NHL Entry Draft coming up...

Hockey_High09 · Post by **Hockey_High09** » Tue May 19, 2009 4:26 pm

Latest mock drafts from NHL.com...

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=31878

Where do you think Budish/Leddy will go??

selloutcrowd99 · Post by **selloutcrowd99** » Tue May 19, 2009 11:42 pm

I think Budish will perform very well at the combine and will go somewhere between 17-23. He has been rehabbing his knee in an orderly manner and will show the scouts that he has not lost what he possesed last year.

Leddy's chances are smaller, but if the time comes for a later team to get a type of defensemen with Leddy's style of play, they will take him. Personally, I believe Leddy should go a little higher than what he is projected, but things can still change.

Also, don't forget about Jordan Schroeder, who will most likely go in the low double digits.

Hockey_High09 · Post by **Hockey_High09** » Wed May 20, 2009 9:35 am

selloutcrowd99 wrote:I think Budish will perform very well at the combine and will go somewhere between 17-23. He has been rehabbing his knee in an orderly manner and will show the scouts that he has not lost what he possesed last year.

Leddy's chances are smaller, but if the time comes for a later team to get a type of defensemen with Leddy's style of play, they will take him. Personally, I believe Leddy should go a little higher than what he is projected, but things can still change.

Also, don't forget about Jordan Schroeder, who will most likely go in the low double digits.

I emailed Adam Kimelman - the NHL.com scout who created the mock draft linked above - and he said he has Budish going 20th because a number of scouts whom he trusts think Budish may have gone Top 5 if he had not been injured. I believe Budish's combine is going to be huge for him. If he's healthy and strong, it will put a lot of teams at ease. Also, if you look at some of the past drafts and the players drafted in the late first round, you'll find a lot of players in the 20-30 slot end up not making it. So, if I'm a GM drafting in one of those slots, why not gamble on a kid who could have been a Top 5??

Leddy is a phenomenal skater/player and could sneak into the first round to a team who loves speedy, playmaking defensemen. He has some work to do on his defensive skills/angles, but that can be coached. My guess is he goes 20-30th overall.

Schroeder I don't think about as much because he's a lock to go Top 15, my guess is he goes 10th overall.

breakout · Post by **breakout** » Wed May 20, 2009 5:00 pm

There is always speculation regarding professional drafts. Many thought Aaron Ness would be a first rounder. Jake Gardiner was not Mr. Hockey and ended up being drafted higher. Jake has been viewed as a player with higher pro potential. Time will tell.

Good luck to the Minnesota contingent at the combine.

Lots of mock drafts out there. The one I found did not include Budish, which is absolutely absurd.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=31267

Saywhat?03 · Post by **Saywhat?03** » Thu May 21, 2009 1:28 pm

The hometown team.. Minnesota WILD, have a legitimate chance of drafting schroeder!!! I believe they pick 12.

breakout · Post by **breakout** » Fri May 22, 2009 8:00 am

Saywhat?03 wrote:The hometown team.. Minnesota WILD, have a legitimate chance of drafting schroeder!!! I believe they pick 12.

I hope that happens. He has proven himself at every level.

komada77 · Post by **komada77** » Sun May 24, 2009 6:36 pm

breakout wrote:There is always speculation regarding professional drafts. Many thought Aaron Ness would be a first rounder. Jake Gardiner was not Mr. Hockey and ended up being drafted higher. Jake has been viewed as a player with higher pro potential. Time will tell.

Good luck to the Minnesota contingent at the combine.

Lots of mock drafts out there. The one I found did not include Budish, which is absolutely absurd.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=31267

Yeah no Budish is ridiculous. Schroeder and Leddy at #6 and #14 both seem a little high to me too. They'll both probably be first round picks, but I'm thinking Schroeder will probably go around 10-12 and Leddy around 25-27

breakout · Post by **breakout** » Sun May 24, 2009 7:23 pm

komada77 wrote:
breakout wrote:There is always speculation regarding professional drafts. Many thought Aaron Ness would be a first rounder. Jake Gardiner was not Mr. Hockey and ended up being drafted higher. Jake has been viewed as a player with higher pro potential. Time will tell.

Good luck to the Minnesota contingent at the combine.

Lots of mock drafts out there. The one I found did not include Budish, which is absolutely absurd.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=31267
Yeah no Budish is ridiculous. Schroeder and Leddy at #6 and #14 both seem a little high to me too. They'll both probably be first round picks, but I'm thinking Schroeder will probably go around 10-12 and Leddy around 25-27

The link below is the May ISS top 30. The only picks that are certain are Tavares and Hedman. They will go 1 and 2. Tavares will likely go first. Tavares is a proven scorer at every level he has played. He moped up at the U20 tournament this past winter. Hedman is a 6-6 D man that can move the puck. Can't find many guys that big that can move the puck as effectively as he can.

I hope the Wild get Schroeder. He seemingly would fit what the new G.M. Fletcher is looking for. Plus, it would be good to see the Wild get a talented Minnesota kid to play for them.

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre/feature/?id=11679

hshckfan08 · Post by **hshckfan08** » Tue May 26, 2009 4:02 pm

I'm lovin shroeder to the wild!

Love4Hockey · Post by **Love4Hockey** » Tue May 26, 2009 6:58 pm

Id like to see Schroeder stay where he began his career in the State of Hockey, hes a proven player at every level, if you dont believe his numbers this year look in the history books to his high school days and state tournament games

Both Leddy and Buddish will be first round picks, Ive seen mocks that have them any pick after 15 and I agree with that, combine will prove alot for both, espically Buddish

Doglover · Post by **Doglover** » Wed May 27, 2009 12:59 pm

Best of Luck to Nick Leddy, Zach Budish and Zach Schroeder and any other Mn kids at the Combine and with the NHL Draft!!

Love4Hockey · Post by **Love4Hockey** » Wed May 27, 2009 3:47 pm

Ben Hanowski too

The Exiled One · Post by **The Exiled One** » Wed May 27, 2009 7:07 pm

Love4Hockey wrote:Ben Hanowski too

Mike Lee too

Love4Hockey · Post by **Love4Hockey** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:03 pm

Maybe even Nick Oliver

breakout · Post by **breakout** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:19 pm

Mr. Mattson from Holy Angels is likely there

Love4Hockey · Post by **Love4Hockey** » Wed May 27, 2009 8:44 pm

Anders Lee possibly too

The Exiled One · Post by **The Exiled One** » Thu May 28, 2009 11:40 am

If we're just talking about the Draft Scouting Combine, these are the Minnesota players...

Birkholz
Budish
Hanowski
Helgeson
Leddy
Mike Lee
Mattson
Schroeder

Mike Lee and Zach Budish are doing blogs during the combine.

hornetsnest · Post by **hornetsnest** » Thu May 28, 2009 4:57 pm

The Exiled One wrote:If we're just talking about the Draft Scouting Combine, these are the Minnesota players...

Birkholz
Budish
Hanowski
Helgeson
Leddy
Mike Lee
Mattson
Schroeder

Mike Lee and Zach Budish are doing blogs during the combine.

Being drafted means very little at this stage in the careers for the above players mentioned, with the exception of Schroeder who is heads above the rest both mentally and skill-set wise. The players will still need to develop their game as well as become both physically and mentally stronger. The majority of these players will only play through college or perhaps a short stint in the minors or Europe.

More than ever before players from around the world compete for the few spots each year that are available in the NHL and simply being "skilled" will not cut it. The mental toughness and ability to endure the set-backs will weed out many talented players who just do not have the drive or the physical traits to survive the grind.

Schroeder is the most focused of this group and his drive and determination has him in NHL far ahead of schedule than the rest. Good luck to all but remember whether your drafted 1st or 210th, you both still have to make your respective club, and the test of your endurance and passion for hockey has only just begun.

Love4Hockey · Post by **Love4Hockey** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:29 pm

It is nice to see all the Minnesota players selected to participate in the combine, it shows how good our talent is and how deep it is too

breakout · Post by **breakout** » Fri May 29, 2009 4:58 pm

hornetsnest wrote:
The Exiled One wrote:If we're just talking about the Draft Scouting Combine, these are the Minnesota players...

Birkholz
Budish
Hanowski
Helgeson
Leddy
Mike Lee
Mattson
Schroeder

Mike Lee and Zach Budish are doing blogs during the combine.
Being drafted means very little at this stage in the careers for the above players mentioned, with the exception of Schroeder who is heads above the rest both mentally and skill-set wise. The players will still need to develop their game as well as become both physically and mentally stronger. The majority of these players will only play through college or perhaps a short stint in the minors or Europe.

More than ever before players from around the world compete for the few spots each year that are available in the NHL and simply being "skilled" will not cut it. The mental toughness and ability to endure the set-backs will weed out many talented players who just do not have the drive or the physical traits to survive the grind.

Schroeder is the most focused of this group and his drive and determination has him in NHL far ahead of schedule than the rest. Good luck to all but remember whether your drafted 1st or 210th, you both still have to make your respective club, and the test of your endurance and passion for hockey has only just begun.

You must know all of those young men well to generalize them regarding their focus and drive. Of course you have watched them all extensively so you can offer up opinions on their skills.

Certainly, anyone that knows anything about hockey understands that being drafted is just a step along the path. Additionally, there are kids that make it to the NHL that went undrafted. The NHL guys are making educated guesses.

Out of the top 30 that are drafted I would guess two will suit up for the clubs that drafted them at the start of the 2009-10 season. Those are the top two picks that I mentioned in another post.

Love4Hockey · Post by **Love4Hockey** » Fri May 29, 2009 5:06 pm

John Taveras the man who I would take with the 1st overall pick without a doubt, will be the next real big name in the game and will join the likes of Ovechkin, Crosby and Malkin soon, thats how good he is, dont believe me, look at what top tier scouts and player directors are saying about him

Victor Hedman will be the 2nd pick, a hulking defencemen who has size like Zdeno Chara and can skate well to, plays for MODO over in Sweden and thats a mans league, and Hedman is only a kid yet, he will come in right away and be a top 4 defencemen on his team and will be given a nice roll

But I think not taking John Taveras with the first pick would be a mistake, hes been in the spotlight since he was 14 when he broke into the OHL and dominated a league of men, hes dominated at every level and I look for that to continue, meet your 2009 1st overall pick, John Taveras

breakout · Post by **breakout** » Fri May 29, 2009 5:15 pm

Love4Hockey wrote:John Taveras the man who I would take with the 1st overall pick without a doubt, will be the next real big name in the game and will join the likes of Ovechkin, Crosby and Malkin soon, thats how good he is, dont believe me, look at what top tier scouts and player directors are saying about him

Victor Hedman will be the 2nd pick, a hulking defencemen who has size like Zdeno Chara and can skate well to, plays for MODO over in Sweden and thats a mans league, and Hedman is only a kid yet, he will come in right away and be a top 4 defencemen on his team and will be given a nice roll

But I think not taking John Taveras with the first pick would be a mistake, hes been in the spotlight since he was 14 when he broke into the OHL and dominated a league of men, hes dominated at every level and I look for that to continue, meet your 2009 1st overall pick, John Taveras

I would take Hedman first. Guys like that don't come around often. He has the potential to be a dominate D (Chara, Pronger type). Tampa would love to get him with the 2nd pick. They burned through a lot of D last year.

As for Taveras, there is a reason why he has been in the spotlight since he was 14 ........... he lives up to the billing.

Gr8 · Post by **Gr8** » Fri May 29, 2009 6:42 pm

I doubt the Wild will draft Schroeder if they still have Bouchard on contract for a while. They have a small, puck moving, fast forward in him already why draft another? Granted if they don't plan on keeping Bouchard around that's another story.

hockeyfan77 · Post by **hockeyfan77** » Fri May 29, 2009 8:23 pm

Would be nice if Wild finally draft a couple players from Minnesota.
Dallas better not draft anyone from Minnesota, first they take our hockey team then they want our players.

Birkholz Third rounder
Budish Mid to late first
Hanowski third rounder
Helgeson late second rounder
Leddy mid to late first
Mike Lee early second
Mattson third round
Schroeder 9 to 11 first round.

JohnsonGuy · Post by **JohnsonGuy** » Sat May 30, 2009 12:26 pm

Don't forget about DeLisle from TG, NHL body, and will get alot out of playing at UMD, has had several private workouts with NHL teams could see him getting picked up at back end of draft