2011 Draft Thread

[Crowned]

I'm very pleased with our picks. I think we gave up way too much to move up to get Biggs, but I'm happy we walked away with 2 solid players. Our prospect pool continues to grow. With Aulie, Blacker, Gardiner, and now Percy...we're looking very stable defensively moving forward.

[bryant08]

I'm not that high on Percy to be honest, he's got a good feel for the game and although I didn't seem much of him prior to the Memorial Cup I just don't see him being a big time player at the next level. He can move the puck and he won't make many mistakes out there, but he doesn't have major powerplay potential or shutdown abilities. I mean I guess that's fine with the 25th pick, but I would've rather taking my chances with a forward with offensive talent like Brandon Saad.

[TR50]

I'm no hockey expert or prospect visionist, just go by what I read and generally see. We really like Blacker but I'm pretty unfamiliar with him, Crowned, or anyone else, could you tell me about him?

[Crowned]

Blacker is more of a play making defenseman. He's got some serious speed, can move the puck extremely well, has some good size. He's really worked on his defensive play with Owen Sound this past season, but I think that's maybe where his overall weakness arises. He put up very respectable +/- stats this season, and lead Owen Sound defensively into the memorial cup. I saw him a few times this past season, and he played with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

*Edit- I don't mean he's weak defensively, because that's not the case. I'm implying that he needs to work a bit more defensively in order to be successful with the Leafs.

[bryant08]

^Honestly I remember when we drafted Blacker I didn't know a whole lot about the kid, was supposed to be a solid 2 way guy with puckmoving abilities but he really showcased that this past season with Owen Sound. He's a very solid skater as well. I see him as more likely than Jake Gardiner to jump in with the Leafs at some point this season if an injury arises or he proves himself worthy. And all in all, at least the cupboards are stocked at this point with a good mix of free agents (whether collegiate or from Europe) and our own draft picks/players we've traded for. We're establishing some major depth across the board, now we just need to be patient and hope a decent percentage of these guys pan out.

[Crowned]

As much as we lost the Kessel trade, I'm happy we turned Kaberle into Biggs, Joe Colborne and J.M Liles. That's one solid return for a guy that played 9 minutes in game 7 of the finals.

[bryant08]

So Saad, Grimaldi, Boone Jenner, Tomas Jurco still on the board. Would've liked to still have 39 tbh.

[bryant08]

As much as we lost the Kessel trade, I'm happy we turned Kaberle into Biggs, Joe Colborne and J.M Liles. That's one solid return for a guy that played 9 minutes in game 7 of the finals.

Boston getting Dougie Hamilton added insult to injury, but boy did we fleece them on Kaberle. JM Liles produced at a Kaberle-level last season and blocked a ton of shots (despite his defensive deficiencies). I'm more than satisfied with our defense heading into next season:

Phaneuf (26) - Aulie (22)
Liles (30) - Schenn (21)
Gunnarsson (24) - Komisarek (29)

With guys like Gardiner, Blacker, Percy waiting in the wings. Lebda/Finger for emergencies or something I guess.

[bryant08]

Leafs take Josh Leivo at 85 - never heard of him. He's a LW who is a good skater. Had 30 points in 64 games with the Sudbury Wolves last year, but apparently tore up the second half of the season including 13 points in 8 playoff games (6 goals, 7 assists).

[bryant08]

Tom Nilsson at 100.

[jalenrose#5]

Ive seen quite a bit of Josh Leivo and I can tell you his stats from the season are misleading.

In his first 30 games or so he was playing third line minutes with a pair of rookies in Matt Campagna and Brody Silk.

However, after the Wolves dealt for Michael Sgarbossa (dealt former first overall selection John MacFarland), Leivo finished the year on a line with Sgarbossa and Audray Kuchin and tore up the OHL.

His combination of size, skill and ability to play in the corners, turned out to be the reason why Sudbury swept the 67's, who were lead by Tyler Toffoli and Shane Prince among others.

Leivo, was second among rookies in OHL playoff scoring trailing only Alex Khokhlachev (WSR), finishing with 13 points in 8 games. Khokhlachev finished with 20 points in 18 games.

Next season should be Leivo's coming out party as I expect him to be re-united with Sgarbossa and Kuchin for his second year in the OHL. Look for good numbers out of Leivo next year guys.

That's all I can tell you for now.

[bryant08]

^Awesome stuff, thanks for sharing.

[bryant08]

Stuart Percy

• At the 2011 Memorial Cup, he led all defensemen with four assists and was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team – Mississauga lost in the final to the Saint John Sea Dogs.

• Percy finished second on the team in scoring among defensemen with 12 points and a plus-11 rating in the 2011 playoffs, helping the Majors reach the Ontario Hockey League finals.

• He got his start in hockey at the age of four playing on his first hockey team the Burlington Ducks and went on to play his minor hockey for the Toronto Junior Canadiens and the Toronto Marlboros.

• Winning the OHL Cup in minor midget was his most memorable hockey moment “because I grew up playing with most of my teammates and winning was a great way to finish my minor hockey career”.

• His favorite piece of sports memorabilia is a personalized signed picture from Sidney Crosby and the one thing people usually don’t know about him is that he is of Japanese descent.

FAVORITES

NHL team: Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL player: Nicklas Lidstrom, Drew Doughty
Goal celebration: “Raise my hands”
Video game: NHL 2011, Tiger Woods Golf
Movie: Snatch and Remember the Titans
TV show: Entourage and Looney Tunes
Music artist: Boston
Website: NHL.com and tsn.ca
Book: Holes by Lewis Sachlar
Home-cooked meal: Spaghetti and meatballs
Activity away from the rink: Waterskiing

Second-year OHLer contributed 43 assists and a +63 plus/minus rating in 89 games and playing a key role both offensively and defensively on a Memorial Cup finalist. Strengths - Smart, steady defender with solid puck-moving skills. Excellent poise and vision, rarely makes a glaring mistake. Good gap control and solid positionally. Reads the play well, exemplary work ethic and leadership qualities. Good vision and passing skills. Weaknesses - Not physically punishing, foot speed and shot will need to improve as he adds some strength. Quickness and pivots are average, shot could be harder. NHL Upside - Solid NHL defender who can kill penalties and provide secondary power play duties.

If Stuart Percy were to be compared to a food dish then the reliable mistake-free defenseman might best resemble the warm comforting winter stew that grandmother serves after a hard day of work. There is nothing too flashy or exciting to a good stew and it is difficult to mess up but it is one of the more satisfying dishes you can eat. Stu Percy plays the game like a good hearty stew.

Entering his draft eligible season, Percy didn’t find himself among those listed in the NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings. It’s quite apparent that his omission served as a motivator as Percy increased his stock and play as the season rolled along. Known for his reliable and smart game, Percy improved significantly as his Mississauga Majors continued on their Memorial Cup run and became a vital part of the team’s success. The Oakville native will not excite you with his style of play but teams and scouts are attracted to his well-rounded dependable approach to the game.

Central Scouting has Percy ranked 53rd among North American skaters but after a strong Memorial Cup there is a chance he is selected in the late first round but it’s expected he will fall within the second round. The young defenseman admits that his defensive skills will be the keys to NHL success but Percy has shown flashes of offensive brilliance that have some scouts thinking there’s some untapped offensive skill to his game. The team who selects Percy will be doing so in hopes of him becoming a number three or four puckmoving defenseman that can log big minutes. One of the biggest criticisms of Percy is that he doesn’t excel in any one part of the game and is just average in all areas. Percy will make an excellent second round selection as his ability to make good outlet passes using his well-developed on-ice vision and tendency to bring a calming influence to a team’s backend is a valuable commodity.

[Mike Hunt]

Not an awe-inspiring crop but the entire draft kinda shaped that way as well. When I heard the Leafs were trading up, I said: I hope that it's for Biggs, so I guess I really can't complain. I somewhat wish they would have gone with a sexier pick at 25 or tried to trade back, but it seems like getting a potential 3rd or 4th D in the first round of this year's draft is acceptable.

[Crowned]

My goodness, I'm already drooling over the 2012 draft. If we don't sign Richards, I hope we tank HARD. Drafting one of Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk, Mikhail Grigorenko or even Martin Frk would help this franchise for the next 15 years. Any of the players listed above would've gone #1 overall (minus maybe Frk) in this year's draft without a doubt in my mind, and they'll all be franchise players.

Galchenyuk- 6'1, 185, 17 years old...scored 31 goals/84 points for Sarnia last year.

Yakupov- 5'10, 170, 17 years old....scored 49 goals, 101 points and 71 PIM's for Sarnia last year

Ryan Murray- 6'0, 191, 17 years old....scored 6 goals, 46 points in the WHL last year, was canada's best defenseman at the u-18's, and will likely repeat that for the World Juniors this year.

[Relentless88]

Why didn't Burke deal for Richards or Carter? I don't see how Kulemin and Kadri is overpaying...Richards would've been great here, especially if we don't get Brad Richards.

[bryant08]

My goodness, I'm already drooling over the 2012 draft. If we don't sign Richards, I hope we tank HARD. Drafting one of Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk, Mikhail Grigorenko or even Martin Frk would help this franchise for the next 15 years. Any of the players listed above would've gone #1 overall (minus maybe Frk) in this year's draft without a doubt in my mind, and they'll all be franchise players.

Galchenyuk- 6'1, 185, 17 years old...scored 31 goals/84 points for Sarnia last year.

Yakupov- 5'10, 170, 17 years old....scored 49 goals, 101 points and 71 PIM's for Sarnia last year

Ryan Murray- 6'0, 191, 17 years old....scored 6 goals, 46 points in the WHL last year, was canada's best defenseman at the u-18's, and will likely repeat that for the World Juniors this year.

Certainly will be a scary draft talent wise, Yakupov is an absolute monster.

And terms of the buzz around the Leafs being interested in Carter/Richards, I'm not sure what is true and what isn't. A few people have said the asking price for Carter was a bit lower, but included Kadri. As much as I like Jeff Carter I'm not sure he'd be a good fit with Kessel on the same line, with Carter being more of a goalscoring center. With Richards, I don't know if that particular offer was even on the board from Philly's side, as the LA offer was much better value for them.

[Crowned]

My goodness, I'm already drooling over the 2012 draft. If we don't sign Richards, I hope we tank HARD. Drafting one of Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk, Mikhail Grigorenko or even Martin Frk would help this franchise for the next 15 years. Any of the players listed above would've gone #1 overall (minus maybe Frk) in this year's draft without a doubt in my mind, and they'll all be franchise players.

Galchenyuk- 6'1, 185, 17 years old...scored 31 goals/84 points for Sarnia last year.

Yakupov- 5'10, 170, 17 years old....scored 49 goals, 101 points and 71 PIM's for Sarnia last year

Ryan Murray- 6'0, 191, 17 years old....scored 6 goals, 46 points in the WHL last year, was canada's best defenseman at the u-18's, and will likely repeat that for the World Juniors this year.

Certainly will be a scary draft talent wise, Yakupov is an absolute monster.

And terms of the buzz around the Leafs being interested in Carter/Richards, I'm not sure what is true and what isn't. A few people have said the asking price for Carter was a bit lower, but included Kadri. As much as I like Jeff Carter I'm not sure he'd be a good fit with Kessel on the same line, with Carter being more of a goalscoring center. With Richards, I don't know if that particular offer was even on the board from Philly's side, as the LA offer was much better value for them.

Yakupov is a definite franchise talent. I watched a bit of him last season live, and caught some clips online recently. The kid can flat out play. Even though he's on the small side, he's got some grit to his game, and definitely likes throwing his body around. He put up some impressive stats this year, and he'll completely rip apart the OHL next year. He'll catch some attention once the season starts, and rightfully so.

[Crowned]

Some clips on Yakupov:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCk3-RVM ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZaXm7WTTaY