Note: My apologies for running behind schedule on the draft preview blogs this week. It's been unavoidable because of unrelated writing deadlines being moved up. The final two blogs in the series will be condensed versions of the ones I originally had planned.
Today's blog will look at the top five goalies in the draft, tomorrow's will be the top 20 forwards in the draft with a short thumbnail synopsis for each player.
On Friday morning, I will post a Philadelphia Flyers mock draft.
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The 2008 NHL Entry Draft is not exceptionally deep in goaltending prospects, but there could be as many as four goaltenders chosen in the first two rounds. Although Chet Pickard and Jacob Markström are generally considered the best two keepers available in the draft, there really isn't a dramatic difference between these prospects and some goaltenders who are rated a little bit lower.
As crucial as goaltending is to any team's success, it's also the hardest position at which to draft. Even the best goalies usually have longer learning curves than position players, and projecting the development of 17-year-old and 18-year-old keepers is exceptionally tough.
My own view on drafting goaltenders is that, unless you're either a) stacked with early-round picks and can afford to roll the dice a little or b )in position to nab a virtual can't-miss goaltender (such as Tom Barrasso circa 1983, Roberto Luongo in 1997 or Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003), chances are that a teenage goalie won't be the proverbial "best available player" when your club picks in the first round.
Unless my club's scouts are extremely confident the gamble of a first-round goalie pick will pay off, I'd just as soon wait a few rounds. There are almost always still several athletic but raw goaltending prospects available later on, who could potentially prove to be as good or better than keepers who went much earlier.
1.
Chet Pickard: Of all of the goalies in this year's draft crop, he's the only virtual lock to go in the first round. The Tri-City keeper, who is sometimes compared to former Americans goaltender Carey Price, has three things going for him that push him to the head of the goaltender list for this draft.
First of all, he's physically mature. At 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, the 18-year-old covers a lot of net. Secondly, he's technically sound. Pickard is a hybrid butterfly/standup keeper but he moves smoothly and decisively. Lastly, for a junior goaltender, he shows unusual calm under pressure and doesn't get rattled after giving up a bad goal.
"He's got the most projectable skill package of any goalie in this draft," writes a Western Conference scout. "Sometimes he could be more assertive and cut down on his rebounds, but there's a whole lot to work with."
Pickard, who is also considered an above-average puckhandler, stands a good chance of starting for Canada at the 2009 WJC.
2.
Jacob Markström: Markström is a beanpole at nearly 6-foot-4 and just 178 pounds. As a result, he sometimes looks gawky standing in net, but is exceptionally quick and athletic for a teenaged goaltender.
Markström had a tremendous year, leading Sweden to victory at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament late last summer, playing very good hockey at the J20 SuperElit level and earning a promotion to Elitserien for a needy Brynäs team. He was tremendous in Kvalserien (the promotion/relegation playoffs involving the bottom two Elitserien clubs and the top Allsvenskan teams), enabling Brynäs to remain in the elite league.
By the time the U18 WJC rolled around, Markström had played a lot of hockey. It showed. His play in the tournament was fair to poor, as he let in no fewer than four goals he should have stopped. That put a damper on an otherwise strong season.
"Markström has a chance to an NHL starter. He's big (and) a good athlete with a good glove," writes a European scout. "Things he needs to work on are not to commit too early, and puckhandling."
Markström is a butterfly stylist. He's said to be extremely competitive, and could work a bit on not pressing after he makes a mistake. See the section below for more on Markström.
3.
Jake Allen: One of the youngest goaltenders at the top end of the ratings, Allen won't even turn 18 until August 7. He raised his stock considerably by backstopping Canada to gold at the U18 WJC in Russia, winning the Best Goaltender award and a tournament All-Star selection.
Allen's St. John's numbers this year were very ordinary, but he didn't have a great team defense in front of him and the Quebec league is a high-scoring circuit in the first place. His best attribute is his puckhandling ability, which is well above average for a young goalie.
4.
Thomas McCollum: A year ago at this time, many thought the Guelph goaltender would be the top goaltender in the 2008 draft. He slipped up in the first half of the OHL season but recovered to have a strong second half.
The 6-foot-2, 205 pounder has the type of size that NHL scouts look for nowadays. He's also good at playing the angles. But there are also several areas where some scouts consider him to be a notch behind Pickard in his development.
"He can be beat if you get him moving, his glove is a little inconsistent and he needs work handling the puck," a Western Conference scout said. "But it's nothing unusual for a kid his age. The tools are all there."
5.
Peter Delmas: As with Markström, one of the first orders of business for Delmas will be to work on filling out his 6-foot-2, 165 pound frame. Delmas may have ranked higher if the Lewiston goaltender didn't have to split goaltending duties with Los Angeles Kings prospect Jonathan Bernier. Injuries also held him back a bit, despite posting solid numbers.
His strongest assets are his sound technical approach, economy of motion and calm demeanor in net. He rarely, if ever, gets rattled. The areas where he could use work are in challenging shooters more aggressively -- a must if he's to make it as a pro -- and stopping hard wraparounds behind the net.
Honorable mentions: Jacob Deserres, Harri Säteri, Chris Carrozzi, Braden Holtby, Kevin Poulin
North American "deep sleepers": Dustin Tokarski, John Muse, Marco Cousineau
Euro "deep sleepers": Eddie Läck, Christian Engstrand, Dominik Furch
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Today on NHL.com's Across the Pond section, I profiled
nine of the top Swedish goaltending prospects -- drafted and undrafted -- ages 17 to 23.
The players I profiled are Detroit Red Wings prospect Daniel Larsson, Buffalo Sabres prospect Jhonas Enroth, Phoenix Coyotes prospect Joel Gistedt, New York Islanders draftee Stefan Ridderwall, top 2008 Entry Draft hopeful Jacob Markström, former Montreal Canadiens prospect (now free agency eligible) Christopher Heino-Lindberg, and undrafted Eddie Läck (Leksands IF), Christian Engstrand (Linköpings HC), and Mark Owuya (Djurgårdens IF).
A special sidebar to the article looks at how, 23 years after his death, the legacy of former Vezina Trophy winner Pelle Lindbergh still inspires a generation of Swedish keepers who are too young to have ever seen him play.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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