TEAM

SELECTION

COMMENTS

Alexander Ovechkin (LW)

Will be the Capitals franchise player, and is similar to Kovalchuk, except a much better physical player. He can be a leader, as he was Russia’s captain at the World Juniors, and has outstanding potential.

Evgeni Malkin (C)

Has the same potential to be a franchise player that Ovechkin does.  Some teams are rating Malkin ahead of Ovechkin, and Pittsburgh is lucky to get a guy of his caliber.

Rostislav Olesz (C)

The Hawks don’t need much help on D as they acquired Jim Vandermeer and drafted Seabrook last year.  Could use some help for Ruutu up front, and Olesz provides that

Cam Barker (D)

Has the potential to be a franchise defenceman, and will match up beautifully with Rostislav Klesla.  Columbus doesn’t need much more on offence with Nash and Zherdev, but a solid blueliner will help.

Marek Schwarz (G)

David LeNeveu is simply not the answer in net, and neither is Boucher.  The Coyotes aren’t a bad team, they are just weak in some areas, mainly the net.  Doan is a franchise player, and Morris is good too.  They aren’t ready to win now anyways, so Schwarz will be able to develop.

Lauri Tukonen (RW)

Tukonen is ready to play right now, so the Rangers can take a chance on him.  They have another pick in the first, so they can get another solid forward there, and who knows, maybe see them in the playoffs next year.

Andrew Ladd (LW)

Ladd may be the offensive sparkplug Florida needs. Scouts compare him to Rick Nash and he was the No. 1 North American skater rated this year.  Paired up with Horton, this has Naslund and Bertuzzi potential.

Ladislav Smid (D)

They just signed Cam Ward so Montoya wouldn’t be smart here, but a top defenceman would be.  Not a big goal-scorer, but has great physical and mental play

Robbie Schremp (C.)

The Ducks drafted Corey Perry out of London last year, and the two played together this year.  They would have experience playing together, which gives them a step up on most young pairs.

Alexandre Picard (LW)

This would be a good choice for Atlanta.  A great second-line option, and a nice compliment to Patrick Stefan.  Picard is a little inconsistent though, which is why he dropped this far.

Al Montoya (G)

Montoya will only drop this far if Phoenix chooses Schwarz over him.  No other teams have a glaring need in net.  Cechmanek played well for L.A., but is clearly not the future in net for them.

Drew Stafford (RW)

Stafford was born and raised in Michigan and they would love to put a home town guy on their roster.  Is a fan-favorite and would definitely put some more bodies inside the Xcel Energy Center.

Woltek Wolski (LW)

He’s the No. 5 ranked North American skater, and he surprisingly moves up to this spot.  The Sabres love him, and they really think he could match up well with a guy like Derek Roy, or Daniel Briere.  Appears to be a second-line NHL left-winger.

Andrej Meszaros (D)

A solid blueliner, who could be in the NHL as a front-line defenceman in two years.  He played at the World Championships recently, and was the youngest player in the tournament.  Maybe the smartest defenceman in the draft

A.J. Thelan (D)

The future one-two punch of Ryan Suter and A.J. Thelan, accompanied by defenceman such as Marek Zidlicky, will give Nashville the bolstered blueline they've always wanted. They also don't need much help up front

Alexander Radulov (RW)

Radulov is a great skater, with great speed, and amazing 1-on-1 moves.  He is a guy that would match up nicely with Sean Bergenheim or Trent Hunter, because he is more of a goal scorer than a guy that would go into the corners.

Devan Dubnyk (G)

The third best goalie in the draft, is a steal right hear.  He covers the whole net basically at 6-6.  He has No. 1 goalie potential, and is probably the answer to St. Louis' goalie troubles

Kyle Chipchura (C.)

Chipchura was a top 10 prospect for most of the year, but has slipped as of late.  He reminds me a lot of Kirk Maltby in the way he checks and kills penalties.  Lacks some touch around the net, but can help Montreal's physical issues

Enver Lisin (RW)

Lisin is the fastest forward in the draft, but has been known to play Rick Nash, or Ilya Kovalchuk type defence.  Let's put it this way, he never says hi to his goalie during the game.  Sutter will put him in his place though and could turn out to be a great player in this league

Dave Bolland (C.)

With Mike Modano on his way out soon, Bolland could turn out to be a great NHLer, with a mean streak.  Think St. Louis without so much goal-scoring.  Not afraid to take a hit either.

Mike Green (D)

Have a lot of good young forwards, but have been struggling to produce quality blueliners.  Green is a sure-fire prospect with a huge upside.  Could be good along side Liles for a long time.

Boris Valabik (D)

Tallest player in the draft (6-7), is usually matched up with the best players across from him.  A very smart player who reminds a lot of people of Senators blueliner Zdeno Chara

Wes O' Neill (D)

Missed out by one spot on a Chara clone, but get a solid defenceman none-the-less.  Has to learn the physical aspect of the game a bit better, but has everything else John Muckler and Bryan Murray would want

Jeff Schultz (D)

Shultz is a big kid, and New York has no real great prospects on the blueline other than Tyutin, and can still grab another skilled forward in the second round.  A D man should be picked here.

Petteri Nokelainen (C.)

A highly skilled forward with a lot of skill.  A good defender and penalty killer.  Is a leader on the ice and in the dressing room.  He is also a very smart kid.

Lauri Korpikoski (LW)

A great player with exceptional speed.  Has improved a lot over the course of this year, and will continue to develop.  If he has skilled players playing with him, he will find ways to set them up.

Bruce Graham (C.)

Graham is known for his gritty play, and his ability to create scoring chances.  Could be the playmaker in Alexander Ovechkin's future

Roman Voloshenko (LW)

A good second line winger, who could maybe end up playing with Ekman or Dimitrakos one day.  A pure goal scorer makes him attractive to a team that somewhat relies on the trap to win games 1-0 or 2-1

Kirill Lyamin (D)

Taking two skilled forwards in the first round already, this pick should be used to hwlp bolster Washington's future defence corp which includes such youngsters like Steve Eminger and Shaone Morrison

David Shantz (G)

Tampa Bay has no glaring needs right now, and we all know Khabibulin will likely walk when he becomes a restricted free agent, so Shantz is a likely selection.  He is the 4th goalie in the first round, but is close to Dubnyk.  A steal here.