NHL Draft

[oldbarn7]

The scouts love him because he is amazingly skilled and in the new style of NHL he CAN survive even as a small defensemen.

He reminds scouts (and I know this for a fact) a lot of Minnesota great Phil Housley. Whether that will come true is obviously going to be seen. I doubt that he will be THAT amazing but who knows. Ness has so much skill that it may be possible...we'll have to just wait and see if he can adapt and if he is developed at the U like the team that drafts him wants him to be developed.

[gopherhockey1234]

Ness, Gardiner, and Stepan will all go in the top 40 picks. Pretty awesome that we have 3 kids from Minnesota in the top 40. I guess wait and see. Good luck to all Minnesota boys.

[nodak19]

Jake Gardiner will be the first of any Minnesota player selected. He is smart, an extremely good skater, has a great shot and is 6'2". Ness will go next with his hockey sense and vision that no one else has. His size will not hold him back. The next will be Danny Kristo who is having a good year in Ann Arbor and is also smart, a hard worker and great hands. The next will probably be Stepan and then who knows from there. The draft is very unpredictable as some scouts see more upside of different players. Jake Gardiner and Aaron Ness have the most upside.

[hockey junkie]

I have heard of Ness and Gardiner, but I have not heard of Kristo and Stepan. Where do these guys play? And what are there numbers.

[hockey nut]

Derek Stepan goes to Shattuck Saint Marys in Faribault,Mn. He has 91 points in 51 games. Danny Kristo has 48 points, he plays in Ann Arbour.

[rbk2090]

Derek Stepan goes to Shattuck Saint Marys in Faribault,Mn. He has 91 points in 51 games. Danny Kristo has 48 points, he plays in Ann Arbour.

These 2 are real studs. They play at the highest level, game in and game out. When draft time comes around the preliminary scouting reports go out the window.

[gopherhockey1234]

I agree Kristo and Stepan have to come to play every night. I also agree that these two will be very high draft picks in June. I have not seen Kristo play in a year, but I did see Stepan in the Elite Leauge,and in Plymouth about 4 months ago, and he was very good. Minnesota High School Hockey is good, but not to the level that these two are playing. Was Kristo added to the USA U18 Team?

[Roseauverrated]

Teams like who they like. GM's are going to base jack and crap on the CSS rankings. I'd be shocked if Ness isn't the first Minnesotan picked. That said, watch in June and you'll see how they go.

I'm sure you were also shocked when Roseau got the crap kicked out of them at the state tournament. As someone said earlier this year, Ness skates around cones the whole year while Gardiner deals with actually good teams like Edina, BSM, Hill, etc.

[oldbarn7]

Roseauverrated-

Many people were indeed shocked when Roseau lost in the tournament but really whenever anyone comes into the tournament with the #1 seed and being undefeated it's hard to imagine not being surprised if they lost not one but two games.

For my real point...
Ness does skate around some sub-par competition most of the year playing for the Rams. I agree with that. It's also true that he didn't play great and all-worldly like many people on this board (myself included) expected to see. I like Jake Gardiner's game as much as the next guy but after watching him pretty closely this year it is hard for me to agree with you, from at least the context in which you stated, on the fact that Gardiner is the real deal in comparison with Ness. Gardiner and Ness both are very offensive minded, they both skate well, and both were really the heart and soul of their teams this year (IMO).
But there are a few major differences in their games that lead me to believe that Ness will be drafted higher than Gardiner in June.

This is not to say he is better than Gardiner but just to state why he will be drafted higher than Gardiner.


-Ness has had more exposure on the big stage with playing in 2 state tournaments in the past 2 years. Like Ness, Patrick White did the same thing. There is NO way Patrick White gets drafted in the first round if he doesn't make the tournament. Not happening. So the exposure Ness had at the tournament will help to propel him to be drafted higher than Gardiner.
-Gardiner was not great in a few of the big games I watched. I know he scored the OT winner in the section semis but he wasn't great that night. In that game, the section final, and the games against Edina and BSM especially, Jake made some very critical mistakes. Instead of either hanging onto the puck and taking a hit to make a play, or not taking advantage of his teammates, he had some very big turnovers, especially in his own defensive zones. I know he was arguably the best player in the state, but he had some good players around him that I feel he could have utilized more in the bigger games to help his teams. Ness is one of the most unselfish players of his stature that I have seen in many years. Even when he wasn't playing well at state he tried to play his game and make use of his other talented teammates.
-The NHL is much different now. Last year Pat Kane was drafted with the first pick overall and he stands 5 foot 9 inches and that's even being a little gracious...People talk about the size and durablilty of Ness and how it will lower his status. Look at Housley, Neidermeyer, Rafalski, the list goes on...These are all "undrsized" defensemen. Not only are they undersized but they are/were among the elite defensemen in the NHL. This is what scouts model Ness after. If they can/could survive when they played in the NHL, Ness will be able to survive in the current NHL.
-IMO Ness is one of the best playmakers I have seen. Period. He is electric. His passers are devastating.

These are just a few reasons. This is just my opinion. Jake Gardiner is a GREAT, GREAT hockey player and I take nothing away from him. Good luck to both of them with their careers.

[rbk2090]

Teams like who they like. GM's are going to base jack and crap on the CSS rankings. I'd be shocked if Ness isn't the first Minnesotan picked. That said, watch in June and you'll see how they go.

I'm sure you were also shocked when Roseau got the crap kicked out of them at the state tournament. As someone said earlier this year, Ness skates around cones the whole year while Gardiner deals with actually good teams like Edina, BSM, Hill, etc.

You are a total idiot. You must also be blind. He still controlled those games but his supporting cast didn't step up. I have watched these games a few times. Watch how he dishes the puck onto his teammates stick when he has no time. That is the biggest difference between Ness and others. He has eyes in the back of his head. Game is going to get faster for them all, Ness is ready!

[cajones18]

Jake Youso #105

[boblee]

Ness got bodied out of the two games with Hill and BSM. When he was getting hit everytime out, he couldn't do a whole lot. I think that will bother some NHL teams, but not enough to drop him drastically in the draft.

[hockeywatcher4]

Jake Gardiner is the highest projected (by NHL Central Scouting) MN kid at #22 overall, Ness is projected #35 overall, Danny Kristo at #40, Nick Larson #53, Justin Jokinen #60, Cory Feinhage #61. There's a few kids from Shattuck projected in the 70s. Go to http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/vi ... p?t=335017 for the whole scourting report.

justin jokinen is way over rated!

[The Exiled One]

David Eddy was apparently getting scouted by some NHL clubs shortly before he committed to SCSU. Sometimes commitments will bolster visibility enough to warrent a late round pick. Let's see if he ends up in the CSB Final Rankings.