NHL Draft sleepers, Leafs draft focus, re-entries and other draft muslings Saturday, June 6, 2015 The 2015 NHL Draft is less than three weeks away. Every year the draft is one of the most anticipated NHL events of the season but this year, the hype seems to be amped up. Surely, franchise [...]
Those damn lucky Oilers and McDavid, Ehlers finishes off an outstanding junior career, Leafs draft approach, NHL Mock Drafts and junior players make impact in AHL debuts.
Wednesday, April 22nd
Old news now but with the Edmonton Oilers winning another draft lottery and the rights to draft Connor McDavid….I’m still not sleeping very well. Prior to the draft lottery, I said to my buddies and confessed to my girlfriend, “as long as Edmonton doesn’t end up winning then I am fine with whatever team wins it.”
Yup…I jinxed every other team and the Oilers fans can thank me when Connor McDavid stands in front of their future beautiful rink, next to his statue as one of the all-time greats in Edmonton. My frustration with the Oilers’ luck quickly turned when I started getting threatening angry texts from my buddies in my keeper pool. That’s when I clued in.
Our keeper league has a rule in place where the bottom five teams (of 20) are assigned the corresponding bottom five NHL teams and if one of them wins the lottery, then that guy wins the lotto too. Here’s a little backstory on our league. It’s been running for a decade and I recently decided to try rebuilding on the fly but unfortunately it resulted me in snapping my six-year championship run (obviously, the other guys were happy about that).
Those damn lucky Oilers and McDavid, Ehlers finishes off an outstanding junior career, Leafs draft approach, NHL Mock Drafts and junior players make impact in AHL debuts.
Wednesday, April 22nd
Old news now but with the Edmonton Oilers winning another draft lottery and the rights to draft Connor McDavid….I’m still not sleeping very well. Prior to the draft lottery, I said to my buddies and confessed to my girlfriend, “as long as Edmonton doesn’t end up winning then I am fine with whatever team wins it.”
Yup…I jinxed every other team and the Oilers fans can thank me when Connor McDavid stands in front of their future beautiful rink, next to his statue as one of the all-time greats in Edmonton. My frustration with the Oilers’ luck quickly turned when I started getting threatening angry texts from my buddies in my keeper pool. That’s when I clued in.
Our keeper league has a rule in place where the bottom five teams (of 20) are assigned the corresponding bottom five NHL teams and if one of them wins the lottery, then that guy wins the lotto too. Here’s a little backstory on our league. It’s been running for a decade and I recently decided to try rebuilding on the fly but unfortunately it resulted me in snapping my six-year championship run (obviously, the other guys were happy about that).
Jack Eichel wins the Hobey Baker, Connor McDavid sets another record, Max Domi and Robby Fabbri have likely played their final OHL games. Wednesday, April 15th Connor McDavid continues to tear apart the Canadian Hockey League and was recently named CHL Player of the week scoring seven times and picking up 12 points in three [...]
Jack Eichel wins the Hobey Baker, Connor McDavid sets another record, Max Domi and Robby Fabbri have likely played their final OHL games. Wednesday, April 15th Connor McDavid continues to tear apart the Canadian Hockey League and was recently named CHL Player of the week scoring seven times and picking up 12 points in three [...]
OHL draft eligible stars shine heading into playoffs, NCAA tourney kicks off, Jimmy Vesey, OHL Cup, college free-agent signings and Toronto Maple Leafs thoughts
Friday, March 27th, 2015
The Canadian Hockey League regular seasons have been completed and the playoff matchups dictated. On Thursday, playoffs throughout the CHL began as teams vie for their respective league championships and hopefully earn a berth into the illustrious CHL Memorial Cup that will be held in Quebec City.
Austin touched on the incredible finish to the OHL scoring race down the stretch as Erie’s Dylan Strome posted a four goal, six point final game to overtake London’s Mitch Marner, who held the lead for quite some time. It was a remarkable season for 2015 NHL Draft eligibles in the OHL.
There’s obviously Connor McDavid, the prized gem of the draft. Mitch Marner (126 points in 63 games) and Dylan Strome (129 points in 68 games) continue to be heavily debated as the next best prospect from the OHL. Both players own tantalizing upside but play two very different games. Dylan Strome is a visionary with the puck and has the size, strength and plays the center position that NHL teams covet. Mitch Marner is a slick creative winger (who can also play down the middle) that dictates pace of the game but doesn’t come packaged in the “ideal” 6-foot-plus frame that scouts look for. At this point in time, it’s a coin flip and no one can say for certain who the better NHL prospect is.
BONUS READ: “Otters scoring champ Strome a humble kid”
“Strome-Marner-McDavid marks 1st time #OHL Top-3 scorers are 17-year-old NHLDraft prospects. 2010 Top-2 were Hall/Seguin ahead of OA Pither” (via Paul Krotz on Twitter)
Beyond Strome, Marner and McDavid who finished 1-2-3 in regular season OHL scoring, Lawson Crouse is a two-way forward that possesses the physical size and strength, solid offensive skills and astute defensive awareness that comes with a high NHL certainty level. Former Elgin-Middlesex line-mate, Travis Konecny, has regained his form and is creeping up the draft rankings. He’s a natural competitor who plays at a high pace and owns an outstanding shot off the rush.
Rasmus Andersson had an excellent first year in North America scoring at a near point-per-game pace (64 points in 67 games) excelling as a puck moving defenseman for the Barrie Colts. Oshawa’s Mitchell Vande Sompel was in and out of the lineup but still managed to rack up 63 points in 58 games making him one of the best offensive defensemen in the draft. Niagara defenseman Vince Dunn entered his draft season as one of my hidden gems and despite a slow start, he has hit his stride finishing with 18 goals and 56 points in 68 games.
OHL draft eligible stars shine heading into playoffs, NCAA tourney kicks off, Jimmy Vesey, OHL Cup, college free-agent signings and Toronto Maple Leafs thoughts
Friday, March 27th, 2015
The Canadian Hockey League regular seasons have been completed and the playoff matchups dictated. On Thursday, playoffs throughout the CHL began as teams vie for their respective league championships and hopefully earn a berth into the illustrious CHL Memorial Cup that will be held in Quebec City.
Austin touched on the incredible finish to the OHL scoring race down the stretch as Erie’s Dylan Strome posted a four goal, six point final game to overtake London’s Mitch Marner, who held the lead for quite some time. It was a remarkable season for 2015 NHL Draft eligibles in the OHL.
There’s obviously Connor McDavid, the prized gem of the draft. Mitch Marner (126 points in 63 games) and Dylan Strome (129 points in 68 games) continue to be heavily debated as the next best prospect from the OHL. Both players own tantalizing upside but play two very different games. Dylan Strome is a visionary with the puck and has the size, strength and plays the center position that NHL teams covet. Mitch Marner is a slick creative winger (who can also play down the middle) that dictates pace of the game but doesn’t come packaged in the “ideal” 6-foot-plus frame that scouts look for. At this point in time, it’s a coin flip and no one can say for certain who the better NHL prospect is.
BONUS READ: “Otters scoring champ Strome a humble kid”
“Strome-Marner-McDavid marks 1st time #OHL Top-3 scorers are 17-year-old NHLDraft prospects. 2010 Top-2 were Hall/Seguin ahead of OA Pither” (via Paul Krotz on Twitter)
Beyond Strome, Marner and McDavid who finished 1-2-3 in regular season OHL scoring, Lawson Crouse is a two-way forward that possesses the physical size and strength, solid offensive skills and astute defensive awareness that comes with a high NHL certainty level. Former Elgin-Middlesex line-mate, Travis Konecny, has regained his form and is creeping up the draft rankings. He’s a natural competitor who plays at a high pace and owns an outstanding shot off the rush.
Rasmus Andersson had an excellent first year in North America scoring at a near point-per-game pace (64 points in 67 games) excelling as a puck moving defenseman for the Barrie Colts. Oshawa’s Mitchell Vande Sompel was in and out of the lineup but still managed to rack up 63 points in 58 games making him one of the best offensive defensemen in the draft. Niagara defenseman Vince Dunn entered his draft season as one of my hidden gems and despite a slow start, he has hit his stride finishing with 18 goals and 56 points in 68 games.
| Luke Glendening, RW/C | ||
| Shoots: R | Height: 5-11 | Weight: 194 |
| Born: 1989-04-28
| Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| Signed by Detroit as a free agent July 5th 2013 |
Touching on the following happenings in the prospect world - Connor McDavid's point streak ends, new #2015NHLDraft rankings, Marner vs Strome debate, a Mock Draft, O'Connor-gate, Auston Matthews future, William Nylander and the return of Sam Bennett
Thursday, March 12th
The 2015 NHL Draft’s cream of the crop, Connor McDavid, was riding a 27-game point streak heading into Wednesday’s game versus Niagara and it was a streak totaling 26 goals and 67 points. For only the second time this season, McDavid was held pointless snapping his streak. McDavid can’t be much of a fan of Niagara, they’re the only team to stop him this season (twice). Is this a good sign for him playing in Buffalo, located just across the Falls from Niagara?
Additional Read: With the hoopla that surrounds Connor McDavid, comes sell-out crowds in the OHL. The demand for tickets when McDavid comes to town hasn’t been like this since a young Eric Lindros took the league by storm.
Touching on the following happenings in the prospect world - Connor McDavid's point streak ends, new #2015NHLDraft rankings, Marner vs Strome debate, a Mock Draft, O'Connor-gate, Auston Matthews future, William Nylander and the return of Sam Bennett
Thursday, March 12th
The 2015 NHL Draft’s cream of the crop, Connor McDavid, was riding a 27-game point streak heading into Wednesday’s game versus Niagara and it was a streak totaling 26 goals and 67 points. For only the second time this season, McDavid was held pointless snapping his streak. McDavid can’t be much of a fan of Niagara, they’re the only team to stop him this season (twice). Is this a good sign for him playing in Buffalo, located just across the Falls from Niagara?
Additional Read: With the hoopla that surrounds Connor McDavid, comes sell-out crowds in the OHL. The demand for tickets when McDavid comes to town hasn’t been like this since a young Eric Lindros took the league by storm.
