Each week we’ll take a look around the hockey blogosphere and find some articles to get ready for this year’s NHL Draft in Los Angeles. If there’s a post about NHL teams, what they need in the draft, prospect profiles, or previews/predictions, we’ll do our best to share it. After all—for 29 teams, there’s always next year.
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“This is a pretty stark representation of the Law of Diminishing Returns. By the time you reach Round 3, only 45 of the 313 third round selections were in the NHL at season’s end. In contrast, 72 were in Europe. Even the first round numbers are not captivating — only 167 of 300 drafted (55.67%) in the first round over the past 10 years are in the NHL right now, and fewer than 1 in 3 are with the club that drafted them.”
–The Hockey Writers: Panning For Gold: The NHL Draft Analyzed (Part I)
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“Peter Chiarelli is literally doing cartwheels right now. His Bruins are destined to at least go to the Eastern Conference Final, and they still get the Number Two Pick wherethey completely fleeced Brian Burke.”
–SenShot: NHL Mock Draft 2.0
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“One of the top 1992-born defensemen in the country, Gormley has already caught the attention of Team Canada. Playing at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Under-18 tournament, Gormley was Canada’s top defenseman. That strong play led to an invitation to participate in the 2010 Under-20 selection camp. Although he did not make the final roster, he will be a strong candidate for the World Juniors if he is available next winter.”
–Hockeys Future: 2010 Prospects: Brandon Gormley
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“Forbort’s style of play is a little hard to describe because he can do a little bit of everything. He’s got great size and can play a tough defensive game, but also has the offensive abilities to put up his fair share of points. He’s not the type of defensemen that is going to make end-to-end rushes deep into the offensive zone, or quarterback a powerplay, but could be a nice #2 defenseman on a top powerplay unit. What really separates Forbort is his tremendous athleticism, lateral movement, and ability to read plays.”
–Western College Hockey Blog: 2010 NHL Draft Prospect: Derek Forbort
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“The difference between Tyler (Seguin) and most other kids at this level is he wants to be a star in the NHL, knows exactly what it’s going to take to get there and wants to do the work,” Stefan says. “Some kids want it, but don’t want to put in the effort or don’t have the will or the drive to get there. Tyler is willing to do whatever it takes.”
–ESPN.com : Tyler Seguin’s Path From There To Here
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“Scouts are intrigued by Merrill’s perfect blend of size and talent; he’s a good skater who has the ability to go end-to-end. He is also a superb passer and puck mover who possesses a hard shot that he can get off quickly and on target for deflections.”
–New England Hockey Journal: Defense Prospect Merrill May Be Fit For B’s
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“He’s a stud defenseman, and whatever team picks him is going to not only get one helluva player, but a kid whose been through a lot, and come through it with a different perspective on life than most of it will have.”
–TSN.ca: Fight Of His Life (via Hockey Card Blog)
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Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
