ANATOMY OF A DRAFT SELECTION
How and why the Islanders chose Travis Hamonic
The Islanders were making a visit to the Saddledome on Jan. 11 to play the Flames, giving Ryan Jankowski a rare opportunity to see the team he works for. The assistant general manager, who runs the team’s draft, is on the road scouting juniors most of the season so a chance to watch his Islanders in person is a treat. Still, even with the Islanders playing the Flames minutes from his Calgary home, duty called.
“Our scouts were talking up a defenseman on Moose Jaw they really thought I should see,” said Jankowski. “I looked at my schedule for an opening to catch Moose Jaw, but the only date was when the Islanders played in Calgary. My job is the draft, so the decision was an easy one.”
That was the first night Jankowski first watched Travis Hamonic play. By the time the six-foot, stay-at-home defenseman had completed his season with the Warriors, he was seen in-person four times by Jankowski, three times by Islanders scout Eric Cairns and in more than a dozen games by a variety of Islanders bird-dogs. This does not count the endless reels of video analyzed by the staff.
A late bloomer, Hamonic was a ninth-round selection in the Western Hockey League bantam draft. Jankowski was at the draft in a Calgary ballroom that day, but Harmonic wasn’t too high on anyone’s radar. Hamonic’s flash-deficient play doesn’t catch the eyes of scouts in one viewing; consider it comparable to watching a young Brendan Witt for the first time. But the more scouts focused on his shutdown ability and throwback toughness, the more they liked him.
The Islanders believed they were following a prospect worthy of selection somewhere in the first three rounds of the NHL Draft in June. Now the key would be to learn more about Hamonic beyond his performance and stats. This is where the scouting staff’s network of contacts would be crucial.
As with all targeted draftees, the scouting staff did their homework on Hamonic. Between Jankowski, Cairns and Western League bird-dogs like Brad Bowen, they were able to spend time with important people around the player – Dave Hunchak, the Moose Jaw coach; Warriors GM Chad Lang; Jesse Wallin, the former NHL defenseman and now the assistant coach of the Under-18 Team Canada squad Harmonic competed for. Friends, family, teammates, his agent Craig Oster from Don Meehan’s group…the Islanders talked to everybody.
What they learned was the kid was even more impressive behind the scenes. There were stories of Hamonic having to grow up quickly after his dad passed away when the defenseman was only 13 years old. There were stories about him playing injured, including the night he took IV treatments between periods so he could be there for his team. The more they heard about Hamonic, the more the Islanders felt he was the kind of high-level character kid they wanted to build their team with.
Their homework done, the Islanders’ staff was prepared when they sat down for an intense conversation with Hamonic at the NHL Draft Combine in May. These “job interviews” tell you a lot about a teenager you may eventually invest millions in. The players are 18 years old and they are expected to tell their life stories – and answer a series of personal questions – in a span of about 30 minutes.
On May 27, in a conference room at the Westin near the airport in Toronto, Hamonic met with GM Garth Snow, Jankowski, Cairns, scout Tim MacLean and others. The kid was wearing “my best suit, my lucky suit…well, it’s sort of my only suit” and when the door opened for him to walk in, a friend of Harmonic’s was walking out. Tyler Cuma of the Ottawa 67s, a teammate on Team Canada, shook his head and said, “Hope you do better than I did, buddy.”
He did not disappoint. In fact, his ranking rose on the team’s list. “We came away with a real good feeling about Travis,” said Jankowski, “the feeling that he’s what we want the Islanders to be.” Hamonic recalls being asked by Cairns, “How are you going to stop Sidney Crosby”? and telling the scouts he planned on using everything he’d learned up until that moment to give Crosby the most difficult time possible.
By the time draft weekend arrived, the Islanders pegged Hamonic as second-round material (this conclusion comes from what the team thought of him and – just as essentially – where the Islanders thought several teams had Hamonic ranked). With three picks in the second round, Snow and Jankowski were confident they were in position to get almost everyone on their list. With the No. 6 pick in the round, the Islanders went for the skilled forward Corey Trivino. Four selections later they felt they couldn’t pass up the world-class speed of defenseman Aaron Ness.
The Islanders next selection would be the 53rd overall in the draft, 13 spots after Ness. The Islanders started hoping Hamonic would still be around, but from their intel they knew at least two other NHL teams were very interested in the kid.
At 50, sweat was visible on the foreheads of some Islanders personnel. When the Rangers took center Derek Stepan at 52 and the Devils went for defenseman Brandon Burlon at 52, Jankowski, Cairns and the scouts at the Islanders’ table exhaled. Jankowski grabbed his cell phone and called Hamonic at home to let him know he was a New York Islander. “I wasn’t surprised,” the NHL draftee said, “because the Islanders were one of three teams that seemed to be all over me. I wasn’t surprised, but I was real proud.”
“Travis told me it was the best week of his life,” said Jankowski. “He got his gold medal from the Under-18 team and then was invited to Team Canada’s camp for the WJC. Now he was being drafted in the second round by a team that thought the world of his character and talent. One of the many great things about this job is making those calls.”
Missing the game at the Saddledome was well worth it.
Comments.
44 Responses to “ANATOMY OF A DRAFT SELECTION
How and why the Islanders chose Travis Hamonic”
Please Wait
sounds like a great choice by the isles.
Love this story, Chris!
It is great to hear about stuff like this.
Concur with Chris TMC. This is the type of stuff that makes it easier fur us to go along with the Rebuilding Program–knowing we have kids in the system who have great potential.
Stories like this is what makes your blog an everyday read me.Keep up the great work Chris.
Great story chris, but I have an unrelated question that you or one of my fellow bloggers may be able to answer. Let’s just say DP comes back this season and plays really well for ten games or so. Then DP goes post to post, crumples to the ice and doesn’t get up. The hospital reports his hip joint has disintegrated, thereby ending his career. What happens next? How does this effect the cap? I don’t want to predict doom and gloom, but I just want to understand how the system works, and basically plan for the worst. Besides, with our luck he’ll just be on and off IR for the next 11 years.
Let’s Go ISLES!
great story but how many more leads is this team gonna lose before people start throwing bottles at them and we have another islanders buffalo problem
Bri on LI: Your question is completely offtopic and IMO unbelievably negative and needlessly graphic, but there is a simple answer. If Rick was unable to ever play again, he retires. And a retired player does not count against the cap at all.
Oh and I agree with that, iceman from Quesnel BC!
Thanks for the great post. Love hearing about the intricacies in the organization. This blog has been fabulous and has kept me informed of the Isles while out here in California. Thanks to all the other diehard fans who make insightful remarks and do it by not whining. Keep up the great work!!
Great story and good to hear he sounds like a good kid. Love the suit line. Nice to hear our scouts going the extra mile we need this rebuild to work. Bri on LI I thought youg question is legitamate and a very possible scenario doesn’t really make a difference if its negative. I’m pretty sure the contract is heavily insured as far as the team is concerned. As far as the cap hit I am not so sure you are right Chris TMC though I hope you are.
Chris … Great insight there … Travis Hamonic seems like a good kid.
Just to think that every NHL team does their due dilegence in such a manner with hundreds of players is kind of mind boggling. I guess that is just today’s NHL.
Kind of off-topic but still semi-related. What is the latest on Krill Petrov? .. The Islanders never mention him in their Prospect Watch … yet they do mention other Euro players. Are they prohibited from mentioning players in the KHL? Krill looks like a bonafide power forward in the making from what I’ve read…. again .. I’ve only read this … not much info on Petrov otherwise. Any insight would be appreciated.
19 isle try http://www.russianprospects.com. They usually have some decent stuff on the kid. He does look good and says he wants to play in the NHL. Hopefully they don’t throw the bank at him and convince him to stay!
09/20/2008 Ak Bars will be without Kirill Petrov (New York Islanders) as the perspective forward is reported out with a two and half – three months injury, could even miss the WJC.
How soon until the Isles unload Travis for a washed up veteran? Of course Travis would then become an NHL All-Star…
Hi, 19 Isle in NJ 22
I also would love information on Petrov (Simon and Dubie too) but I cannot believe how impossible it is to find out anything about players in Russia.
And Matt: They could not count a retired player- not one on IR, but retired- against the salary cap. The team, insurance, etc might owe the player a certain amount of compensation, but it would not count against the cap. If it did, then what would be the difference in retiring and being on permanent IR? It would be the same thing capwise.
Thanks Matt and Chris … They had some good info .. but pretty much summed up already known info on Kirill … Also it seems the injury bug burdens our prospects 5 thousand miles away too. Geeze. I was hoping to see Petrov in the WJC… now that seems like a stretch.
I still wonder why the Isles don’t cover Petrov in their prospect watch.
for the retiring/injured situation, just look at snow.. he was injured, retired, deemed PUP, but his money still counted on the cap due to when he signed the deal.. tons of mini quirks in the cba that make it impossible to get off the hook..
PR: He didnt retire due to injury, he was older, there are a number of factors that make that different.
I like what I’m reading about Hamonic, it sounds like he’ll be cut from the Witt/Sutton mold by the description. My only problem is Jankowski’s words seem to describe all of the players we target - projected to be good, but never great; good character and leadership, but never projected to be a top-talent pure goal scorer on the ice. The leadership/determination players are great, and very necessary, but it’d be nice to at some point mix in a pick of someone projected to be a talented first-line game-breaker. The Isles seem to always…for years now…pass those guys up when they’re in a position to take them, I guess because it never fits into whatever their plans are at the time.
If he’s got character and grit, what else do you need? “Skill” you say? Yea, good point…
Thanks for the story Chris, I do enjoy this blog very much. Not the least of which being my ability to vent some of my built of frustration over the last 15 years with this circus organization.
I’m sure Hamonic will turn out to be just as good as any of the Isles picks over the last however many years. Because Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski obviously are smarter than everybody else in the NHL or the hockey world in general. Just ask them.
How, after 15 years mostly terrible, sometimes mediocre, teams, do we still have such a dearth of quality prospects? I do think KO is going to be solid (not great), but after him, who is there?
Chris, great read on Hamonic. Another prospect from the draft who seems to be doing well is Matt Martin of Sarnia. Hope you can do a story on him when you have time.
Here is an interview with Petrov, gives me real hope that he will one day soon play for the islanders http://www.russianprospects.com/public/article.php?article_id=589
Hey CB…great stuff. Keep the prospect updates and stories coming.
And I see some are talking about Petrov..and it reminds me of a question that keeps popping into my head about the Russian players. It may sound stupid, but how come these guys like Ovechkin, Malkin, or Kovulchuk…although obviously skilled and somewhat productive, don’t light up the score sheet there like they do in the NHL. Their pts per game average isn’t nearly as good. Does it have to do with their ice time? Or the Russian league’s style of play? Or are they just better over there? (Just something i’ve always thought about)…so if anyone can answer that for me I’d greatly appreicate it.
Hello Fellow Islander fans,
I have been politely asked not to post anymore at length.
Also made aware some here more then a few, as i was told do not like it & in turn have stopped reading this blog?
Who Knowes maybe its The Organization applying pressure as well.
(was just trying to keep em’ honest)
Well I apologize to thore who for whatever reason took offense.
I do not apologize for being upset about 15 years of not making it out of the 1st round!
None the less, Will always be a Loyal Fan (if sometimes outspoken) of This Hockey team!
I hope some of those who agreed with me , will carry my points further,
(difinately some knowledge & Passionte NYI Die Hards that post here)
Best of Luck To our team & the fans who root for them .
May we all one day celebrate a Long awaited completion to the Drive For Five!!
Take care fellas, I’m still in the pit with you all!!
(at the games to prove it)… support the team Die hards! (keep this blog strong)
It crushes Logans!
P.S. Gervais still suckes… need not occupy any slot on our depth chart ..
he will never make it to next years opening day on Long Island..bet on that
GOD Bless & Good Luck all!
LETS GO ISLES.. LETS GO ISLANDERS!!
Great story Chris.
I got a chance to watch and talk with Hamonic extensively during Rookie and Training Camp. He seems to be everything the Jankowski saw and more. He has tons of raw skill that will develop well given the right environment over the next few years. Practicing against the pro guys during training he did not look out of place at all. Off the ice, he exudes confidence in his abilities which I was very impressed with.
It was interesting to read that other teams were looking at him in the second round because all I heard and read was that he was picked too early. After meeting and watching him, I disagreed and thought Garth took him in the right spot. I cannot wait to see him next summer to see his progress.
Responses galore:
1) I know that DiPietro’s contract is guaranteed for the full amount over fifteen years, even if he has to retire due to injury. This is at least what was reported when he signed the contract. Whether it hits the cap, I am unsure.
2) I think a retired player’s salary counts against the cap at least if he still works for the organization. On all cap sites I visited last season, Garth Snow’s salary was still listed and was included in their total.
3) Copy and paste the below address to view the KHL website which is translated into English by Google
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khl.ru%2F&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=ru&tl=en
very interesting
http://i35.tinypic.com/iycrom.jpg
^ Those are the Islanders Russian draft picks, 2002 to present. Its nearly impossible to learn anything about any of them! I honestly dont expect you would be able to learn much about any of them, Chris- I think its one of those things where you have to be there to know. It sure would be nice to know anything more about them, though. I love the idea of Petrov coming here, he seems like such a great player, but if all these other guys are picked and then you never hear about them again, where does that leave the Isles?
All I hold on to is the quote from Petrov saying that he wants to play in the NHL. I hope he means it!
If DP were required to retire due to injury, his salary would NOT count against the cap, period. There were other factors (age) that caused Snow’s salary to count.
if you sign a contract after the age of 35 and retire, the salary still counts against the cap , as was the case with snow
Off topic:
I had stated on an earlier post that I thought the Islanders were “over-achieving” vs. others that thought they were “under-achieving”.
If they were getting blown out Buffalo style 7-1 most games then I would agree to the underachieving tag…. but they’re not. In fact, they are giving very good teams (Rangers, Flyers, Canadians, Penguins, Devils, Hurricanes) all they can handle for 40 minutes and then they are unable to hold a 3rd period lead unfortunately.
This is a correctable system and mental breakdown at this point.
Once they figure this out and correct it, then they will probably win some if not most of those types of games.
And don’t forget… this is a team that is seriously under-manned and realistically speaking, under-talented. They are also in a major transition season no less, and that is my reasoning therefore, for believing that they are actually overachieving.
DOC
Pride and Passion:
While I do not often agree with your posts, (actually i don’t agree with any of your posts), I do think that you should be allowed to post what you like within a reasonable framework.
It is an open forum for the most part and CB had made it clear from the beginning to keep it clean, on topic and reasonably short.
With that said, it is still an open blog for the most part.
For the record, I have not made any complaints to CB or elsewhere about your posts.
However, it does get annoying to keep reading the same mantra about who “sucks” and who should be fired.
If there is an opinion, state it with an actual thought behind the statement.
Just stating that you think someone sucks is what a 2nd grader would say and it gets old. I’m assuming we are somewhat intelligent adults and are capable of stringing a few sentences together to make a coherent and relevant contribution.
I look forward to your next post.
DOC
I came across this on the RussianProspects.Com website, and I think it will make many Islander fans very confident with Petrov. It is an interview where he states he intends to come to North America, and he might do so as early as next season.
http://www.russianprospects.com/public/article.php?article_id=589
Many believe that Petrov was the most skilled skater in the draft this year, as well as the most dynamic, however, he simply dropped because of his contract with Ak Bars Kazan. He truly is a force, and many believe better than Filatov and possibly even Stamkos. It would be great to have him come to North America next year to get acclimated to the smaller ice rinks and to work with our professional coaches! Hopefully he will be that Russian sniper we desperately need!
Great read! I also had time to speak to and watch Hamonic play during Prospect Camp as well as Rookie Camp and at first I really didn’t “notice him” out there. Fast Forward to the rookie scrimmages and Gordon had him on hte first pairing with Katic and I got to see what type of player Hamonic is now, and hopefully will be with the Islanders in the future.
From what I saw, the kid has talent, more than anyone at the time, gave him credit for. I can only hope he progresses and becomes the player we all hope he can be. Go Isles!
PS: We need more stories like this about our prospects! Please post more!
I have to disagree, kindly, with some of the comments regarding our prospects. First off, Okposo is going to be a phenomenal player in the N.H.L. He shows flashes of greatness at the age of 20, and he still belongs in Bridgeport, in my opinion. He could have used a full season there in order to be fully seasoned and prepared to play with the big boys next year. Capuano could have given him the rundown on the “overspeed” system, and next year he would have been fully prepared, possibly even quicker and stronger, for training camp. He will one day be a 40-goal scorer in this league, and an Iginla-like player. Blake Comeau will be an impact player on this team some day, whether it be on the second-line or the third line. Frans Nielsen is truly coming into his own, and gaining a tremendous amount of confidence all-around. Just watch how he skates into the zone and breaks through a defense, however, he lacks a goal scorer who is on the same page with him and just waiting for the pass. Bailey will be great, especially as our second-line center after we land Tavares, but I think it would be best for him to go to Windsor for one more season where he can at least get a lot of playing time on a team that is going to win the OHL championship. Lastly, Tambellini just needs a goal for confidence. He just needs to break through with a goal and I am sure he will start gaining the confidence that Nielsen has gained over the past month.
And to be completely over-positive, how nice would it be for the Islanders organization if we were to land Tavares, and know that for the future our centers could feature Tavares, Bailey, Nielsen, and possibly Park? That is tremendously solid right down the middle if you ask me! Just bringing a positive vibe around here!
Speaking of the draft. Mikkel Boedkker has looked real good for Phoenix the last few games so just another player Bailey will be compared to. Another impressive Coyote is Peter Mueller, taken one spot after Okposo in ‘06. Looks like the Coyote scouting department is really doing their jobs.
After his rookie season, everyone thought Alexandre Daigle was destined for greatness. See how silly that line of thinking is?
The fact remains, there has never been a draft pick in the history of any sport that could be labeled a complete success or a complete bust after 1 season. Let’s HOPE that we have people in the front office who know what they’re doing, and that we’ll have a solid team further down the line. Buccigross put it best in this week’s column: best-case for the Islanders is to land Tavares and persuade a high-end free agent to come here (a la Pedro and the Mets) in order to re-establish credibility and an upward trajectory.
In the meantime, let’s remember that all teams need balance, not just a superstar. How many Cups have the Caps and Thrashers won with Ovechkin and Kovalchuk?
Nick:
Well said! I agree, many of the players in the NHL keep their eyes on the draft as much as we do, knowing which teams could turn it around, and which ones won’t. If the Islanders land Tavares, that could pursuade a player such as Gaborik, Zetterberg, Hossa, or one of those select few to come here if they are a free-agent on July 1st. Tavares is being likened to Sidney Crosby already, and he has even broken Sidney’s scoring records. It would be great to bring in a big time scorer to compliment a player such as Tavares, and maybe the rebuilding process will speed up just a bit.
I don’t know whether Mueller will be better than Okposo or that Boedkker will be better than Bailey, just that they have made the transition to the NHL much quicker than the Isles’ picks. Seems like the Isles haven’t had a draft pick make a big-time impact for them in a very long time.
Can we please stop talking about Tavares. It’s ridiculous to keep dreaming of scenarios that the Islanders will be in a position to get him.
IF they are on the board at #1 or #2 when draft day is here… then we can all ponder the line-up with Tavares.
Until then… please!
I’m sure Snow, Gordon, Weight, Guerin, Okposo, Sutton, Witt et al… are not at all thinking about Tavares.
And I myself, think that the Islanders will be improved enough before the end of the season and Tavares will not even be on the radar.
DOC
Jon, you’re right about the Isles’ lack of big-impact draft picks, unless you believe that Rick “Mr. Glass” DiPietro is an impact player.
Justin, just because you say Okposo is going to eventually score 40 goals a year doesn’t make it so. I do think he’ll be good, but what qualifications do us bloggers have of predicting a player’s future statistics? Bailey will be great? How do you know? He’s never played an NHL game. We can only go off of what we know- and as far as those four guys consituting a “solid” center, you are talking about 3 players who have a career total of 5 goals, plus journeyman Richard Park. I don’t know how we can classify that as a solid group just yet.
Lastly, Doc, what good would it be to not finish low enough for a top-2 pick? Can this team succeed in, let alone make, the playoffs? There is no core to this team just yet, as every year the revolving door of free agents makes up a good chunk of our roster. This team desperately needs to rebuild the RIGHT way- through the draft, and ideally, with high draft picks.
I have no reason to be optimistic about this team until they start to show me some positive momentum, not only with the product on the ice but more importantly with the circus act in the front office.
*Those 3 players with 5 goals being Frans Nielsen, as the only one to see NHL time so far (as opposed to Tavares & Bailey)
Rob:
I agree with you and it obviously helps to have one of the top 2 picks and to continue to build this team through the draft the right way. It would greatly accelerate the progress of this team now and for the long term.
However, I don’t think that it is the goal of the owner, the front office, the coach or the players to finish dead last or second to last this year. IN other words, they are not tanking the season nor are they bad enough as a team to finish last or second to last.
So in my opinion it is a pipe dream (although one that might come true) to keep predicting and planning for next year with Tavares as one of our centers, as many bloggers on here continue to do.
While it might be to the Islanders benefit as an organization to get Tavares, I don’t think it will happen because I do believe that this years team will improve enough during the season to finish out of the Tavares/Hedman sweepstakes.
DOC