Mock draft underway: Toffoli to Bs; Watson to Pitt (Updates)
Toponlol, you the man for DC, then I gotta skate. You guys are on your own for the rest of the round. Play nice.
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Tyler Pitlick to Red Wings. Thrash coming up....Nick Bjugstad.
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Two more picks to report: With the 22nd overall, the Boston Bruins pick Tyler Toffoli. Says Rang9: " A player that possess equal ability to pass and shoot... coming off a 79 point season with 37 goals and 42 assists."
Pittsburgh (LI Joe) grabs Austin Watson, the Petes RW, at 23.
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Rang9, Joe, Jan, you ready? Please send me your top two or three in the interest of speed...Thanks. (Yes, jambo, I'm surprised Skinner didn't go at 11, 12 or 13 here once Burmistrov went to NYR at 10. As I mentioned, Skinner was No. 2 in consensus there)
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Well boys, we'll get as far as we can before 6 p.m. ET or so, and then whatever's left for tomorrow, although I won't be online except very early and sporadically so...
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Mikael Granlund is off the board. Tony sends him to Nashville after Skinner swept away. I'm up for Sabres....Scroll it on down...Rang9, it's up to you...
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For a guy climbing the charts with a bullet, Kitchener's Jeff Skinner could be a steal here for the Lanche, eh?
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We await airjan23 for Lanche, Tony for Nashville and yours truly for Sabre Tooths....
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Do we have a trade at 17? Need decision and details by both sides in five minutes. DONE. Details below....and Ottawa grabs D Dylan McIlrath. Of course, Sens with Cown in system prolly will go for a forward like Granlund, but not me. Next up....
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Oy. I shouldn't have opened the door. Should have banned trades. Now it's nutty. Working too hard on this. I'm going to have to deputize someone as Virtual Commish 2 to keep track for next year. This ain't going to a second round today. But if you guys are enjoying....go with it. But we close shop today at 6 p.m. ET to return to the beautiful grind of the playoffs.
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Remember, we will have at least one more of these after combine, but probably not a few nights before draft on June 26. Ortiz. I'll be in LA already.
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Montreal is up.....And our man is Vail goes deep. Jaden Schwatrz. Tri-City, USHL. For more info, see below....
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We're back. Back 2Back D and a trade below....
UPDATE
Ok, had to wrap this up and keep moving, thanks for voting and the comments here and in emails. It's Alex Burmistrov by a few votes over the fast-rising Jeff Skinner. But D Derek Forbort got a few nods, so did Emerson Etem and one for Jack Campbell. Hmmm. I'm sure if I didn't pick Tarasenko for the Thrash, he'd have some votes here as well. Interesting note: No love for Granlund...
Then LI Joe, repping the Stars, took Forbort.
Anaheim, (rang9, hello? check your texts you are up), Phoenix (PIP) and St. Lou on the clock....
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UPDATE
So Ryan Johansen gone at 9, fans and loyal followers, time to make your NYR pick in the next hour here at twitter or my email steve.zipay@newsday.com. Johansen was on a couple ballots....
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Thanks, Ice, who made Taylor Hall the No. 1 pick and said "The bruising power forward is the rick nash type this team needs. they have been drafting playmaker types like sam gagner and andrew cogliano. maybe one of these players clicks with hall to form a nice long term tandem. "
Agree, Ice.
Is it rolling Bob? Er, well....Paging TomOrtiz71! The Bay Lightning....
1. Edmonton. Taylor Hall (Icehole)
2. Boston. Tyler Seguin (Rang9 says that after losing Phil Kessel, Bs need O, and that while Hall seems like more of a Bruins-type player, "you can't miss with either")
3. Florida, Erik Gudbranson. (Buke had some other last-minute duties today, so Blue Notes selected) Have to consider Fowler and Connolly, but Panthers need a Pronger-type on blue line and this kid, people say, is NHL-ready
4. Columbus (Tony). Cam Fowler. "They get the PP QB they have been looking for."
5. Isles (Icehole). Brett Connolly. To quote Ice: "Isles are disappointed two defensemen they craved were drafted...tempted to take Gormley, but not as high on him." (Your virtual commish assumes Isles docs have thoroughly checked Connolly at draft combine. Just because he says he's fine....Of course, in reality. combine hasn't even occured yet, so plug in the time machine! This could change before late June, I'm guessing)
6. Tampa (TomOrtiz71). Brandon Gormley. Tom says ya "can't turn away from a gift horse...TB was 29th in plus-minus...he can create offense with Victor Hedman."
7. Carolina (Tony). Nino Niederetter. Wanted a top 3 D, says Tony, but "can't see taking Forbert or Pysyk at 7 with Nino on board. Best all around forward in draft." (The Commish: Canes have Pitkanen and Gleason and RFA youngsters on D, so I guess this makes sense. Oops, I'm up!)
8. Atlanta (Buke/Blue Notes). Vladimir Tarasenko. Thrash loaded on D (Bogosian, Hainsey, Enstrom, Oduya) but need wingers. Yes, he's a pure shooter, but smallish and a transfer-agreement risk. Etem and Granlund safer. But what the hell comrades...
9 Minnesota (Toponol). Ryan Johansen, Portland Winterhawks. "big, power forward with a scoring touch. Minn needs offensive support, and with El Nino gone, his line mate is the next best option."
10 NYR. Alexander Burmistrov (consensus)
11 Dallas (LI Joe). Derek Forbort
12 Anaheim (Rang9) D Mark Pysyk of the WHL Oil Kings. "Anaheim lost some talent on the backend over the past couple years, and Neidemayer isn't getting any younger."
13 Phoenix (PIP) D Jon Merrill of USDA. (VC: A little high perhaps, but...a lot of hype around for a non-scorer, sup[posedly headed to U of Mich, right?)
14 St. Louis (Tony) TRADE Chicago gets this pick from Blues and St Louis gets Chicago's first this year and 2nd and fourth in 2011. So let me guess....Jack Campbell.
14. Chicago. It's official, G Jack Campbell. According to PIP, "His goalie coach is ex-Wolverine assistant Stan Matwijiw, who has also coached Chris Osgood and Bryan Hogan. Matwijiw praised Campbell as being the hardest-working kid he has ever coached and said that he's technically-sound, very athletic." (The Commish: Price was high.)
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15. Montreal (stuart borne) Jaden Schwartz, Tri-City Storm, USHL Forward of the Year.
He won the USHL scoring title with 83 points (33g, 50a) while appearing in all 60 regular season games. It is the most points scored in the League since Thomas Vanek recorded 91 points (46g, 45a) for the Sioux Falls Stampede during the 2001-02 season.
16. Anaheim (Rang9). Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat Tigers. "Proud to bring in one of the Draft's pure snipers, a man with great hands and speed, whos also strong on the puck." (The Commish: Love this one at this spot. Was hoping he'd slide to Ottawa (me) at 18.)
17. Los Angeles (TomOrtiz71) FROM Boston (Rang9). Enigmatic Russian Kirill Kabanov. Mr. Ortiz: "LA can be patient with him and to put him on a line with kopitar or brown would just be dynamic and he would be put in a spot that could maximize his abilities." The swap also gives Boston the 22nd pick, a second rounder and a 3rd rounder in 2011. Steep. Probably wouldn't happen in reality. Boston has plenty of picks already, don't they?
18. Ottawa (Blue Notes) D Dylan McIlrath, Moose Jaw. Grrr. Volchenkov's eventual mean, nasty, monster replacement.
19. Colorado (airjan) Jeff Skinner. Kitchener. A dozen fans wanted him at 10. Could've gone a little higher than this and might next mock. He wouldn;t have gone past 20, tell ya that.
20. Nashville (Tony) Mikael Granlund. Flashy Finn.
21. Buffalo (Blue Notes) Quinton Howden. Fast-rising center. 65 points in 65 games, decent size. (I really like Bjugsted here too, but he's in HS. Do Sabres want to wait?)
22. Boston (RANG9) Tyler Toffoli, Ottawa 67s
23. Pittsburgh (LIJoe) Austin Watson, Peterborough
24. Detroit (airjan). Tyler Pitlcik. Sounds right about this spot
25. Atlanta (Buke/BlueNotes). Nick Bjugstad. With Trasenko at 8, Thrash players safer with Minny's Mr. Hockey. Surprised he's lasted this long.
26. Washington (toponlol)
27. Vancouver (stuart borne)
28. Phoenix (PIP)
29. Chicago (TO BLUES)
30. San Jose (cbuckser)
More later...
