Welcome to the year of the defender.
Previous
1. Nail Yakupov
2. Alex Galchenyuk
3. Filip Forsberg
4. Ryan Murray
5. Matt Dumba
6. Jacob Trouba
7. Mikhail Grigorenko
8. Radek Faksa
9. Teuvo Teräväinen
10. Griffin Reinhart
11. Washington Capitals select Defenseman Morgan Rielly Moosejaw Warriors (WHL) 94/03/09 (18 years old) – 18GP – 3G – 15A -18P
To begin the year Rielly rocketed up the charts with his surprising PPG pace he set and truly came out of left field. He tore his ACL which would keep him out of the lineup all the way until the playoffs. He picked right back where he left off posting 3 goals and 6 points in 5 games. He has cemented himself as the top offensive defenseman in the draft. Like most of that kind he is slight of build with incredible speed, vision and poise. He runs the PP to perfection and has a good shot but is a better passer. The biggest issue as ever with high octane defensemen is his play in his own end. Rielly has a very active stick and his great speed enables him to cover players, but to be brutally honest he gets muscled off the puck way too easily and he struggles against physical opponents where his smarts won’t save him. He needs to add some more strength but has easily the biggest potential for points from the blueline. Some have him much earlier and site his skill, but last season Ryan Murphy was by far the best offensive defender and of a similar build and fell down, as did Cam Fowler. Washington needs forwards it’s true, yet at 11 Rielly is by far the best player available.
12. Buffalo Sabres select Center Zemgus Girgensons Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) 94/01/05 (18 years old) – 49GP – 24G – 31A – 55P
The big Latvian in my opinion is the guy for Buffalo. We’ve seen a trend in their drafting with bigger forwards that have aspects of a power game, probably to offset their rather soft core. Girgensons is the complete package. He’s a leader and captained his squad, he’s considered one of the most intelligent players in terms of scholastic achievement, and he brings a fantastic two-way game, great face-off skills and enough skill to consider him a potential top-6 center. Girgensons would skate through a brick wall if it meant winning. He led his team in scoring despite three separate small injuries that cost him some time and played a power game in a league not known for it. If Sabres fans like the look of Luke Adam and Marcus Foligno, they’ll love Girgensons. He’ll be playing at the University of Vermont next season, though there are rumours that Kelowna is lobbying him really hard.
13. Dallas Stars select Defenseman Olli Määttä London Knights (OHL) 94/08/22 (17 years old) – 58GP – 5G – 27A – 32P
If you were wondering where the defensive defensemen were going to show up, here he is. Määttä is one of the youngest defensemen in the draft and certainly had a lot of hype when he made the jump to the OHL. He came with the expectation of being a two-way contributor and didn’t disappoint. He has excellent mobility and hockey smarts. His positioning is near perfect. He is a conservative player usually and won’t force plays or go for the big hit if it would put him in jeopardy. Though he struggled on the new ice surface to start, post concussion that took him out of the WJC he has taken his game to the next level. London began playing him in more situations including on the PP which explains his ridiculous numbers in the playoffs with 6 goals and 23 points in 19 games. The Stars have needs up and down the lineup, but a steady defenseman that has some hidden offensive talent to go with a near flawless defensive game is something they haven’t had since Zubov.
14. Calgary Flames select Defenseman Cody Ceci Ottawa 67’s (OHL) 93/12/21 (18 years old) – 64GP – 17G – 43A – 60P
A lot of places seem to have Ceci falling from earlier where he was a consensus top-10 pick. I’m really not sure why as a player with his mixture of size and skill is rare. He is a very smart hockey player and one of the puck rushers. He’s an above average skater with a really long stride which is very noticeable once he gets going. He has a huge booming shot and great vision. He rarely makes a dumb forced play. The biggest knock on him is his utter lack of mean streak. For a 6’1 209lb guy he should throw his weight around more than once every 8 games or so. Yet despite that weakness his game is sound and mature in most areas. He’s a player that will thrive on the PP but prove to be stable in his own zone, just not a star in it. He’s got a lot of Keith Yandle to him. With Calgary so desperate for talented young players of any sort, they can find a fantastic defender that wouldn’t be around at 14 in most drafts.
15. Ottawa Senators select Defenseman Slater Koekkoek Peterborough Petes (OHL) 94/02/18 (18 years old) – 26GP – 5G – 13A – 18P
The Sens are stacked in terms of prospects and boast one of the best pools. Last draft they went all out in acquiring forward depth and traded David Rundblad away paving the way for another defenseman. Koekkoek suffered the injury plague like most players in the draft. His start to the year showed vast improves to his all around game. He is one of the most “raw” prospects in the draft with high end potential. He has great size, skating ability, offensive instincts and a physical edge to his game. His stamina is second to none in the draft and he’s quite capable of playing 30+ minutes a night. He can move the puck with ease as he’s a borderline elite skater, he can run a PP very well, he can launch players through a wall, but he can get lost in the defensive zone. Koekkoek is a player that does too much when he has to do only a little. He loses coverage and follows players when he shouldn’t. He needs to improve what most do, his strength and simplify his game in his own end, but some scouts say he has as much top-end potential as those talked about to go in the top-8.
Thanks for reading. Oh and for those going on about the 2011 picture, I'm doing it on purpose because everybody else is using the 2012 one and I like to be edgy and hip.
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