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New Jersey Devils
Player Position Selection # HP Rank (1-100)
Adam Larsson Defense 4 5
Blake Coleman Center 75 N/A
Reid Boucher Left Wing 99 73
Blake Pietila Left Wing 129 N/A
Reece Scarlett Defense 159 72
Patrick Daly Defense 189 N/A
Day 1: It's amazing how in a few short years a system that was barren in defense prospects now is one of the top organizations in hockey in young defensemen. Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, Alex Urbom and Eric Gelinas are a heck of a collection on defense. I would have preferred Strome or Couturier at #4, but the Devils still did more than fine by walking away with a near sure-fire first pairing defender and it isn't crazy to think that Larsson could end up being a league-average number one at some point.
The Rest: Blake Coleman led the USHL in points, but as a 1991 birthdate that's not as impressive as it would be otherwise. His skill set is decent—no real true impressive tool, but he does have a fine work ethic. I'm not sure if the skill set is good enough to exceed his physical limits though. Reid Boucher is a small guy who isn't a flashy player, but is one of the best snipers in the class and has a near elite-level shot tool. Blake Pietila is a fine grinder-type player with a somewhat below-average skill set who will be hard-pressed to make the league barring a development jump somewhere. I really like the Reece Scarlett pick and while he's gotten negative reviews from scouts this year on his hockey sense and overall play, you can see the puck skills and mobility that give him a chance to be something.
Summary: I don't hate what the Devils did after Larsson, but I'm definitely not applauding them either. They could probably get at least one pro regular from their mid-round selections, but this is without question the Larsson class and he will almost certainly define its success.
New York Islanders
Player Position Selection # HP Rank (1-100)
Ryan Strome Center 5 3
Scott Mayfield Defense 34 16
Johan Sundstrom Right Wing 50 N/A
Andrei Pedan Defense 63 N/A
Robbie Russo Defense 95 36
John Persson Right Wing 125 N/A
Brenden Kichton Defense 127 N/A
Mitchell Theoret Center 185 N/A
Day 1: In terms of raw upside, Ryan Strome is second in this class only to Nugent-Hopkins, in my opinion. The rich get richer as the young talent will be coming in waves and strength to the Island.
The Rest: I'm a big fan of Scott Mayfield and while he has some parts of his game to iron out, his raw tools are top-end and there's a lot to dream on here. Johan Sundstrom is a fine lower-tier guy with a decent body and will be used as a defensive forward. Andrei Pedan is a project pick as a big physical defenseman with a ways to go. I loved the Robbie Russo pick, as he has plus puck-moving skills and a very desirable offensive ceiling. He was projected to go high coming into the season and for the most part didn't perform as expected but showed flashes and really came alive at the Under-18's.
Summary: I thought the Isles did very well in Minnesota, getting a top-end talent in Strome, two very toolsy defenders in Mayfield and Russo, and some decent depth as well.
New York Rangers
Player Position Selection # HP Rank (1-100)
J.T. Miller Center 15 54
Steven Fogarty Center 72 N/A
Michael St. Croix Center 106 26
Shane McColgan Right Wing 134 52
Samuel Noreau Defense 136 N/A
Peter Ceresnak Defense 172 N/A
Day 1: I'm not a huge fan of this pick and while I get why some like J.T. Miller in the intangibles, the physical game and the solid skill set, I don't see the hockey sense in Miller and subsequently I think he's a bottom-six player in the NHL. He has the raw skills to prove me wrong and get to a second line status, but something major would have to click for that to happen.
The Rest: While I wasn't crazy about their Day 1, the Rangers went to work in Day 2. When I saw Steven Fogarty, he showed decent offensive tools, but I couldn't classify him as a fringe offensive player either; he also has quite desirable physical tools. I loved where the Blue Shirts were able to get Michael St. Croix as it is very easy to see his skating, puck skills and hockey sense one day playing in an NHL top-six even with his physical holes. Shane McColgan came into the year with some thinking he could go in the top 15, but he fell off after not meeting the offensive expectations required for a player of his size. This is an all or nothing pick, as McColgan has plus puck skills and is an above-average skater and shooter—he'll either play scoring minutes or he simply won't play a game in the league. Samuel Noreau is a big, physical defenseman with limited upside and is somewhat of a project. Peter Ceresnak never really stood out in viewings. He showed a steady and somewhat advanced defensive game but he's not really a pro puck-mover.
Summary: The Rangers played it safe on the Miller pick, but by the end of the draft they had taken a couple of risky shots while also accumulating a notable amount of depth. I'm not exactly jumping for joy over what they did in Minnesota, but at the end of the day, I thought they still did well.
Philadelphia Flyers
Player Position Selection # HP Rank (1-100)
Sean Couturier Center 8 2
Nick Cousins Center 68 92
Colin Sullentrop Defense 116 N/A
Marcel Noebels Left Wing 118 N/A
Petr Placek Right Wing 176 N/A
Derek Mathers Right Wing 206 N/A
Day 1: Talk about a turn around for a system, as with Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier now in the organization the Flyers now have two significant cornerstone pieces that can make the loss of their franchise players more bearable. I love Couturier—he's as sure a bet as there is in the draft to be a two-way first-line center and has the talent level to go beyond that.
The Rest: There are some in the scouting world who really liked Nick Cousins and while I was a little lower on him than some, I still see the above-average skills and fine work ethic although I'm not sure there's enough to that skill set. Marcel Noebels entered his second year of draft eligibility and was commonly seen as a sleeper heading into the draft, as a big hard-working power-forward with decent skills for a player his size.
Summary: The Flyers did great in this draft just because of Couturier, but they could also probably turn one of their other picks into a lower-role NHL regular. The rest of their picks I thought were okay, but Couturier is this year's draft for the Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Player Position Selection # HP Rank (1-100)
Joe Morrow Defense 23 14
Scott Harrington Defense 54 61
Dominik Uher Center 144 N/A
Josh Archibald Left Wing 174 N/A
Scott Wilson Left Wing 209 N/A
Day 1: I loved this pick for the Pens as Joe Morrow is one the top offensive talents from the blueline in this class and has top-end puck-moving abilities. The Pens have assembled a nice bunch of defensive talent in their system now with Joe Morrow and Simon Despres as the top end guys, but Harrington, Bortuzzo, Strait and Sneep rounding out the depth, making this a fine collection of young defenders. I actually heard rumors going into the draft that some teams were looking at Morrow in the 15-18 range, possibly even in the top 15, so I was kind of surprised he was still available at 23.
The Rest: Scott Harrington was seen as a partial faller this past season, so when I ranked him at 61 I actually felt I was going kind of off the board, but the Pens clearly believe in the mobility and the defensive hockey sense. There were concerns about a poor offensive ceiling coming from an average-sized defender, but if the puck-moving skills can be just decent, the smarts can possibly take him to the league. I have heard Josh Archibald's and Scott Wilson's names in passing, but have no info on them.
Summary: The Pens didn't have many picks in this draft, but did manage to snag one very good top-upside puck mover and another one who's moderately projectable into the league in a lower-tier role. They did fine considering their limited picks, but the depth of their system wasn't really bolstered at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Corey Pronman is an author of Hockey Prospectus.
You can contact Corey by clicking here or click here to see Corey's other articles.
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From Daigle To Datsyuk (06/24)
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