ‘92. This is only (Huberdeau’s) second year in the league. So if he tracks the same way Couturier does at that next level, and he takes it to that next level, maybe he--
(unnamed scout): That’s more of the point. Is Couturier kind of tired of doing this, too?
Smith: Well it’s his NHL draft year. I mean, if you want to be that player, you better come to perform every night.
(unnamed scout): A good point.
Smith: I’d understand that if this isn’t his NHL draft year, and he’s been there five years cuz he’s underage, and this and that, then maybe, but that to me doesn’t hold water because it’s his NHL draft year. Couturier went to play at the World Junior, and he did all this stuff. There’s got to be some kind of excitement; you can’t be bored. You’ve got to come and play.