Bruins 2011 Draft Watch

Monday, November 8, 2010

2011 Boston Bruins draft pick update; 8 Nov.

It's Monday again, and that means another weekly trip to the standings to see where the Boston Bruins would be picking in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft if the season ended today.

Since our last update, the B's beat the Buffalo Sabres on the road, but came up short in back-to-back games agains the Washington Capitals and red-hot St. Louis Blues, who beat the Bruins at home in a shootout after the black and gold lost a 5-3 road contest to the Caps.

The Bruins currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference with 15 points, tied with four other teams with the same amount of points. However, they have two games-in-hand on the Rangers (sixth), three games each on Ottawa and Atlanta (seventh and eighth) and four games on the Pittsburgh, who would be out at 9th in the conference if the season ended today. Luckily for the Pens, they still have 67 games to get back on track.

The Leafs have been mediocre, but not as bad as the Panthers, Islanders, Sabres and cellar-dwelling Devils, who are in big, big trouble without Zach Parise for about three months. The good news for the Leafs is that they have 13 points-- just two out of a playoff spot and already have as many wins (five) as they did in the first week of December last year.

The rank putridness of the three teams at the bottom of the conference standings leads us to believe that the Leafs, while they probably will not make the playoffs this year, will hover around the 10th pick when all is said and done. If it gets anywhere near the top-five, then B's fans can consider it gravy.

On the downside, the Minnesota Wild went 3-0 this week- bumping them up from ninth-worst a week ago to ninth-best in the span of seven days. Their second-round pick (Chuck Kobasew) went from 39th at this time last week to 52nd...what a difference a week can make! Conversely, the Phoenix third-rounder (Derek Morris) moved up one spot from 67 to 66. Florida will be picking in Boston's third-round spot to close out the Nathan Horton trade.

Now, for the B's draft picks via standings watch:

1st Round

9th overall- Toronto (13 points; 5-5-3)- Completes Phil Kessel trade.
18th overall- Boston (15 points; 7-3-1)

2nd Round

48th overall- Boston
52nd overall- Minnesota (16 points; 7-4-2)- Completes Chuck Kobasew trade.

3rd Round

66th overall- Phoenix (12 points; 4-5-4) - Completes Derek Morris trade.

Boston pick traded to Florida; Completes Nathan Horton deal

4th Round

108th overall- Boston

5th Round

138th overall- Boston

6th Round

168th overall- Boston

7th Round

Pick traded to Chicago (Zach Trotman)

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Ty Rattie: A guy you should know

The Portland Winterhawks had scouts flocking to see them in '09-10 because of the fabulous threesome of Ryan Johansen (4th overall to Columbus) Nino Niederreiter (5th overall to the NY Islanders) and Brad Ross (43rd overall to the Toronto).

This season, Ty Rattie is leading the pack of another threesome of intriguing draft prospects playing in Oregon for the 'Hawks. Swiss winger Sven Bartschi is playing well, and if you're looking for a sleeper who could end up getting picked a lot earlier than most conventional draft discussions will have him, think about defenseman Joe Morrow, who's a capable puck-mover with some upside. Rattie, however, is the pick of the three-- he's showing off the kind of offensive lethality that saw him picked high in the WHL Bantam draft.

With 11 goals and 30 points in just 17 games, Rattie is third in WHL scoring behind B's prospect Craig Cunningham (37) and tied with Cunningham's Vancouver Giants teammate Brendan Gallagher (30 points).

Rattie is listed at six-feet even, which means he's not quite there. And, at 170 pounds, he's still pretty slight with some filling out to do. He's not an explosive skater, but he's not a poor one either. He's more slick and elusive than dynamic, but he's very, very good on his edges. Rattie has sick hands and can stickhandle through traffic and turn defenders inside out with his shifty moves and head fakes.

I talked to one NHL scout recently who wasn't on the Rattie bandwagon last year when he was a rookie and scored 17 goals and 37 points in 61 games for Portland. He said that the youngster's game has matured considerably this season.

"Last year he spent a lot of time doing those flashy little bantam moves that just don't work at this level," the scout said. "I'm seeing him be a lot more creative and smart with the puck this year. Now, he's keeping things relatively simple, but playing a responsible game that isn't going to open himself up for bad turnovers or cost his team."

That maturation process will likely see Rattie secure a solid first-round billing come June, especially if he can keep pace and possibly even secure the WHL scoring crown. While not a guarantor of NHL success (see Zach Hamill), winning the WHL scoring race would most certainly boost Rattie's draft stock.

"He's a natural point producer; very skilled and creative," said the scout. "I've been pretty impressed with what I've seen so far. We're looking at a more complete player from what he was as a rookie."

Rattie is a right wing from Alberta and people still talk about his offensive wizardry in bantam before he left his home province for the USA and Dub.

Here's betting that the folks in Portland will be talking about him when he's moved on from there as well.

Rattie hatty:

Rattie's Game 7 OT goal to complete 3-1 series comeback against Spokane last spring

Friday, November 5, 2010

Did you know?

That Sean Couturier can fight?

I didn't.

Draft watchers take note: he's not out there to do this on a regular basis, but after watching Sidney Crosby tune Dallas defenseman Matt Niskanen the other night, there is something positively euphoric for a team to watch one of its high-end players engage in the fisticuffs and actually be able to accomplish something.

Here's guessing that anyone who engages Couturier in a scrum from here on will have this in the back of their mind when they do so.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Leafs lose more than game to Ottawa

The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night by a 3-2 score despite a late-game surge, but lost captain Dion Phaneuf to a deep gash in his leg that could sideline him a considerable amount of time depending on the damage.

Bruins fans will remember what looked like a relatively innocuous skate cut to Dennis Seidenberg's arm late last year that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2010 postseason. They sure could have used him for those games, so we'll have to stay tuned and see what the word is on Phaneuf. UPDATE 11/03-- Phaneuf will reportedly miss four weeks...that hurts.

He's struggled this season, hearing boo-birds at the Air Canada Centre recently, and was an interesting choice to wear the 'C'.

In any case, things aren't going to get any easier for the Leafs, who are in Washington, D.C. to take on the high-flying Capitals who are back from their recent Western Conference road swing and ready to go. They were the NHL's top club at home last season and were particularly tough on the Leafs, outscoring them 12-5.

Shane Prince: A guy you should know

Every season, there are a handful of players who come from left field to make a sizeable impression on scouts in their draft year, rising up the lists and ultimately forcing their way into the top couple of rounds.

Ottawa 67's winger Shane Prince is one such player.

The New York native and late-1992 birthdate doesn't have great size, but has used his speed, intensity and opportunistic scoring touch to be a force up front for Ottawa this season. He's got excellent vision, instincts and a passion for the game,

A veteran of the OHL who had not done a great deal to distinguish himself over the first couple of seasons split between the Kitchener Rangers and 67's, posting 12- and 30-point campaigns. Prince has blossomed, scoring seven goals and 26 points in 16 games this season. In fact, he's been a foil to those players who every year come in with a lot of pre-draft hype and fail to deliver. This guy was barely a blip on anyone's radar, and it can now be argued that he's making a run for the OHL top-10 should he continue his productive play and high-energy game.

Others may not be sure given his limited success to date, so critical to his moving up the draft boards will be the need for him to continue his hot start. Since he has size working against him (5-9, 165-ish), he's got to maintain his explosiveness and intensity.

Prince has certainly helped himself a great deal in the early going, and at this stage, him landing anywhere in the top-65 on draft day would be a big win for him considering where he was on the prospect map coming in.

The interviewer underscores just how much Prince is flying under the radar with the opening of this clip.

Monday, November 1, 2010

An early OHL top-10- from the media (including yours truly)

I had Brock Otten, founder of the excellent OHL Prospects blog on here the other day to break down his view of the OHL, and he returned the favor by including me in an interesting survey he did with some other media types to rank and assess the top-10 from that league for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Here's his post for the rankings in case you want to check it out.

I still think RyanMurphy is too high as the No. 1 OHL player, and I get that he's got amazing offensive talent, but the real question is: will he be a No. 1 defenseman at the NHL level? Ranking a specialist as the top OHL player doesn't get it done, and no matter how high or low you are on him, I think you can make the case that he has yet to prove that he can be that cornerstone type of guy even with the prodigious amount of skill. At the end of the day, I think that NHL teams would rather have the big power forward who projects as a better bet as a top-six than a dynamic, but as of yet one-dimensional player who does carry a little more risk than the others. And yes, I'm fully aware that the defense has improved, but I've also talked to a pair of NHL scouts who've seen him, and they're not quite as laudatory of his D-zone play as others I've spoken to. As of now, we'll have to chalk it up to a difference of opinion and leave it at that. Since I don't get to see Murphy live, I have to defer to those who do. I'm hoping that he makes Team Canada for the WJC so I can get a good look at him other than the highlights.

But, it's a great debate, and it appears that I'm in the minority. Look-- Murphy's a heck of a player, but if the Bruins are in position to take Adam Larsson or David Musil, then there really isn't a lot to debate in my view. Larsson isn't putting up the points he did last year at age 17, but he is still a horse on D and getting it done against men. He has the size, skill and hockey sense to be something special in the not-to-distant future. As for Musil, he's playing pretty well in Vancouver, chipping in the points and motoring along. Some I talk to would still like to see a little more intensity from him, but there's no denying his impressive mix of skill and physical tools. He's got some rough edges, but does project as a potential No. 1 or 2 in the NHL.

If those players are off the board and Murphy and Dougie Hamilton are both there, then the team will have a real decision on their hands (assuming they want to take a defenseman there and I believe they will). Hamilton doesn't have Murphy's pure offensive ability or production, but he's not that far off, either. And, he's got the one thing Murphy never will have: a 6-foot-4 body with the frame to fill out into a 220-230-pound player when he reaches his peak. Given his skating and upside, that's a hard package to pass up if he's sitting on the table when your turn comes.

Either way, looks like the OHL is going to have another serious run in the NHL draft this year, and it will be fascinating to see where these guys end up. I'm still firmly on the Gabriel Landeskog bandwagon, fwiw. I just look at that guy and what he's done/doing and see nothing but the sky as the limit for his potential. Throwing out the obvious size, speed and skill, he's also intelligent, motivated and hard-working. You just can't beat that kind of a combo when it comes to projecting pro athletes in any sport.

2011 Boston Bruins draft pick update; 1 Nov.

October has given way to a new month, and the 2010-11 NHL season is in full swing.

Things are looking up for Boston's draft picks as of today, with Toronto coming back to earth. Also of note is the mediocrity of the Minnesota Wild (although they did beat the powerhouse Washington Capitals last month), who owe the Bruins their second-rounder as part of the trade that sent Chuck Kobasew to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The B's also got Harvard sophomore forward Alexander Fallstrom in that deal, so that's looking like a nice transaction for Peter Chiarelli.

Toronto's problems of late are exactly what many analysts thought was going to be their achilles heel coming into the new season: a lack of offense. Although Brian Burke went out and got Colby Armstrong and Kris Versteeg in the offseason, Armstrong is injured right now and Versteeg has been largely uninspiring. It's a different ball of wax when you're on a deep team like Chicago where you can do damage on the second/third lines as a skill player who isn't a target of opposition checking. But, when you find yourself as one of Toronto's go-to guys on offense, life changes. Thus far, Versteeg has not responded the way the Leafs need him to.

The Leafs were shutout in back-to-back games against Boston and the New York Rangers, and after jumping out to a 4-0-1 start, are now out of the playoff picture at 5-4-1 and with 23 goals, have the second-fewest total in the Eastern Conference. Burke's in a tough spot-- there won't be many teams lining up to take some of the underachievers who can't get the job done off his hands so that he can upgrade the offense, but he can't afford to give away too much more in the way of futures such as prospects and draft picks. He's sure to do something if the losing continues, but he's dealing from a position of weakness, which always makes life tough for the GM.

Here are the picks for the week if the season ended today. I don't take the lottery into account in these projections, but it does provide a ballpark for where Boston might be picking.