SIX DEFENSEMEN FOR PICKS 26-37, OR A MOVE UP
Erixon and Rundblad among D in NYI’s sights
They are in position to move up, or they could be very happy selecting at 26, 31 and 37.
In presenting the young defensemen the Islanders may have under consideration, we’ll take a look at them one at a time. We could make up a really good excuse for this process, but the fact is it’s the middle of May and there’s not a lot going on every day to write about. Really now, what’s the rush?
We will show our cards, however. For the record, we believe the following first-round defenseboys are out of reach even if the Islanders move up from 26:
Jared Cowen
Oliver-Ekman-Larsson
Dmitri Kulikov
Simon Despres
and the rising-with-a-bullet John Moore
(On a side note, the International Scouting Service has Despres at 30, one of those things that makes you wonder sometimes about the ISS. Despres will go between 10-18).
We also are fairly confident the Islanders will not make a move for studly undersized puck-moving Windsor defenseman Ryan Ellis because they feel they already have a studly undersized puck-moving D prospect in Aaron Ness of the University of Minnesota. (Ness was taken early in the second round last summer).
Yesterday, we shared our preference for the Islanders to look to hit home runs with more forwards of size and skill. But we understand reality is, after they take Tavares at 1, if they make a big move it will probably be for a defenseman.
Here’s our list of the defensemen the Islanders could zero in on with a trade-up in the first round or by using their picks at 26, 31 and 37:
Matthew Clark, Brampton (OHL)
Calvin de Haan, Oshawa (OHL), right
Stefan Elliott, Saskatoon (WHL)
Tim Erixon, Skelleftea (Sweden; born in New York, son of former Ranger Jan)
Dylan Olsen, Camrose (AJHL), left
David Rundblad, Skelleftea (Sweden)
Of the six, only Rundblad seems more-than-likely to go before pick 26. More to come on these young defensemen over the next few weeks. For now, we welcome your views on these players and anything related to this topic.
Comments.
45 Responses to SIX DEFENSEMEN FOR PICKS 26-37, OR A MOVE UP
Erixon and Rundblad among D in NYI’s sights
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I wouldn’t trade up for any of those defensemen. Rundblad would be nice to get but only if he falls into our laps. Other sleepers are Dmitri Orlov though he too may be of the Ness and Ellis mold (and I would take Ellis regardless just because he is so talented. You could always make a trade later.) and Seth Helgeson who could replace Witter some day.
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Enuhmeofthestayt says:
1. How can you be so sure that Tavares is going to be the choice??
2. I may be one fo the few who thinks we shouldnt go D in the first round period.. We need scoring, get Tavares with #1 and another good/top potential scorer then go for D in the 2nd rounds and later..
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therain93 -- terrier fan says:
I’d agree with #3 — we need firepower.
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Mike says:
I have had a feeling for some time now that Garth will do everything in his power to get Cowan. He plays with Spurgeon in Spokane and is exactly the type of D man this franchise needs going forward. Problem is he’ll have to slip and we’ll have to have be willing to give up a first and a second maybe more to get to the spot necessary to draft him.
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Ok Chris, I promise this is my last comment on this topic. I honestly do not think that Snow should package any of those picks to move up to the middle of the round. After the first 7 maybe 10 picks in this draft it becomes a crapshoot. He should just stay where he is and take the best player available. I believe he can get 3 comparable players with those picks to anyone taken between 15-20. And I hope he doesn’t reach and pick a goalie too early either.
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As I said on my own website, I think the Islanders should target Simon Despres (who will end up somewhere between 14-20) and move up in the first round using the 26th and 37th picks to get there.
Despres has size, speed and skill and for an 18-year-old can work both ends equally well. I’d be really excited if Garth could nab him in the mid-1st.
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bob l says:
agreed #2 and disagree with the theory that ryan ellis should/could be “off their board” because they drafted a similar player in Ness… too much of a good thing is…well a GREAT thing isn’t it?
that said though, i love the unabashed desire for JT that you keep pumping CB (the blockout texting was classic)
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Brian G says:
If this Draft is so deep, why not stay where the are slotted to pick. And get some quality players for this organization. They have 8 picks out of the first 92…let see how good the islanders scouting staff is.
1st – 1,26
2nd – 31,37,55
3rd – 61,88
4th – 92 -
Brad from PA says:
The NHL Draft is all about taking the best available player. 90% of the guys chosen won’t be ready for NHL play until 3, 4 or more years down the line.
You don’t know what the teams needs will be then. But if the talent is in the pipeline, you can make much more educated decisions about how to build your team.
Always, always, always…BEST AVAILABLE PLAYER. Regardless, of what else is in the cupboard.
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Dack1972 says:
I say draft the best players available and stock up with prospects. In the future when the team starts coming together you can use some of those prospects has trade bait to fill in the holes.
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Angry Bill says:
Unless there is a real gem available, I would rather they stay put and not trade up. After the first 15 or so players its a crap shoot. The more chances you have the better.
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MACCH says:
Snow should call in Jerry Reese for this draft. He’ll tell you to take the highest rated player on your board no matter what position he is.
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Blizzard says: I say use up the bounty of picks and move up for a stud. in the 10 to 15 range if possible.
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Rangers SUCK says:
Well, lets see what the Hockey News has to say about these D men and where they rank them overall.
Rundblad ( 10th ) A scout says ” He will play in the NHL for a long time. More offensive than Hedman but not a good a skater.”
Despres (12th) ” A big disappointment at the Memorial Tourney in the summer. Tons of tools, but he needs more commitment to be a better player. ”
Moore ( 18th) ” It’s exciting to watch him skate.
DeHaan (22nd) Sky is the limit on his potential. ” Concerns over his height and weight ( 6″0′ 175 )
Elliott (27th) He’s going to be more of a first pass, move the puck, hard to play against guy. ” Scouts say he needs to get stronger, especially in the upper body.
Erixon (32nd) ” Has some solid skills. Doesn’t look like a high end guy offensively. Not a stand out, just a steady guy.”
Olsen (41st ) ” Strong puck mover, good offensive instincts. Complete player with some bite to his game. Played well at Canada’s under 18 tourney.”
Clark ( NR)
Two guys I’d like to see the Isles take
Carl Klingberg ( 37th ) LW ” Works his azz off. Loves crashing and banging. Competes really hard, competitive two way forward. ”
Ryan O’Reilly (39th ) C ” Not the greatest skater, but he gets the job dobne. Played on the PK, PP and took all the key draws at the Worlds Under 18 tourney. LIkes being a hockey player and has an immense amount of talent and character “
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Gord says:
Let’s not get crazy with the idea of moving up to grab prospects who rank high. For a reality check, got o wikipedia and look at all the draft picks the Isles have made since 1990. It’s a very humbling, and somewhat embarassing, realization about how these guys don’t always make it. Tavares seems to be the real deal, so the fear of Scott Scissions redux shouldn’t be real.
Garth has proven to be adept at drafting and moving if he’s not happy with what he sees. You really can’t ask for much more than that.
Well, I suppose an apology from Mad Mike would be something we should demand. -
Sneekypete says:
Pick 1 Tavares
Pick 26 Runblad , De haan , Budish(Wildcard)
Pick 31 Clark, Erixon
Pick 37 Mcnabb, Ashton(if he drops)
Pick 55 Doherty, Tatar,Lander
Pick 61 Gelinas
Pick 88 Weiss Bourque Blacker
Pick 92 SLovak goalie from World Juniors. I can’t think of his name or PonichThese are my favorites in the draft and the general region they should be drafted except for the Slovak goalie. WTH is his dam name.
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Andrej Hocevar ????
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Jaroslav Janus
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Janus is right
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Mark P says:
Seems like Washington should be in a win now frame of mind as thier young players approach RFA and the Cap starts becoming an issue. The one thing they need is a shutdown defensemen.
Any chance they would want Brendan Witt Back? My thinking Witt and a #2 for Karl Anzer the bigger defensive defensemen we are looking for, that is ready to play now? I like Witt, but he is not going to be here when we really start to contend. -
Behind Varlamov, Alzner is the Caps’ top prospect.
I think they would rather pay him his entry-level deal to be in their top-6 next season, as opposed to paying Witt’s bloated contract.
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Erik says:
I’m a huge Stefan Elliot fan, I think he has a lot of Mike Green in him. Also a big Dylan Olsen fan, he’s going to Minnesota-Duluth, but Medicine Hat in the WHL has his rights, I like his upside a lot, I’d compare him to a guy like Brent Burns.
There’s another DMan I like by the name of Seth Helgeson. He’s a bigger guy 6’3″, 215 who plays a more “stay at home” style similar to Brendan Witt. He will be going to the University of Minnesota and might pair well with Aaron Ness.
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Your probably right, thought Witt would be a 3-4 playing 22-23 minutes in a potential cup run…..while Alzner would play 16 minutes as 5-6, with time cut in big games.
Not sure as to Witt’s value today, but 3 million was reasonable before the minus 32 in 08-09. -
kevin27NYI says:
not only do i see snow trading up with picks i could see him moving at least one of these four draft day: witt, martinek, sutton, meyer. hopefully witt.
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C.J. says:
If we are completely convinced that one of these kids will be stars and are can’t miss prospects, then you move up.
If there’s any shred of doubt, you roll with what you’ve got and stockpile these assets in what’s been called a VERY deep draft.
There are reasons ISS ranked Despres at #30, because there are many players on equal footing between 15-35. A few may stand out, but the Isles have the picks to land 2 or 3 in that range.
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pablo says:
I know this is off topic and maybe i missed a post and if i did please except my apology.
However i was on the Islanders web site and on the home page i can not find the Link or Banner for IslePointBlank!
What’s up! Have they parted ways with you CB, if so i am Pissed off!
Any updates on this, since you CB went to all ends to support the Islanders and the Lighthouse?
And maybe now since your supporting a Tavares pick, could this mean anything.
Or are they picking Tavares and cutting back on costs.The link is still there, Pablo. No news to report. Now get back on-topic! LOL…CB
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bergie20 says:
erixon at 26 and clark in the 2nd round would make me very happy. i’m not as high on runblad. great offensive instincts but not so good in his own end. imo, erixon is a better all around player.
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fwiw, i like kassian and despres as candidates for trading up.
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Ok back on topic, thanks for smack CB i need that somtimes. I saw the banner on the right side but for some reason i missed it before. I ‘ll keep watch while i click away on your banner at the top. I did get a fee coupon for dial soap and thats cool.
Back on topic the islanders are picking Tavares right, Ha! -
paul says:
Can I make a draft suggestion?
Based on previous drafts and current NHL results, I would suggest Garth look into the good ‘ol University of North Dakota and their incoming recruits and stick to picking guys entering that program. (I’m looking at Mike Cichy to be specific)
As Parise, Toews, Zajac, etc. have proved, there’s some great talent coming out of that hockey factory. It also wouldn’t hurt to tap into Shattuck again as well for this years draft. (Erik Haula looks good).
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Coach B says:
DeHaan played with Tavares at Oshawa (Tavares traded to London). Elliot is also a solid pick and the Islanders could get one of them staying at 26 along with several others. To get Kulikov,Ekman-Larsson or Moore (rising up teams boards) they would have to trade up.
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Greate point by “Sumo Goalie”..No Goalies until the 3rd rd, atleast…Lets not trade up into the teens unless someone fromt The Top 10 falls..(Schroeder or Kulikov).Between 14-37 there is very little difference in quality. Out of the Dman named I love Olsen and Dehaan(actually they played Together at the World U-18 and kicked butt…Erixon has no defensive awareness or hockey sense..Moore is Overrated(There was a McKeens article I posted that said Isles 4th rd Matt Donovan is a better USHL DMan than Moore)..Elliot has nice stats but doesn’t cover his own end..Rundblad is Exciting but too big a risk..Clark is tough, good hitter but doesn’t have Speed to the Outside to keep up NHL players..Besides the 2 Dman I mentioned we should hope Zach Budish or Ethan Werek make it to 26.. At 31 and 37 we should consider a few small HR Hitters(as Chris said) Tomas Tatar(7 goals at the WJC-only Tavares & Filatov did better), Tony Raajala(19 pts in 6 games at World U-18 broke Ovechkin’s old record)-Alex Hutchings(35 goals in OHL-led his team in every important stat)But since the 3 of them are about 5’10 170 they could slip to 2nd rd..
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BC says:
The only defenseman I would trade up to draft is Jared Cowen. I think the argument about Ryan Ellis is that although he is a great player, we already have alot of good offensive defensemen, so why was at least two picks do move up to draft what we already have.
I don’t think it matters who we draft at 26, because we need help at every position. If at 26, the best player available is a forward, draft him, and if the best player is a defenseman, draft him.
I think that at 26, the best forward available will be Carter Ashton, and the best defenseman will be Runblad.
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However, I am a big fan of Zack Kassian. I think he is more offensively gifted than Carter Ashton, who is another power forward, and I could see him and Okposo being centered by Tavares, or at least him being centered by Bailey on the second line. I think if he is not gone by the 15th pick, which is a giant if, I definitely think you should trade the 26th pick a second round pick, and maybe a lesser prospect to pick him up.
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Leviticus says:
haha… Yes, Rudblad, Erixon… Great pics in my opinion. And oh yes, Kassian, great offensive upside… Wait, where’s my THN… Oh yea, let’s not forget Ashton, he can really hit, but a wildcats. Don’t forget, DePres, he’s a real big guy, and yea thee’s always Shroeder, we can give a third plus our pick at 26 and get him? Someone will do that cause we want him!
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Greg says:
#1-John Tavares,C,London,OHL
#26-Stefan Elliot,D,Saskatoon,WHL
#31-Tim Erixon,D,Skelleftea,Sweden
#37-Carl Klingberg,LW,Frolunda,Sweden
#56-Josh Birkholz,RW,Fargo,USHL
#62-Cody Eakin,C,Swift Current,WHL
#92-Collin Bowman,D,Kelowna,WHLi dont think we should draft a goalie with any of our top 5,or even our top 7.but after that they should maybe look at one if they really want/need to.
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BR says:
CB – Would like to hear your thoughts on Dylan Olsen. He’s a good Alberta boy. I think he’s more of a stay at home D-man, but it looks like he loves the rough stuff (123 PIM in the AJHL this year). Turned 18 this year and is listed at 6’2″/195, so he’ll definitely put on more size. We should be able to grab him with one of the early 2nd round picks.
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Irish Isle says:
#1-John Tavares,C,London,OHL
#26 & #31 traded for: Kassian, Zack RW Peterborough,OHL
#37 Dylan Olsen, D, Camrose, AJHLWith our first D Pick we really need someone with some snarl and bite to his game
Plus I would look to see if we could trade one of our veteran defensemen. I think Witt has the most trade value, maybe we can get Washington’s #1 pick, and get Kreider with it.
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Defensewins says:
I want us to go up and grab Ellis. I really don’t care if we need big defensemen right now. By the time we really start becoming a cup contender, and Ellis starts producing ‘Streit’ like numbers, we’ll probably get big defensemen from elsewhere. There is no reason to pass up on getting an Ellis for an illogical reason such as ‘we don’t have any big defensemen in the farm.’
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The PolishPrince says:
Eric @ 23 – I like what I read about Helgeson as well (all of the three sentences lol). Big, mean stay at home dman. It wouldn’t hurt to have another one in the system. I have no idea where in the 2nd round he’d go though.
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Why do we need someone like Ellis in the system – aside from his abundant skill I mean. We have Ness, Katic and Hillen all of whom fit the mold.
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JZimm says:
I would also like to see Ferarro’s kid. He doesn’t appear to be on the radar, but he’s said to be the fastest player in the draft. We could use the speed.
Krupp’s kid is in this draft, too.
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Yashin for President says:
Just realized that i had DVR’d the Canada Sweden world junior championship game. Hedman was not that bad for someone that was supposedly hurt.. Tavares really does have to work on his skating now that I got a better look.. Hands are nasty though.
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“In presenting the young defensemen the Islanders may have under consideration, we’ll take a look at them one at a time.”
Any way you can do it offensive defensemen & then stay at home defensemen?
I know it’s best to take the best player available but I sure hope they are focusing on skilled offensive forwards in that draft range.