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2007 Entry Draft: Power Forwards |
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I recently completed an article for NHL.com looking at a host of sleeper picks in this year's draft. Here is a sneak peak at the section on power forwards.
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Power forwards and big-frame defensemen often take longer to find their games than some of their more finesse oriented counterparts.
While many of the top power-oriented forwards of the last 20 years were first round draft picks (Brendan Shanahan, Cam Neely, Gary Roberts, Dave Andreychuk, Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin) or second rounders (John LeClair) there have also been a host of notable players who were taken later in the draft-- or not at all.
Examples of the latter category include Kevin Stevens (6th rounder, 1983), Rick Tocchet (same round, same year) Tomas Holmström (10th round, 1994), Dino Ciccarelli (undrafted) and Tim Kerr (undrafted) who rose from their modest entry points in the league to make life miserable for NHL goaltenders.
The best known player in the 2007 Entry Draft class with the potential to be an effective power forward is James vanRiemsdyk, who also brings above-average skating to the table.
Late first-round projections with the potential to be late-blooming power forward typ include USHL left wing Max Pacioretty (16th on the Central Scouting final North American ranking) and swift skating crash-and-bang center Colton Gillies (ranked 30th). Gillies may end being more of an enforcer/energy type because he hasn't shown an ability to finish.
Oshawa Generals right wing Dale Mitchell (ranked 45th on the final list) is more of a Dino Ciccarelli type of power forward�"a little guy with a low center of gravity. Standing just 5-foot-9 and weighing 207 pounds, Mitchell fearlessly goes to the net and mixes it up down low. That can help make up for his lack of quickness and height. A teammate of wunderkind center John Taveres and highly rated 2007 draft eligible left wing Brett MacLean, Mitchell racked up 43 goals and 80 points in 67 games with the Generals this season.
“He’s a tenacious kid and can be a little dynamo out on the ice with the way he competes,” says one Eastern Conference scout. “If he was a stride faster, he’d be a top-20 pick. Depending on how he works out the skating issues, he’s either going to be a big AHL scorer or guy who can score 25 goals in the NHL. He’s got good hands and he’s always buzzing around the slot.”
Further down on the North American list, you’ll find youngsters such Erie Otters winger Nick Palmieri (ranked 66th on the final list), Belleville Bulls left wing/center Eric Tangradi (ranked 93rd), USHL left wing Andrew Conboy (ranked 149th) Tier II junior left wing Spencer Anderson (ranked 171st) and Team USA development program member Justin Vaive (ranked 184th overall).
Skating ability, consistency in getting to the net and play without the puck are usually the biggest factors that separate a power forward prospect projected for the first or second round from ones who are available later in the draft.
The 6-foot-2, 212 pound Palmieri was third on his team in scoring this year (24 goals, 45 points in 56 games, plus 99 penalty minutes) and is considered a good forechecker who also works hard to play a two-way game. His main deficiency right now is skating ability.
Tangradi stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 207 pounds. The Philadelphia native and lifelong Philadelphia Flyers devotee came up through the Junior Flyers program and starred for Wyoming Seminary Prep before heading to the OHL. Tangradi played sparingly for much of his rookie season with Belleville in 2006-07 and put up just five goals and 20 points during the regular season.
But Tangradi hit his stride down the stretch and scored 8 goals and 17 points in 15 OHL playoff games, leading some scouts to describe the player as one of the fastest risers in the middle rounds of the draft.
“You could see him figure out how to use his frame to get to the net, instead of trying to out-finesse the ‘D’ on the perimeter. When he made that adjustment, he really elevated his game. Now he has to carry that over and go on from there,” says an independent scout.
Tangradi’s Belleville teammate, Shawn Matthias, was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round last year despite modest rookie numbers, and really came on this season for the Bulls. As Tangradi continues to mature, he could emerge.
The 6-foot-4, 200 pound Conboy was eligible for the 2006 draft. He had a good USHL season for the Omaha Lancers this year, scoring 25 goals and 50 points in 56 games to go along with 105 penalty minutes. After scoring just once in the Lancers’ first seven games, he hit his stride. In the words of one scout, he needs to “round out his game and play a little more consistently.”
Like Conboy, Anderson is 19 years of age. In his second year for the Brampton Capitals of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League, he scored 25 goals (including 9 powerplay markers and 5 shorthanders) and 58 points in 39 games. Both Conboy and Anderson will need to demonstrate their abilities against a higher grade of competition and are considered projects that could pay off down the line.
Justin Vaive, the son of former NHLer Rick Vaive, threw his considerable size (6-foot-6, 210 pounds) around effective at the Under-18 World Championships and even chipped in some timely offense (three goals, six points). However, the Miami University bound left winger managed just six goals in 48 games with Team USA NTPD squad prior to the Under-18s.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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