1- St.Louis Blues: D Erik Johnson
USA Under-18; 6’4”; 222
Since the St.Louis Blues traded away Chris Pronger, who the team was built around, the Blues have lacked a large body in their defence core. This is why the St.Louis Blues will pick Erik Johnson with the number one pick in the 2006 Draft. Erik Johnson is a big man, with a mean streak in his own end. Johnson is a franchise player, not in the sense of a Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, but he will be a franchise player for the St.Louis Blues. The team will build around their future number one defencemen. He has a very good reach, which will help on one-on-ones and in the offensive zone. A good solid shot from the point will also help their team in scoring. The St.Louis Blues will be taking a complete player and will turn the struggling franchise around.
2- Pittsburgh Penguins: C/W Jonathan Toews
NCAA University of North Dakota- 6’1” -195
The Pittsburgh Penguins already have some offensive gems in their system, but they lack a really good two-way player. Although Jonathan Toews does not have the speed the Penguins might be looking for, he will be an effective player in every other way. He can play the powerplay, kill penalties, punish opposition’s teams in the corners, and grind it out on the third line. Toews is a very versatile player in his own right. His good reach and ability to protect the puck on a rush will make him difficult to defend against. His quick stick around the net will allow him to net a lot of goals. His offensive ability does lack at times, but Toews will improve throughout the years in the Penguins organization.
3-Chicago Blackhawks: C Niklas Backstrom
Brynas Sweden; 6’0′; 183
Nicklas Backstrom is considered the only NHL ready prospect in the ’06 draft. The Blackhawks will not pass up a player like Backstrom. He is a mature player who is savvy in all three zones. Backstrom is a great two-way player, with great playmaking abilities. His incredible vision on the ice, great speed, strong body and good balance makes him an impact player. The Chicago Blackhawks traded away Tyler Arnason, and will need a player who can make contributions at clutch times. The Blackhawks might lose Tuomo Ruutu, if he chooses to retire, and if he does, Nicklas Backstrom fits into their system. A forward who will drive to the net, to provide scoring chances for his own team.
4- Washington Capitals: C Phil Kessel
NCCA University of Minnesota; 6’0”; 189
A lot of people think that Phil Kessel will not fall to the 4th spot, but I believe he will. Phil Kessel was projected to go number one, and was considered to be right up there with Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, his stock has fallen considerably. His speed is amazing. He will be able to do a lot of end-to-ends. He has soft hands, and a great accurate shot. His hard shot, while being draped by defenders makes him difficult to defend. Although he doesn’t shoot enough, and is lazy at times, he will go great with Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin. Phil Kessel could go onto the wing, and play alongside any other player on the Capitals. Projected to be on the first line, the Capitals will enjoy watching Kessel and Ovechkin playing on the same line.
5- Boston Bruins: C Jordan Staal
OHL Peterborough Petes; 6’4”; 209
When the Boston Bruins traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks near the middle of the regular season, the Bruins lost their franchise player. Without a strong presence in front of the net, the Bruins tried to go with fast legs and creative plays from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Boyes. Although they got that, they still did not have the tough player in front of the net, distracting goalies and punishing the defence. This is why Jordan Staal will be picked at number five. The younger brother of Eric Staal, the Boston Bruins will be hoping the genes run strong in the family. The Boston Bruins will get a player who has a long reach, who is a physical, aggressive, and hard to knock down, with a nice scoring touch. Everything that Joe Thornton was. Staal’s playmaking abilities isn’t nearly as good as Joe Thornton, Jordan Staal still has time to grow into his already strong and big frame, and is the youngest player in the draft. He has time to develop into more of an elite player. A decent two-way player will be effective on the Boston Bruins. Not a slow skater, and is dangerous on one-on-ones, with a quick release will make him valuable on the Bruins.
6- Columbus Blue Jackets: RW Kyle Okposo
USHL Des Moines; 6’0”; 195
The Columbus Blue Jackets already have a lot of youth and experience in their team. With a good goaltender, it’s hard to find holes to fill in their team. Unless you’re talking about the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines. The second line does not do that well. With a little depth in their forwards, the Blue Jackets will go with a player like Kyle Okposo. Okposo is a workhorse on the ice, and off. He plays each shift with a strong mentality and never gives up on his teammates. He will rush back-to-back check. He is very sturdy on his feet. He has a great wrist shot, with an even greater release. His accuracy makes him deadly. A good skater, with good speed. He can explode on the first couple of strides. A player like Sergei Fedorov can help Okposo grow into his game. He can make him a better player as the years go on.
7- New York Islanders: C Bryan Little
OHL Barrie Colts; 5’10”; 194
With his small frame, he does drop a few notches in the draft, but the New York Islanders do take a somewhat small chance on Bryan Little. Built very thick, he’ll be able to fight off checks, which is valuable for the Islanders. A good playmaker will help the Islanders Jason Blake. Jason Blake does not have the set up man, Bryan Little is. A good hockey sense, and great vision, and a very high intelligence of the game make him even more the player to pick at the number seven pick. A hustler on every shift, with great agility to go into the offensive zone and create opportunities and scoring chances for his team. He will go to the net very hard, unlike a lot of players.
8- Phoenix Coyotes: D Bobby Sanguinetti
OHL Owen Sound Attack; 6’1”; 182
The best skating defencemen in the league is what Wayne Gretzky is looking for in his team. Gretzky loves speed, and wants speed for his team. With fast defencemen like Derek Morris and Keith Ballard, Bobby Sanguinetti is a good pick for Gretzky. A fast skater who bring the puck into the opposition’s zone. A mobile defencemen, who can pot a few goals here and there on the powerplay, is what the Coyotes are looking for. A good sense in the offensive zone, he’ll know when to jump into the play, which he will do often. He will need to add some bulk for his defensive game to get better.
9- Minnesota Wild: C Peter Mueller
WHL Everett Silvertips; 6’2”; 200
Peter Mueller is another one of those players who has the power forward frame with good offensive skills. A great two-way player and defensive responsible in every way. A good face off man, and a good penalty killer, Mueller with great stick reach and stable on his feet makes life hard for the defenders. A great playmaker, and possibly the best offensive player on the Everett Silvertips. He’s good at opening lanes, and using his reach to get past players. Mueller sees the ice well and exploits the defence with ease. The Minnesota Wild would like to choose home town native, Kyle Okposo, but he will go early on in the draft, and the Wild will take Mueller who can fair well with goal scorer Marian Gaborik.
10- Florida Panthers: D Ty Wishart (WHL Prince George-6’5”-210)
WHL Prince George Cougars; 6’4”; 214
A tremendous stay-at-home defencemen, Ty Wishart is what the Florida Panthers want. With Jay Bouwmeester possibly being his defence pairing, Ty Wishart will take responsibility for punishing the forwards who drive to the net, while helping out Jay Bouwmeester with those break out passes. His long reach works really well on penalty kills, because he can lay his stick down in passing lanes, and take away space for passes. A physical, aggressive player by nature will need to mature more before making the NHL, and when he does, he should be on the number one pairing for the Florida Panthers.
11- Los Angeles Kings: RW Micheal Frolik
Klando Sr. Czech Republic; 6’1”; 187
An exceptional player whose stock has dropped in the past year, Micheal Frolik is a gifted offensive player, but he does lack defensive responsibility. A great playmaker with great vision. He can make passes out of nothing, as he sees the ice so well. Sometimes making no look passes, Micheal Frolik is a talented young man who has a lot of confidence and composure with the puck. A small forward compared to the other players, but still drives to the net like a big man. The Los Angeles Kings will take Frolik because they continue to pick good offensive threats and Frolik will help the Kings.
12- Atlanta Thrashers: LW Jiri Tlusty
Klando Czech Republic; 6’0”; 185
The Atlanta Thrashers like the European snipers. Jiri Tlusty will go well with Ilya Kovalchuk. Jiri Tlusty has a quick release, a hard wrist shot, and good accuracy. He is a goal scorer, and he can add depth into the Thrashers organization 2nd line. Tlusty can make good plays on the powerplay, and set up guys in the open. He creates room for his teammates. He has good speed so he can stay up with Kovalchuk. A strong player, with physical edge, and will take the puck to the net if necessary.
13- Toronto Maple Leafs: LW James Sheppard
QMJHL Cape Breton Screaming Eagles; 6’2”; 201)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of young talented players and with them in development, the addition of James Sheppard to their farm team will help the development in Sheppard and in the other young prospects. James Sheppard has a great shot, and a physical edge. A reckless aggressive player who can take advantage of other team’s with his playmaking abilities. His shot is not up to par with his play making skills, but James Sheppard has the soft touch to make a powerplay better, or odd man rushes. A good back checker and a force to knock off the puck. The Toronto Maple Leafs need a playmaker to equal out their goal scorers.
14- Vancouver Canucks: D Nigel Williams
USA National Under-18; 6’4”; 226
Nigel Williams a big man with great feet and a nice set of hands. He can make the big hits when needed, and score when given the puck, and is very hard to knock down. He’s great at making rushes, and has great bursts of speed at times. His long reach will help the Canucks on their penalty kill. The Canucks defence is getting older than younger, and Nigel Williams is an excellent pick, and hopefully Williams pans out and turns into a great defencemen. He will help the younger defencemen with his already mature style of play.
15- Tampa Bay Lightning- G Jonathan Bernier
QMJHL Lewiston Maineiacs; 5’11”; 180
A lot of people consider Riku Helenius better than Jonathan Bernier but the Tampa Bay Lightning would be wise to go with Jonathan Bernier. Bernier is the typical Quebec butterfly goalie. A thick goalie that protects that lower half so well. A good glove hand and blocker hand, and a more positional goalie than a run around chase the puck goalie.
16- Montreal Canadiens: C Derek Brassard
QMJHL Drummondville Voltigeurs; 6’0”; 174
An offensive upside with confidence and passion for the game, Derek Brassard is what the Montreal Canadiens want. Derek Brassard played along with Montreal prospect Guillaume Latendrasse and they do have chemistry. An alright skater with a good defensive mind. A creative player who can set up and make room for other players in the offensive zone. He does not have the body strength as of yet, but he can grow more muscle as he progresses.
17- Minnesota Wild (from Edmonton): C Mike Forney
USHS Thief River Falls; 6’2”-185
With their second pick in the first round the Minnesota Wild will go with Mike Forney, a tall player with a small build. He is fairly lean but has a good long reach so he can make good defensive plays. Although he is in high school, he will be moving to the North Dakota to play for the Fighting Sioux. He has a potential leadership role on the Wild, as a lot of scouts consider him being a natural leader. He positions himself right in front of the net, and likes to annoy goalies. According to scouts he has a quick release with amazing accuracy while being crowded.
18- Colorado Avalanche: RW Chris Stewart
OHL Kingston Frontenacs; 6’0”; 227
Chris Stewart is ranked higher than he will go. A lot of teams will pass him over, and that will be fortunate for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche will enjoy having Chris Stewart in their system. A naturally strong person with good reach and gritty play makes him even more lethal in the offensive end. He has good skating capability and makes smart plays in his own end as well. Never to shy away from physical play, a hard shot with force going to the net. If the puck ever gets dumped in, he will be the first to fore check in the offensive zone. The Colorado Avalanche will need this big body presence to be successful in the next few years.
19- Anaheim Mighty Ducks: D David Fischer
USHS Apple Valley-6’2”-187
A good pressure player, with a lot of expectations put on him in his high school career, and keeps his cool with the puck. A good positional player, a good defencemen that never seems to lose foot races on back checks. A physical player, with a mean streak is what the Avalanche need. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks don’t have a hard-nosed defencemen like they did with Keith Carney anymore, so Fischer will fit in this club. Fischer is a young, rugged defencemen. Good vision and smarts about the game, he can make that first good pass on a rush.
20- San Jose Sharks: LW Jamie McGinn
OHL Ottawa 67’s; 6’0”; 185
Jamie McGinn is ranked higher but his small frame will let him drop considerably. McGinn is a player who will power his way to the net with his passion and desire and a never quit attitude on the ice. He will give it his all, night in and night out. He will keep his feet moving in any case, and will not slow down to get any loose pucks. A constant fighter for the puck, and position, McGinn is a good small player. Jamie McGinn almost has a Theoren Fleury type of play, obviously bigger than Fleury though. A good fore checker, physical and plays two-ways. A good burst of speed to keep up with all players and with his balance and protection of the puck will allow him to go around defenders. The San Jose Sharks will let him grow and become apart of their franchise slowly.
21- New York Rangers: C Patrick Berglund
Vasteras Sweden; 6’3”; 187
Another one of those tall and thin Europeans, and considered to be ranked lower than he will go. The New York Rangers will take a chance in Patrick Berglund. A guy with a long reach like many others in this draft, he can stick handle pretty good, and make his way around defencemen on the other team. He has the offensive mindset, to the point where he wants to score whenever he has the puck. He’s consistent in his effort and has a quick release to prove it. The Rangers like their skilled Europeans and Berglund is a good player to have on the Rangers because of the offence they play, and style of play that suits a guy like Berglund.
22- Philadelphia Flyers: C Nick Folingo
OHL Sudbury Wolves; 6’0”; 190
Nick Folingo has improved his game in the past year and has become a first round pick player. Folingo has amazing stick handling skills and such confidence when he possess the puck in any of the three zones. A good hockey sense, and smarts, most likely taught by his father, former NHLer Mike Folingo. Another guy with good vision who can set up plays and has a hard shot. The Philadelphia look for younger guys to play with their other young talent, such as Umberger and Meyer IV.
23- New Jersey Devils: D Ivan Vishnevski
QMJHL Rouyn-Noranda Huskies-6’0”-178
A gifted offensive defencemen, plays with a good sense of hockey. Ivan Vishnevski played in the most offensive CHL league, the QMJHL. He has great speed, which allows him to make the first pass or bring the puck into the offensive zone. Not a player that will lose many foot races. Moves the puck very well, and has his head up. Vishnevski has a few downsides in his defensive game, which he will need to address before being called up to the NHL. The New Jersey Devils would like a defencemen such as Vishnevski who can help quarterback their powerplay and make those crisp first passes out of their own end.
24- Calgary Flames: C Ryan White
WHL Calgary Hitmen; 6’0”; 200
If anyone has talked to Darryl Sutter about Ryan White, Darryl Sutter will just smirk. Sutter is very high on Ryan White. Sutter always talks about hoping to land White in the 20th spot. Ryan White fits into Sutter’s system, and is the prototypical Sutter player. Darryl Sutter likes guys who do the little things and all the gritty action around the net and the corners, and that’s what Ryan White brings to the table for himself and for the Calgary Flames. A good fore checker, with nice hands, and an offensive threat. A good balance and protects the puck very well. He finishes his checks, and unloads a hard shot very quickly. Darryl Sutter will love having Ryan White, if he’s available at the 20th pick.
25- Washington Capitals (from Nashville): G Riku Helenius
Ilves Finland; 6’3”; 202
Considered to be the best goalie in this draft class, Riku Helenius is a patient goaltender. He is anticipated to be taken before Jonathan Bernier, but will fall to the Washington Capitals. The Capitals do not have too much depth in the goaltender spot, and will go with a guy like Bernier. A good lateral movement across the crease never goes and chases the puck. Helenius keeps control in his own crease and makes sure to own his own net. With a veteran like Olaf Kolzig, Helenius will learn a lot from Kolzig. A good role model for a guy like Helenius.
26- Buffalo Sabres: W Jesse Joensu
Assat Finland; 6’3”; 210
Jesse Joensu is a big man and he’ll use that size to help him around the net and around the boards to win battles and gain control of loose pucks, Although he has dropped significantly in the rankings, he still tries to improve his game with his home team in Finland. Joensu does fore check hard, and makes sure he gets in there first to free up a puck for his teammate. The Buffalo Sabres already at depth in forwards will not mind another player like Joensu. A quick player with good set up hands and a very responsible player in both ends makes him what the Sabres would want in a player.
27- St.Louis Blues (from Carolina): RW Micheal Grabner
WHL Spokane Chiefs; 6’0”; 170
Micheal Grabner has great hands and with those hands, he becomes an offensive threat when he’s on the ice. The St.Louis Blues with their second pick in the first round will take Grabner because of his offensive upside. He likes to play the puck, and set up plays, but does not like driving hard into the net, or into the corners. A genuinely creative player with nice passing makes him a game breaker. We’ll see if he develops into an NHLer with those skills.
28- Dallas Stars: RW Claude Giroux
QMJHL Gatineau Olympiques; 5’11”; 170
A typical small player who doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Claude Giroux will go to the Dallas Stars simply because the Stars would like a player who has desire to play in the NHL. With desire he matches it up with his playmaking skill and devious footwork. Giroux will take a hit to make a play and isn’t afraid of any physical play. He won’t back down and will keep going at it. The Stars will get a great prospect into their system that can make plays at top speed, and heart.
29- Ottawa Senators: C Ondrej Fiala
WHL Everett Silvertips; 6’2”; 190
Ondrej Fiala has everything a Head Coach would be looking for in a player, good size, fast speed, smooth stick handling, and to put it all together an offensive frame of mind. Although he does lose a lot of points because of his soft play and lack of physical play. A good hard shot, like Ales Hemsky or Joe Thornton, but second-guesses himself and instead passes is a huge downside to this player. The Ottawa Senators would like this talent and develop him into a good player.
30- Detroit Red Wings: C Jan Michael Juutilainen
Jokeritt Finland; 5’11’; 180
The Detroit Red Wings like late picks like this, because they can get a skilled forward that some scouts might not recognize. Jan Michael Juutilainen is one of those picks against for the Wings. Expect him to be a good player for their team. A very good stick handler and a hard worker. A workhorse around the puck and fights for position. Good creativity with the puck and very keen sense of where he is and where he teammates are.
