2008 NHL Entry Draft – Live Blog – Fantasy Hockey

Matt Bugg

2008-06-20

NHL Draft

 

As it happens – Matt Bugg gives you his thoughts on the selections and happenings of the draft. Simply refresh the page for the latest update. See below…

 

2:27 PM- Detroit surprises everyone by taking a Swede from Timra in the seventh round. They did this nine years ago and ended up with a Conn Smyth winner. This kid, Jesper Samuelsson, had 61 points playing Division 1 hockey.

 

2:03 PM- The 7th and final round is coming to a close, and some weird stuff is happening.

-Tampa selects David Carle. Which doesn't make any sense, since he announced his retirement this weekend because of a heart condition discovered during draft physicals. The mystery further depeneds because one article states Carle opted out of the draft, meaning the NHL should rule the pick ineligible.

 

-Jersey gets two interesting players in defender Harry Young and power winger JS Berube. Young is 6'4 and racked up 155 PIM this year; he's a great value pick this late as a 5/6 D. Berube is a supreme agitator and power forward in them old of Jean-Francois Jacques. 

 

-Nashville drafts 6'6 Swedish goalie Anders Lindback, who was considered a second rounder earlier in the year. Not very talented. 

 

1:50 PM- The Jackets make a neat little pickup in 6'3 center Sean Collins. He's your prototypical Canadian boy, playing in the Manitoba Junior A league. He finished second in scoring with 115 points in 60 games. Doesn't play a power game, instead thriving on his intelligence. He's one of the smartest players in the draft.

 

1:39 PM- Into the final round now, and Tampa starts it off with a bang. Matias Sointu was the most skilled Finn in the Draft, but he's 5'10 and 154 lbs. 

 

 

1:18 PM- Into the sixth round now. Mark Barberi, who we compared to ME Vlasic, goes to Tampa. Edmonton picks up Finnish power forward Teemu Hartikainen. Doesn't play all that mean, but he has excellent puck protection skill and hands for a 6'2 man. 

 

Much-talked about OHL leading scorer Justin Azevedo gets taken by the Kings. I still think he's too small. 

 

1:08 PM- Should also mention the Habs picked up 6'8 OHL goalie Jason Missiaen in the 4th round. A quick butterfly goalie despite his size. 

 

12:58 PM- The Habs grab one of my biggest sleeper picks in Maxim Trunev. You can read more about him in the Prospects Report. Congrats also to Taylor Stefishen, who incredibly fell to the 5th round and Nashville. He's a Cliff Ronning type that will serve them well.

 

12:27 PM- Bugg here. Before we get to some later steals, I want to point out how great a job the Isles have done at the draft table. This is a franchise-making draft happening right before our eyes.

 

While I wasn't and am still on not high on the Bailey pick at 7, grabbing Corey Trivino, Aaron Ness, Krill Petrov, David Toews and projects like Kevin Poulin and Jyri Niemi is an incredible feat.

 

10:34 – Dobber: Phoenix just added Jared Staal. They're strong up the middle with Jokinen, Mueller, Turris, Hanzal… and now they have added Boedker, Tikhonov and Staal to join Porter and McLean on the wing. Great job

 

10:24 am – Dobber: Carolina just grabbed former Stratford Culliton Zach Dalpe. Finally – a potential No.1 pivot in the system to take over for Staal if Staal leaves via UFA in a few years.

 

10:22 am – Still Dobber: Highest players still left from Bugg's Mock NHL Draft: Kirill Petrov, Evgeny Grachev (Russians messing up the rankings again with the lack of transfer agreement!), Mikhail Stefanovich – and that's it from the first round. Justin Jokinen, Zach Dalpe, David Toews and Jared Staal all bear watching to see where they go.

 

 

 

10:15 am – trade was just a pick swap (PHO to NSH). I think that's all we'll see today for trades.

 

10:09 am Dobber here, subbing in for a moment. The Isles made a nice pick in Cory Trivino. An Adam Oates clone who bears watching. A trade just happened and is coming up – hang on.

 

Day 2 begins

 

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11:02 PM- That's it for the first round. Join me again tomorrow for 31-100 in my ranking and lots more analysis all day long. Thanks for tuning in both here and on the Fan 590! 

 

10:53 PM- Wings go goalie, but go across the ocean and take Thomas McCollum. I had him going to Philly at 27.  

 

10:52 PM- Detroit is up to make their mark. Watch for Markstrom.  

 

10:49 PM- Atlanta shocks everybody by snapping up Junior B star Daultan Leveille. Not that he didn't have a choice; several Junior A and even OHL teams wanted him, but he wanted to concentrate on school.  

 

10:40 PM- Anaheim continues trading down, putting Phoenix into 28th placee in exchange for two early 2nds. They grab my 28th-ranked player, Viktor Tikhonov. How about that! 

 

10:37 PM- Nah. The Capitals draft a player that has the upside they once thought the player thet just traded had. John Carlson is both physical and very skilled and will be a top-four rearguard.

 

10:36 PM- The Capitals buy back into the first round by trading Eminger and a third to Philly. Watch for Grachev. 

 

10:28 PM- Buffalo decides to rebuild their small roster by grabbing Tyler Ennis. he has a long, hard road to the NHL and I don't feel he has quite enough, but the Sabres have an eye for these guys and they have the linemate for him in Vanek. 

 

10:23 PM- In a great tribute to departed prospect Mickey Renaud, the Flames grab former teammate Greg Nemisz. A big center with soft hands that can bull his way to the net. A great pick for Calgary and a Sutter play.

 

10:17 PM- The Devils get the absolute steal of the entire draft, and the first day isn't even over yet. Mattias Tedenby would have been a top-three pick if he was 5'11. Our best skater, and he has Forsbegr-esque puck skill.  

 

10:11 PM- The Wild move up and grab two-way defender Tyler Cuma. His keeper league upside isn't more than what you might get out of Andrej Meszaros. 

 

10:00 PM- Glen Anderson comes up to the podium for the Oil, and in honor of recently departed scout Lorne Davis, select Regina Pat Jordan Eberle- the guy who got me mentioned in THN for my comparison to Joe Sakic. As an Oiler fan, I am OVERJOYED. 

 

 

9:54 PM- The Caps take the center they need, 6'3 Anton Gustafsson. What a fantastic pick. He and Ovy will be a deadly combo.  

 

9:52 PM- Washington moves up from 24  to 21. Hold onto your hats.

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9:41 PM- The Flyers address a hole on D by taking Luca Sbisa. Speedy, fast, and accountable in both zones. This ia year late; we had Philly grabbing Thomas Hickey last year.

9:47 PM- Rangers take the biggest faller so far in Mike Del Zotto. If he doesn't improve his defensive game to NHL-quality, he'd make a fine forward.  

 

9:35 PM- Nashville grabs DobberHockey's Goalie of the Class, Chet Pickard. A great choice for a team desperate at that position. 

 

9:29 PM- Anaheim takes D Jake Gardiner. Compared to Brent Burns in the Draft Guide; a big, movile forward converted to D. Surprised this wasn't Mike Del Zotto. 

 

9:21 PM- Boston selects Joe Colborne. Big, big reach, but don't worry about him just being a coke machine. Colborne was one of the best minor hockey players in Alberta three years ago… when he was 5'8.

 

9:12 PM- Ottawa moves up to 15, shock everybody taking Karlsson. Except for, well, me. You'll see below I had him ranked 13th.

 

9:04 PM- Carolina Hurricanes select Zach Boychuk. Great value pick at 14. Small, but a game-breaker either as a finisher or playmaker. Staal-Boychuk-Sutter isn't fair.  

 

9:00 PM- LA takes Teubert at 13. Big, low-skill defender who can be a Craig Muni type in the NHL. AKA: not a bluechip keeper option.  

 

 

8:30 PM

 

Top Ten Recap: 

 

1. Steve Stamkos- Duh

 

2. Drew Doughty- Duh II.

 

3. Zach Bogosian- DobberHockey is 3/3! Bogosian is a big body may be the best two-way defender in the draft when all is said and done. He's eight months younger and two inches bigger than Doughty.

 

4. St. Louis- I kept hearing it all week and didn't believe it, but the Blues opt for Pietrangelo for Schenn. Pietrangelo has much higher offensive upside, butr he needs to improve his intensity and first step.

 

5. Toronto- Leafs jump for Luke Schenn. I feel Filatov would've helped them more.  

 

6.  Columbus- The Jackets get a STEAL here. Superstar potential in the mold of Ilya Kovalchuk.

 

7. Nashville- Colin Wilson. Scored 12 goals in his draft year, like Chris Drury and Chris Clark. You know what kind of player is he's going to be.

 

8. Phoenix- Not fair at all. Gretzky knows the importance of a good wingman, and he gets Turris one in The Great Dane. Plays like Hemsky, but his potential as a finisher is higher.

 

9. Islanders- Reach and how for Josh Bailey. I know a lot of teams like him, but I just don't see it. He could top out as a Scott Gomez if he gets real lucky.

 

10. Vancouver- The Nucks capitalize on NYI's gaffe by grabbing Hodgson. A force in both ends of the ice.  

 

7:21 PM- Surprise, surprise. Tampa takes Stevie S first overall. He'll be Tampa's 2nd line center this fall.

 

5:20 PM: Here at DobberHockey, it's all about finding players that can help you win in your keeper league. A 100 PIM d-man who can play 30 minutes and score 15 points is a highly sought-after NHL asset, but not so much in the fantasy world. So how would a top 100 look from a purely real-world perspective?

 

 

1-30

 

 1. Steve Stamkos
2. Nikita Filatov
3. Zach Bogosian
4. Drew Doughty
5. Luke Schenn

6. Cody Hodgson
7. Mattias Tedenby
8. Mikkel Boedker
9. Colin Wilson
10. Alex Pietrangelo

11. Zach Boychuk
12. Tyler Myers
13. Erik Karlsson
14. Chet Pickard
15. Jordan Eberle

16. Luca Sbisa
17. Aaron Ness
18. Kirill Petrov
19. Colby Robak
20. Tyler Ennis

21. Josh Bailey
22. Jacob Markstrom
23. Tyler Cuma
24. Greg Nemisz
25. Kyle Beach

26. Colten Teubert
27. Joe Colborne
28. Viktor Tikhonov
29. Corey Trivino
30. Zac Dalpe

 

5:00 PM:

Bugg here. Thanks again to Doug Farraway and Dave Cadeau for having me on Hockeycentral at Noon. Doug's a great host and I'd love to come back at some point.

 

Not much news at this point. The Jamal Mayers trade gives the Blues three picks in the third round, which is plenty of ammunition to move up into the second if there's a guy they like. St. Louis values character, so keep an eye on Taylor Stefishen. The BCHL product is NHL captain quality, and plays the left side- the only thing the Blues can claim to have a weakness in when it comes to the pipeline. Stefishen is small right now, but could be an elite 2nd/3rd line tweener.

 

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Want to follow the draft even closer? Pick up Dobber's Fantasy Prospect Report here ! 250+ NHL Prospects, plus 100  draft-eligible prospects fully profiled from a fantasy standpoint!!!

 

Don't be cheap! We're talking 13 bucks here! What were you gonna do – buy a bag of chips and a six-pack? C'mon! Support the site! That's why the site is free!!

 

Bugg plans to also add a couple of key profiles that were not covered in the Prospect Report – RIGHT HERE! That's right, free to everyone (so they can see a sample of the profiles you get in Dobber's FPR ) he will be adding a couple of profiles right here in this blog as time permits.

 

Interested in hearing Matt Bugg on the FAN 590 earlier today? CLICK HERE! (15 minutes in)

 

 

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UPCOMING GAMES

Apr 26 - 19:04 WSH vs NYR
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Apr 26 - 22:04 COL vs WPG
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