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Sunday, November 14, 2010

A way early Bruins mock draft Rounds 1-3

Yeah, yeah-- I know. It's far too early for this kind of thing.

But you know what? People love trying to play what if. And, last year I didn't do a single mock until June.

Time to go ahead and buck that trend. I won't make a habit of it, but why not play around a little bit on a lazy Sunday? (I always loved that Chris Parnell/Andy Samberg Chronicles of Narnia rap on SNL- ignore the Spanish subtitles- this is worth watching but parental advisory in effect for adult language WARNING)

OK, enough of the pop culture segue: Here's the mock draft assuming the lottery were to result in Boston ending up with the No. 4 selection.

The (I know its early 4 all the haterz) B2011 DW Boston Bruins Mock Draft v 1.0

1st Round
4. (from Toronto) Ryan Murphy, D Kitchener Rangers (OHL)-- This kid's brilliance on offense would be precisely what Boston needs, and they'd have no problem selling his upside toBoston fans, who are clamoring for skill and offense on the blue line. He's not very big, but if you watch the highlights, he's got some real skill (some have used his name in the same sentence as Bobby Orr-- I won't do that. Or did I just do that?) This blog has done plenty on Murphy already-- you can catch up on your reading and know that there will be more on him as the season goes on. In fact, by June, Murphy may have played his way into the top-two selections of the draft- should be interesting to see how high he goes.

15. (Boston pick) Dillon Simpson, D University of North Dakota (WCHA)-- The 6-1, 200-pound defenseman (those vitals may be a bit inflated, though- he looks a little smaller) is in his first NCAA season after placing Jr. A in Alberta last season with Spruce Grove (in the same junior league Joe Colborne graduated from- the AJHL). The son of former NHL scorer and HNIC analyst Craig Simpson has outstanding bloodlines and is one smart, heady player. He caused some consternation when he picked the Sioux in Grand Forks over his dad's Lansing Spartans alma mater, but the WCHA will be an excellent level for him to develop in. He's already made an immediate impact as you can see from his first career NCAA goal below.


Simpson is a few years away from competing for an NHL job, but he could evolve into a very good one. Right now, he's seen as a borderline No. 1/solid 2, but he could raise that projection if he keeps it up as a freshman this year.

2nd round
40. (from Minnesota) Austen Brassard, RW Belleville Bulls (OHL)-- It's been a disappointing season thus far for Brassard who was a preseason pick to do some big things for the Bulls after coming over from Windsor last year. But, there's no denying the size and skill package of this power winger, and he might be the right kind of upside/roll the dice pick for the Bruins 10 picks into the second round. Skating is an issue for him, but he's got nice hands and a good shot. He's a willing fighter with a mixed track record as a middleweight at the OHL level. At 6-2 and about 180 pounds, he has a lot of growing to do, but again-- it could be about the eventual payoff with this guy. He looked great with Belleville after the trade last season, racking up 17 points in 26 games for the Bulls. He only has four goals and 11 points in 21 games, off the pace. You can read more about him here.

45. (Boston pick) Myles Bell, D Regina Pats (WHL)-- This offensive defenseman has drawn comparisons to Washington All-Star and Norris Trophy finalist Mike Green as a player who has some scoring chops, but is lacking in defensive ability. Although not the skater that Green is, Bell has some real upside and one only need look at some of his highlight videos to see how naturally the attacking aspect of the game comes to him. With six goals and 16 points in just 21 games, he's three points away from passing his entire season totals (in 61 games) from last year. Bell is a real work in progress, but he's as solid an option as they come in the second round. Thee's a big potential payoff with him, even with the questionable defensive sense and play, and the scoring skills are probably why he won't last as late as pick 45. Of course, had you told me last year just before the 2010 NHL draft that Ryan Spooner would be there for the B's, I would not have believed it, either.

3rd round
81. (Phoenix pick) Peter Ceresnak, D Trencin (Slovakia)-- The Bruins go to Eastern Europe for their third-rounder, acquired from the Coyotes for Derek Morris last spring (and compensating for the loss of Boston's pick as part of the Nathan Horton trade). Improved skating stride for this big (6-2, 205), hard-nosed and physical defender has been a key to his rising draft stock. With all the defenders on the list bringing more of a finesse, offensive streak, this kid is more of the meat-and-potatoes type, but has some potential as a solid, if unspectacular puck mover.

There it is. Now, rip it apart, folks!

8 comments:

  1. They will laugh all the way to the bank if they get Myles Bell at 45.

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  2. Absolutely love the Brassard pick at 40 Kirk !! And he could possibly be there too !!

    But i have a question, if they were select Murphy, and then were in a position to select Adam Clendening (not sure where he would go but i've heard plenty of great things) would they select 2 smaller 2 -men like that?

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  3. Clendening might be an option as well. He and Simpson are probably pretty close right now, and this early, it's hard to say. Clendening is more of that puck mover/assist guy, whereas I think Simpson is projected as a more complete two-way D with a higher upside at this point. Again, though, you said it-- not sure they would take two "small" D with their 1st-rounders. Not that Simpson is huge, mind you, but he's bigger than either one.

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  4. How about Stefan Noesen at 40? Big strong and putting up great numbers but he may not be there then.

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  5. I like him, but his stock is going up. Don't think he'd be there.

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  6. Instead of adding more draft picks, think the B's might be in for an offer sheet on a RFA this offseason? Doughty, Bogosian, Weber, Parise, Yandle? I know the offer sheet mechanism has been frowned upon lately, but maybe work out a trade with some picks and a player or two.

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  7. Possible, S, but those draft picks would come out of hide in later years (2012 and beyond) because they wouldn't sign the player to an offer sheet until after the 2011 draft. Much more realistic that Peter Chiarelli made trade a few of the picks this year for help at the deadline or over the summer like he did last year with Dennis Seidenberg and Nathan Horton.

    It's possible with the system stocked the way it is that the Bruins might be willing to sacrifice a couple of first-rounders for an RFA, but that would have to be one heck of a player and with the salary cap situation being what it is, might be pretty easy for the other team to match.

    Bottom line: I don't believe that Boston will keep all five high picks by the time the 2011 draft rolls around, but the Toronto pick will likely be safe. They're still going to get a nice infusion of talent by the looks of it.

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  8. Hi Kirk. Are you doing another mock draft soon? Hey it may be a bit easier for you since we've traded some of the picks we have :)

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