Our first overall pick has really been hashed over on the other threads so I thought we might discuss the other rounds besides #1.

This may not be correct but it looks like we have #35 (2), #57 (2 - Van), #67 (3), #127 (5), #157 (6), #187 (7).

I mentioned Maxim Vorobyev (5.10 171 - Vastrom Rus Jr.) as a possible 3rd in another post. Besides potential scorers, I would like to see us draft at least 1 LW, 1 LD, and 1 RD depending on who's avaliable at any particular slot. I'd wait to draft a goalie prospect until next year.

If he is available Dana Tyrell, C/RW would be my choice.

Tyrell looks like a quality choice. Kanes height at 5.10 but 25lbs heavier. Comparable stats to top rated prospect Zach Hamill and definately better stats than Brandon Sutter.

My take on the 2nd and 3rd rounds:

#35 (2):
I would be some happy to get Lars Eller or Michael Backlund here, but I think they'd be off the board. Likely, I'm looing for a LW, the names off the top of my head would include; Max Pacioretty, Bill Sweatt, Michael Repik, Brett Mclean, or Max Gratchev. The goalie Smith would be a good option here maybe too if I really wanted to take care of our goaltending future..

#57 (2 - Van):
I'd like to see Trevor Cann picked here if still on the board. We need a goalie for some depth, bad. I really don't get how people can feel fine with the goalies in our organizataion outside Crawford...but that's a tirade for another day. If not, I'd still go LW again, same as last pick. Other names I'd look for are Aliu, Gratchev, BAshkirov, or the big centre Kevin Veilleux.

#67 (3):
If G Antoine Lafleur is still on the board here I'm taking him if I didn't get Smith or Cann last pick. If not, D-man Denis Reul from Germany...big, nasty, hard hitting 6'-4" German defenseman. C Luca ######i, D Alex Grant, or C Maxime Tanguay are the others I would look at here.

-Matt.

PS: Is it confirmed we have the #57 pick for sure??

Didn't I read somewhere that another team (LA?) had an option to use the #57 pick this year, leaving the Hawks with something next year? At least I thought I read this.

I like Max Pacioretty lw with our early second and Robert Bortuzzo a 6'4 righthanded defenseman from Kitchener with our later 2nd if we get it.I also hope that while scouting Turris the Hawks noticed Casey Pierro Zabotel.Bigtime scorer with size from the BCHL.All these players are over 6' and 200 lbs.All things being equal I think size is still a factor.I also think Turris should be the Hawks pick.Gretzy/Yzerman/Sakic etc are only average size at best Turris should eventually be 6'1 and 190 lbs which should hold up well.Toews has been compared to Yzerman/Trottier and Turris to Yzerman/Sakic what more could you want from your 2 top centres?Kane may well be a top scorer in this league but I feel with Toews and Turris Chicago will be Stanley Cup contenders in the next 4 years.

I would really like to see us take a shot on Akim Aliu, although if Sweatt is still on the board I'm taking him (he won't be on the board though IMO).


Leo, I'd take a shot on Tyrell as well.

-fullmetalninja

LA can choose to take Vancouvers 2nd in 2007 or their 2nd in 2008. Chicago get whatever pick LA don't choose. I haven't seen anything that has said which pick LA is going to choose. I would assume they would want the 2008 pick as it's seen as a better draft year than 2007.

I see Los Angeles skipping the pick to us cus Vancouver will finish worse next year...better pick...so we'll pick 35th, 57th, 65th...depending on compensatory picks...which we should get for Handzus(in 2008)...I'd like to see Chicago select Kane(1st), top ranked european(35th), defenceman(57) and goalie(65)...

Interesting you should mention him. I would have him on my short list also if he shows he can skate well. Very nice size and comparable stats to Turris.

As far as oversized D-men, it was not exactly happy about picking Danis-Pepin last year. 6'7". Didn't exactly get alot of minutes last year with Maine and projected as a project. We coulda had a smaller but more mobile RD in Jamie McBain who went to Wisconsin and posted very respectable numbers.

With the bigger guys, the question is hows their skating which is probably more critical in the new NHL so large pylons are becoming a liability. I've seen enough of big guys who cant skate and if your a Dman, that includes backwards.

Petracki is expected to drop and I heard they tried or considered to try him at LW...not good. Plante while posting good offensive stats also has skating issues. I dont know enough about Ruel or Bortuzzo but I would also think they might be suspect in this department.

Aliu is an interesting wild card. Excellent size but had some problems with Downie? in the past and questions about attitude however attitude problems may be unfounded. I also heard he is or wants to go to London next year and if thats correct, his offensive numbers should be increased. If Kane leaves, then he takes Kanes place with Gagner.

As far as Sweatt, I'd probably consider Hoeffel before Sweatt but thats JMO.

Can anyone confirm these numbers?

This is not official and #57 has not been confirmed yet.

My thinking is Kane will go first, but I too like Turris. Wouldn't it be great to get them both? It would be nice if Tallon could make a decent trade with Philly for the second pick. Too bad Clarke wasn't still gm.

For what it's worth, Central Scouting liked his skating but said he needed to improve his turn from backwards to forward in order to beat forwards to the puck in the corner:

Is a good skater who is catching up with his growth ... has good lateral mobility and gets quickly to the puck carrier ... straight-away speed is very good due to his long stride

For #35:

LW SIMON HJALMARSSON --if he lasts till #35 --perhaps the size 5'11 160 will keep him out of the late first round --of course he'llneed to bulk up over time..but he is one of the top 3 pure goal scorers (with Turris and Kane) in this draft..I loved his play at te world U-18 as he destroyed Canada in that bronze medal game...skills,intensity,good hockey sense, + a great shot ..PLUS he's way better than Kane defensively... a "steal" if he last til#35 ..big upside...

Tyrrell and Pacioretty are other LW's getting lots of attention as possible first rounders--if they go before Hjalmarsson,maybe he'll be there for us..

THAT Is another reason to take TURRIS at #1 because I cannot see them taking kane then taking another 160 pound winger (despite the skill) in Hjalmarsson ... IF we got Turris+Hjalmarsson we'd have 2 of the 3 best shooters in this draft (Kane being the other) but the "FIT"
can't be Kane+Hjalmarsson...

IF we do not go LW with the #35:

A) if we drafted KANE at #1--we might go CENTRE at #35:

T.J. Galiardi 6'2 175 who was a nearly point a game Freshman at dartmouth this past season... he recently was ruled academically inelgible for the upcoming year--I do not know if this means he
can get back in with summer remedial courses or will have to leave school to turn pro (AHL) ...CSS rates him at #31 na skater --he is a terrific skater --greatspeed--one of the fastest in this draft..he made great improvement at Dartmouth over the course of the year and impressed even a jaded Kyle Woodlief at Redline who had written him off earlier in the year as a soft perimeter player... perhapsas he adds weight he willcontinue this improvement in going more to the net..

JOAKIM ANDERSSON --the 2-way Frolunda Jr centre,6'2 198,looks like alate first early 2nd rounder now... skating speed is the issue,not hockey sense and good positional play.. so a good value pick here...
The #5 rted euroskater by CSS..


Whether we draft Turis or Kane,Tallon may decide that if his LW or Centre targets are off the board at #35 --or maybe just because of org depth needs,that he needs a D-man with the pick:

i) DENIS REUL ,6'4 213 --the big Germnan D-man is a crunching hitter
with a good German work ethic to give the big physical presence I'd be coveting ...his big wingspan is especially effective l on the PK
and he has fair puck skills (1g+3a at the world U-18) ...needs to improve his backwards skating,but that can be worked on,otherwse very mobile for a big guy...rated #16 euroskaterby CSS..

ii) JENS HELLGREN --the 6'3 197 Frolunda Jrs D-man has perhaps the best toolbox of any D-man in this draft..so a big talent upside...the reason why he is usually projected only as a 2nd rounder is consistency..doesn't always bring his "A' game..so there is some risk on his developing a better mental attitude..but the talent upside is very good...if he puts it together could be a steal as a 2nd rounder with first rounder talent...rated #17 euroskater by CSS.

iii) Harri Ilvonen --6'2 187..the Fnnish D-man (Tappara jrs) is seen as more of a 2-way style d-man...mobile and plays with sme aggression...
Maybe not the upside of a Hellgren or the menacing physical moster hitter of a Ruel,but plays good-all round game..

iv) Nick Ross, Regina Pats-- size (6'0 188) may cause him to slip out of round one to the top half of round two for the offensive style D-man...
I liked hs game at the Top Prospects Game in January where he imprssed me with his hockey sense..


FOr the 2nd of our 2ndrounders (should L.A. defer on its option for the Van pick till 2008,giving us the pick in 2007= #57 if no comp picks awarded,a few sots lower if comp picks given in mid 2nd round):

i) ANTOINE LAFLEUR -if the big 6'4.25 186 PEI Rockets goalie (QMJHL) makes it to this pick near the end of round two--we should grab a goalie here:
It has been awhile since the Blackhawks drafted anyone from the Q,but
getting the #3 rated NA goalie here would be good choice in my opinion
if he is still on the board for us with this pick.

ii) MILAN KYTNAR --the 6'0 183 Slovak centre was impressive at the World u-18 ...good 2-way centre...rated #22 euroskater by CSS..
IF we got lafleur with this pick and KYTNAR was stillavailable with our early 3rd rounder ,that would be great value too..


3rd round: (apart from the KYTNAR pick here if we took LAFLEUR with the 2nd sceond rounder or took KYTNAR with that pick if LAFLEUR was off the board):

i) CASEY PIERRO-ZABOTEL 6'2 208 Merritt BCHL..rated #75 by CSS in NAskaters,he finished 3rd in BCHL scoring with 116 pts just 5 behind
TURRIS (though he played as an 18 yr old,TURRIS played as a 17 yr old this season) ..he is decent skater for his size but his greatest attribute id that he has a finisher;sset of hands around the net...since we don't have another pick till round #5,we must take him here because heis rated #75 Na skater by CSS so is probably a mid-3rdround target by most teams...

ii) RILEY NASH --the Salmon Arm (BCHL) centre is 6'1,175 and like Turris played in the BCHL this year as a 17 year old...ranked as the #2 best draft eligible centre from that league,he is ranked by cSS as the #64 NA skater...so again we need to draft ifwith our 3rd rounder because he probably won't last tilll round 5 for us...
HE averaged 1.5 PPG with 84 pts this season--but scouts like his upside..


5th round:

OK-- ths is where we take a chance on some RUSSKIE
that slipped lower than he should have due to the TRANSFER issue...
it represents a gamble and given the Hawks history with Russkies,could be doomed anyway,but Tallon may see a "steal" chance...so maybe here the MAXIM VOROBYEV kid tht others have mentoned (CsS rates him the#50 euroskater--so that probably pus him mid 3rd to mid 4th
round --but if he gets to us early in round #5 ,maybe we take the risk...OR if an even much higher ranked Russian (a euro top 20 guy) slips to this early 5th round pick due to transfer worries --eg somebody like Mayorov or Korostin --then of course that would be a bargain gamble at this point in the draft..

Barring the russkie option for the 5th round poick,we probaly look for another D-man if we have picked only 1 so far...IF a good value pick
(ie. someone supposed to go late 2nd or 3rd round slips to early 5th
then of couse grab him--eg. should 6'3.25 216 Kitchener D-man Robert Bortozzo slips to this pick --rated #48 NA skater by CSS,that would be a good pick-up); BIG BEN BLOOD 6'3 212 of Shattuck St . Mary's H.S.
is rated #116 NA skater by CSS but was #87 at mid-term --he had a good stats year,so I don't know why he fell in the ratings that much--but pehaps still rated as a potential mid 4th rounder,he is at least a reasonable target as an early 5yth rounder;attending North Dakota as a freshman this year...
Anyway I'd like another Big d-man with this pick...unless we gambled on a Russkie forward as outlined above..

6th round:

FREDERIC ANDERSSON Sodertalje JRs 5'11 189 --a favourite of mine CSS rated him the #135 euroskater ...this is way too low--he'd be a steal as the 6th rounder ..he strangely dropped from #58 euroskater at mid-term YET he put up good numbers for his team,had good playoff showing, is considered a strong mobile skater with a god selection of shots and a good hard-working attitude ..projects as a powerforward --so he goes to the net.I really don't see why he fell so much except he was an older player and perhaps a lot of younger euros got seen and upgraded .. so i think he is a real "STEAL" if we take him here...

7tTh round:

Here I pick up a prviously passed over older player or late bloomer...

Last year I wanted 2 Swsis guys who played in Zug:

(D) Marco Mauer 6'2 205 --had a terrific first half putting up points...
(which was surprising because he only was supposed to have fair skill,but he really improved) then season ruined in mid yearwith a horrfic injury..I do not know the status of his re-cuperation or if the injury is career threatening,BUT if he checks out medically I really like the way he plays with aggression,hitting.crease clearing and attitude..

(RW) Dario Burgler 6'0 189 -still rated as # 54 euroskater by CSS--considered only a fair skater--but I like the way he takes the puck to the net ...


(W) VILLI SOPINEN 6'4 209 -Pelicans Finland--a 1987 born classic late bloomer..CSS calls him one of the most improved players in all of Finland as he dramatically has improved his skating..good soft hand,can score imany ways..can beat defenderswith..plays with a big stick...
maybe he should be taken higher (CSS rates him #72 euroskater) but his age usually means teams leave such late bloomers till the later rounds.. still he intrigues..

© SIM LIVIK --6'1 194 ,an Estonian who plays in Finland with HIFK jrs--again an older guy with a Feb 1988 birthdate ..rated #60 euroskater vby CSS but he is described as a team guy with a great attitude and work ethic..strong forechecker who makes things happen around the net,though he only has fair skill...is very good at faceoffs... strong skater,never stops moving..PLAYS WITH INTENSITY...could this guy be the next Sammy Pahlsson?

Finally there is another intriguing RUSSKIE:

© EVGENY MONS 6'4 187 --buried in Cherepovets 2 Rus DIV 3
this guy is a bit of a mystery as there is no CSS description on him --BUT he jumped from # 144 to #78 euroskater from mid to final ranking--so obviously he was a riser..

Anyway theseare some of the "targets" I would put on my shoping list for the draft after round one..

50-

Why should we not be concerned about Turris' offensive upside, when two other guys in that league (one who scored only 5 pts less) are 2nd rounders [at best].


For the record, Zabotel was born on 11/8/88, Turris born 8/14/89..... [Nash is 5/9/89]

-fullmetalninja

Kane at #1
Eller at #35(he'll likely be gone tho) so D-man Tommy Cross (let him develop at B-C for at least 3 years)
Owuya at #57 - we need goaltending depth plus I like a big goalie compared to the smaller guys like Gilstedt.

Thanks for clarifying. I would bet you're right about LA taking the pick next year, it's not likely there would be a budding star still around at 57. Still though, maybe Tallon can get a decent player.

If Alexi Cherepanov is still around for the Hawks second pick, it sounds as if it would be well worth dealing with the agreement problems to select him. Yes? No?

I would go along with drafting a physical D-man with good size and decent mobility. I don't care if he thinks boarding is what passengers do at an airport and that interference is what you get on your TV, the Hawks need a D-man like this. They need a couple of these to make things more difficult in the Hawks zone. I can't think of any current Hawk or decent prospect that's this type though I may be missing someone.

Disclaimer: don't pass up a better player at another position just to get one though.

Juraj Mikus

Anyone watching the Q. Although it looks like hes a re-entrant (originally drafted by Montreal but not signed?) his offensive numbers were unreal.

***edit - Is he a d-man or forward. There seems to be some conflicting listings. If those are for a d-man, then those offensive numbers would be excellent.

I would be extremely surprised if Cherepenov is not picked in the top 10. He is probably the player with the most pure talent in the draft and if he gets his head sorted out and works on his fitness (tested very poorly at the combine compared to Kane and other players in the top 5) he could turn out to be the best player in this draft.

Interesting article by Redline's Kyle Woodlief today in usatoday.com on the top D-men (his view for the draft)--he has all NA D-men in his top 10 --but curiously left Vancouver Giants' Jonathan Blum off his top ten
and instead had Lewiston's Kevin Marshall at #9 ranked D-man-- most other rankings would have Blum as one of the top 8 D-men in the draft..both showed well at the Memorial Cups --but despite his intense work ethic,I cannot see much offense from Marshall and he's not really big enough to sellme as a stay at home shutdown guy at the next (NHL0 level,but Blum clearly has the talent to be a good nHl offensive rushing D-man..

HOWEVER--I'm looking not at who will be first rounder D-men,but rather who might stillbe there at #35 Should the Hawks decide to go for that position instead of another forward at that slot --I would be inclined to take a D-man at #35 --UNLESS SIMON HJALMARSSON was still left on the board ...toobad Woodlief did not comment on any of the top 5 euro D-men normally mentioned by other scouting services...maybe they are not top ten--but I think we can expect at least 8 D-men to be taken in round one--so IF that is the case,and they all are nA d-men,it should leave some of the top rated euro d-men plus 4of the remaining top 12 NA D-men for the Hawks to consider...for instance 3 NA d-men not making Redline's top 10 d-men list but who could easily be ranked higher than some of Woodlief;s top ten are : Jonathan Blum,Tommy Cross and Nick Ross....I believe all of them willbe picked higher than Kevin Marshall...Also Woodlief has Ian cole rated as his #2 ranked D-0man --but CSS has him as the #81 Na skater--so he might only go in round 3...

Given all this uncertainty on the D-men my own view would be to take the better euro d-men with that pick (but no Russians!) --CSS has
DENIS REUL ranked as the #16 overall euroskater and JENS HELLGREN as the #17 best euro skater--BUT if you put them them purely on CSS top EURO D-menrankings you get the #3 and #4 best euro d-men prospects (Nichlas Torp is the top rated euro D-man and next is Maxim Goncharov--but I would not take either=Torp is too small,Goncharov isa Russkie and I would not risk with such a high 2nd rounder given no transfer afgreement and the Hawks history with Russkies--by round 5 ,yes-but not in round 2 would I risk on a Russkie)...

My point is that DENIS REUL or JENS HELLGREN are as worthy of picking at #35 as any of the NA d-men from the top 12 NA d-men rankings
who could be left on the board by that slot...

IF we go by the CSS rankings and not Redline's list,and If I am correct that at least 8 d-men willgo in round one,THEN the remaing highest CSS ranked NA d-men are:

Thomas Hickey (9th)
T.J. Brennan (10th)
Ted Ruth (11th)
Kevin Shattenkirk (12)


Shattenkirk +Hickey bioth made Redline's top ten --but Blum,Colby Cohen,and Tommy Cross and Nick Ross all in CSS' top were not on Redline's top ten D-men ranking...when NHl teams actually pick some of these will go in round one others will no doubt fall to early round two....IF only 8 d-men go in round one some of these names may stillbe on the board at #35 ....However MY PREFERENCE would be REUL or HELLGREN instead of any of these...

REUL brings great size 6'4 213 and is a crunching hitter with an intense hard-working German work ethic...fair puk skills (1g+3a at the World u-18 for germany) and is very mobile going forwrd for such a big guy...big wingspanand long stick very good as a PK 'er ...aggressive and physical--exactly te antithesis of Augroin--exactly whatwe lack to stop the Big low cycle puck control teams...REUL needs to improve his backwards skating,but that skill can be taught with good training...otherwise I'm very intrigued by this guy...

JENS HELLGREN 6'3, 192 --one of the FAB 4 Frolunda jrs who will go first or 2nd round for this draft (the others being Lars Eller,Simon Hjalmarsson and Joakim Andersson) ...great skills skating plus size,but
doesn't always bring his "A" game...so intensity and consistency an issue--but the talent and upside are all there..if he can get the mental part right to use that talent,then you might have a top end D-man with this player...

2 different kind of d-men ,but I like the pro potential in each and hope we take one of them at #35 (unless SIMON HJALMARSSON is still on the board--ifso they should not pass up such a great sniper at LW)...

I'm also intrigued with Finnish D-man (Tappara Jrs' HARRI ILVONEN ,6'2 189..he's ranled as the #21euroskaer and the #7 ranked eur D-man by
CSS--I think #35 overall in the draft is probably toohigh to take him--but he definitely is a mid to late 2nd rounder and so if we have that VAN pick (should L.A. defer to 2008) then we should use that late 2nd rounder to take him --UNLESS goalie ANTOINE LAFLEUR is still on the board....if both Lafluer and Ilvonen are off the board by then,then perhaps go back to a forward (C/LW Millan Kytnar the 6'0 183 Slovak would be my choice if he was on the board) ..

HOWEVER--while I'm more intrigued by the euro D-men I've mentioned than any of the likely remaining top 12 NA d-men who are not picked in round one and might be there for us in round two, I am INTRIGUED by some possible "SLEEPER" D-men mentioned in Woodlief's usatoday.com column on the top dmen... these "SLEEPERS" were noticedby Redline scouts but not likely by many NHL teams' scouts nor by many other scouting services (Eg. CSS does not rank the 2 guys Woodlief mentions as Sleepers =guys with little or no exposure to scouts)...the 2 he mentions are:

ARTERN DUNININ a big 6'6 210 Russian D-man who was leftoff their U-18 team,but who he describes as having great skating ability and uspside skill...and also 6'4 190 U.S. high-school D-man (from Gaylord Michigan) WILL WEBER ,another raw litle exposed D-man who dominated the copetition he faced but who also has great skating and skills upside..

It is to me very unlikely that any NHL team would draft such sleeper picks in any round just on the advice of Redline scouts--NHL teams would want to have had their own scouts see them first....THAT is why I doubt the Blackhawks would take either of these 2 big D-men
even in round 7...I might trust Redline and take a flyer on one of theseguys if my scouts had not seen them -but I doubt Dale Tallon would do that --and certainly not by round three where Woodlief sufggests teams step up to grab them before anyone else does...but maybe if they were on theboard in round 6 or 7...
THEREFORE--while I don't expect the Hawks to pick anyone theyhave not seen,IT WILLBE VERY INTERESTING TO FIND OUT IF OTHER NHL CLUBS ACTUALLY DO TAKE THE REDLINE TIP ON EITHER OF THESE GUYS AND IF SO WHEN DID THEY PICK THEM?

For doing such an unseen gamble--even in the late rounds is tantamount to a GM essentialy belittling his own team's scouts...but then the Blackhawks have ignored taking anyone from the QMJHL (except for goalie Corey Crawford) for a very long time now --imagine you are scouting the Q for the Blackhawks--you put in all thatwork making your ranking list of Q potential "targets" and they ignore you--then add insult to your effort by going sight unseen to folow a Redline tip?


Anyway-I'm just curious if any oher NHL team will bite at Redline's "sleeper" picks ..AND YEARS LATER --to eee how such a gamble paid off --or not... IF either of Redline's "sleeper" picks on D pan out --then lots of nHL teams that ignored the tip will have to question the value of their own scouting.or at least put some late round gambling on tips by others into their future draft strategy..

I have seen Will Weber play at the Chicago Showcase, in which he dominated the competition and had a great +/-. I believe it is still too early in his development to use a pick on him though. I think alot of what becomes of his draft ranking will be based on what he does with his time in the USHL with GreenBay, should he decide to play there (they drafted him #1 overall in the recent USHL draft) instead of playing Canadian junior hockey. I have no doubt that Weber will get drafted into the NHL within the next 2 years. The only question is, in what round?

Might be quite a steal in the 2nd round, if he does last that long. Trouble is, if he is available by the time Detroit comes around in the 1st round, betcha they will get him.

Not a stone cold chance in hell Cherepanov's around in the 2nd round. If he's still on hte board, Washington will no doubt pick him.
-Matt.

I'd also lay odds Cherepanov goes to the Caps.

Ok--it is only a short 700K bunch of vidoes on some to the top prspects (NA and euro) over on NHL.com but having watched some of the D-men who might be available for us at #35,I am amending my own d- man "targets" at that pick to just 2:


I'm adding MAXIM GONCHAROV--yes,I said that without a transfer agreement and given our history with Russkies,that taking another high 2nd rounder on a Russkie was toorisky--BUT folks GONCHAROV REALLY impressed me in that video highlights clip...he skates well,takes out the opposition efficiently,makes smart simple passes and most of all has a very good first step into gear and good agility..it also looks like he has good positioning and reading of the play sense..in fat,he looks almost ready to step in right away and be one of the best Hawks d-men...MEA CULPA for not including him in my top D-men targets for the #35...

The other guy I really like stays right up there on my target list...DENIS REUL ..the Big 6'4 213 German just looks very mobile and has surprising catch up speed--like the way he takes guys out on the boards and persists on the check..especially like his use of the stick --not high but along the ice-with his big wingspan it to is an effective checking device...I did not see the supposed "weakness" of his backwards skating--but he turns fast enough and can obviously turn on the jets to recover if beaten..there is "something" I see in him that just screams BIG UPSIDE....some of his decisions with the puck coming out from his zone are risky --but i think he'll learn when to try and not to try carrying out the puck into the centre of the ice and getting caught..however-as I said--there is just something that tells me he is going to be a great player...

The other 2 targets I had mentioned,the Swede Jens Hellgren (rather disapointing in the video--did not like the way he moved;the Finn Harri Ilvonen --did some good things,some average things--nothing really woed me--but he loooked a bit "raw" --I suspect there is upside there ..but not enough to take at #35 --perhaps if he last to round 3..

However I would be ecstatic if we landed Reul or Goncharov--they look like 2 of the very best D-men in this draft to me..

Moller,Brandon Sutter, for 2nd round picks, Knackstedt for a third. Tyrell will be gone before the hawks pick again

I haven't watched the videos but I'd think twice about Goncharov (Russian) unless hes got stuff thats beats everyone else....although I would value a RD pick more since LD are generally more abundant. Goncharov is only 6.0 176 and we have Duncan Keith and Wisniewski who can move the puck. I'd rather get bigger.

There seems to be several smaller RD propsect this year. Goncharov, Blum (who is a first round pick), Shattenkirk, Weber and maybe also Subban all at 5.11 to 6.0.

6.2 ~ 6.3 RD guys are Cohen, Doyle, Stejskl. Ruth is 6.1. I'd go for Cohen or Doyle, maybe Ruth but Cohen and Ruth are probably not there at #57 (if we get this pick from Van/LA). Doyle might be.

Reul is big 6.4 213 and if he can skate, I wouldn't be opposed to him and if hes got a mean streak, we'd need some toughness besides Seabrook. I wouldn't count on Barker or Buff for that department.

Riley Nash is a name to get familiar with.Good numbers decent overall game.Righthanded centre.If we take Kane #1 a centre like Nash in the second would be the start of a solid draft.Then take a big d with our next pick.

Nice call FMN. I think you also picked Kane at #1. You just hit a trifecta!