Team Coverage 2011 NHL MOCK DRAFT Selection Thread

[ultrawhiteness]

i'm here, pick coming soon.

[ultrawhiteness]

At #57, the Flames select Gregory Hofmann from Switzerland.



This pick is all about hockey sense. Here is what Corey Pronman has to say:

Gregory Hofman has been a standout in international play the last two seasons including when he made quite an impression at the most recent U-20's. He's a solid skater, with a notable first step and very quick legs that move at a nonstop pace. His puck skills are decent, excelling more as a passer than a dangler and he relies more on his smarts and vision than extra crisp or lengthy passes to be an effective distributor. His intangibles are terrific and despite a physical game that is fringe, he works his tail off when the puck gets along the boards, even showing a little edge when he gets into a battle although the obvious lack of strength is a hindrance. His goal-scoring is more of a result of his smarts and play in the crease as opposed to a pro-level shot tool, but the smarts really drive his results as he's an above-average thinker. I've rarely if ever have seen him make a poor turnover and his defensive and penalty killing work is solid.

Hopefully the Flames are comfortable drafting for upside and letting some of these guys develop the right way. It's unlikely that anybody picked here in the 2nd round will make a massive, franchise-saving impact in the next 2 years that the Flames can reasonably call themselves competitive. After that, some kind of rebuilding phase will be in order and picks like Kucherov and Hofmann can hopefully provide a jumpstart on that.

[Dean Youngblood]

GMGates and I have come to an agreement on the 58th pick.

"With the 58th pick, the Lightning organization select Reid Boucher from the US Under-18 team"

Reid Boucher is ranked extremely low by NHL's Central Scouting and for me, that is a big mistake. Playing alongside Grimaldi, Boucher had the opportunity to show off his elite goal scoring abilities. In all honesty, Boucher is among the elite in terms of pure goal scorers in this draft. Boucher has become a player who seeks out opportunitys on the ice like a Lion on his prey. He has elite vision, good hands and fantastic instincts. Boucher is undersized and will need to add strength but don't most prospects? Tampa is thrilled to get a kid with this talent late in the second round.

Check out Boucher's huge game winning goal for Team USA at the Under-18 against Russia

[ridinryan44]

GMGates and I have come to an agreement on the 58th pick.

"With the 58th pick, the Lightning organization select Reid Boucher from the US Under-18 team"

Reid Boucher is ranked extremely low by NHL's Central Scouting and for me, that is a big mistake. Playing alongside Grimaldi, Boucher had the opportunity to show off his elite goal scoring abilities. In all honesty, Boucher is among the elite in terms of pure goal scorers in this draft. Boucher has become a player who seeks out opportunitys on the ice like a Lion on his prey. He has elite vision, good hands and fantastic instincts. Boucher is undersized and will need to add strength but don't most prospects? Tampa is thrilled to get a kid with this talent late in the second round.

Check out Boucher's huge game winning goal for Team USA at the Under-18 against Russia

You gotta be kidding me!?!?!?

Damn, you two. He was my perfect Grabner replacement! Thanks for nothing....

[TK12555]

You gotta be kidding me!?!?!?

Damn, you two. He was my perfect Grabner replacement! Thanks for nothing....

people just taking your picks left and right eh?

[ridinryan44]

people just taking your picks left and right eh?

I'm going WAY off the board for my next pick... that way no one can screw me

[4T2]

Sorry that I missed my pick guys, thought we were only doing one round.

Haven't been around here at all in a few days, been a bit of a roller coaster week for me. Thanks for making the pick Dean, and once again, sorry for holding things up.

[SeaDawg]

I'm going WAY off the board for my next pick... that way no one can screw me

everyone's out to screw the Canucks...it is a growing conspiracy, you know

[Dean Youngblood]

It appears that SJS isn't making their pick so let's finish this off with just two picks after this one (VAN and OTT)

"With the 59th pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the San Jose Sharks select Seth Ambroz from Omaha of the USHL"



Seth Ambroz (RW)
Omaha (USHL)
6-2, 211 lbs
56 GP - 24G - 22A - 46P - 89 PIM

From my personal Mock Draft,

Once touted as a high first round pick, Ambroz has seen his draft stock fall after scouts scene little improvement in his game - specifically his skating. Ambroz represents a boom or bust player but he does own soft hands, a quick release and thrives playing the physical game with his 6-foot-2 frame. Ambroz is a man child who can score but when a team takes a gamble on his poor skating is still unknown.

From Matt Bugg of the Prospect Report

In the span of a year, Seth Ambroz has experienced the full range of expectations a player can in their draft year.
Initially a highly-touted talent due to his size, speed and production in the USHL at a young age, the 6’2, 210 lbs forward fell by the wayside as the year progressed despite steady production. Ambroz nevertheless finished the year strong, leading Omaha in points with 46. Along with his wide-ranging package of skills, Ambroz has a penchant for physical play and has proven to be a reliable penalty-killer at the USHL level thanks to his wingspan and tremendous top-end gear. He is headed to Minnesota next fall.

Upside:

Top-nine winger, Steve Bernier type (20-30-50+)

Projected Round:

Early 2nd. Ambroz could go high as the middle of the 1st, but he screams the kind of player who is just overshadowed by other players in the top 30.

Vancouver is on the clock

[TK12555]

I'm going WAY off the board for my next pick... that way no one can screw me

watch it happen

[ridinryan44]

Man... so this is what GM's deal with....I was scouring numerous prospect reports and finally settled on two players. One being Ambroz, the other being the BPA, IMO. So, the Vancouver Canucks will be subtly sour, but put gigantor grins our faces to welcome a soon-to-be third line winger playing alongside Cody Hodgson, Lucas Lessio.

Lucas Lessio will never be expected to ride shotgun alongside a top-two center, but Cody Hodgson and Lessio may make a fantastic third line pairing in three or so years. Lessio doesn't have high-end offensive skill, but he scores dirty, grinding goals by working his arse off and playing good hockey at both ends of the ice. He's a good skater and has a physical edge. This is a grit year for the Vancouver Canucks, hopefully Lessio can add some of that while potting 10-15 goals. He's got good size at 6'1 and weighs in just under 200 pounds.

[Big Ev]

With the 61st overall pick, the Ottawa Senators select Max Friberg frmo Skovde, Sweden



Player Profile

Name: Max Friberg
Team: Skovde IK (committed to Timra of the SEL for 2011-2012)
Date of Birth: November 20, 1992
Birthplace: Skovde, SWE
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 195 lbs

Rationale

Ottawa selects a talented Swede. Sound familiar? Friberg was high on our list and he has a lot of skill and great size for a guy his height. He made the WJ team this year and should be a full time SELer next season. This is a project-type pick.

Here's some analysis for Future Considerations:

An offensively skilled winger…skates well some decent speed and overall mobility…has a fiesty attitude and is willing to engage in puck battles despite his smallish size…has some nice vision and can make some impressive passes…more of a sniper than a playmaker but can do both…possesses a strong shot that can fool tenders with its velocity…creative offensively and manages to manufature scoring chances when he has the puck…has nice hockey sense and smarts…has some soft hands which allows him to handle the puck in traffic…not overly big but does have some good leg strength and uses his low centre of gravity effectivly…needs to add upper body strength before moving on to the SEL which he likely will next season after his contract with Skovde expires.

[Dean Youngblood]

Great job on the mock guys. Great times. We will have to do it again next year!

[TK12555]

Good job everyone!

[metaldude26]

Let's do the third round!