Well, first things first, I guess I have to announce the official opening of The Hart of Hockey blog! This is the website's inaugural post, and hopefully we have many, many more to come. The point of this blog is to keep the update the masses on the latest NHL news as well debate and discuss those very topics. Comments are always welcome!
Now then, business. The NHL 2011 draft picks have already had the opportunity to show their stuff in their respective organizations' training camps and preseason matches. As we creep closer to the beginning of the regular season, questions are always raised about the immediate future of a team's draft picks. A lot of movement has finally taken place as of this morning, and the 2011 draft selections have already created some of the most interesting stories going into the season. Let's take a closer look at where many of the most intriguing young talents in the game will be spending the month of October.
MARK SCHEIFELE
Let's begin with arguably the most impressive rookie in this year's preseason, 18 year-old Barrie Colts product, Mark Scheifele. People expected this kid to be good, but no one could have forseen him playing this well this soon.
Since coming to Jets camp, Scheifele has shown poise, a great attitude, and scoring touch. The people of Winnipeg are already high on this teenager, expecting him to be a prolific goal scorer in years to come. However, despite netting 4 goals, it's been his vision on the ice that has truly stood out. Scheifele has 4 assists to go along with his goals, which puts him 2nd amoung all NHL players in preseason scoring, and if they kept a separate statistic of "really good passes" or "plays made", he would have been among the top in those departments, too.
Despite these impressive stats and his performance on the ice, the most distressing number on his resume is "18." As in his age. Like all of the players in this post, they're all extremely young, and one has to wonder is they need that extra year or two to develop into the best player they can be.
Winnipeg signed Scheifele to an entry-level contract at a cap hit of $1.625 early in the morning, October 3rd. This has garunteed Scheifele a stay of up to 9 games, and then the Jets need to decide if thet want to keep his youth on the roster, or sent him back to the OHL. Gabriel Landeskog was scouted as the only player who was sure to be NHL-ready at the draft, but Scheifele has quickly made the citizens of the 'Peg debate whether to keep him the big leagues or let him spend the rest of the year in Barrie to further develop his already impressive skill set. Debate this all you want, Jets fans and hockey fans alike, but it lools as if Mark Scheifele is set for an 82 game season in the National Hockey League. However, his play in those first few games will be the real deciding factor for the Jets staff.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS
This year's first overall selection by the Edmonton Oilers has been the focus of many discussions regarding a player making an NHL roster or playing an extra year in juniors. RNH, also 18 years of age, has been heavily scrutinized for his weight. At the draft, he was 6'0", and a miniscule 150 lbs. Now since the draft, RNH has bolstered up to 171 according to his profile on TSN, but that still is concerning to many (to put that in perspective, Detroit's speedy RW Chris Conner is recorded at 5'8", 180 lbs. And let me tell you, 5'8" is probably on tip toes.)
What The Nuge may lack in girth and muscle, he more than makes up for in ability. RNH has tallied 5 assists and 1 goal in 5 games played throughout the Oilers' preseason campaign, showcasing his playmaking abilities. On top of his reputation of a 1st overall draft selection, a reputation he will never be able to shake his entire career, he has been compared by many to Pavel Datsyuk. Whoah. What a compliment. It's one thing to be taken 1st overall in the NHL Draft, but to be compared to one of the elite players of a generation so frequently let's you know this kid is truly the real deal. With that being said, RNH has visibly been tossed around a bit in moments during some of his exhibition appearences.
Edmonton has already announced Nugent-Hopkins will appear on the Oilers' opening night roster, so he will finally get to experience true-blue, professional-pace, professional-power hockey. Unless he can put up Datsyukian numbers in those first few games, the safe thing to do with The Nuge is to send him back to the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels to further develop (and by "develop," I mean get stronger, and get more physical.) The Oilers already have great young players in Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Pääjärvi, Sam Ganger, and Linus Omark, there's no reason at all to rush this kid.
Zibanejad is only 18 years-old, but the potential seems to be there. What's interesting is, Zibanejad has no ties with any OHL, QMJHL, or WHL teams, so if he doesn't make Ottawa's roster for the whole year (which I highly doubt he will,) will he go back to Djurgårdens, or just play international juniors with Sweden? Not to mention, a franchise in an intense rebuilding mode like Ottawa will want to know when all of this potential is ready for the prime time...
GABRIEL LANDESKOG
Initially believed to be the only player taken in the first round assured of making the big league roster, Landeskog's camp has taken a back seat to the stories of Mark Scheifele with the revived Jets, and 1st overall selection Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Still, Landeskog has performed well at Avs camp, and wasn't on the team's most recent roster cuts on October 2nd.
What seems a bit off the wall about Landeskog's story, is his OHL team, the Kitchner Rangers, actually dropped him from their official roster anticipating he would make Colorado's official line-up. The NHL is a funny place, there are never gauranteed roster spots for any player if someone else is better for the team. Avs management was also counting on the Swede to shine, because the team had previously stated they would like to sign Landeskog so they could hit the mandatory salary cap floor.
Colorado did sign Landeskog to a three-year entry-level deal, with a lofty $3,575,000 cap hit. [capgeek.com]
I guess it goes without saying that with no junior team to fall back on, and such a heavy deal for a kid who hasn't played one minute of regular season action, Landeskog is the only player in this post we can say for sure will spend the entire season with the NHL squad.
JONATHAN HUBERDEAU & JOE MORROW
Two defensemen taken in the 1st round of this year's draft won't even be able to spark debate over whether they should make a roster after a few games or not, because as of yesterday morning, they have already been sent back to their respective junior squads. Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers and Joe Morrow of the Pittsburgh Penguins had promising camps, but will not play in any NHL games this season.
Huberdeau, the 3rd overall selection in the 2011 Draft, put home 3 power play goals for the Panthers in 3 preseason games, but was also a -3 during those games. The Panthers are doing the right thing here by sending this kid back to the QMJHL, and that's not because Huberdeau played terrible hockey. It's just what's best for his future as a hockey player and a Florida Panther. The St. John Sea Dogs defenseman needs to add a bit more physical attributes to his game, along with the fact he needs to literally grow physically, as well. After hearing the news, Huberdeau even said himself in an interview that he was getting beat a few too many times and getting knocked around physically. Contract negotiations did not motivate this move.
Joe Morrow, on the other hand, does have a contract with his team, he just will not be playing with them during the course of the 2011-12 season. Morrow had a particularly impressive camp and preseason with the Penguins, but Pittsburgh's defense corps are too deep for this kid to crack the roster this early. Some people thought with veteran defenseman Brooks Orpik coming off of offseason surgery, Morrow would have been able to stay with the the club for a few games... before ultimately being sent down to the WHL anyway.
This scenario was not meant to be, as it seems Orpik will be good to go at some point during the first two weeks of the Penguins' season, if not for the opener in Vancouver. Dan Bylsma has chosen to roll with his already stunningly deep defense until then, leaving Penguins fans to wait one more year to see if Morrow can continue his unexpected success with the team.
BRANDON SAAD
Here's a name you'd think would have been at the top of this post if you asked anyone what they thought of him about a year ago. He's also a player that you'd think would be completely off of this post's radar if you asked anyone a month ago. Yet here we are, talking up Brandon Saad once again.
As long as I have been following hockey, I don't think I have ever seen someone's draft stock plummet harder and quicker than Saad's did. A natural goal scorer once believed to be a top 5 draft pick, Saad fell all the way to the 43rd overall selection in the 2nd round after an atrocious second-half of the season with the Saginaw Spirit.
Brandon Saad brought his A-game to Blackhawks camp though, and has earned himself a regular season roster spot witht the team. After dressing in all of the Hawks' preseason games, Saad never really showed that "Top 5" talent he was once believed to have, but he sure played well enough to raise some eyebrows in the hockey community and to impress Coach Quenneville.
Saad will most probably only stick around for 9 games with Chicago at best before he should sent back to Saginaw. Ultimately, that is what's best for his career, but he certainly has already exceeded some pro-level expectations enough to bring his name back into focus.
Notable AHL-underage 2011 draft picks signed to a contract: Adam Larsson (NJD), Sean Couturier (PHI), Ryan Murphy (CAR), Ryan Strome (NYI), and JT Miller (NYR)
UPDATE!!! (10/5/11, 12:41pm)
Reports are swirling that Brandon Saad has not only signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, but many are speculating that he will play on the Hawks' top line along side Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Wow. I personally still believe Saad should be sent back to the OHL after several games in the big time, but wow, if you want a young gun to get used to the NHL, there's really no better way to do it than to pair him up with one of the league's elite players/leaders and another scoring machine like the kid is supossed to develop into. If Saad can produce with Toews and Sharp, he may be up in the NHL longer than anyone would have thought on draft day.
Now then, business. The NHL 2011 draft picks have already had the opportunity to show their stuff in their respective organizations' training camps and preseason matches. As we creep closer to the beginning of the regular season, questions are always raised about the immediate future of a team's draft picks. A lot of movement has finally taken place as of this morning, and the 2011 draft selections have already created some of the most interesting stories going into the season. Let's take a closer look at where many of the most intriguing young talents in the game will be spending the month of October.
Let's begin with arguably the most impressive rookie in this year's preseason, 18 year-old Barrie Colts product, Mark Scheifele. People expected this kid to be good, but no one could have forseen him playing this well this soon.
Since coming to Jets camp, Scheifele has shown poise, a great attitude, and scoring touch. The people of Winnipeg are already high on this teenager, expecting him to be a prolific goal scorer in years to come. However, despite netting 4 goals, it's been his vision on the ice that has truly stood out. Scheifele has 4 assists to go along with his goals, which puts him 2nd amoung all NHL players in preseason scoring, and if they kept a separate statistic of "really good passes" or "plays made", he would have been among the top in those departments, too.
Despite these impressive stats and his performance on the ice, the most distressing number on his resume is "18." As in his age. Like all of the players in this post, they're all extremely young, and one has to wonder is they need that extra year or two to develop into the best player they can be.
Winnipeg signed Scheifele to an entry-level contract at a cap hit of $1.625 early in the morning, October 3rd. This has garunteed Scheifele a stay of up to 9 games, and then the Jets need to decide if thet want to keep his youth on the roster, or sent him back to the OHL. Gabriel Landeskog was scouted as the only player who was sure to be NHL-ready at the draft, but Scheifele has quickly made the citizens of the 'Peg debate whether to keep him the big leagues or let him spend the rest of the year in Barrie to further develop his already impressive skill set. Debate this all you want, Jets fans and hockey fans alike, but it lools as if Mark Scheifele is set for an 82 game season in the National Hockey League. However, his play in those first few games will be the real deciding factor for the Jets staff.
This year's first overall selection by the Edmonton Oilers has been the focus of many discussions regarding a player making an NHL roster or playing an extra year in juniors. RNH, also 18 years of age, has been heavily scrutinized for his weight. At the draft, he was 6'0", and a miniscule 150 lbs. Now since the draft, RNH has bolstered up to 171 according to his profile on TSN, but that still is concerning to many (to put that in perspective, Detroit's speedy RW Chris Conner is recorded at 5'8", 180 lbs. And let me tell you, 5'8" is probably on tip toes.)
What The Nuge may lack in girth and muscle, he more than makes up for in ability. RNH has tallied 5 assists and 1 goal in 5 games played throughout the Oilers' preseason campaign, showcasing his playmaking abilities. On top of his reputation of a 1st overall draft selection, a reputation he will never be able to shake his entire career, he has been compared by many to Pavel Datsyuk. Whoah. What a compliment. It's one thing to be taken 1st overall in the NHL Draft, but to be compared to one of the elite players of a generation so frequently let's you know this kid is truly the real deal. With that being said, RNH has visibly been tossed around a bit in moments during some of his exhibition appearences.
Edmonton has already announced Nugent-Hopkins will appear on the Oilers' opening night roster, so he will finally get to experience true-blue, professional-pace, professional-power hockey. Unless he can put up Datsyukian numbers in those first few games, the safe thing to do with The Nuge is to send him back to the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels to further develop (and by "develop," I mean get stronger, and get more physical.) The Oilers already have great young players in Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Magnus Pääjärvi, Sam Ganger, and Linus Omark, there's no reason at all to rush this kid.
MIKA ZIBANEJAD
Now here's an interesting hockey player. This is a guy who was drafted 6th overall, and signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators as early as July 13th. However, he has no U20 World Juniors experience to look back on, and he only put up 9 points in 26 games with Djurgårdens IF's top team in Sweden. Am I missing something here? Granted, he was only 17 years-old at the time, but for such low statistics, the hype for the kid never stops. Scouts were buzzing about him pre and post-draft. According to Matias Strozyk of eliteprospects.com, Zibanejad is, "A very skilled center/winger with good hands and a terrific eye for the game. A modern power forward with good skating. Likes to go into heavy traffic and play physically. Takes care of defensive duties well and has strong face-off skills."Zibanejad is only 18 years-old, but the potential seems to be there. What's interesting is, Zibanejad has no ties with any OHL, QMJHL, or WHL teams, so if he doesn't make Ottawa's roster for the whole year (which I highly doubt he will,) will he go back to Djurgårdens, or just play international juniors with Sweden? Not to mention, a franchise in an intense rebuilding mode like Ottawa will want to know when all of this potential is ready for the prime time...
Initially believed to be the only player taken in the first round assured of making the big league roster, Landeskog's camp has taken a back seat to the stories of Mark Scheifele with the revived Jets, and 1st overall selection Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Still, Landeskog has performed well at Avs camp, and wasn't on the team's most recent roster cuts on October 2nd.
What seems a bit off the wall about Landeskog's story, is his OHL team, the Kitchner Rangers, actually dropped him from their official roster anticipating he would make Colorado's official line-up. The NHL is a funny place, there are never gauranteed roster spots for any player if someone else is better for the team. Avs management was also counting on the Swede to shine, because the team had previously stated they would like to sign Landeskog so they could hit the mandatory salary cap floor.
Colorado did sign Landeskog to a three-year entry-level deal, with a lofty $3,575,000 cap hit. [capgeek.com]
I guess it goes without saying that with no junior team to fall back on, and such a heavy deal for a kid who hasn't played one minute of regular season action, Landeskog is the only player in this post we can say for sure will spend the entire season with the NHL squad.
Two defensemen taken in the 1st round of this year's draft won't even be able to spark debate over whether they should make a roster after a few games or not, because as of yesterday morning, they have already been sent back to their respective junior squads. Jonathan Huberdeau of the Florida Panthers and Joe Morrow of the Pittsburgh Penguins had promising camps, but will not play in any NHL games this season.
Huberdeau, the 3rd overall selection in the 2011 Draft, put home 3 power play goals for the Panthers in 3 preseason games, but was also a -3 during those games. The Panthers are doing the right thing here by sending this kid back to the QMJHL, and that's not because Huberdeau played terrible hockey. It's just what's best for his future as a hockey player and a Florida Panther. The St. John Sea Dogs defenseman needs to add a bit more physical attributes to his game, along with the fact he needs to literally grow physically, as well. After hearing the news, Huberdeau even said himself in an interview that he was getting beat a few too many times and getting knocked around physically. Contract negotiations did not motivate this move.
This scenario was not meant to be, as it seems Orpik will be good to go at some point during the first two weeks of the Penguins' season, if not for the opener in Vancouver. Dan Bylsma has chosen to roll with his already stunningly deep defense until then, leaving Penguins fans to wait one more year to see if Morrow can continue his unexpected success with the team.
Here's a name you'd think would have been at the top of this post if you asked anyone what they thought of him about a year ago. He's also a player that you'd think would be completely off of this post's radar if you asked anyone a month ago. Yet here we are, talking up Brandon Saad once again.
As long as I have been following hockey, I don't think I have ever seen someone's draft stock plummet harder and quicker than Saad's did. A natural goal scorer once believed to be a top 5 draft pick, Saad fell all the way to the 43rd overall selection in the 2nd round after an atrocious second-half of the season with the Saginaw Spirit.
Brandon Saad brought his A-game to Blackhawks camp though, and has earned himself a regular season roster spot witht the team. After dressing in all of the Hawks' preseason games, Saad never really showed that "Top 5" talent he was once believed to have, but he sure played well enough to raise some eyebrows in the hockey community and to impress Coach Quenneville.
Saad will most probably only stick around for 9 games with Chicago at best before he should sent back to Saginaw. Ultimately, that is what's best for his career, but he certainly has already exceeded some pro-level expectations enough to bring his name back into focus.
Notable AHL-underage 2011 draft picks signed to a contract: Adam Larsson (NJD), Sean Couturier (PHI), Ryan Murphy (CAR), Ryan Strome (NYI), and JT Miller (NYR)
UPDATE!!! (10/5/11, 12:41pm)
Reports are swirling that Brandon Saad has not only signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, but many are speculating that he will play on the Hawks' top line along side Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Wow. I personally still believe Saad should be sent back to the OHL after several games in the big time, but wow, if you want a young gun to get used to the NHL, there's really no better way to do it than to pair him up with one of the league's elite players/leaders and another scoring machine like the kid is supossed to develop into. If Saad can produce with Toews and Sharp, he may be up in the NHL longer than anyone would have thought on draft day.
