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Draft Preview 2007

The Hockey News - Draft Preview 2007

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02144/8953516-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg" title="f0052-02" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">SIMON GAGNE 22nd overall, 1998</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01243/8953523-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="144" height="101"></div>STILL DAYDREAMING about 1975, disco nights, bell-bottom pants and 90-cent gas?Maybe not. But the Flyers are. That&rsquo;s the last time they selected higher than fourth in the NHL draft.That year, Philly nabbed Mel Bridgeman with the first overall selection. The odds where overwhelming in favor of the Flyers picking first this year after finishing in the league basement, but bad lottery luck bullied Philadelphia out of top spot and left it with the No. 2 pick.The Flyers would love to find a player who can make an immediate impact and help the organization reverse its fortunes fast.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE GM Paul Holmgren continues to run the show at the draft table. With the exception of a brief stint with Hartford in the early &rsquo;90s, he has been with the organization either as player, coach or administrator since 1975. The Flyers have seven full-time scouts working the amateur ranks and this year added a full-time college scout.Holmgren says the new salary cap has increased the need for good scouting, since amateur hockey has become a bigger resource.IMMEDIATE NEED There has been plenty of talk about the need for a frontline center, but defense remains the No. 1 priority. A disappointing season by Joni Pitkanen has led to speculation the Flyers will go after a blueliner who can run the power play.LONG-TERM NEED Aside from forwards Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, the Flyers have question marks at just about every position. Goaltender Martin Biron is signed for the next two years, but he could walk away after that. If Pitkanen, Braydon Coburn and Alexandre Picard pan out, the Flyers will be in decent shape on defense.&ldquo;We picked up Coburn and Ryan Parent at the (trade) deadline, so we probably have depth on defense that we didn&rsquo;t have in the past few years,&rsquo;&rsquo; Holmgren said.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Although he has been in and out of trouble his junior career, Steve Downie has shown more signs of maturity this season. If Downie makes the Flyers next season, he will be a big-time agitator.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather have to rein him in than give him a kick in the pants,&rsquo;&rsquo; Holmgren said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited about him jumping into our organization. He plays like (Darcy) Tucker or Sean Avery. And that&rsquo;s not a bad thing.&rdquo;2006&nbsp;FIRST PICK Claude Giroux, RW, Gatineau, 22nd overall. 63-48-64-112-49. The Flyers like his skill and competitiveness, but they would like to see him get bigger and stronger to be able to make the jump.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Dmitry Afanasenkov, LW, 26; Ben Eager, LW, 23; Lasse Kukkonen, D, 26; Antero Niittymaki, G, 26; Ryan Potulny, C, 22; Scottie Upshall, LW, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Robert Esche, G, 29; Todd Fedoruk, LW, 28; Denis Hamel, LW, 29; Mike York, C, 29.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 2nd OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Chris Pronger, &rsquo;93B. Shanahan, &rsquo;87Dany Heatley, &rsquo;00Jason Spezza, &rsquo;01Wade Redden, &rsquo;95<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Dave Chyzowski, &rsquo;89Pat Falloon, &rsquo;91Oleg Tverdovsky, &rsquo;94Andrei Zyuzin, &rsquo;96David Legwand, &rsquo;98<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0396/8953509-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0478/8953502-1-eng-US/f0052-042.jpg" title="f0052-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0555/8953495-1-eng-US/f0052-052.jpg" title="f0052-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0647/8953488-1-eng-US/f0052-062.jpg" title="f0052-06" width="24" height="26">International 35%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0918/8953481-1-eng-US/f0052-092.jpg" title="f0052-09" width="335" height="452"><figcaption class="caption-body">(LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Philadelphia&rsquo;s system1 Ryan Parent, D, Guelph (OHL)2 Steve Downie, RW, Kitchener (OHL)3 Claude Giroux, RW, Gatineau (QMJHL)4 Andreas Nodl, RW, St. Cloud (WCHA)5 Oskars Bartulis, C, C. Breton (QMJHL) &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Holes abound for flailing Flyers

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-08" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08214/8952064-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07248/8952071-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="194" height="60"></div>Here&rsquo;s how our first round ranking from 1992 compared with the actual. Only eight went on to be among the 24 best. &#9632;

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Backtesting our 1992 draft rankings

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012253/8951016-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF San Jose Sharks Drafted 106th overall, 2001MARCEL GOC San Jose Sharks Drafted 20th overall, 2001 (DON SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS had a leg up on their NHL rivals when they selected Jordan Staal second overall in the 2006 draft. A couple years worth of intense scouting told them they were getting a skilled center who would eventually produce in the NHL. Drafting a prospect with proven bloodlines was the bonus. That told the Pens they were getting a player who had the hockey sense to become something special.The fact Staal was one of just two 2006 first-rounders &ndash; Boston&rsquo;s Phil Kessel was the other &ndash; to step into the NHL right away was something of a surprise. The fact he scored 29 goals as an 18-year-old was a bigger surprise. But the fact he&rsquo;s now an established NHLer isn&rsquo;t all that earth-shattering. After all, he is the brother of Carolina star center Eric Staal and sibling No. 2, Marc, who was the 12th overall pick by the Rangers in 2005.Drafting has always been an important building block in the NHL. Now in the new salary cap landscape, drafting well is imperative for teams to succeed.So it&rsquo;s not just skill NHL teams are look at anymore, it&rsquo;s skill and smarts. It&rsquo;s the new strategy of the salary cap era.&ldquo;There is a difference between a guy who can play in the NHL and a guy who can play with high-end players,&rdquo; says San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson. &ldquo;Not everybody is capable of doing that and the reason why is usually between the ears &ndash; the hockey sense.&rdquo;In recent seasons, the NHL has conducted a scouting combine in Toronto a few weeks prior to the draft to give teams a chance to run prospects through a series of physical and psychological testing. It&rsquo;s just another layer of information GMs have when it comes to making a decision on which teenager to stake their jobs and reputations on.As scouting techniques become refined over time, you&rsquo;re seeing fewer mistakes being made in the early stages of the first round. That doesn&rsquo;t mean scouting will ever become an exact science, but it will produce a winning organization over the long haul.Take the Sharks for example. No one will deny San Jose got two of its most important players, Joe Thornton and Bill Guerin, through trades.But when the Sharks played their first playoff game this spring, April 11 against Nashville, the majority of their players &ndash; 12 &ndash; were draft picks.Even though they have had just two top-10 selection slots in the past eight drafts, the Sharks are an excellent example of a team that builds through the draft and compliments through free agents and trades.&ldquo;With not only the (salary cap) system, but also the rules we play under, it has really changed things,&rdquo; Wilson says. &ldquo;I know what we are looking for and that is players who are complete players. The four guys (Milan Michalek, Steve Bernier, Matt Carle and Joe Pavelski) we added in the 2003 draft were all mature mentally.&rdquo;Because the Sharks are so deep in homegrown talent, they&rsquo;re able to bring prospects along slowly.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t over-promote our players and we do that for a reason,&rdquo; Wilson says. &ldquo;We want them to pay their dues. Look at a guy like Pavelski starting the year in the minors or a Matt Carle being sent down (for a week midway through the season). The guys we have, either won a national championship in the last couple of years, guys like Pavelski and Carle, or even a guy like (Marc-Edouard) Vlasik who won a Memorial Cup last year, but they are still a little under the radar. A lot of people weren&rsquo;t aware of Vlasic or Pavelski.&rdquo;Wilson says he is very strategic when it comes to planning for the draft.&ldquo;It comes down to having a scouting staff that understands how we play and what we are looking for,&rdquo; he says.&ldquo;Character and hockey sense are two of the top things we&rsquo;re looking for, but, obviously, we don&rsquo;t believe in churning and burning. We know it might take three or four years to get a guy ready for the NHL and we think that is our responsibility.&rdquo;A team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, meanwhile, have had things easy at the draft table in recent years.In the past five years, they have picked first overall twice (Marc-Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby), second twice (Evgeni Malkin, Staal) and fifth (Ryan Whitney). This year, because of a stronger regular season, they will pick 20th. GM Ray Shero doesn&rsquo;t see that as an obstacle.&ldquo;Everybody always believes whether you are picking first or 30th, you&rsquo;ll get that guy who can make a difference,&rdquo; Shero says. &ldquo;In 1999, which turned out to be not a great draft, Ottawa was picking 26th and got Martin Havlat. That&rsquo;s the danger in trading you&rsquo;re first round pick. You might say, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re going to be picking 20th or 25th and you could miss out on a guy like Havlat. The draft is really important and with the salary cap you&rsquo;ve got to replenish guys.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012032/8951009-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="1351" height="1899"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK ZETTERBERG Detroit Red Wings Drafted 210th overall, 1999PAVEL DATSYUK Detroit Red Wings Drafted 171st overall, 1998 (TIM SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>At the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit Red Wings have been able to remain competitive even with few early draft picks. They haven&rsquo;t had a top-15 selection in more than 15 years.They get around it by drafting well in the late rounds. They nabbed Pavel Datsyuk 171st in 1998, Henrik Zetterberg 210th in 1999 and did it again with Valtteri Filppula, chosen 95th in 2002.It&rsquo;s called creative scouting and impressive developing. And that&rsquo;s a strategy that works well in any era. &#9632;

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NHL dollars and sense

<div class="byline">BY DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02115/8954012-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">VINCENT LECAVALIER 1st overall, 1998</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01163/8954019-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="122" height="121"></div>THE LIGHTNING&rsquo;S development system has been a work in progress for several years.The system has been re-stocked in stages. First it was defensemen, then goaltenders. Tampa Bay is so deep in net, it felt it could trade well-regarded prospect Gerald Coleman to the Ducks for defenseman Shane O&rsquo;Brien to add at that position. The team still has Russian sensation Vasily Koshechkin waiting for a contract, which will only add to an already crowded crease.Tampa Bay will start stockpiling offensive forwards, a position at which the organization is thin and really needs to attend to.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Give the Lightning credit for generally sticking to its guns. Despite salary cap limitations, Tampa Bay is dedicated to taking the best available athletes. That has paid off as the team, through trades and recent success, has not had many high draft picks, but continues to find help in the lower rounds.Head scout Jake Goertzen has been with the team for 15 seasons and has a 13-scout staff. Final decisions, though, are made by GM Jay Feaster.IMMEDIATE NEED The organization needs scorers. It was very evident this season as ex-affiliate Springfield was one of the lowest-scoring teams in the American League. The team will continue to struggle in this area until it is addressed through the draft, trade or free agency.It is not a stretch to think Feaster and coach John Tortorella would have loved the option of a call-up who would put fear of job security into underachievers.LONG-TERM NEED&nbsp;Same as above. Developing scorers from within the organization will remove a major headache when it comes to acquisitions. Scorers, especially impact players, cost dearly. If you pick up a free agent, it costs big bucks. If you trade for one, a major asset goes out in return.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN&nbsp;Defenseman Matt Smaby will have every chance to make the roster next season. The Lightning love his size &ndash; 6-foot-6, 239 pounds &ndash; and that his first priority is the blueline. Smaby also has an offensive sensibility that fits in well with Tampa Bay&rsquo;s forward-pushing offensive.2006 FIRST PICK Riku Helenius, G, Ilves, 15th overall, did not play. Helenius sustained a shoulder injury in practice before the season. He was expected back in February, but rehab took longer than expected and he didn&rsquo;t see game action again. Tampa would like the 19-year-old to play one full season in Norfolk before making the jump to the NHL.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Ryan Craig, LW, 25; Shane O&rsquo;Brien, D, 23; Paul Ranger, D, 22; Karl Stewart, LW, 23; Nick Tarnasky, LW, 22.UNRESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Rob DiMaio, RW, 39; Ruslan Fedotenko, RW, 28; Johan Holmqvist, G, 28; Doug Janik, D, 26; Andreas Karlsson, C, 31; Eric Perrin, LW, 31; Nolan Pratt, D, 31; Luke Richardson, D, 37; Cory Sarich, D, 28; Jason Ward, RW, 28.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 16th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Markus Naslund, &rsquo;91Martin Biron, &rsquo;95B. Marchment, &rsquo;87Karl Dykhuis, &rsquo;90David Tanabe, &rsquo;99<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>K. Cheveldayoff, &rsquo;88Nick Stajduhar &rsquo;93Mario Larocque, &rsquo;96Ty Jones, &lsquo;97Eric Chouinard, &lsquo;98<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0382/8954005-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0466/8953998-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0539/8953991-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0629/8953984-1-eng-US/f0057-062.jpg" title="f0057-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-089/8953977-1-eng-US/f0057-082.jpg" title="f0057-08" width="365" height="452"><figcaption class="caption-body">(CARLO ALLEGRI/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Tampa Bay&rsquo;s system1 Riku Helenius, G, Ilves Jr. (Fin.)2 Karri Ramo, G, Springfield (AHL)3 Matt Smaby, D, Springfield (AHL)4 Vasily Koshechkin, G, Togliatti (Rus.)5 Vladimir Mihalik, D, P. George (WHL) &#9632;

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Logjam in goal, no depth up front

OUR 25-YEAR-OLD DESIGNER MATT FILION&nbsp;was concerned I was getting out of touch with the subjects of this special issue &ndash; talented teenagers in a competitive industry &ndash; so he befriended me. On Facebook. So now I&rsquo;m hip again. Hep? Whatever.Facebook is the Internet social network that lets us connect with each other. Intended for the 20-something and younger crowd, you can confirm &ldquo;friends,&rdquo; send messages, share photos, even &ldquo;poke&rdquo; around. Seriously.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012034/8950923-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="359" height="610"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRIAN COSTELLO</figcaption></div>You&rsquo;d be surprised how many NHL draft prospects on our Hot 100 list use Facebook. Some even wrote me back.While this year&rsquo;s top prospects don&rsquo;t have the same cache as the Sidney Crosbys or Alex Ovechkins of recent drafts, there are a group of 12-14 who are said to be a cut above the rest. And there&rsquo;s little doubt a decade from now, many from that group will be NHL stars.Still, there are no guarantees. And there&rsquo;s no reason to think the 15th or 20th pick won&rsquo;t eventually outshine the No. 1 or 2 pick. That was the brainchild behind the draft sidebars (pgs. 30-60) on the 30 NHL team pages: &ldquo;What to expect with the xxth pick.&rdquo;Each team is associated with their drafting slot in the first round (although some teams traded their first pick.) The five best picks and the five worst from each slot the past 20 drafts are listed as a reference guide. So even a 15th pick can produce a Joe Sakic or a 20th pick a Martin Brodeur&hellip;Or someone not so good.Order of selection in the first round (June 22 in Columbus) will change from the listing you see on the right. The six division winners (marked with an asterisk) pick at the end of the first round. The Cup winner will move to the 30th spot, the Cup finalist to the 29th spot. The other teams will move up into the vacant slots.In addition to draft primers on International Scouting Services prospect rankings, we look back 10, 15 and 20 years to first round rankings listed in Draft Previews and compare that to how the draft actually took place. Then, with the benefit of hindsight, we list how the ideal first round should have unfolded. Only about 40 per cent of the first-rounders stayed in the first round.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021715/8950916-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="586" height="140"></div> &#9632;

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Poke-checking top prospects

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031406/8950954-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="474" height="321"></div>Chicago won the draft lottery and will pick first June 22 in Columbus. The Blackhawks move back to fifth in each successive round. Rounds two through seven are June 23.1. Chicago2. Philadelphia3. Phoenix4. Los Angeles5. Washington6. Edmonton7. Columbus8. Boston9. St. Louis10. Florida11. Carolina12. Montreal13. Toronto14. Colorado15. Edm (from NYI)16. Tampa Bay17. N.Y. Rangers18. Calgary19. Minnesota20. Pittsburgh21. Ottawa22. Pho (from Dal)23. Mtl (from SJ)24. Phi (from Nsh)25. StL (from Atl)*26. Vancouver*27. StL (from NJ)*28. Edm (from Ana)*29. Detroit*30. Wsh (from Buf)* &#9632;

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2007 DRAFT ORDER

<div class="byline">BY ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012150/8951047-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(COURTESY CALGARY HITMEN)</figcaption></div>INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING RANKINGS SINCE OCTOBER 2005KARL ALZNER&rsquo;S OWN NHL DRAFT PREVIEW&nbsp;preceded this publication by a year. The Calgary Hitmen defenseman attended last year&rsquo;s proceedings in Vancouver, even though he was not draft-eligible until 2007.&ldquo;It was at GM Place and that&rsquo;s 15 or 20 minutes away from my house, so I zipped over there and watched all my buddies walk up there and saw how they went through it,&rdquo; recalled Alzner, who hails from Burnaby, B.C.In the process, Alzner got a taste of the butterflies.&ldquo;I even felt nervous sitting there.&rdquo; said Alzner, who was born nine days after the 2006 draft eligibility cutoff of Sept. 15, 1988. &ldquo;You still get a bit giddy and jumpy and anxious.&rdquo;Alzner isn&rsquo;t likely to experience an extended period of anxiety before being chosen. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder was eighth overall in mid-season rankings of North American-based skaters appraised by NHL Central Scouting. He typically plays 35 to 40 minutes per game&ldquo;It&rsquo;s automatic to put him out there in any situation,&rdquo; said Hitmen coach-GM Kelly Kisio. &ldquo;He never says no. He never says he&rsquo;s too tired. He just keeps going back out.&rdquo;Kisio expects Alzner to become a bulwark in the big leagues &ndash; but when? Asked if Alzner could crack an NHL lineup at 19, Kisio chuckled and said: &ldquo;Only if you want to give me a heart attack.&rdquo; A more likely scenario, as outlined by Kisio, calls for Alzner to spend another year in the WHL before proceeding to the pro minors.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a great pro, just the way he carries himself,&rdquo; Kisio said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see why he won&rsquo;t be a 15-year pro and put those kind of numbers up as far as ice time in the NHL. He&rsquo;s a great skater and his capacity for work is huge.&rdquo;Now he needs to expand his repertoire.&ldquo;A lot of times, he just wants to make the safe play and sit back instead of joining the rush and creating some offense that way,&rdquo; Kisio said. &ldquo;If he can put himself out of that comfort zone and get a little crazy once in a while, I think it&rsquo;ll help him down the road.&rdquo;Alzner became more of a factor in his third WHL season, registering eight goals and 47 points in 63 games, but he still espouses a defense-first philosophy.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the way I&rsquo;ve grown up,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always played hockey really safe.&rdquo;It is not safe to assume Alzner is a passive player despite this season&rsquo;s modest penalty-minute total (32).&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an aggressive player, but he plays within the rules,&rdquo; one NHL scout said. &ldquo;He has good positioning so he&rsquo;s not going to take penalties like hooking and holding. He&rsquo;s one of those players you don&rsquo;t want fighting and taking penalties because you want him on the ice. He doesn&rsquo;t do anything exceptionally well, but he&rsquo;s good at everything. (Although) he moves the puck out of his end, he&rsquo;s not flashy and he&rsquo;s not going to go end-to-end, but at the end of the night he&rsquo;ll have a couple of assists because he makes good decisions.&rdquo;He also makes for a good teammate. He is as quick to interact with both rookies and veterans.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m super-easy to approach and talk to,&rdquo; Alzner said. &ldquo;I never shun anybody.&rdquo;Nor does he get shunned. He even chatted with Joe Sakic, who is also from Burnaby, when the Colorado Avalanche visited Calgary. Such are the perks of playing junior in a big-league facility like the Saddledome.&ldquo;You see Iginla, Sakic, Gretzky all these guys, &ldquo;Alzner marvelled. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re really star-struck at first, but it&rsquo;s kind of cool that they&rsquo;re one level above where we are right now.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote">He&rsquo;s a great skater and his capacity for work is HUGE</blockquote>Alzner is about to move one important step closer.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been waiting for this for years and years,&rdquo; Alzner said of the draft. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy now that I finally get my chance. It couldn&rsquo;t come quickly enough.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Crowning King Karl

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN WOODLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012118/8951078-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(COURTESY BURNABY EXPRESS)</figcaption></div>INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING RANKINGS SINCE DECEMBER 2005KYLE TURRIS WAS ALREADY GROWING&nbsp;accustomed to being the center of attention.When you rocket up as many top prospect scouting lists as fast as Turris did this year, it comes with the territory. When you do it playing for the Burnaby Express in the junior-A British Columbia League, it&rsquo;s hard to miss when scouts start filling stands. GMs such as Kevin Lowe and Paul Holmgren stopped by.It took a few games for Turris to get comfortable in the spotlight, but he was still nervous when Holmgren and a handful of the Flyers front office came to watch him play in late February and take him to dinner afterwards. The nerves tingled a little more &ndash; and a little lower &ndash; when he found out someone just a little higher profile was also coming.&ldquo;I was about to take my pre-game nap and he phoned and said it was Wayne Gretzky. I just about crapped my pants,&rdquo; Turris says. &ldquo;I never expected this. I just came into the year trying to work hard, keep improving, put up good numbers and hope one or two scouts might notice. It seemed like one scout came to watch, and they told somebody else, and then there was two in the stands and it led to Mr. Lowe and Mr. Holmgren and Wayne Gretzky. It was unbelievable.&rdquo;Thing is, Chicago won the draft lottery and gets to pick ahead of Philadelphia, Phoenix and Edmonton. And there&rsquo;s every chance the Blackhawks will take Turris.<blockquote class="pullQuote">Great shot? Natural scorer? A slick passing playmaker who can change the pace of a game? Turris sounds a lot like JOE SAKIC</blockquote>So how does a kid who turned down the Western League and a guaranteed Memorial Cup berth in his hometown with the host Vancouver Giants, attract some of hockey&rsquo;s biggest names to the obscurity of the BCHL? Why is a Grade 12 student being projected as a potential first overall pick before he makes his college debut at Wisconsin?By scoring about two points per game the past two seasons &ndash; albeit against lesser competition than his draft-eligible peers.Turris shone on the international stage, representing Canada at various tournaments. He became a consensus top-10 pick in a November World Challenge game against Russia, scoring four times and hitting two posts in front of 100-plus scouts.Turris is a big fish in a small pond now, but few who watch him doubt his talents will translate to the top of bigger frozen ponds.Burnaby coach Rick Lanz, an ex-NHL defenseman, compares Turris to Marian Gaborik because he beats defenders 1-on-1 and handles and shoots the puck precisely in full stride.In addition to great genes &ndash; mom Vikky was a high school track star and dad Bruce is in the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame &ndash; others cited Turris for playmaking vision, an instinctive ability to switch speeds and catch teams flat-footed.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll use a certain speed coming into a situation and inherently knows to push the puck ahead, use another gear to lull the defenseman into a false sense of security,&rdquo; says Lanz. &ldquo;If that happens once you&rsquo;re amazed. When he does it consistently, you know there&rsquo;s a special thing at work.&rdquo;Great shot? Natural scorer? A slick passing playmaker who can change the pace of a game? Turris sounds a lot like Joe Sakic, another Burnaby product. But Turris lists retired great Steve Yzerman as his idol. It shows, says Lanz, in competitiveness, attention to defensive detail and team-first attitude, whether setting an example with work ethic or bringing his own health food on road trips.Even weaknesses &ndash; the 170 pounds he carries on a 6-foot frame &ndash; show strength, as Turris has committed himself to properly filling out his upper body.In the words of Lanz, Turris &ldquo;just gets it,&rdquo; and while those words come from a proud-but-biased coach, it&rsquo;s not long into any conversation with Turris that others start to understand what he means. The Gretzky appearance aside, Turris chooses his words with the polish and politeness of Sidney Crosby, but his tone also suggests a Jarome Iginla perma-grin.Turris was mature enough to think long term when selecting the college route despite a lot of pressure to play major junior.&ldquo;It gave me those extra years to develop and get stronger, which I need most,&rdquo; Turris says. &#9632;

f0010-01

The late contender

<div class="byline">BY RUI GOMES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012063/8951137-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="815" height="1040"><figcaption class="caption-body">SAM GAGNER London Knights No. 6 prospect (ALL CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021612/8951130-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="797" height="1040"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAT KANE London Knights No. 1 prospect</figcaption></div>HEY&nbsp;WERE BORN just 78 miles apart, on opposite sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Sam Gagner, the son of an NHLer, Pat Kane, the son of a Jeep dealership owner.Kane and Gagner spent the season side-by-side on the top line of the London Knights and finished first and fifth in the OHL&rsquo;s scoring race. At the 2007 draft June 22 in Columbus, they won&rsquo;t be separated by much either. There&rsquo;s a good chance they&rsquo;ll both be among the top five picks.Kane and Gagner weren&rsquo;t always this familiar.After playing in Sioux City of the United States League last season, Gagner, 17, was first to commit to London. The chance to move back to Canada and live at home was too compelling. And Kane was also considering the move, too.&ldquo;Before I signed on, I heard the possibility he was coming too and that was a factor in my decision,&rdquo; Gagner says.One would think his father Dave, being London&rsquo;s assistant coach, would have a big say in Sam&rsquo;s decision.&ldquo;I just got out of the way, to be honest,&rdquo; laughed Dave, who played 15 seasons with seven teams. &ldquo;Sometimes you get too stubborn as a parent. You push the child in the direction and then regret it later, so we just felt that it was his decision to make.&rdquo;Having spent much of last summer weighing options &ndash; including scholarship offers from Boston University and Michigan &ndash; Kane joined the Knights last August just before camp and that&rsquo;s when the duo first met.Gagner&rsquo;s father advised him to set attainable goals and says he understood the benefits of practise and a good work ethic.&ldquo;We&rsquo;d always talk about the fact you just have to make sure you have your own standards, make sure they&rsquo;re high enough and not to worry too much about what other people thought,&rdquo; Dave says.London GM Mark Hunter selected Kane in the fifth round (88th overall) at the 2004 OHL draft and Gagner the following year in the fourth round (67th overall). They were available that late because the expectation was they would both go the U.S. college route.&ldquo;It might have been a gamble to pick me that high,&rdquo; says Kane, an 18-year-old Buffalo native. &ldquo;In my under-17 year (2004-05), I never thought about the OHL as a serious option.&rdquo;Although Hunter gets credit for recruiting the duo, Kane and Gagner say there were other factors. OHL teams could play up to 100 games a season, which closely resembles the NHL.&ldquo;It prepares you for the next level,&rdquo; Kane says.And Kane and Gagner&rsquo;s flare for points made playing for the offensive Knights even more attractive.&ldquo;I got a chance to play with (Kane) in camp and he was even better than I expected,&rdquo; Gagner says.He&rsquo;s been better than many expected. According to International Scouting Services, Kane was 35th in its pre-season rankings, due to a lack of exposure with the U.S. under-18 team.&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t play against the best competition, except internationally,&rdquo; says ISS scout Chris McNamara. &ldquo;People were saying he&rsquo;s a small kid, he plays on the outside, he&rsquo;s skilled, but nobody is going to take him in the first round.&rdquo;But things changed. Playing on a line with Gagner and Montreal draft pick Sergei Kostitsyn, Kane led OHL scorers with 145 points in 58 games. Gagner finished fifth with 118 points.&ldquo;They got better and better as the year went on because they kept figuring out, &lsquo;Oh, this is what this &lsquo;D&rsquo; is going to do,&rsquo; &rdquo; says Knights coach Dale Hunter. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re very smart, intelligent players so they figure out how to score.&rdquo;Kane and Gagner earned spots on their national teams for the world juniors in December, but their experiences were different. While Kane flourished on Team USA&rsquo;s top line, Gagner worked hard just to crack Canada&rsquo;s fourth line.Kane was named the tournament&rsquo;s top goalscorer, but had to settle for bronze after being ousted by Canada in a shootout. Still, Kane proved to everyone he could shine among the world&rsquo;s best prospects.Although Kane is better known for his finishing skills and Gagner, for his playmaking ability, most scouts say there isn&rsquo;t much separating them.&ldquo;Sam&rsquo;s patience with the puck is really his strength where he can force defenders to open up without the puck, whereas Patrick can go right by them,&rdquo; says NHL scout Craig Button.Their only concerns are those of almost every prospect; defensive play and getting stronger.When they&rsquo;re not playing hockey, they like playing video games, usually NHL 07. Being from Buffalo, Kane says he chooses the Sabres, while Gagner chooses the Sabres because they&rsquo;re fast.They rip each other constantly, but it&rsquo;s all in good fun. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of my better friends on the team,&rdquo; Kane says.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011856/8951123-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1223" height="1216"><figcaption class="caption-body">GAGNER & KANE</figcaption></div>Not since 2001 when Alexander Svitov and Stanislav Chistov went third and fifth over all have two players from the same team been drafted in the top five.Regardless where they&rsquo;re selected, the &lsquo;who&rsquo;s better&rsquo; debate will continue beyond the draft and well into their careers.With the Chicago Blackhawks drawing the first pick, one scenario has Kane joining Jonathan Toews, who he remembers quite well from the WJC semifinal shootout against Canada.&ldquo;He was a little more successful in the shootout; he was 3-for-3 and I was 0-for-2,&rdquo; Kane understated.INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING RANKINGS SINCE OCTOBER 2005<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031040/8951116-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="1020" height="193"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04627/8951109-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="1020" height="193"></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

Dynamic duo top draft class

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012039/8951175-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">NICK PETRECKI Omaha Lancers No. 15 prospect (ROBERT J. MEYER)</figcaption></div>RAISE&nbsp;YOUR HAND IF YOU CAN ANSWER a couple of skill-testing questions about the United States League.Thought so.But don&rsquo;t worry if you think you&rsquo;d fail the test. For the record, the USHL is the only junior-A league in the United States and it has become an important breeding ground for NHL players.USHL whistle stops such as Sioux Falls (N.D.), Sioux City (Iowa), Lincoln (Neb.), Green Bay (Wisc.) and Des Moines (Iowa) are as much a part of the prospect landscape as Kitchener (Ont.), Red Deer (Alta.), Moscow, Stockholm and Bismark, N.D. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a league you ignore,&rdquo; says Jim Nill, the Detroit assistant GM who oversees the Red Wings&rsquo; scouting department.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021542/8951168-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="210" height="237"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alan</figcaption></div>A decade ago, the USHL was a hockey junkyard that attracted little attention. Totally different now. Last year, two of its players were taken in the top 17 of the first round and a total of 20 were chosen overall in the NHL draft.Now you might call the USHL a minnow when Adamsyou compare its number of players drafted to the throngs taken from the Canadian Hockey League and Europe, but the USHL had two more players plucked from its ranks compared to U.S. colleges in the &lsquo;06 draft.Maybe the NHL&rsquo;s Guide and Record Book should remove the USHL and the British Columbia Junior League to a lesser extent, from the &ldquo;Other&rdquo; category in its summary of drafted players.Unlike the last couple of NHL drafts, when Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin were can&rsquo;t-miss franchise players who stepped onto NHL rosters, there is no clear-cut choice for the top 18-year-old player in the Class of &lsquo;07.The Chicago Blackhawks own the first overall pick and GM Dale Tallon is on record saying a scorer is a priority. That said, Tallon could look past major junior and dip into the BCHL and take Kyle Turris of the Burnaby Express.Now you might say we&rsquo;re getting off topic here because Turris doesn&rsquo;t play in the USHL. Point taken, but the fact remains the so-called second tier of junior hockey is producing top prospects.There are 16 USHL players competing in the &lsquo;07 playoffs. There were 26 USHL players taken in the 2005 draft. There are five USHL players in the 2007 version of The Hockey News list of the top 100 draft-eligible players. And the NHL invited seven USHL players to the draft combine in Toronto that runs May 29 to June 2.Players come from all over the map &ndash; Canada, Europe and the United States &ndash; to play in the USHL. They leave family and friends behind to move in with strangers and chase their dream of playing pro hockey.One attraction to the USHL is a good ticket to U.S. college hockey. The USHL is a college feeder system. So is the BCHL for that matter. Nashville&rsquo;s Paul Kariya played in the BCHL before going to the University of Maine. Turris has signed a letter of intent to play for Wisconsin next season.The moral is: Hockey is about competing. Players compete for the puck, teams compete for the Stanley Cup.The USHL &ndash; and the BCHL to a lesser extent &ndash; used to have to compete for recognition, but not anymore. Now the upstart leagues are competing against the top development league for players and that is good for hockey. &#9632;

f0014-01

Talent coming from ‘Others’

<div class="byline">BY NEIL HODGE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011817/8951213-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANGELO ESPOSITO Quebec Remparts No. 9 prospect (COURTESTY QUEBEC REMPARTS)</figcaption></div>NO,&nbsp;HE&rsquo;S NOT RELATED to former NHLers Phil and Tony Esposito.&ldquo;Every time I meet someone new, they ask me that,&rdquo; said Quebec Remparts center Angelo Esposito.Another question people are asking &ndash; although not to his face &ndash; is why Esposito has fallen from the No. 1 can&rsquo;t-miss prospect spot a year ago to No. 9. The Montreal native was the No. 1 North American skater in NHL central scouting&rsquo;s mid-season rankings, but slipped to No. 8 in the final ranking. He won the Briere Trophy as the QMJHL&rsquo;s best prospect for this year&rsquo;s draft.&ldquo;My main goal is just to play in the NHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I try not to think about the rankings and what people are saying. It&rsquo;s tough, but I&rsquo;ve had (Quebec coach) Patrick Roy helping me deal with this. He&rsquo;s been through it, so he understands.&rsquo;&rsquo;Roy&rsquo;s message was simple.&ldquo;I told him don&rsquo;t worry about where you&rsquo;re going to go in the draft, you have no control,&rsquo;&rsquo; said the Hall of Fame goalie. &ldquo;It depends on what teams are looking for. I&rsquo;m not nervous for him. He&rsquo;s going to be a first rounder and he&rsquo;s going to have a great career.&rdquo;Esposito exploded into the QMJHL with 98 points, including 39 goals, in 57 games in 2005-06 and helped Quebec win the Memorial Cup. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound youngster had 27 goals and 79 points in 60 games this campaign.&ldquo;Last season, I was surrounded by a lot of great players,&rsquo;&rsquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;This season, I was trying to do too much by myself. It was more a learning season and I had my ups and downs.&rdquo;NHL scouts say Esposito failed to meet expectations this season. Roy points out that although his stats dipped, he developed into a more complete center, especially with improved defensive play.&ldquo;He could have the speed of (Mike) Modano,&rdquo; Roy said. &ldquo;He has a good shot like Modano. He sees the play well like Modano. He doesn&rsquo;t have the same stickhandling skills and that&rsquo;s something he&rsquo;s working on. He&rsquo;s easy to coach. He&rsquo;s dedicated, he wants to get better.&rsquo;&rsquo;Some NHL scouts question Esposito&rsquo;s creativity. That&rsquo;s the main reason he dropped in the rankings, said one scout.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to play in the NHL, but probably on the second or third line depending on the depth of his team. Some compare him to a potential Brendan Morrow. He&rsquo;s a great skater, competes, a very intelligent player. He&rsquo;s going to go in the top 10 or 12 picks.&rdquo;Another NHL scout figures Esposito will go between fifth and 15th overall in the draft.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an elite skater with good hands,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He stays on the outside a little too much and just didn&rsquo;t create plays like he did a year ago. People would not have questioned his creativity a year ago.&rdquo;A third NHL scout likes Esposito&rsquo;s creativity.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got tremendous vision and fabulous offensive instincts,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said. &ldquo;He has the ability when he&rsquo;s playing with another player to help that individual become even better because of his puck distribution.&rdquo;INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING RANKINGS SINCE OCTOBER 2005<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021412/8951206-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="1021" height="193"></div> &#9632;

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Talent runs in the name

f0018-01

PROSPECT FEATURES

<div class="byline">BY DAN WOOD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011305/8951863-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="300" height="73"></div>WHILE THERE DOESN&rsquo;T look to be another star-studded group along the lines of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Dustin Penner on the horizon, the Anaheim Ducks feel good about the top prospects in their system.Right winger Bobby Ryan, the second overall selection in the 2005 draft, and defenseman Mark Mitera, a top-round choice last year, headline Anaheim&rsquo;s list. Both could be a ways away, but will be key players down the road.The Ducks are hoping for a significant yield from the 2005 draft, where they fetched defenseman Brendan Mikkelson in the second round, left winger Bobby Bolt and defenseman Brian Salcido in the fifth and goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur in the seventh.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Under GM Brian Burke and lead by director of scouting Alain Chainey, the Ducks are committed to selecting what they believe is the best player available, regardless of position. Proof came two years ago when Anaheim chose Ryan over defenseman Jack Johnson despite an abundance of forwards and fewer blueliners.The Ducks are interested in smaller players because of the crackdown on obstruction in the new NHL, but still value size, and above all, character.IMMEDIATE NEED With Jean-Sebastien Giguere due to become an unrestricted free agent and uncertainty over whether Ilya Bryzgalov can be a full-time starter, goaltending figures to become a significant issue.The Ducks could re-sign Giguere, seek another goalie via free agency or a trade. Burke, who has made big splashes the past two summers by acquiring Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, figures to be on the spot until the goaltending issue is settled.LONG-TERM NEED With Niedermayer signed for two more seasons and Pronger for three, coupled with a relative lack of young defensemen in the system, Anaheim figures to be in the market for more blueline talent.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02886/8951856-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="906" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">TEEMU SELANNE 10th overall, 1988 (DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>The Ducks signed underrated Francois Beauchemin to a two-year contract extension earlier this season, but will look to add more.READY TO STEP IN Right winger Ryan Shannon was in the lineup regularly during the first half of the season, but was assigned to Portland (AHL) in January. He figures to get a long look at training camp.2006 FIRST PICK Mark Mitera, D, University of Michigan, 19th overall. 41-1-17-18-52. Mitera improved all of his numbers as a Wolverine sophomore. The question now is whether or not he should continue his development in college or make the jump to the pros.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Tim Brent, C, 23; Joe DiPenta, D, 28; Kent Huskins, D, 28; Travis Moen, LW, 25; George Parros, RW, 27; Dustin Penner, LW, 24; Ryan Shannon, RW, 24; Shawn Thornton, RW, 29.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS J-S Giguere, G, 30; Brad May, LW, 35; Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, D, 35; Teemu Selanne, RW, 36.<h3>FUTURE WATCH 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Anaheim&rsquo;s system1 Bobby Ryan, RW, Owen Sound (OHL)2 Mark Mitera, D, Michigan (CCHA)3 Ryan Shannon, RW, Portland (AHL)4 B. Mikkelson, D, Vancouver (WHL)5 J-P Levasseur, G, R-Noranda (QMJHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 28th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Justin Williams, &rsquo;00Shean Donovan, &rsquo;93Corey Perry, &rsquo;03Jan Hlavac, &rsquo;95Daniel Marois, &rsquo;87<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Paul Holden, &rsquo;88B. Semchuk, &rsquo;90Adrian Foster, &rsquo;01J. Johansson, &rsquo;02Brad Defauw, &rsquo;97<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03647/8951849-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04476/8951842-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05363/8951835-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06297/8951828-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 12nd Season 23rd Season 24th Season + 5Never Made It 7In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0030-01

Size, character crucial for Ducks

<div class="byline">BY GUY CURTRIGHT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06304/8951922-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="903" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARIAN HOSSA 12th overall, 1997 (PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05366/8951929-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="144" height="122"></div>THE FUTURE WAS now for the Thrashers in 2006-07 (albeit shortlived in the playoffs), as GM Don Waddell&rsquo;s wheeling and dealing proved at the NHL trade deadline.Dealt away were Braydon Coburn, the first round pick in 2003, Alex Bourret, a first-rounder in 2005, as well as the team&rsquo;s top selection this summer.Atlanta isn&rsquo;t well-stocked with forwards and the Thrashers aren&rsquo;t likely to have success addressing that problem without a pick in the first two rounds of the 2007 draft.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Waddell is noted for being very hands-on. There have been hits and misses when judging talent, with the jury still out on the most recent drafts.Originally, chief scout Dan Marr became director of amateur scouting and player development after the 2003 draft. Mark Dobson, a long-time Thrashers scout, was named director of player personnel before the start of last season.IMMEDIATE NEED With so many free agents, the Thrashers will have to make some tough decisions this summer.Even though it would cost them another No. 1 pick to St. Louis, Tkachuk could be back if re-signing him doesn&rsquo;t bust the budget.The Thrashers think they have several defensemen ready to play in the NHL next year, so Waddell is likely to allow some of his veteran blueliners to test free agency.LONG-TERM NEED The Thrashers are an older team; there wasn&rsquo;t a rookie on the roster at the end of the regular season.Atlanta needs an infusion of good young players to complement the team&rsquo;s three cornerstones &ndash; highscoring Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk and goalie Kari Lehtonen.The Thrashers aren&rsquo;t the kind of franchise that will be able to keep spending up to or near the salary cap.READY TO STEP IN Rookie blueliners such as Boris Valabik and Nathan Oystrick are expected to play next season, but keep an eye on winger Brett Sterling, a scoring sensation with Chicago (AHL).</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d be very surprised if he doesn&rsquo;t play for our team next year,&rdquo; said Waddell of the Californian, who was a fifth round pick in 2003 out of Colorado College.Sterling, 22, is just 5-foot-7, but that is no longer the disadvantage it once was. &ldquo;His game fits the new NHL,&rdquo; Waddell said.2006 FIRST PICK Bryan Little, C, Barrie, 12th overall. 57-41-66-107-77. Little is a great skater and playmaker. He&rsquo;s capable of playing a physical game to go along with his abundant skills.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Garnet Exelby, D, 25; Steve McCarthy, D, 26; Jim Slater, C, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Eric Belanger, C, 29; Eric Boulton, LW, 30; Greg de Vries, D, 34; Pascal Dupuis, LW, 28; Shane Hnidy, D, 31; Slava Kozlov, LW, 35; Brad Larsen, LW, 30; Derek MacKenzie, C, 26; Scott Mellanby, RW, 41; Jon Sim, RW, 29; Andy Sutton, D, 32; Keith Tkachuk, C, 35; J-P Vigier, RW, 30.<h3>FUTURE WATCH 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Atlanta&rsquo;s system1 Bryan Little, C, Barrie (OHL)2 O. Pavelec, G, Cape Breton (QMJHL)3 Boris Valabik, D, Chicago (AHL)4 Nathan Oystrick, D, Chicago (AHL)5 Riley Holzapfel, C, Moose Jaw (WHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 25th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>B. Morrow, &rsquo;97Cam Ward, &rsquo;02S. Matteau, &rsquo;87Chris Simon, &rsquo;90Kevyn Adams, &rsquo;93<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Eric Lavigne, &rsquo;91Dan Ratushny, &rsquo;89Mark Major, &rsquo;88Chad Penney, &rsquo;92Mikhail Kuleshov, &rsquo;96<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011202/8951915-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02800/8951908-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="24" height="26">Canadian 65%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03605/8951901-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04463/8951894-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="24" height="26">International 20%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to&nbsp;Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 13rd Season 44th Season + 8Never Made It 5In Progress 2 &#9632;

f0031-06

Future dealt for instant gain

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-08" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-08205/8951960-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07255/8951967-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="194" height="60"></div>Here&rsquo;s how our first round ranking from 1987 compared with the actual. Only nine went on to be among the 21 best. &#9632;

f0031-08

Backtesting our 1987 draft rankings

<div class="byline">BY MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02849/8952026-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="906" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARC SAVARD 91st overall, 1995 (STEVE BABINEAU/SPORTS ACTION)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011282/8952033-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="128" height="128"></div>THE BOSTON BRUINS longed for a year like 2003 &ndash; a playoff season, with draft picks in each round that summer. But, Boston&rsquo;s second straight failure to reach the postseason results in another choice within the top 10.The Bruins will not net what they did at No. 5 last year &ndash; center Phil Kessel &ndash; but with so many B&rsquo;s still on multi-year contracts, a strong prospect list must be developed to add depth to the organization.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE GM Peter Chiarelli kept director of amateur scouting Scott Bradley for a 10th season and re-shaped the scouting staff. The draft philosophy is still to select the best player available, but more emphasis will be placed on hockey sense and skating. Where size was often a determining factor when rating a player, it is no longer a top priority.IMMEDIATE NEED Trades and departures the past two seasons has left Boston smaller than it would like up front. That&rsquo;s particularly true at center, after the exit of Joe Thornton in 2005 and Wayne Primeau this season.A down-the-middle depth chart of Marc Savard, Patrice Bergeron and Phil Kessel needs size and strength on either side. With so much invested in a small group of players, the B&rsquo;s would like to promote from within, but Chiarelli doesn&rsquo;t rule out a trade or freeagent signing.LONG-TERM NEED The Bruins like their makeup on defense, where prospects are lining up. In goal, Hannu Toivonen is still seen as a strong prospect and Tuukka Rask is steadily developing and gives them depth at that position.Boston isn&rsquo;t as deep at forward, though. Recent drafts have helped, but the need is still there for strong, young forwards to enter the organization. Fast, goalscoring wingers will be a main focus, as the plan is to have them flank Savard and Bergeron.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY&nbsp;TO STEP IN After a strong rookie pro season in 2005-06 that included 17 solid games in Boston, defenseman Mark Stuart was a strong candidate to earn a job this season. Off-season knee surgery took him out of training camp, however, and interrupted the promising start to his career. The big, tough blueliner will make the jump next year.2006 FIRST PICK Phil Kessel, C, Boston, fifth overall, 67-11-17-28-10. The young forward showed remarkable resilience in returning from successful cancer surgery in December. He played better at center than on the wing. Kessel played his best hockey down the stretch.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Andrew Alberts, D, 25; Brandon Bochenski, RW, 25; Chuck Kobasew, RW, 25; Philippe Sauve, G, 27; Hannu Toivonen, G, 22; Dennis Wideman, D, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Bobby Allen, D, 28; Nathan Dempsey, D, 32; Brian Finley, G, 25; Joey MacDonald, G, 27; Jeremy Reich, LW, 28; Petr Tenkrat, LW, 29; Jason York, D, 36.<h3>FUTURE WATCH 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Boston&rsquo;s system1 Tuukka Rask, G, Ilves Tampere (Fin.)2 Matt Lashoff, D, Providence (AHL)3 Mark Stuart, D, Providence (AHL)4 Petr Kalus, LW, Providence (AHL)5 Jonathan Sigalet, D, Providence (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 8th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>J. Roenick, &rsquo;88Derian Hatcher, &rsquo;90R. Matvichuk, &rsquo;91S. Samsonov, &rsquo;97P-M Bouchard, &rsquo;02<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Jason Herter, &rsquo;89Terry Ryan, &rsquo;95J. Aitken, &rsquo;96B. Convery, &rsquo;92Jimmy Waite, &rsquo;87<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03616/8952019-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04450/8952012-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 70%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05352/8952005-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06296/8951998-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="24" height="26">International 15%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to&nbsp;Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 32nd Season 53rd Season 24th Season + 5Never Made It 2In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0032-02

Depth an issue, draft the solution

<div class="byline">BY TIM GRAHAM</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06355/8952130-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANIEL BRIERE 24th overall, 1996 (DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05407/8952137-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="167" height="111"></div>FOR THE SECOND consecutive season, the Sabres repeatedly recalled rookies from Rochester (AHL) and didn&rsquo;t miss a beat.Last season, forwards Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Daniel Paille and Jiri Novotny all contributed to a team held together by duct tape. With Roy, Pominville, Novotny and rookie defenseman Nathan Paetsch making the roster out of camp this season, it was unlikely the Sabres could dip into their reserves and remain successful again &ndash; yet that&rsquo;s exactly what they did.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Much of the hockey world is closely watching how Buffalo&rsquo;s scouting department makes out over the next few years.The Sabres whittled their staff, cut back on travel and adopted an evaluation system heavy on video analysis rather than eyewitness assessment. Many hardliners consider it sacrilege, while others are nervous the cost-cutting approach might revolutionize the way things are done and eliminate scouting jobs.Amateur scouting director Jim Benning, who had run Buffalo&rsquo;s draft, and pro scouting director Terry Martin both left because they were uncomfortable with the new direction. Veteran scout Kevin Devine was promoted to replace Benning.IMMEDIATE NEED Last summer, the Sabres thought they could best thrive with a defense corps that was exclusively mobile. They lost rugged rearguard Jay McKee to free agency and replaced him with Jaroslav Spacek.As the season wore on, the Sabres discovered they needed more muscle on the back end, but there was nothing in the organization. A traditional physical defenseman is needed.LONG-TERM NEED The Sabres started the season with enviable goaltending depth. They had the best 1-2 punch in the league with All-Star Game starter Ryan Miller and backup Martin Biron, but dealt Biron at the deadline. The Sabres select-ed Sweden&rsquo;s Jhonas Enroth 46th overall last June, but given the unpredictable and long-developing nature of the position, a team can never have enough depth in the crease.READY TO STEP IN Clarke MacArthur hasn&rsquo;t had a significant opportunity to show what he can do, but the winger has held his own. At one point, MacArthur dressed for 17 straight games because of injuries. He rarely played more than eight minutes a night, but he still managed seven points.2006 FIRST PICK Dennis Persson, D, Djurgarden, 24th overall. 9-0-0-0-2. Persson had a rocky postdraft season, bouncing around different Swedishleague levels and being left off the world junior squad despite playing a substantial role on the under-18 team.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Nathan Paetsch, D, 24; Daniel Paille, LW, 23; Andrew Peters, RW, 27; Derek Roy, C, 24; Thomas Vanek, RW, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Daniel Briere, C, 29; Ty Conklin, G, 31; Chris Drury C, 30; Adam Mair, RW 28; Teppo Numminen, D, 39; Dainius Zubrus, C, 29.<h3>FUTURE WATCH 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Buffalo&rsquo;s system1 Drew Stafford, RW, Rochester (AHL)2 Andrej Sekera, D, Rochester (AHL)3 Dan Paille, LW, Rochester (AHL)4 C. MacArthur, LW, Rochester (AHL)5 Dennis Persson, D, Djurgarden (Swe.)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 30th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Sandis Ozolinsh, &rsquo;91P. Brisebois, &rsquo;89Deron Quint, &rsquo;94Josh Green, &rsquo;96Jim Slater, &rsquo;02<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Rod Pasma, &rsquo;90Jeff Harding, &rsquo;87Mike McBain, &rsquo;95Nikolai Tsulygin, &rsquo;93J-M Pelletier, &rsquo;97<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011149/8952123-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02776/8952116-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03612/8952109-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="24" height="26">American 30%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04488/8952102-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="24" height="26">International 15%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to&nbsp;Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 23rd Season 54th Season + 3Never Made It 6In Progress 4 &#9632;

f0033-06

Endless supply ready to reload

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02874/8952196-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="903" height="1054"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAROME IGINLA 11th overall, 1995 (DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011294/8952203-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="144" height="123"></div>REBUILDING THE Calgary Flames&rsquo; developmental system has taken time, but the results are starting to show.There are still too few homegrown regulars with the team, a product of so many poor drafts through the 1990s, but the Flames will see a turnover of non-core positions next season to be filled by up-and-comers in the system.Calgary&rsquo;s farm team in Omaha was among the youngest in the American League, yet was battling for a division title thanks to the club&rsquo;s focus on the draft. Now, the goal is to ensure a regular pipeline flows all the way to the Stampede City.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE GM Darryl Sutter has made scouting for talent a huge priority. The success in San Jose is in big part to the foundation laid by Sutter and former Sharks GM Dean Lombardi and that same plan of building and rebuilding from within is playing out with Sutter calling the shots. Tod Button and Mike Sands lead the attack to discover talent in the junior ranks.IMMEDIATE NEED Having a star goalie and more depth up front than they&rsquo;ve had in years, the Flames will look to add to the blueline.The top end of the defense corps is solidified with cornerstones Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf. Calgary will need proven NHLers if Brad Stuart and/or Roman Hamrlik don&rsquo;t re-sign, however.Backup goalie is another minor issue, but must be taken care of at some point.LONG-TERM NEED The surprising emergence of David Moss highlights how few scoring wingers and top-six forwards are waiting in the wings.In a few seasons, the core of the team will not be in their prime any longer and the onus will be to replace them with ready, NHL caliber talent.READY TO STEP IN Center Andrei Taratukhin had a very good first season in North America. The Russian put up better than expected point totals in Omaha.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>With Calgary, he&rsquo;d be looked at for his defensive game, but by showing offensive upside with the Knights, Taratukhin may have enough to be used in a second-line role if needed.2006 FIRST PICK Leland Irving, G, Everett, 26th overall, 34-9-3, 1.86, .929. For the third straight season, Irving posted a goals-against average below 2.00 and a save percentage above .920 and continued to be a stalwart for a very strong Everett team that has Memorial Cup hopes and expectations.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Mark Giordano, D, 23; David Hale, D, 26 Matthew Lombardi, C, 25; David Moss, RW, 23; Richie Regehr, D, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Tony Amonte, RW, 36; Jeff Friesen, LW, 30; Eric Godard, RW, 27; Roman Hamrlik, D, 33; Darren McCarty, RW, 35; Jamie McLennan, G, 36; Marcus Nilson, C, 29; Wayne Primeau, C, 30; Byron Ritchie, C, 30; Brad Stuart, D, 27.<h3>FUTURE WATCH 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Calgary&rsquo;s system1 Leland Irving, G, Everett (WHL)2 Dustin Boyd, C, Omaha (AHL)3 Andrei Taratukhin, C, Omaha (AHL)4 Dan Ryder, C, Plymouth (OHL)5 Eric Nystrom, LW, Omaha (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 18th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Glen Murray, &rsquo;91Petr Sykora, &rsquo;95Jason Smith, &rsquo;92Dmitri Kalinin, &rsquo;98Jody Hull, &rsquo;87<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Jesper Mattson, &rsquo;93Jason Miller, &rsquo;89Jens Karlsson, &rsquo;01Matt Higgins, &rsquo;96Rob Cimetta, &rsquo;88<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03692/8952189-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04550/8952182-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05449/8952175-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="24" height="26">American 5%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06404/8952168-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="24" height="26">International 35%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to&nbsp;Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 12nd Season 43rd Season 24th Season + 7Never Made It 3In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0034-02

Flames fragile on back end

<div class="byline">BY LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02780/8952262-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">RAY WHITNEY 23rd overall, 1991 (JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011187/8952269-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="155" height="94"></div>FROM 2003 TO &rsquo;05, Carolina had three straight top-four draft picks. And in 2002, they struck gold late in the first round with goalie Cam Ward. So why is the Canes&rsquo; system nearly devoid of top-flight prospects?Two of those high picks, along with Ward, are already in the NHL: Eric Staal and Andrew Ladd. The other, highly regarded defenseman Jack Johnson, was dealt to L.A. in a controversial deal that will long be debated among Hurricanes fans.So, the cupboard needs restocking in the coming drafts.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The Canes added a few part-time scouts to one of the NHL&rsquo;s smallest scouting departments &ndash; they have only four full-time amateur scouts &ndash; but they continue to rely heavily on the judgement of chief scout Sheldon Ferguson. Since the lockout, the team has placed an emphasis on professional scouting.The Hurricanes tend to draft from the OHL, WHL and NCAA, with few picks coming from Europe or Quebec, but that may change with the addition of scouts focusing on those two regions.IMMEDIATE NEED With 10 NHL defensemen on the roster to finish the season, the Canes have the depth to survive any retirements or defections without much trouble. And the goaltending tandem is set with Ward and John Grahame.But with free agency likely to strip some assets up front, the Canes could use some reinforcements at forward. Some more depth in the system, with a few players on the verge of cracking the NHL, would help, too.LONG-TERM NEED With a solid core of young players at forward and in goal &ndash; Staal, Justin Williams, Ladd, Ward &ndash; Carolina has a foundation. But the clock never slows and the Canes need to think about finding and developing impact players to replace the likes of Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour and Cory Stillman down the road.There&rsquo;s also an urgent need for more promising younger players on defense, where there are no top-flight prospects close to the departed Johnson. The Canes need college defensemen like Jamie McBain, Kyle Lawson and Noah Babin to pan out.READY TO STEP IN After a solid career in the Quebec League &ndash; including a Memorial Cup appearance with Victoriaville &ndash; goalie Daniel Manzato went back to his native Switzerland. But Swiss national coach Ralph Krueger is also a Carolina scout and his reports have been so favorable that the Canes want Manzato back in North America.2006 FIRST PICK Jamie McBain, D, Wisconsin, 63rd overall. 36-3-15-18-36. As a freshman, McBain led Wisconsin defensemen in scoring, earning praise for his adaptation to the NCAA.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Anton Babchuk, D, 23; Cam Ward, G, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Anson Carter, RW, 33; Bret Hedican, D, 36; David Tanabe, D, 26; Josef Vasicek, C, 26; Scott Walker, RW, 33; Glen Wesley, D, 38.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Carolina&rsquo;s system1 Justin Peters, G, Albany (AHL)2 Jamie McBain, D, Wisconsin (WCHA)3 Harrison Reed, RW, Sarnia (OHL)4 Bobby Hughes, C, Kingston (OHL)5 Joe Barnes, C, Albany (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 11th&nbsp;OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Jarome Iginla, &rsquo;95Brian Rolston, &rsquo;91Mike Sillinger, &rsquo;89Brendan Witt, &rsquo;93Jeff Friesen, &rsquo;94<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Chris Govedaris, &rsquo;88David Cooper, &rsquo;92Jeff Heerema, &rsquo;98Pavel Vorobiev, &rsquo;00Dan Focht, &rsquo;96<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03643/8952255-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04502/8952248-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 65%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05424/8952241-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06370/8952234-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 12nd Season 33rd Season 54th Season + 8Never Made It 1In Progress 2 &#9632;

f0036-02

Without Johnson, is anyone ready?

<div class="byline">BY TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02723/8952328-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARTIN HAVLAT 26th overall, 1999 (JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011058/8952335-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="144" height="126"></div>THE BLACKHAWKS believe they have drafted well in recent years and are waiting patiently for the payoff.For the most part, GM Dale Tallon has a plan to develop the organization&rsquo;s prospects and has followed it. The Hawks&rsquo; Norfolk affiliate was one of the top clubs in the American League this season and the hope is a number of the players off that roster will play in Chicago next season.Because of injuries and the fact the Hawks were out of the playoff race in February, Tallon was able to call up prospects one and two at a time to give them a taste of NHL speed and action.All of the Hawks&rsquo; top prospects, except those in college or junior, got the chance to play at least one NHL game over the past two seasons.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The scouting staff has grown since Tallon, a scout at heart, took over as GM. He remains very hands on when it comes to scouting and drafting and gets assistance from Rick Dudley and staff.Finding more speed and skill has been Tallon&rsquo;s main issue, but it&rsquo;s character they are on the lookout for.IMMEDIATE NEED If the strength of the organization is on defense and in goal, as Tallon says, then its weakness is up front. Big time.Tallon has taken more than a few gambles on players he hoped would address the offensive concerns, which is where the club needs help the most.LONG-TERM NEED Tallon thinks goalie Corey Crawford will be in Chicago within two years playing a lot of hockey, but after him there is a lack of depth in the crease.After concentrating so much on forward, it is time for the Hawks to look at supplementing their defense and goaltending. Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Cam Barker are going to be the Hawks&rsquo; big three. After that, there are question marks.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN The Hawks are banking on center Jonathan Toews to step into the lineup at camp.Ideally for the Hawks, one or two other forwards from the group of Troy Brouwer, Jack Skille, Dave Bolland and Michael Blunden will prove to be ready for the NHL as well.Defensemen Dustin Byfuglien and Danny Richmond are also expected to step into the lineup in 2007-08.2006 FIRST PICK Jonathan Toews, C, University of North Dakota, third overall 31-16-27-43-10. The poised playmaker led Canada to gold at the World Junior Championship and North Dakota back to the NCAA Frozen Four. Now the Hawks have their fingers crossed he makes a big impact next season.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Nikita Alexeev, RW, 25; Michael Holmqvist, LW, 28; Danny Richmond, D, 22; Jim Vandermeer, D, 27; James Wisniewski, D, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Denis Arkhipov, C, 28; Peter Bondra, RW, 39; Jeff Hamilton, LW, 29; Michal Handzus, C, 29; Patrick Lalime, G, 32.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Chicago&rsquo;s system1 Jonathan Toews, C, N. Dakota (WCHA)2 Cam Barker, D, Norfolk (AHL)3 Jack Skille, RW, Wisconsin (WCHA)4 Michael Blunden, RW, Norfolk (AHL)5 Dustin Byfuglien, D, Norfolk (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 1st OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Sidney Crosby, &rsquo;06Joe Thornton, &rsquo;97Alex Ovechkin, &rsquo;04Vinny Lecavalier, &rsquo;98Mike Modano, &rsquo;88<h3>Three Worst Picks</h3>Patrik Stefan, &rsquo;99Alexandre Daigle &rsquo;93Bryan Berard &rsquo;95<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03581/8952321-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04489/8952314-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05440/8952307-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="24" height="26">American 20%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06388/8952300-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 102nd Season 73rd Season 14th Season + 1Never Made It 0In Progress 1 &#9632;

f0037-02

Hawks offense in need of spark

<div class="byline">BY ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02765/8952394-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOE SAKIC 15th overall, 1987 (STEVE BABINEAU/SPORTS ACTION)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011143/8952401-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="144" height="118"></div>BESIDES THE Sidney Crosby draft, where every NHL team had a shot at him, this year&rsquo;s draft will be the first in which the Colorado Avalanche will be thrown into the rest of the riff-raff otherwise known as the &lsquo;Teams That Didn&rsquo;t Make The Playoffs.&rsquo;This is not a place the Avs want to be, but perhaps finding a first round gem will be a nice salve. Colorado hasn&rsquo;t had a top 15 pick in seven drafts.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Chief scout Ted Hampson became the fourth man to assume the position with the Avalanche since the team moved to Denver.Hampson oversees a beefed-up department, with 15 employees stationed across the globe. One of the best additions to the Avalanche was a scout stationed in Moscow, a place where many other teams have mined good talent.A lower player payroll convinced Avs management to spend more on scouting and with new GM Francois Giguere&rsquo;s mandate to protect young draft assets, the picks are more important than ever.IMMEDIATE NEED The Avs need better young defensemen and they need them now. For too long, the team has failed to develop top-flight defensive talent, usually looking for help via trade. John-Michael Liles was a nice find in the later rounds, but other top round picks were duds.If Jose Theodore is bought out, another goalie will be a desire for the Avs. Only two others &ndash; Tyler Weiman and Michael Wall &ndash; have signed contracts as goalies in the organization.LONG-TERM NEED Help at right wing is something Giguere will be thinking about in the future. Milan Hejduk and Andrew Brunette had excellent seasons, but are over 30, and Marek Svatos had a sub-par year.At center, things look better than they used to &ndash; thanks to the rapid development of Paul Stastny &ndash; but ageless, tireless Joe Sakic can&rsquo;t play forever.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN It will be a good training camp this fall in Denver. Right winger Chris Stewart will get a hard look to see if he&rsquo;s ready to make the jump. Stewart might require another year of seasoning, but the Avs need more muscle up front and Stewart is the best they have in the pipeline to fill such a need.Other candidates for promotion include Hobey Baker finalist T.J. Hensick, forwards Codey Burki and David Jones and defenseman Johnny Boychuk.2006&nbsp;FIRST PICK Chris Stewart, RW, Kingston, 18th overall. 61-36-46-82-108. His production slipped, but it was still a progressive year for the rugged winger.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jordan Leopold, D, 26; Kurt Sauer, D, 26; Marek Svatos, RW, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Tyler Arnason, C, 28; Patrice Brisebois, D, 36; Ben Guite, C, 28; Ken Klee, D, 36; Ian Laperriere, RW, 33; Brett McLean, LW, 28; Scott Parker, RW, 29; Mark Rycroft, RW, 28; Pierre Turgeon, C, 37; Ossi Vaananen, D, 26.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Colorado&rsquo;s system1 Chris Stewart, RW, Kingston (OHL)2 Ryan Stoa, C, Minnesota (WCHA)3 T.J. Hensick, C, Michigan (CCHA)4 Codey Burki, C, Brandon (WHL)5 Nigel Williams, D, Saginaw (OHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 14th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Sergei Gonchar, &rsquo;92Jay McKee, &rsquo;95A. Deadmarsh, &rsquo;93Ethan Moreau, &rsquo;94Stephane Quintal, &rsquo;87<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>P. DesRochers, &rsquo;98Michel Reisen, &rsquo;97V. Nedorost, &rsquo;00Claude Boivin &rsquo;88Jeff Jillson, &rsquo;99<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03619/8952387-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04495/8952380-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05392/8952373-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="24" height="26">American 20%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06332/8952366-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="24" height="26"> International 20%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 43rd Season 84th Season + 3Never Made It 2In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0038-02

Avs go global to build future

<div class="byline">BY AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02676/8952460-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="903" height="1053"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID VYBORNY 33rd overall, 1993 (RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011050/8952467-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="144" height="125"></div>FOR BLUE JACKETS fans, the NHL draft has been, sadly, the most exciting date on the NHL calendar.They&rsquo;ve been sold a bill of goods by management &ndash; the Blue Jackets young talent is second to none, their prospects are close to NHL-ready and this coming season holds the promise of a first-ever berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.Ah, summer. There are no losses in June, only early picks in the first round of drafts. And the Blue Jackets, given their on-ice ineptitude in the first six seasons, are always trying to provide substance to add to potential.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The Blue Jackets lamented that the 2000 expansion draft left them with too many smallish, speedy, skill players and not enough strapping lads.So they arrived at the entry draft table the first five seasons with a clear directive from GM Doug MacLean to bring bigger, meaner, stronger players into the organization.The mantra: When in doubt, draft &lsquo;em stout.Now, the Blue Jackets have shifted course.IMMEDIATE NEED The Blue Jackets simply must acquire a No. 1 center this off-season.They keep suggesting center Derick Brassard will be ready next season, but it&rsquo;s time they stop rushing prospects to the NHL.Don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Blue Jackets trade their No. 1 pick to get a bona fide player.Yes, Columbus is hosting the draft. But what do the natives want most, a prospect who is two or three years away from the NHL or a proven talent and playmaker?LONG-TERM NEED With Adam Foote getting grayer by the day and Sergei Fedorov a natural center, the Jackets soon will need blueline reinforcements.There are some key youngsters either on their way or already at the NHL level, such as Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, Marc Methot and prospect Kris Russell, but are they the answer?</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Russell, a third round pick in 2005, is the first prospect of impressive pedigree they&rsquo;ve landed beyond the first round.The question about Russell is his size. He&rsquo;s 5-foot-10 on his tip-toes and 177 pounds with an armful of bricks. But his skating and passing abilities, mixed with toughness, help negate his size, scouts say.The Blue Jackets have also liked what they&rsquo;ve seen from Methot, who looked dependable in a late-season trial run filling in during a rash of injuries.2006 FIRST PICK Derick Brassard, C, Drummondville, sixth overall. 14-6-19-25-24. He was out until March because of shoulder surgery, but had a monster finish and is capable of putting up impressive numbers.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jaroslav Balastik, LW, 27; Aaron Johnson, RW, 23; Alexander Svitov, C, 24; Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, D, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Bryan Berard, D, 30; Brian Boucher, G, 30; Anders Eriksson, D, 32; Derrick Walser, D, 28.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Columbus&rsquo;s system1 Derick Brassard, C, Drum&rsquo;ville (QMJHL)2 Kris Russell, D, Medicine Hat (WHL)3 Alexandre Picard, LW, Syracuse (AHL)4 Geoff Platt, C, Syracuse (AHL)5 Joakim Lindstrom, LW, Syracuse (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 7th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Jason Arnott, &rsquo;93Shane Doan, &rsquo;95Darryl Sydor, &rsquo;90Martin Gelinas, &rsquo;88Luke Richardson, &rsquo;87<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Ryan Sittler, &rsquo;92A. Stojanov, &rsquo;91Jamie Storr, &rsquo;94Kris Beech, &rsquo;99Doug Zmolek, &rsquo;89<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03525/8952453-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04433/8952446-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05360/8952439-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="24" height="26">American 35%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06305/8952432-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="24" height="26">International 10%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 4 2nd Season 33rd Season 64th Season + 3Never Made It 1In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0039-02

Size gives way to raw talent

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-08" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08234/8952498-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg"></div>Here&rsquo;s how our first round ranking from 1997 compared with actual. Twelve first-rounders went on to be among the 26 best careers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07273/8952505-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="194" height="60"></div> &#9632;

f0039-08

Backtesting our 1997 draft rankings

<div class="byline">BY MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02445/8952578-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="903" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Ribeiro 45th overall, 1998 (NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01745/8952585-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="143" height="91"></div>THE JOB OF mining a gem has become even more difficult for the Dallas Stars&rsquo; scouts.Faced with a lower first round pick in recent drafts &ndash; or a couple of early second-rounders via a trade &ndash; the Stars have focused on getting solid role players who can help support a strong defensive system.But after trading away their first round picks in 2007 and 2008, let&rsquo;s just say the team better bring a couple of shovels to the next few drafts.&ldquo;It makes things more challenging,&rdquo; said Stars assistant GM Les Jackson. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ll just prepare even harder to meet the challenge.&rdquo;SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Dallas has not increased its amateur scouting staff, but has solidified it by positioning and promotion. Kari Takko has ascended to the role of director of European scouting and has played a strong hand in the team&rsquo;s pipeline of Finnish and Swedish players.Shane Churla has also become a bigger voice in the room on draft day. Still, the veteran Tim Bernhardt coordinates philosophies and has the final word &ndash; as he has for the better part of the past 15 years.IMMEDIATE NEED The Stars can always use scoring help, but they have an interesting problem &ndash; they are pretty much set at their scoring positions.The core of the team is Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Brenden Morrow, Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher and those players all are under contract. Jussi Jokinen and Mike Ribeiro also have become an important part of the offense, which means there is only enough room for only one or two more players.Dallas will seek those in free agency or give more opportunities next season to players such as Loui Eriksson, James Neal or Aaron Gagnon.LONG-TERM NEED Scoring again wins out here. The Stars have a nice core of defensemen ready to move up. They also have talented two-way players in the system. What they need is a legitimate sniper, a tough thing to find at their draft position. Dallas also could go with a goalie early on.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Nicklas Grossman appears not only ready to step in, but ready to take a significant chunk of minutes on defense next season. The 22-year-old Swede is steady and tough and draws comparisons to Mattias Norstrom.2006 FIRST PICK Ivan Vishnevskiy, D, Rouyn-Noranda, 26th overall, 60-14-37-51-90. Vishnevskiy is a small, gritty forward who likes to mix it up. He has a good eye for setting teammates up and distributes the puck well.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jussi Jokinen, LW, 24; Joel Lundqvist, LW, 25; Antti Miettinen, RW, 27; Mike Ribeiro, C, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Krys Barch, LW, 27; Matthew Barnaby, RW, 34; Stu Barnes, C, 37; Jon Klemm, D, 37; Eric Lindros, C, 34; Ladislav Nagy, LW, 28; Patrik Stefan, C, 27; Darryl Sydor, D, 35.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Dallas&rsquo;s system1 James Neal, LW, Plymouth (OHL)2 Matt Niskanen, D, Minn-Duluth (WCHA)3 Nicklas Grossman, D, Iowa (AHL)4 Perttu Lindgren, C, Ilves Tampere (Fin.)5 Aaron Gagnon, C, Seattle (WHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 22nd OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Adam Foote, &rsquo;89Simon Gagne, &rsquo;98Dean McAmmond, &rsquo;91Brian Boucher, &rsquo;95Anders Eriksson, &rsquo;93<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Jeff Kealty, &rsquo;94Jeff Brown, &rsquo;96Curtis Bowen, &rsquo;92Nikos Tselios, &rsquo;97Ryan Hughes, &rsquo;90<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03338/8952571-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04273/8952564-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05233/8952557-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="24" height="26">American 25%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06207/8952550-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="24" height="26">International 20%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 23rd Season 24th Season 7Never Made It 6In Progress 3<h2>North American supremacy in class of &lsquo;07</h2>Players from Canada and the USA will dominate draft day, possessing 68 of The Hockey News&rsquo; top 100 prospects.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08165/8952543-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="194" height="60"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07186/8952536-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="2352" height="588"></div> &#9632;

f0040-02

Stars seeking star sniper

<div class="byline">BY ANSAR KHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02386/8952644-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="899" height="1049"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAVEL DATSYUK 171st overall, 1998 (JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01632/8952651-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="144" height="107"></div>WHEN&nbsp;DETROIT Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill talks about not wanting to break the chain, he&rsquo;s referring to a recent stretch of drafts in which the organization has overcome its lack of high selections to stockpile decent talent.The Wings have had only one first round pick in the past six drafts, in which the average position of their top selection was 58th overall. But they&rsquo;ve still procured at least two players each year who are either in the NHL or are projected to eventually play in the league.&ldquo;Our scouting staff and development staff have done a great job finding players in mid-to-late rounds,&rdquo; Nill said.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Speed and skill has been Detroit&rsquo;s emphasis on draft day for more than a dozen years. The Wings often lean toward players who can fit into their puck-possession style. That won&rsquo;t change anytime soon because most of the bigger, stronger players are gone before Detroit&rsquo;s first selection.The Wings will shift focus to U.S. high school and college players, giving the players up to four years to develop before making a signing decision on them.IMMEDIATE NEED The Wings will be in the market for forwards because of the uncertain futures of many free agents. Other than Igor Grigorenko, they appear to have no forward prospects ready to make the jump to the NHL.One or two of the team&rsquo;s top defensive prospects (Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Ericsson, Derek Meech, Jakub Kindl) should be ready to step in if Mathieu Schneider or Danny Markov don&rsquo;t re-sign.LONG-TERM NEED Jimmy Howard was pegged as their goalie of the future when he was drafted in 2003 and the Wings hope he can assume their starting job in 2008-09.With three defensemen 37 or older in Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios and Schneider, the blueline will also need upgrading in the next few years. They have some skilled defensemen, but could use some size on the back end after losing Jiri Fischer last season.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Unlike their other defensive prospects, Quincey gives the Wings an element of grit. He&rsquo;s a hard-working, stay-at-home type who plays a smart, safe game and gets involved in 1-on-1 battles. He skates well, has good mobility and a hard shot but is not expected to provide much NHL offense.2006 FIRST PICK Cory Emmerton, C, Kingston, 41st overall. 40-29-37-66-22. After a hot start for the Frontenacs, Emmerton broke his ankle in December, but came back late in the season and continued to produce points.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jiri Hudler, LW, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Todd Bertuzzi, RW, 32; Kyle Calder, LW, 28; Chris Chelios, D, 45; Dominik Hasek, G, 42; Robert Lang, C, 36; Josh Langfeld, RW, 29; Kirk Maltby, RW, 34; Danny Markov, D, 30; Mathieu Schneider, D, 38.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Detroit&rsquo;s system1 Jakub Kindl, D, Kitchener (OHL)2 James Howard, G, Grand Rapids (AHL)3 Darren Helm, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)4 Cory Emmerton, C, Kingston (OHL)5 Jan Mursak, LW, Saginaw (OHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 29th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>J. Cheechoo, &rsquo;98N. Kronwall, &rsquo;00Jassen Cullimore, &rsquo;91Stan Neckar, &rsquo;94Dan LaCouture, &rsquo;96<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Rob Woodward, &rsquo;89Brian Wesenberg &rsquo;95Chris Gotziaman, &rsquo;90Wayne Doucet, &rsquo;88T. Gronman, &rsquo;92<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03309/8952637-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04265/8952630-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 50%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05239/8952623-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="24" height="26">American 25%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06216/8952616-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 1 2nd Season 03rd Season 24th Season + 10Never Made It 4In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0041-02

Late success typical for Wings

<div class="byline">BY ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02399/8952710-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="903" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">PETR SYKORA 18th overall, 1995 (BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01657/8952717-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="123" height="128"></div>AFTER LOOKING FLUSH at every position during their 2006 playoff run, the Oilers found themselves struggling to fill holes all over their lineup this year.A brutal run of long-term injuries gave most of Edmonton&rsquo;s key prospects a great opportunity to show what they can do in a live-fire NHL situation. Unfortunately, most of those prospects are farther away than the team had hoped.The Oilers paid dearly for not having a minor-pro team of their own the past two seasons, so they surely will see improvement in the development of their youngsters now that they have a solo agreement with Springfield of the American League.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE With three picks in the first round this year, it&rsquo;s an important summer for the organization and for the people making the decisions. Edmonton&rsquo;s 14-man scouting staff, headed by director of operations Kevin Prendergast, in his 17th season with the Oilers, is under pressure to make the most of this bounty. It won&rsquo;t be easy, since this year&rsquo;s talent pool is considered to be fairly shallow. GM Kevin Lowe is adding expertise in the scouting department, touring the major junior circuit extensively.IMMEDIATE NEED They need defensemen. They can&rsquo;t wait for draft picks to develop to fill the gaping holes left by Chris Pronger, Jaroslav Spacek and Dick Tarnstrom. The blueline was a glaring weakness all season and will be Lowe&rsquo;s first priority this summer.They have some decent kids who can fill out of the bottom end of the defense, but they desperately need two veteran blueliners who can log big minutes.LONG-TERM NEED Dwayne Roloson is pretty solid and can handle a big workload, but he&rsquo;s 37 and near the end of his career. Jeff Deslauriers, whose development has been stunted by Edmonton&rsquo;s lack of a minor-pro team, is the guy they&rsquo;re counting on to take over the job, but he hasn&rsquo;t played a minute in the NHL.Behind him, Devan Dubnyk is a better prospect, but is still a ways away.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Tom Gilbert is one of the many prospects who wouldn&rsquo;t have been given a shot this year if it weren&rsquo;t for the injuries. He&rsquo;s one of the few who has made the most of it, however. Gilbert took on considerable ice time and responsibility after being called up. On a terrible team, he was minus-one in 12 games.2006 FIRST PICK Jeff Petry, D, Des Moines, 45th overall, 54-18-26-44-69. Petry tripled his point total from last season and gained 20 pounds. On his way to Michigan next fall, he is steadily improving and has the Oilers smiling about the pick they made.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Matt Greene, D, 23; Toby Petersen, C, 28; Mathieu Roy, D, 23; Raffi Torres, LW, 25; Brad Winchester, LW, 26.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Jan Hejda, D, 28; Jussi Markkanen, G, 31; Petr Nedved, C, 35; Petr Sykora, LW, 30.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Edmonton&rsquo;s system1 Andrew Cogliano, C, Michigan (CCHA)2 M-A Pouliot, C, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)3 Rob Schremp, C, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)4 Devan Dubnyk, G, Stockton (ECHL)5 Ryan O&rsquo;Marra, RW, Saginaw (OHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 6th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Peter Forsberg, &rsquo;91Ryan Smyth, &rsquo;94Cory Stillman, &rsquo;92Scott Hartnell, &rsquo;00Viktor Kozlov, &rsquo;93<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Scott Scissons, &rsquo;90Daniel Tkaczuk, &rsquo;97Brian Finley, &rsquo;99Adam Bennett, &rsquo;89Scott Pearson, &rsquo;88<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03310/8952703-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04248/8952696-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 75%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05213/8952689-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="24" height="26">American 5%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06195/8952682-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="24" height="26">International 20%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 22nd Season 43rd Season 14th Season + 8Never Made It 2In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0042-02

Oilers slump as blueline sags

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN BIGGANE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02432/8952790-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">OLLI JOKINEN 3rd overall, 1997 (PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01649/8952797-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="132" height="128"></div>AFTER FAILING TO develop any of their first picks from 1997 to 2000 into NHL players, the Panthers have shown a much better ability at developing their own prospects in recent years.Florida&rsquo;s past four first round picks &ndash; Stephen Weiss (2001), Jay Bouwmeester (2002), Nathan Horton (2003) and Rostislav Olesz (2004) now make up the team&rsquo;s young nucleus. All had their best pro seasons in 2006-07.Florida&rsquo;s program took another step forward with an agreement to share players with Buffalo at Rochester (American League). The Panthers hope to follow the Sabres&rsquo; success in player development.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE In the past, the Panthers focused on size and skating. The emphasis is now on skill.The change is evident in the team&rsquo;s recent No. 1 picks. Olesz has excellent size and skating ability, but has yet to demonstrate a touch around the net. Michael Frolik is more of a scorer and skates well.Director of scouting Scott Luce hopes to add manpower with more scouts in both the pro and amateur areas.IMMEDIATE NEED After putting an emphasis on forwards at the top end of the draft in recent years, the immediate priority is to add depth on defense.Several forwards have proven capable of filling holes on a recall basis this season. Frolik, Kenndal McArdle, Brady Calla and Dan Collins will press for playing time in the AHL.LONG-TERM NEED Luce is confident the abundance of quality young forwards will keep that area well-stocked for years.The late March signing of Cory Murphy, 29, brings depth to the defense corps, which has a solid under-30 group in Bouwmeester, Bryan Allen, Mike Van Ryn and Branislav Mezei. The emphasis figures to be on developing defensemen. beyond second-rounders Tyler Plante and David Shantz.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Center Kamil Kreps, a second round pick in 2003, held his own while playing 11 games with the Panthers this season and could be ready to make the jump to the NHL.Kreps, at 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, is a good passer and responsible defensively. He spent most of the past three seasons in the AHL.2006 FIRST PICK Michael Frolik, C, Rimouski, 10th overall. 52-31-42-73-40. Frolik has quickly adapted to North American hockey. He finished fourth in rookie points in the QMJHL despite missing 18 games.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Bryan Allen, 26, D; Gregory Campbell, 23, C; Nathan Horton, 22, RW; Juraj Kolnik, 26, RW; Branislav Mezei, 26, D; Steve Montador, 27, D; Rostislav Olesz, 21, C; Alexei Semenov, 26, D; Stephen Weiss, 24, C.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Ed Belfour, 42, G; Martin Gelinas, 37, LW; Ville Peltonen, 34, LW; Jozef Stumpel, 35, C.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Florida&rsquo;s system1 Michael Frolik, C, Rimouski (QMJHL)2 Anthony Stewart, RW, Rochester (AHL)3 David Booth, LW, Rochester (AHL)4 Tyler Plante, G, Brandon (WHL)5 Kenndal McArdle, LW, Vancouver (WHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 10th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Teemu Selanne, &rsquo;88Bobby Holik, &rsquo;89Martin Lapointe, &rsquo;91Jocelyn Thibault, &rsquo;93Nik Antropov, &rsquo;98<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Mikhail Yakubov, &rsquo;00Brad Ference, &rsquo;97N. Baumgartner, &rsquo;94Lance Ward, &rsquo;96Jay More, &rsquo;87<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03360/8952783-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04264/8952776-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="24" height="26"> Canadian 45%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05226/8952769-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="24" height="26">American 5%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06186/8952762-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="24" height="26">International 50%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 32nd Season 33rd Season 34th Season + 7Never Made It 0In Progress 4<h2>Ontario League draft dominance</h2>The Peterborough Petes lead all amateur teams in getting players selected by NHL teams, with 161 in 38 entry drafts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07160/8952755-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="194" height="60"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08131/8952748-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="2352" height="609"></div> &#9632;

f0043-02

Focus shifts to blueliners

<div class="byline">BY RICH HAMMOND</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02325/8952856-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE CAMMALLERI 49th overall, 2001 (SHELLY CASTELLANO)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01548/8952863-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="144" height="124"></div>ONE YEAR INTO the tenure of Dean Lombardi as the Kings&rsquo; president and GM, this much can be said; no GM in the NHL looks forward to draft day more than he does.Lombardi helped build the San Jose Sharks into consistent winners through shrewd drafting and he&rsquo;s trying to do the same for the Kings.Through a series of trades, Lombardi has stockpiled draft picks. Although his focus is more on 2008 than 2007, he has a good chance this year to find a high-end prospect.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE A year ago, Lombardi sat back on draft day and let scouting director Al Murray do most of the heavy lifting. Things will be much different this year.In January, Lombardi fired Murray, assistant Grant Sonier and a big chunk of the scouting department. Lombardi and his assistant, Ron Hextall, will now make the calls.IMMEDIATE NEED Goaltending, goaltending and goaltending. The Kings went through five goalies this year and with the exception of Mathieu Garon, none of them got the job done.Dan Cloutier has two years left on his contract, but Garon and Sean Burke are free agents. The Kings also will give Jason LaBarbera another look in the NHL in an attempt to shore up the net.LONG-TERM NEED The Kings have stacked their roster with veteran defensemen in recent seasons, but now it&rsquo;s time for transition. They only have Rob Blake and Lubomir Visnovsky set to return next year.Jack Johnson will emerge as the Kings&rsquo; top defenseman, but beyond him things look a bit thin. The Kings are high on AHL defenseman Peter Harrold and might have prospect center Brian Boyle move to defense to fill the gap at the position.READY TO STEP IN After the University of Michigan was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, Johnson joined the Kings and made his much-anticipated NHL debut. Johnson is a big hitter with a rocket slapshot.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>In his brief stint at the end of the season, Johnson got a taste of NHL intensity. Next season, he will be play major minutes, including time on the power play and penalty kill.2006 FIRST PICK Jonathan Bernier, G, Lewiston, 11th overall, 26-10-0, 2.58, .905. Bernier maintained his status as the top goalie in the Kings&rsquo; system with a strong year. He was second in the QMJHL in goals-against average and fourth in save percentage for the first-place Maineiacs.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Barry Brust, G, 23; Michael Cammalleri, C, 24; Petr Kanko, RW, 23; Jason LaBarbera, G, 27; Jamie Lundmark, C, 26; Richard Petiot, D, 24; John Zeiler, RW, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Sean Burke, G, 40; Noah Clarke, LW, 28; Mathieu Garon, G, 29; Jamie Heward, D, 36; Tom Kostopoulos, RW, 28; Aaron Miller, D, 35; Jaroslav Modry, D, 26; Marty Murray, C, 32; Mike Weaver, D, 29.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Los Angeles&rsquo;s system1 Jack Johnson, D, Michigan (CCHA)2 Jonathan Bernier, G, Lewiston (QMJHL)3 P. O&rsquo;Sullivan, C, Manchester (AHL)4 Trevor Lewis, C, Owen Sound (OHL)5 Brian Boyle, C, Boston College (HE)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 4th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Roberto Luongo, &rsquo;97Paul Kariya, &rsquo;93Mike Ricci, &rsquo;90Stu Barnes, &rsquo;89Nikolai Zherdev, &rsquo;03<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Alex Volchkov, &rsquo;96Jason Bonsignore, &rsquo;94Pavel Brendl, &rsquo;99Wayne McBean, &rsquo;87Todd Warriner, &rsquo;92<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03241/8952849-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04190/8952842-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05162/8952835-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06139/8952828-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="24" height="26">International 30%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 42nd Season 63rd Season 24th Season + 5Never Made It 1In Progress 2 &#9632;

f0044-02

Kings stock up, poised for draft

<div class="byline">BY MATTHEW WUEST</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07123/8952915-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVEN STAMKOS (CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETT IMAGES)</figcaption></div>If you&rsquo;re looking for offense, Steven Stamkos is your man.Stamkos, coming off a sensational 40-goal, 92-point rookie campaign in the OHL, has established himself as the early favorite to go No. 1 in the 2008 draft, with a handful of players nipping at his heels.The Sarnia center has game-breaking speed and offensive skills that make him fun to watch.&ldquo;He makes moves a couple of times a game where I have to replay them in my head to try and figure out what he just did,&rdquo; one NHL scout said. &ldquo;He does it all at high speed.&rdquo;There&rsquo;s more to the 6-foot, 170-pounder than points. Scouts have been impressed with the Unionville, Ont., native&rsquo;s complete game and his ability to be gritty.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t often find kids with that skill level who are responsible all over the ice and who get their nose dirty,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;This kid&rsquo;s going to be a great player.&rdquo;The following are Stamkos&rsquo;s challengers for the 2008 draft, with stats and comments from scouts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0891/8952908-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="194" height="60"></div>2. Drew Doughty, D, 6-0, 213, Guelph (OHL), 67-21-53-74-76. Second among OHL blueliners in scoring, is a power-play quarterback and a potential No. 1 rearguard. &ldquo;This kid brings the complete package to the table.&rdquo;3. Alex Pietrangelo, D, 6-3, 192, Mississauga (OHL), 59-7-45-52-45. A whopping plus-40 rating (third in the OHL) speaks volumes of the Pietrangelo&rsquo;s rock-solid all-around game. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great poise and makes everything look easy.&rdquo;4. Michael Del Zotto, D, 6-0, 190, Oshawa (OHL), 64-10-47-57-78. Del Zotto is a puck-rusher who has a chance to play Paul Coffey to John Tavares&rsquo;s Wayne Gretzky in Oshawa. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a real offensive flair. I love his smarts.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0891/8952901-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="194" height="60"></div>5. Kyle Beach, RW, 6-3, 180, Everett (WHL), 65-29-32-61-196. True power forwards are a dying breed, but Beach potted 29 goals and piled up 196 penalty minutes. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re looking at a young Todd Bertuzzi.&rdquo;6. Jimmy Hayes, LW, 6-3, 200, U.S. under-18 team, 45-22-19-41-39. Hayes is swift-skating big man with a soft touch. &ldquo;He plays more of a finesse game right now, but he definitely has power upside in his game.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07144/8952894-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="796" height="1013"><figcaption class="caption-body">KYLE BEACH (FRANK DIENES III)</figcaption></div>7. Colten Teubert, D, 6-4, 180, Regina (WHL), 62-3-8-11-91. Teubert is a hard-nosed defender with two-way ability. &ldquo;He can rush the puck, but he also has nice size and reach.&rdquo;8. Mattias Tedenby, LW, 5-9, 161, HV-71 (Swe-Jr.), 27-10-10-20-43. Scouts are fawning over this pint-sized wonder. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a bull in a China shop with unbelievable skills. He can absolutely fly.&rdquo;9. Colin Wilson, C, 6-0, 190, U.S. under-18 team, 47-24-34-58-47. The son of ex-NHLer Carey Wilson is a warrior with savvy. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a beautiful skater, but he&rsquo;s a smart, conscious, two-way player.&rdquo;10. Kevin Poulin, G, 6-1, 202, Victoriaville (QMJHL), 3.34 GAA, .896 SP. Poulin is a classic Quebec-trained goalie with air-tight fundamentals. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s big, he&rsquo;s fast and nothing bothers him.&rdquo;Honorable mentions: Kelsey Tessier, C, Quebec; Yann Sauve, D, Saint John; Harri Sateri, G, Tappara; Mikkel Bodker, LW, Frolunda; Anton Gustafsson, LW, Frolunda; Johan Motin, D, Frolunda; Zach Boychuk, C, Lethbridge. &#9632;

f0044-07

Dynamic Stamkos an early leader

<div class="byline">BY MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06160/8952974-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="902" height="1053"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAVOL DEMITRA 227th overall, 1993 (BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01467/8952981-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="144" height="93"></div>IT WAS A GOOD NEWS, bad news season for the Minnesota Wild.While draft picks Marian Gaborik, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Brent Burns and Nick Schultz were integral parts in Minnesota&rsquo;s second playoff berth, the Houston Aeros, the Wild&rsquo;s minor-pro affiliate, had a terrible season. Roman Voloshenko, Peter Olvecky and Clayton Stoner are having what assistant GM Tommy Thompson called &ldquo;poor seasons.&rdquo;Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota&rsquo;s top pick in 2005, suffered through dramatic ups and downs.The &ldquo;other guys&rdquo;, James Sheppard, Morten Madsen and Cal Clutterbuck all had strong junior seasons and somewhat made up for the struggles of the prospects in the AHL.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Hired on Day 2 of the Wild&rsquo;s inception, Thompson is the man who calls the shots on draft day. His philosophy has always been to draft top-skating, aggressive players, which bodes well for the new league.Under the new CBA with accelerated free agency, Thompson says drafting players of high character and &ldquo;the right personality to handle a six-month street fight to make the playoffs&rdquo; is more important than ever.IMMEDIATE NEED Grit, grit and more grit. The Wild lacks muscle both on the blueline and up front, often being exposed because of it. The word was out by the end of the year, the way to beat the Wild was to play in-your-face hockey. Look for GM Doug Risebrough to address this issue via free agency.LONG-TERM NEED Lots of Danny Irmen types. The Wild was overjoyed with the hard-nosed former University of Minnesota winger in Houston and wants to continue to draft players that will bring a &ldquo;hard, competitive edge.&rdquo;Thompson said: &ldquo;We have a lot of skill. Now, we have to keep focusing on role guys.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY&nbsp;TO STEP IN Goalie Josh Harding, 23, was called up in the second half after Manny Fernandez sprained his knee and showed he was more than capable to earn a spot.Houston was 12-30-4-3 the past two years without him. Irmen has a terrific shot to make next year&rsquo;s club, while Pouliot and Shawn Belle will get long looks. The most intriguing story next fall will be Sheppard, who scored 96 points this season in Cape Breton.2006 FIRST PICK James Sheppard, C, Cape Breton, ninth overall, 56-33-63-96-62. He was a second-team QMJHL all-star after a terrific season in which he tied for 13th in league scoring despite arriving late because of a back injury.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Derek Boogaard, LW, 25; Pierre-Marc Bouchard, RW, 23; Kurtis Foster, D, 25; Adam Hall, RW, 26; Josh Harding, G, 23; Mikko Koivu, C, 24; Nick Schultz, D, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Nicklas Backstrom, G, 29; Martin Skoula, D, 27; Wyatt Smith C, 30; Wes Walz, C, 37; Todd White, C, 32.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Minnesota&rsquo;s system1 Benoit Pouliot, LW, Houston (AHL)2 James Sheppard, C, C. Breton (QMJHL)3 Josh Harding, G, Houston (AHL)4 Danny Irmen, C, Houston (AHL)5 Roman Voloshenko, LW, Houston (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 19th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Keith Tkachuk, &rsquo;90Olaf Kolzig, &rsquo;89Robyn Regehr, &rsquo;98Martin Straka, &rsquo;92Ryan Getzlaf, &rsquo;03<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Bryan Deasley &rsquo;87Niklas Sundblad, &rsquo;91M. Descoteaux, &rsquo;96Stefan Cherneski, &rsquo;97Jakub Koreis, &rsquo;02<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02294/8952967-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03242/8952960-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="24" height="26"> Canadian 45%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04210/8952953-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05185/8952946-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="24" height="26">International 40%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 12nd Season 23rd Season 24th Season + 7Never Made It 4In Progress 4 &#9632;

f0045-06

Grit needed: apply within

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02289/8953040-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="902" height="1053"><figcaption class="caption-body">SAKU KOIVU 21st overall, 1993 (SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01458/8953047-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="144" height="97"></div>THE&nbsp;CANADIENS MISSED the playoffs for the fifth time in eight seasons, but the future of the franchise is in good hands.Despite having junior eligibility remaining, 19-year-old left-winger Guillaume Latendresse made the team out of training camp, played regularly and displayed signs of being a power forward in the future.Goaltender Jaroslav Halak was promoted from Hamilton of the American League following an injury to Cristobal Huet and eventually displaced veteran David Aebischer. Halak kept Montreal in playoff position until the final game.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE After years of drafting physically imposing players, the philosophy finally changed and the style of the new NHL added a further addendum to the organization&rsquo;s philosophy.Trevor Timmins is in his fifth season as director of player recruitment and development, but he has 15 years NHL experience. He oversees 12 full-time scouts, including three in Europe.&ldquo;Skating is vital in the new NHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like players who get better as the season continues.&rdquo;IMMEDIATE NEED The Canadiens dispatched defenseman Craig Rivet to San Jose, leaving three rearguards &ndash; Andrei Markov, Sheldon Souray and Janne Niinimaa &ndash; unsigned.The Canadiens have some depth on the blueline &ndash; Josh Gorges was often a healthy scratch and Mark Streit was used as a forward &ndash; but hope to add to what they have.LONG-TERM NEED The Canadiens are solid in goal and feel good about what they see at forward.But even if the Canadiens manage to re-sign Markov, those in management admit defense isn&rsquo;t a strength.Francis Bouillon is just 5-foot-8 and 201 pounds and Mathieu Dandenault doesn&rsquo;t play a particularly physical game. Should Souray depart, that puts the physical onus solely on 25-year-old Mike Komisarek. Help will be needed.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Halak will prove a capable backup to Huet, while Andrei Kostitsyn came into his own when given the chance.It&rsquo;s center Mikhail Grabovski, however, who will prove to be the diamond in the rough. The forward has the skills to thrive at the pro level. Skating is one of his strengths, which will serve him well in the new NHL.2006 FIRST PICK David Fischer, D, U. of Minnesota, 20th overall. 40-0-5-5-14. Fischer progressed well defensively and learned how to play well in pressure situations in his first year of NCAA hockey.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Josh Gorges, D, 22; Chris Higgins, LW, 24; Mike Komisarek, D, 25; Michael Leighton, G, 26; Alexander Perezhogin, LW, 23; Tomas Plekanec, C, 24; Michael Ryder, RW, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS David Aebischer, G, 29; Radek Bonk, C, 31; Aaron Downey, RW, 32; Mike Johnson, RW, 32; Andrei Markov, D, 27; Janne Niinimaa, D, 32; Sheldon Souray, D, 30.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Montreal&rsquo;s system1 Carey Price, G, Tri-City (WHL)2 Andrei Kostitsyn, RW, Hamilton (AHL)3 Mikhail Grabovsky, C, Hamilton (AHL)4 Ben Maxwell, C, Kootenay (WHL)5 David Fischer, D, Minnesota (WCHA)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 12th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Marian Hossa, &rsquo;97Alex Tanguay, &rsquo;98 Dan Hamhuis, &rsquo;01Kenny Jonsson, &rsquo;93Steve Eminger, &rsquo;02<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Teemu Riihijarvi, &rsquo;95A.J. Thelen, &rsquo;04Keith Osborne, &rsquo;87Corey Foster, &rsquo;88Alexei Smirnov, &rsquo;00<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03211/8953033-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="345" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04170/8953026-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="24" height="26"> Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05132/8953019-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06116/8953012-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="24" height="26">International 30%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 53rd Season 5 4th Season + 4Never Made It 2 In Progress 4 &#9632;

f0046-02

Big blueliners top shopping list

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GLENNON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02295/8953127-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Kariya 4th overall, 1993 (JOHN A RUSSELL/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01443/8953134-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="144" height="84"></div>IT WAS A mark of the defensive depth in the Predators&rsquo; organization that the team was able to deal its top prospect &ndash; blueliner Ryan Parent &ndash; to Philadelphia as part of the Peter Forsberg deal.Even without Parent, the Predators have a number of top defensive prospects, such as Cody Franson, Kevin Klein, Teemu Laakso and Ville Koistinen, who are advancing through their development system.The Predators aren&rsquo;t nearly as deep at forward, an area the organization will surely address in the coming drafts.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The Predators have always tried to build their team on speed and they&rsquo;ve only increased their efforts in the new-style NHL. The team is now even more willing to take a chance on any prospect with skill and hops.The Predators employ 10 scouts &ndash; two pro and eight amateur &ndash; and consider the draft important enough that the department hasn&rsquo;t been trimmed for financial reasons. There has been an increased emphasis on pro scouting the past couple of seasons, in part because NHL players are becoming free agents earlier and because Nashville made significant trade deadline pickups both years.IMMEDIATE NEED Depending on how successful the team is at re-signing its own free agents (forwards Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya, Scott Hartnell and defenseman Kimmo Timonen), forward will be the team&rsquo;s most pressing need.Another situation that will impact the Predators&rsquo; depth up front is the health of left winger Steve Sullivan, who missed the last 20 regular season games with a back injury.LONG-TERM NEED Some of the team&rsquo;s top forwards, such as Sullivan and Jason Arnott, will be long in the tooth in a few years and there aren&rsquo;t too many top forward prospects on the horizon.Goaltending is secondary. Chris Mason may be moved and it remains to be seen whether Pekka Rinne will be Tomas Vokoun&rsquo;s backup.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Many observers expected defenseman Klein to make the team, but Greg Zanon beat him out.Klein still has the tools to contribute in the near future. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder plays physically and can contribute at both ends. His offensive production dropped this season, but that was in part due to a drop in the overall talent of his AHL team in Milwaukee.2006 FIRST PICK Blake Geoffrion, LW, Wisconsin, 56th overall. 36-2-4-6-62. Geoffrion played well in a defensive role for the Badgers and at the World Junior Championship. The Preds would like to see more offense in the future.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Vern Fiddler, C, 27; Darcy Hordichuk, LW, 26; Greg Zanon, D, 26.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Peter Forsberg, C, 33; Scott Hartnell, LW, 24; Paul Kariya, LW, 32; Scott Nichol, C, 32; Jerred Smithson, C, 28; Kimmo Timonen, D, 32; Vitaly Vishnevski, D, 27.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Nashville&rsquo;s system1 Cody Franson, D, Vancouver (WHL)2 Kevin Klein, D, Milwaukee (AHL)3 Teemu Laakso, D, Helsinki (Fin.)4 Pekka Rinne, G, Milwaukee (AHL)5 Blake Geoffrion, LW, Wisconsin (WCHA)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 24th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Daniel Briere, &rsquo;96Stephane Fiset, &rsquo;88Brad Boyes, &rsquo;00C. Backman, &rsquo;98K. Manderville, &rsquo;89<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Eric Lecompte, &rsquo;93J-F Damphousse, &rsquo;97Luca Cereda, &rsquo;99Peter Ferraro, &rsquo;92Rob Murphy, &rsquo;87<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03235/8953120-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04177/8953113-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05133/8953106-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-06109/8953099-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="24" height="26"> International 30%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 13rd Season 44th Season + 9Never Made It 3In Progress 3<h3>Intense overseas scouting showing in the numbers</h3>Within three seasons, the number of international players drafted will surpass that of the OHL.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0789/8953092-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="575" height="305"></div>International 1,731WHL 1,614NCAA 1,069QMJHL 900Other 832US high schools 703<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0865/8953085-1-eng-US/f0047-082.jpg" title="f0047-08" width="194" height="60"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0952/8953078-1-eng-US/f0047-092.jpg" title="f0047-09" width="1092" height="909"></div> &#9632;

f0047-02

Up-front talent needs reloading

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02191/8953193-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRICK ELIAS 51st overall, 1994 (CHRIS MCGRATH/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01301/8953200-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="128" height="128"></div>IN DAVID CONTE&rsquo;S DREAMS, the Devils are winning Stanley Cups and still getting high draft picks. The biggest concern for the organization is which premium prospect to promote next.Reality for the Devils&rsquo; director of scouting is a lot different. The team has not had a top-15 pick since 1996, so Conte and his scouting staff have had to replace draft picks lost in trades by finding free agents capable of playing in the NHL.&ldquo;The highest drafted player on the Devils is Zach Parise, who was selected 17th,&rdquo; Conte pointed out. &ldquo;And we had to move up (via a trade) to get that pick. We&rsquo;ve had to replenish because recently we&rsquo;ve traded so many picks.&rdquo;SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE One of the most patient organizations in hockey no longer has the luxury of keeping players in the minors to develop at a slow pace. They&rsquo;ve got to find players who can step in sooner rather than later.GM Lou Lamoriello, with the organization since 1987, and Conte, who arrived three years earlier, carry the weight at the draft table. &ldquo;Our philosophy hasn&rsquo;t changed because it&rsquo;s working,&rdquo; Conte said.IMMEDIATE NEED The biggest concern is whether they&rsquo;ll have the cap space and willingness to keep No. 1 center Scott Gomez, who is unrestricted and figures to command $6.5 million per season on the market. If he moves, that will leave a tough hole to fill.Workhorse defenseman Brian Rafalski is also unrestricted and the Devils prospects do not include a top-two defenseman or a first-line center. Lamoriello will try to re-sign Rafalski and trade for a center if Gomez chooses to leave.LONG-TERM NEED Because of Martin Brodeur&rsquo;s success and ability to avoid injuries, the Devils haven&rsquo;t had to develop a young goaltender as his successor. But that day will come. Jeff Frazee, now at the University of Minnesota, and North Dakota&rsquo;s Jordan Parise are both on the horizon.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Right winger David Clarkson reached the NHL last season because of a series of injuries to Devils veterans, but the 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of Toronto made it difficult for the team to send him back to the minors.Clarkson plays a physical game with a willingness to play in traffic in front of the net, showed a scoring touch and surely has the inside track to earn a spot on the team in training camp.2006 FIRST PICK Matt Corrente, D, Mississauga, 30th overall. 43-3-23-26-94. Off-ice problems and injuries have overshadowed his progress. His future with the organization is somewhat uncertain.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Cam Janssen, D, 23; Paul Martin, D, 26; Johnny Oduya, D, 22; Zach Parise, LW, 22.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Scott Clem-mensen, G, 29; Jim Dowd, C, 38; Scott Gomez, C, 27; Brad Lukowich, D, 30; Brian Rafalski, D, 33; Erik Rasmussen, RW, 30; Mike Rupp, LW, 27.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in New Jersey&rsquo;s system1 Nicklas Bergfors, RW, Lowell (AHL)2 Jeff Frazee, G, Minnesota (WCHA)3 Matt Corrente, D, Mississauga (OHL)4 Andy Greene, D, Lowell (AHL)5 Rod Pelley, LW, Lowell (AHL)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 27th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Scott Gomez, &rsquo;98Rhett Warrener, &rsquo;94Tie Domi, &rsquo;88Cory Sarich, &rsquo;96Steve Staios, &rsquo;91<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Mike Speer, &rsquo;89Ari Ahonen, &rsquo;99M. Samuelsson, &rsquo;00Marc Moro, &rsquo;95Radim Bicanek, &rsquo;93<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03140/8953186-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04116/8953179-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0586/8953172-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="24" height="26">American 20%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0671/8953165-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 02nd Season 43rd Season 34th Season + 8Never Made It 2In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0048-02

Devils find gems with late picks

<div class="byline">BY MATTHEW WUEST</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0746/8953231-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHN TAVARES (IAN GOODALL)</figcaption></div>Victor Hedman may be Europe&rsquo;s answer to John Tavares.For the past few years, it&rsquo;s been hard to imagine anyone giving the gifted Tavares a run for his money as the No. 1 prospect for the 2009 NHL entry draft. But if anybody can, it&rsquo;s Hedman &mdash; a 6-foot-5, 209-pound Swedish blueliner who some scouts describe as a less punishing version of Chris Pronger.&ldquo;Hedman might&hellip;I shouldn&rsquo;t even say might&hellip;he will challenge Tavares to go No. 1, from what I&rsquo;ve seen,&rdquo; one NHL scout said. &ldquo;He could maybe even play (in the NHL) right now.&rdquo;Hedman, 16, spent the season with MoDo in Sweden&rsquo;s under-20 league, collecting 14 goals and 27 points in 34 games. He also had a plus-19 rating and 74 penalty minutes and looks like a future NHL minute-muncher.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s 6-foot-5 and he skates like he&rsquo;s a 5-foot-10 puck-rusher,&rdquo; gushed one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s fantastic. He&rsquo;s a man. He moves like he&rsquo;s had that body for 10 years. It&rsquo;s incredible.&rdquo;Of course, Tavares, a 6-foot, 183-pound Oshawa Generals center, broke Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s record for most goals in an Ontario League season as a 16-year-old, potting 72 in 67 games to finish second in the scoring race with 134 points.Many scouts still see Tavares&rsquo; claim to the No. 1 stake as untouchable.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll stand alone at the top of that draft class and everybody else will fall in behind him,&rdquo; one scout said.Here&rsquo;s a sketch of other top 2009 prospects (alphabetically):<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0760/8953238-1-eng-US/f0048-072.jpg" title="f0048-07" width="194" height="60"></div>Steven&nbsp;Anthony, LW, 6-2, 190, Dartmouth, N.S. (midget). He has a lazy reputation, but is an outstanding skater and playmaker on the same team that produced Sidney Crosby.Jimmy Bubnick, C, 6-0, 180, Saskatoon (midget). Bubnick is blessed with speed, nifty puck skills and a bullet shot. He was taken fifth overall by Kamloops in the WHL draft last year.Jared Cowen, D, 6-5, 207, Saskatoon (midget). He&rsquo;s a tough, rugged blueliner who plays an impressive two-way game and was taken first overall by Spokane of the WHL last year.Simon Despres-Bellavance, D, 6-3, 205, Laval (midget). He&rsquo;s not a punishing defenseman, but Despres-Bellavance is a fluid skater who loves to join the rush and contribute on offense.Matt Duchene, C, 5-11, 170, Central Ontario (midget). Duchene is a pure offensive player who has soft hands and can flat-out fly. He made headlines by verbally committing to Michigan State at age 15.Landon Ferraro, RW, 5-11, 165, Vancouver N.W. (midget). The son of former NHLer Ray Ferraro is a tenacious goal-scorer who is not afraid to play in traffic despite his size.Peter Holland, C, 6-0, 170, Brampton (midget). Holland has a mean streak and makes an impact at both ends of the ice. He is a pure goal-scorer with size and speed and has consistently impressed.Toni Rajala, LW, 5-10, 161, Ilves Tampere (Fin.). Dynamic and gifted, Rajala was a star for his Finnish junior team &ndash; where he played above his age &ndash; and showed a variety of impressive offensive skills. &#9632;

f0049-07

Euro-Pronger stalks Tavares in 2009

<div class="byline">BY PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02179/8953297-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="904" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN SMYTH 6th overall, 1994 (AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01267/8953304-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="126" height="122"></div>ONLY ONCE in their 35-year history have the Islanders not owned a pick in the first round. That was in 2001, when they traded away the second overall pick, leaving them with no first round picks.Barring a trade before the draft, the Isles will land in Columbus without a top-30 pick. They dealt this year&rsquo;s pick in the deadline trade for Edmonton star Ryan Smyth. Also gone is the second round pick, to Washington for Richard Zednik.Having qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the season, the Isles can at least be buoyed by their April resurgence as they wait for their first pick in the third round.GM Garth Snow is the third person to man the position in as many years.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Assistant GM Ryan Jankowski arrived last summer with a strong background in finding useful prospects. He also retains the title of head of amateur scouting. Snow and owner Charles Wang&rsquo;s hockey committee run the show and have final say on most of the selections. With no first or second round picks due to three deadline deals, Jankowski&rsquo;s task will be to uncover a few gems in the later rounds.IMMEDIATE NEED The chances of finding defensemen in the draft who can reach the NHL in the next two seasons is slim. Sean Hill and Tom Poti are unrestricted free agents and Radek Martinek is coming off a major injury. The Isles were forced to sign Todd Simpson and Deron Quint out of Europe because they didn&rsquo;t feel any Bridgeport (AHL) blueliners were ready.LONG-TERM NEED The Isles have already pencilled in Rick DiPietro as their starting goalie for the next decade and have a lot of forward prospects in the system. Therefore, their long-term need is the same as their immediate one. The Isles need to start stocking up on defense prospects.READY TO STEP IN The 19-year-old Okposo will get a long look in training camp after posting a point-per-game as a freshman at Minnesota. He also had a strong performance for Team USA at the World Junior Championship.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>The Isles also will try to lure back left winger Sean Bergenheim, who spent the season in Europe after contract troubles.2006 FIRST PICK Kyle Okposo, RW, University of Minnesota, seventh overall. 40-19-21-40-34, Erik Johnson&rsquo;s fellow freshman tied for the team&rsquo;s lead in scoring and the Isles will look to coax the emerging power forward to leave for the NHL this summer to fill voids left by free agents.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Chris Campoli, D, 22; Andy Hilbert, LW, 26; Trent Hunter, RW, 26.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Arron Asham, RW, 29; Jason Blake, RW, 33; Joel Bouchard, D, 32; Wade Dubielewicz, G, 28; Mike Dunham, G, 35; Sean Hill, D, 37; Viktor Kozlov, C, 32; Tom Poti, D, 30; Deron Quint, D, 31; Randy Robitaille, C, 31; Chris Simon, LW, 35; Todd Simpson, D, 34; Ryan Smyth, LW, 31; Richard Zednik, LW, 31.<h3>Future Watch 07</h3>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Islanders&rsquo; system1 Kyle Okposo, C, Minnesota (WCHA)2 P. Nokelainen, RW, Bridgeport (AHL)3 Blake Comeau, RW, Bridgeport (AHL)4 Jeff Tambellini, LW, Bridgeport (AHL)5 Igor Volkov, RW, Ufa Salavat (Rus.)<h2>WHAT TO&nbsp;EXPECT WITH THE 15th OVERALL PICK</h2>20 PICKS SINCE 1987<h3>Five Best Picks</h3>Joe Sakic, &rsquo;87Alexei Kovalev, &rsquo;90Dainius Zubrus, &rsquo;96 A. Radulov, &rsquo;04Robert Nilsson, &rsquo;03<h3>Five Worst Picks</h3>Jason Soules, &rsquo;89A. Kharlamov &rsquo;96Matt Zultek, &rsquo;97Scott Kelman, &rsquo;99Jesse Niinimaki, &rsquo;02<h3>By Nationality</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03129/8953290-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04111/8953283-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0575/8953276-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="24" height="26">American 0%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0660/8953269-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="24" height="26">International 45%<h3>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h3>Right Away 12nd Season 33rd Season 34th Season + 2Never Made It 8In Progress 3 &#9632;

f0049-02

Prospects few and far between

<div class="byline">BY LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02170/8953370-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="903" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAROMIR JAGR 5th overall, 1995</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01259/8953377-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="133" height="128"></div>THE DRAFTING PROCESS is looked upon differently by Rangers brass these days, as it is no longer used as a way to secure prospects to be traded for high-priced veterans.The Blueshirts are now committed to building from within and while the program is still in an early stage, it has already paid dividends.Tips of the iceberg Marc Staal, Bobby Sanguinetti and Lauri Korpikoski are all prime examples of how keeping draft picks and making strong selections gives the team hope for the future.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Veteran personnel evaluator Gordie Clark will run the draft for the second consecutive season, with the game plan to draft youngsters who will contribute to the Rangers&rsquo; evolving image as a team that won&rsquo;t be outworked.Moreover, the player personnel and scouting departments have been significantly bolstered since Glen Sather became GM in 2000. His first priority is for character players with skill. Clark, in his fourth year, reports to assistant GM Don Maloney.IMMEDIATE NEED&nbsp;Forced to shift left winger Martin Straka to the middle of their second line, the Rangers need a center to contribute offensively.Brandon Dubinsky, whose performance was encouraging in a late-season call-up, will be given every opportunity to claim the spot in training camp.LONG-TERM NEED&nbsp;Marquee forwards Martin Straka, Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan and Michael Nylander will all be at least 35 by the time the puck drops next season, so the Blueshirts need help up front to replace the production from those four.READY TO STEP IN The Rangers believe Dubinsky will be ready to seriously compete for a top-six forward spot next season.Staal, a defenseman, will be given every chance to make the jump from the OHL to the NHL. Staal who won back-to-back gold medals for Canada at the World Junior Championship has impressed with his steadiness and smarts. Wingers Korpikoski and Dane Byers are believed to be on the cusp.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>The Rangers will also make the decision whether goaltender Al Montoya is better served by being No. 1 in Hartford (AHL) or backup to Henrik Lundqvist in New York.2006 FIRST PICK Bobby Sanguinetti, D, Owen Sound, 21st overall, 67-23-30-53-48. The Rangers have been looking for a power play quarterback since Brian Leetch left. Sanguinetti has excellent offensive instincts and is steadily improving his game defensively. He&rsquo;s still a year or two away though.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Sean Avery, LW, 27; Henrik Lundqvist, G, 25; Karel Rachunek, D, 27.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Brad Isbister, LW, 30; Michael Nylander, C, 34; Jed Ortmeyer, RW, 28; Sandis Ozolinsh, D, 34; Thomas Pock, D, 26; Brendan Shanahan, RW, 38; Jason Strudwick, D, 31; Kevin Weekes, G, 32.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 17th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Andrew Cassels, &rsquo;87Jason Allison, &rsquo;93Barret Jackman, &rsquo;99Wayne Primeau, &rsquo;94Zach Parise, &rsquo;03<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Scott Allison, &rsquo;90Brent Bilodeau, &rsquo;91Kory Kocur, &rsquo;88Brad Church, &rsquo;95S. Stevenson, &rsquo;89<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-03106/8953363-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="347" height="333"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0489/8953356-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0559/8953349-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0649/8953342-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="24" height="26">International 35%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0735/8953335-1-eng-US/f0050-072.jpg" title="f0050-07" width="334" height="460"><figcaption class="caption-body">(ANDY MARLIN/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in New York&rsquo;s system<h2>HOCKEY FUTURE WATCH 07</h2>1 Marc Staal, D, Sudbury (OHL)2 Bobby Sanguinetti, D, O. Sound (OHL)3 Al Montoya, G, Hartford (AHL)4 Ryan Callahan, RW, Hartford (AHL)5 Artem Anisimov, C, Yaroslav (Rus.) &#9632;

f0050-02

Rangers tweak, correct approach

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0659/8953443-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANY HEATLEY 2nd overall, 2000</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01253/8953450-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="145" height="115"></div>THE OTTAWA SENATORS have always viewed draft day as one of the most important days for the franchise.They are an organization known for drafting and developing players. Nobody can argue; they&rsquo;ve had plenty of success over the years with the likes of Jason Spezza, Chris Phillips, Martin Havlat and Marian Hossa, just to name a few.But the landscape has changed in the NHL since 2005. The collective bargaining agreement has altered the way teams have to think because it&rsquo;s going to be difficult to keep all their players. Still, GM John Muckler remains determined to build his team through the draft. With players becoming eligible for free agency faster than ever, the draft becomes even more important.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE While the focus has turned to more professional scouting with the new CBA in place, the Senators still believe in constructing their core through the draft. Top scout Frank Jay has been keeping a keen eye on prospects in North America while Anders Hedberg moved back to Sweden last September to keep a closer eye on Europe.Their first round success, even when they pick late, is impressive. While the club hasn&rsquo;t been afraid to make picks from Europe, they&rsquo;ve had a tough time getting their prospects out of Russia at times.IMMEDIATE NEED The Senators are always looking for more depth and grit up front. Christoph Schubert, the club&rsquo;s seventh blueliner, has been used on the fourth line because he&rsquo;s willing to bang and crash.The Senators looked at bringing in Gary Roberts at the deadline because they wanted somebody with his competitive spirit. Look for them to make an effort to acquire a Roberts-type player.LONG-TERM NEED It&rsquo;s going to be interesting in the next few years because the Senators have been good at drafting and developing their players. It&rsquo;s doubtful the likes of Spezza, Dany Heatley, Wade Redden, Ray Emery, Andrej Meszaros and Mike Fisher can all be kept together forever.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>The Senators will look to add depth at every position.READY TO STEP IN Nick Foligno came to training camp last September and turned heads. The Sudbury Wolves forward is going to challenge for a spot next year. He&rsquo;s willing to pay the price, is smart with the puck and has the ability to put up points. He is similar to Mike Fisher and will fit nicely with the type of forward the Sens want and need.2006 FIRST PICK Nick Foligno, C, Sudbury, 26th overall, 66-31-57-88-135. Son of former NHLer, Mike Foligno, he&rsquo;s adept at knowing what to do without the puck.RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Ray Emery, G, 24; Chris Kelly, C, 26; Oleg Saprykin, LW, 26; Christoph Schubert, D, 25; Anton Volchenkov, D, 25.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Dean McAmmond, C, 33; Tom Preissing, D, 28.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 21st OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Saku Koivu, &rsquo;93A. Volchenkov, &rsquo;00B. Smolinski, &rsquo;90Marco Sturm, &rsquo;96Nick Boynton, &rsquo;95<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Libor Polasek, &rsquo;92Peter Soberlak, &rsquo;87E. Ryabchikov, &rsquo;94Steve Bancroft, &rsquo;89T. Halverson, &rsquo;91<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02180/8953436-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03125/8953429-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="24" height="26">Canadian 45%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0497/8953422-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0568/8953415-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="24" height="26">International 40%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0742/8953408-1-eng-US/f0051-072.jpg" title="f0051-07" width="312" height="449"><figcaption class="caption-body">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Ottawa&rsquo;s system1 Nick Foligno, LW, Sudbury (OHL)2 Brian Lee, D, North Dakota (WCHA)3 Brian Elliott, G, Wisconsin (WCHA)4 Shawn Weller, LW, Clarkson (ECAC)5 Vitali Anikeyenko, D, Yaroslav (Rus.) &#9632;

f0051-06

Sens hope draft trends continue

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-08" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0821/8953554-1-eng-US/f0052-082.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0734/8953561-1-eng-US/f0052-072.jpg" title="f0052-07" width="194" height="60"></div> &#9632;

f0052-08

International Scouting Services (1st round)

<div class="byline">BY DAVID VEST</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-03106/8953627-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="903" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">SHANE DOAN 7th overall, 1995</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01228/8953634-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="127" height="128"></div>JOB SECURITY IS a hot topic around the Coyotes&rsquo; front office these days, so it&rsquo;s very possible there will be new faces sitting around the draft table in June.Thanks to its dreadful play in the second half of the season, Phoenix is poised to make its highest firstround draft pick since moving to Arizona in 1996.Coach Wayne Gretzky, whose job is more than secure, has said the Coyotes will no longer rebuild via random free-agent signings, but through the draft and player development instead.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Associate coach Tom Kurvers has been director of player personnel for two seasons and has been receiving rave reviews internally after the past two drafts. However, no moves are made on draft day, or any other day for that matter, without coachminority owner Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s full support. Gretzky has taken a more hands-on approach at the draft since becoming coach in 2004-05.IMMEDIATE NEED The Coyotes didn&rsquo;t score nearly enough goals to contend for a playoff spot. None of the Coyotes scored 30 goals and only one &ndash; Shane Doan &ndash; netted more than 20.At least two top-six forwards who can score are needed right away. Meanwhile, the goaltending tandem of Curtis Joseph and Mikael Tellqvist was mediocre and only Tellqvist appears to be in Phoenix&rsquo;s plans. A proven No. 1 goalie will be sought in the off-season, but is on the back-burner until offensive help arrives.LONG-TERM NEED When a team is as bad as the Coyotes, it&rsquo;s hard to pinpoint specific long-term needs. Only the defense corps are solid with Ed Jovanovski, Keith Ballard and Zbynek Michalek in the mix and prospect Keith Yandle on the way.Captain Shane Doan re-signed for four more years, but as the past three seasons have proven, he can&rsquo;t carry this team to the playoffs alone. The Coyotes must develop playmaking centers and wingers who can score.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN&nbsp;Peter Mueller was one of the last players cut from this season&rsquo;s training camp roster and will challenge for a spot next year.The Coyotes&rsquo; biggest need is a center who can score and set up others. Mueller has shown he can do both and will fit in nicely. Martin Hanzal has the tools to be a solid NHLer and may be in a Coyote uniform sooner rather than later.2006&nbsp;FIRST PICK Peter Mueller, C, Everett, eighth overall, 51-21-57-78-45. Mueller, 18, dominated in the WHL and would have challenged for the scoring title had he not been rested the final five games of the regular season.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Keith Ballard, D, 24; Brendan Bell, D, 24; Josh Gratton, LW, 25; Matt Jones, D, 23; Jeff Taffe, C, 26; Bill Thomas, LW, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Owen Nolan, RW, 35; Curtis Joseph, G, 39; Mike Ricci, C, 35; Jeremy Roenick, C, 37.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 3rd OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>S. Niedermayer, &rsquo;91Olli Jokinen, &rsquo;97Marian Gaborik, &rsquo;00Keith Primeau, &rsquo;90Henrik Sedin, &rsquo;99<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>A. Svitov, &rsquo;01Aki Berg, &rsquo;95Scott Thornton, &rsquo;89Mike Rathje, &rsquo;92Radek Bonk, &rsquo;94<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02150/8953620-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg" title="f0053-02" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0492/8953613-1-eng-US/f0053-042.jpg" title="f0053-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0566/8953606-1-eng-US/f0053-052.jpg" title="f0053-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0657/8953599-1-eng-US/f0053-062.jpg" title="f0053-06" width="24" height="26">International 30%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0824/8953592-1-eng-US/f0053-082.jpg" title="f0053-08" width="330" height="465"><figcaption class="caption-body">(DON SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Phoenix&rsquo;s system1 Peter Mueller, C, Everett (WHL)2 Martin Hanzal, C, Red Deer (WHL)3 Blake Wheeler, C, Minnesota (WCHA)4 Keith Yandle, D, San Antonio (AHL)5 Enver Lisin, RW, AK Bars (Rus.) &#9632;

f0053-03

Limping Dogs change strategy

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0744/8953665-1-eng-US/f0053-072.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0053-07

International Scouting Services (2nd round)

<div class="byline">BY JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02131/8953731-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="903" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">SIDNEY CROSBY 1st overall, 2005</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01233/8953738-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="135" height="127"></div>ABOUT&nbsp;THIS TIME last year, Penguins coach Michel Therrien predicted his team would not be drafting first or second again any time soon.Good prediction.Thanks to an average drafting position of 1.5 the past four years, the Penguins have enough star power to light up Times Square. The youngsters have come along faster than expected, which means GM Ray Shero, assistant GM Chuck Fletcher and director of amateur scouting Jay Heinbuck will likely be drafting from the nether regions of the first round for years to come.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The Penguins have six full-time scouts based in North America, including four in Canada. They have two scouts overseas.&ldquo;We probably have more scouts in North America than a lot of teams,&rdquo; Fletcher said.He also says the newworld NHL has scouts looking at players differently. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll consider smaller players more favorably than you would have five, maybe 10 years ago,&rdquo; he said.IMMEDIATE NEED&nbsp;Shero will pursue a goalscoring winger or two and a veteran defenseman via trades or free agency. It&rsquo;s possible he&rsquo;ll look for goaltending depth, too.The biggest need is scoring wingers. Finding some will allow Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to play separately and reach their scoring potential. It will also allow Jordan Staal to move to his natural position of center.LONG-TERM NEED&nbsp;Fletcher wants goaltending depth and defense. The biggest holes, of course, are those created by the salary cap. The Penguins may not be able to retain Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury and Ryan Whitney.&ldquo;With a salary cap system, it&rsquo;s difficult to keep all your top players year after year,&rdquo; Fletcher said. &ldquo;You have to make decisions sooner than you&rsquo;d like, so it&rsquo;s hard to know what your needs will be four or five years down the road.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN&nbsp;Defenseman Kris Letang didn&rsquo;t look out of place in his seven-game NHL stint. He is a dynamic force who has excelled both in the QMJHL and on the international stage, winning best defensemen and best defensive defensemen in the &lsquo;Q.&rsquo; Letang is a right-handed shot, which the Penguins do not have on their blueline.2006 FIRST PICK&nbsp;Jordan Staal, C, Pittsburgh, second overall. 81-29-13-42-24. Few predicted Staal to make the team, much less become one of the most impressive 18-year-olds in team history.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Colby Armstrong, RW, 24; Erik Christensen, C, 23; Michel Ouellet, RW, 25; Maxime Talbot, C, 23; Chris Thorburn, LW, 23; Ryan Whitney, D, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Eric Cairns, D, 32; Nils Ekman, LW, 31; Joel Kwiatkowski, D, 30; Josef Melichar, D, 28; Ron Petrovicky, RW, 30; Mark Recchi, RW, 39; Gary Roberts, LW, 40; Rob Scuderi, D, 28; Jocelyn Thibault, G, 32.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 20th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Martin Brodeur, &rsquo;90Martin Rucinsky, &rsquo;91Alexander Frolov, &rsquo;00Denis Gauthier, &rsquo;95Marcus Nilson, &rsquo;96<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Barrett Heisten, &rsquo;99Mike Brown, &rsquo;97Jason Botterill, &rsquo;94Eric Charron, &rsquo;88David Wilkie, &rsquo;92<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0387/8953724-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="347" height="337"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0465/8953717-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0548/8953710-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="24" height="26">American 20%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0634/8953703-1-eng-US/f0054-062.jpg" title="f0054-06" width="24" height="26">International 20%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0720/8953696-1-eng-US/f0054-072.jpg" title="f0054-07" width="324" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body">(BRIAN BABINEAU/SPORTS ACTION)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s system1 Kris Letang, D, Val-d&rsquo;Or (QMJHL)2 Alex Goligoski, D, Minnesota (WCHA)3 Ryan Stone, C, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)4 Jon Filewich, RW, Wilkes-Barre (AHL)5 Carl Sneep, D, Boston College (HE) &#9632;

f0054-02

Pens’ cupboard full of top picks

<div class="byline">BY TOM TIMMERMANN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0633/8953804-1-eng-US/f0055-062.jpg" title="f0055-06" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">DOUG WEIGHT 34th overall, 1990</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01214/8953811-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="144" height="116"></div>AFTER 25 STRAIGHT seasons of making the playoffs and picking in the lower half of the first round, the Blues have missed the post-season the past two seasons, which means they&rsquo;ve gotten two straight high picks in the draft.The ineptitude in 2005-06 led to Erik Johnson, the kind of player a team can build a franchise around. The failure to make the playoffs in &lsquo;07, coupled with some smooth draft-day deals by president John Davidson produced a flotilla of draft picks that will allow the Blues to load up and get them ready for a brighter future.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The Blues have 11 scouts searching for talent, headed by Jarmo Kekalainen, who carries the title of assistant GM. He calls the shots on draft day and is well-regarded for his skill at that. Even before the NHL revised its rules, Kekalainen preached he was looking for defensemen who were mobile and didn&rsquo;t just clutch and grab. He also puts a premium on prospects with heart and desire.IMMEDIATE NEED The Blues have a line of goalies extending back to the college ranks and are confident enough in their defense that they dealt Dennis Wideman. But the team really needs scorers.The team&rsquo;s offense continues to be a mix of aging veterans and untested youngsters. The Blues are particularly weak at left wing. Fortunately for them, they have space under the cap to upgrade, so GM John Davidson and coach Andy Murray will be appealing to free agents.LONG-TERM NEED The Blues have plenty of youngsters in the pipeline who they expect to eventually develop into contributors at the forward position.The defense, on the other hand, is set now, but after Johnson, there aren&rsquo;t many talented players waiting in the system. So, with a lot of money figuring to be spent on forwards in the near future, it&rsquo;s the defense that looms as an issue down the road.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN A lot of people thought Johnson could have played last season, fresh out of high school, but he chose to play a season in college.When he finally joins the team, he is expected to have an immediate impact as a rangy, puck-controlling defenseman who can confound opponents and set up offense for his team. He will control on the power play and penalty kill and stabilize both.2006 FIRST PICK Erik Johnson, D, University of Minnesota, first overall, 39-4-19-23-50. Even though he didn&rsquo;t make the NCAA&rsquo;s All-America teams, Johnson played well at the World Junior Championship for Team USA and his arrival in St. Louis and the NHL is eagerly awaited.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Barret Jackman, D, 26; Jay McClement, C, 24; Glen Metropolit, C, 22; Vladimir Orszagh, RW, 20; Curtis Sanford, G, 27; Matt Walker, D, 26; Jeff Woywitka, D, 23.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT Radek Dvorak, RW, 30.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 9th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>R. Brind&rsquo;Amour, &rsquo;88Dion Phaneuf, &rsquo;03Kyle McLaren, &rsquo;95Tuomo Ruutu, &rsquo;01Ruslan Salei, &rsquo;96<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Petr Taticek, &rsquo;02Brent Krahn, &rsquo;00Bryan Fogarty, &rsquo;87R. Petrovicky, &rsquo;92John Slaney, &rsquo;90<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02143/8953797-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg" title="f0055-02" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0399/8953790-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="24" height="26">Canadian 65%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0470/8953783-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0545/8953776-1-eng-US/f0055-052.jpg" title="f0055-05" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0815/8953769-1-eng-US/f0055-082.jpg" title="f0055-08" width="323" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in St. Louis&rsquo;s system1 Erik Johnson, D, Minnesota (WCHA)2 T.J. Oshie, C, North Dakota (WCHA)3 Patrik Berglund, C, Vasteras (Swe.)4 Ben Bishop, G, Maine (HE)5 Marek Schwarz, G, Peoria (AHL) &#9632;

f0055-06

Blues ‘D’ stable, offense the issue

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0724/8953842-1-eng-US/f0055-072.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0055-07

International Scouting Services (3rd round)

<div class="byline">BY ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-02118/8953908-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg" title="f0056-02" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOE THORNTON 1st overall, 1997</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01177/8953915-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="133" height="126"></div>DRAFTING AND DEVELOPING their own talent was a Sharks priority before, but it&rsquo;s even more so now with the new collective bargaining agreement in place.Sixty-seven per cent of the players on opening night were drafted by San Jose, a league-high figure. The night the Sharks clinched their third straight post-season appearance &ndash; and seventh in eight seasons &ndash; they boasted 16 players drafted by the team and another who was an undrafted free-agent signee developed by San Jose.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Director of scouting Tim Burke and director of hockey operations Joe Will oversee a staff of nine scouts. Burke has been a member of the team&rsquo;s scouting staff since 1992-93 and has presided over every draft day since 1996. Will is an original member of the team&rsquo;s scouting staff that starting assessing talent in 1990.IMMEDIATE NEED This is as deep as the Sharks have ever been, from its group of physically big, young forwards to its defense and in goal.Resigning unrestricted free agent Craig Rivet is a priority, since the veteran blueliner has fit in so nicely with his leadership presence and calming influence over a young defense corps.Otherwise, the Sharks don&rsquo;t have any pressing needs unless they feel the need to replace the enforcer&rsquo;s role lost when Scott Parker was dealt to Colorado. But coach Ron Wilson isn&rsquo;t a proponent of fighting and the team has tough players not shy to drop gloves (Mark Smith, Ryane Clowe, Rob Davison).LONG-TERM NEED The Sharks are looking as good as any team in the league at center with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, but both will enter the final year of their deals next season unless either or both signs an extension. It took the Sharks a decade to develop their own top-line center in Marleau, so they aren&rsquo;t anxious to lose him.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN&nbsp;Winger Lukas Kaspar and goalie Dimitri Patzold have plenty of seasoning now in the minors and both are in line for promotion if they impress during training camp. Kaspar has added a lot of detail to his game and Patzold simply has been waiting on San Jose&rsquo;s efficient assembly line of strong goalies. If there&rsquo;s movement above him, he&rsquo;s ready to step in.2006 FIRST PICK Ty Wishart, D, Prince George, 16th overall. 61-11-38-49-59. After battling injuries in this season&rsquo;s first half, the Sharks were looking for a big second half and that&rsquo;s what they got from a player they project in the Kyle McLaren mold. Wyshart is a hitter with outstanding defensive presence and the possibility of an offensive upside.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Steve Bernier, RW, 22; Rob Davison, D, 27; Marcel Goc, C, 23; Milan Michalek, LW, 22.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Bill Guerin, RW, 36; Scott Hannan, D, 28; Mark Smith, C, 29; Craig Rivet, D, 32; Vesa Toskala, G, 30.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 23rd OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Ray Whitney, &rsquo;91Todd Bertuzzi, &rsquo;93Scott Hannan, &rsquo;97Travis Green, &rsquo;89Jiri Slegr, &rsquo;90<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Craig Hillier, &rsquo;96Miika Elomo, &rsquo;95Nathan Smith, &rsquo;00Jeff Christian, &rsquo;88Yan Golubovsky, &rsquo;94<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0370/8953901-1-eng-US/f0056-032.jpg" title="f0056-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0456/8953894-1-eng-US/f0056-042.jpg" title="f0056-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 50%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0535/8953887-1-eng-US/f0056-052.jpg" title="f0056-05" width="24" height="26">American 10%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0628/8953880-1-eng-US/f0056-062.jpg" title="f0056-06" width="24" height="26">International 40%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-088/8953873-1-eng-US/f0056-082.jpg" title="f0056-08" width="331" height="471"><figcaption class="caption-body">(RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in San Jose&rsquo;s system1 Devin Setoguchi, RW, P. George (WHL)2 Ty Wishart, D, Prince George (WHL)3 Lukas Kasper, RW, Worcester (AHL)4 Dimitri Patzold, G, Worchester (AHL)5 Taylor Dakers, G, Kootenay (WHL) &#9632;

f0056-02

Past drafts fill shark tank

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f0056-07

International Scouting Services (4th round)

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f0057-07

International Scouting Services (5th round)

<div class="byline">BY TERRY KOSHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02114/8954116-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="902" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATS SUNDIN 1st overall, 1989</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01174/8954123-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="120" height="128"></div>THE MAPLE LEAFS appear to have gotten it right in last year&rsquo;s draft. They took forward Jiri Tlusty, just the type of player the team needs to continue drafting to be successful for years to come.GM John Ferguson believes firmly in building from within, which is good, because the cupboard has been bare for a while.There is hope for the future as several Europeans the Leafs drafted in recent years have strong potential. In that group is Finnish center Leo Komarov, who was Finland&rsquo;s captain at the 2007 World Junior Championship, Swedish defenseman Anton Stralman, Russian defenseman Dmitri Vorobiev and Russian winger Nikolai Kulemin.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The salary cap handcuffed GM John Ferguson in regard to throwing money at players. Director of amateur scouting Dave Morrison, who calls the shots on draft day, knows that because of the cap the draft is even more important than in past years. Though there are areas where the Leafs clearly need help now, the mandate is to take the best player available, regardless of position.IMMEDIATE NEED Help at forward, in a big way. The goaltending is set with Andrew Raycroft under contract for two more years and the blueline corps has a nucleus of Tomas Kaberle, Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill.There is little depth up front, however and there is no one to adequately fill the skates of captain Mats Sundin once he is gone. Alex Steen and Matt Stajan are seen as key players, but aren&rsquo;t at the level to lead the team and bring them back to the playoffs.LONG-TERM NEED&nbsp;Again, the emphasis will be on not only getting deeper at forward, but acquiring players who will make significant and immediate impacts. Long-term contracts have the main defensemen settled and the Leafs have a solid young crop of blueliners ready to contribute in the NHL.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN&nbsp;Jeremy Williams has played in two NHL games and scored in each. The Leafs like his skill level and speed and coach Paul Maurice said he thinks the 23-year-old has the ability to step into the lineup next season.2006 FIRST PICK Jiri Tlusty, LW, Sault Ste. Marie, 13th overall, 37-13-21-34-28. Though he did not play a full season because of an ankle injury, Tlusty pleased Leafs brass with his progress under Craig Hartsburg. Tlusty had five goals in six games in the first round of the OHL playoffs and will be a large part of the Leafs&rsquo; future.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Carlo Colaiacovo, D, 24; Jay Harrison, D, 24; Staffan Kronwall, D, 24; Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW, 27; Ian White, D, 23; Jeremy Williams, RW, 23UNRESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Nik Antropov, RW, 27; Jean-Sebastien Aubin, G, 29; Bates Battaglia, LW, 31; Travis Green, C, 36; Tyson Nash, LW, 32; Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, RW, 31; Michael Peca, C, 33; Yanic Perreault, C, 36; Aleksander Suglobov, RW, 25.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 13th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>J-S Giguere, &rsquo;94Mattias Ohlund, &rsquo;95P. Boucher, &rsquo;91Derek Morris, &rsquo;96Ales Hemsky, &rsquo;01<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Michael Stewart, &rsquo;90Michael Henrich, &rsquo;98Lindsay Vallis, &rsquo;89Joel Savage, &rsquo;88Joe Hulbig, &rsquo;92<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0370/8954109-1-eng-US/f0058-032.jpg" title="f0058-03" width="347" height="330"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0455/8954102-1-eng-US/f0058-042.jpg" title="f0058-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0534/8954095-1-eng-US/f0058-052.jpg" title="f0058-05" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0626/8954088-1-eng-US/f0058-062.jpg" title="f0058-06" width="24" height="26">International 30%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0717/8954081-1-eng-US/f0058-072.jpg" title="f0058-07" width="339" height="456"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Toronto&rsquo;s system1 Jiri Tlusty, LW, S.S. Marie (OHL)2 Justin Pogge, G, Toronto (AHL)3 Nikolai Kulemin, LW, Magnito. (Rus.)4 Staffan Kronwall, D, Toronto (AHL)5 Jeremy Williams, RW, Toronto (AHL) &#9632;

f0058-02

New approach shows promise

<div class="byline">BY ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0630/8954189-1-eng-US/f0059-062.jpg" title="f0059-06" width="905" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANIEL SEDIN 2nd overall, 1999</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-01154/8954196-1-eng-US/f0059-012.jpg" title="f0059-01" width="132" height="128"></div>WITH THE CANUCKS&rsquo; unexpected turnaround, plus the fine campaign of their American League farm team in Manitoba, things are rosy for the organization.Roberto Luongo has stabilized the goaltending situation while 2004 first round pick Cory Schneider had a fine season at Boston College. Manitoba&rsquo;s Drew MacIntyre has played well and is emerging from Wade Flaherty&rsquo;s shadow.First-year pro Alexander Edler and first round pick Luc Bourdon represent the future on defense.On the wings, they have NCAA star Mason Raymond and Spokane junior Michael Grabner on the way.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE The Canucks maintained the status quo this season with eight full-time and three part-time scouts. Chief amateur scout Ron Delorme has been in Vancouver&rsquo;s scouting department for 20 years.The Canucks did change some things this season by having their scouts do more crossing over into other regions.The Canucks also deemphasized the necessity for large-bodied players, looking instead at a player&rsquo;s skill set.IMMEDIATE NEED&nbsp;Vancouver&rsquo;s overall depth is weakest at center, especially the gifted offensive type. Henrik Sedin has taken over as the No. 1 center from Brendan Morrison, while the rest of the Canucks middle men are pluggers and checkers.LONG-TERM NEED&nbsp;Same as above &ndash; centers. Sedin has two years remaining on his contract so he could be gone via unrestricted free agency unless the Canucks buck up. Morrison turns 32 this summer and has a year left on his deal. The Canucks will have to trade or dip into free agency to shore up this spot down the road.READY TO STEP IN&nbsp;Defenseman Edler was an unheralded third round pick in 2004 (91st overall) at the insistence of scout Thomas Gradin. Edler came over to North America in 2005-06 to play major junior for the Kelowna Rockets, but the Canucks still weren&rsquo;t sold, thinking he needed another year of junior.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>However, Edler had a strong training camp, a strong first year in Manitoba and was a frequent call-up when injuries hit the big club. He has an excellent chance to skate on the Canucks&rsquo; third pairing next season.2006 FIRST PICK&nbsp;Michael Grabner, RW, Spokane, 14th overall. 55-39-16-55-34. Plagued by an injury during the first half of his junior season, Grabner still managed to score 39 goals. The Canucks were pleased with his campaign and consider him ready for the AHL.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Ryan Kesler, C, 22; Lukas Krajicek, D, 24.UNRESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Jan Bulis, C, 29; Jeff Cowan, LW, 30; Rory Fitzpatrick, D, 32; Josh Green, C, 29; Trevor Linden, RW, 37; Taylor Pyatt, LW, 25; Sami Salo, D, 32; Tommi Santala, C, 28; Bryan Smolinski, C, 35; Brent Sopel, D, 30.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 26th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Zigmund Palffy, &rsquo;91Martin Havlat, &rsquo;99Dan Cloutier, &rsquo;94Mike Van Ryn, &rsquo;98Rick Tabaracci, &lsquo;87<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Murray Duval, &rsquo;88Martin Vagner, &rsquo;02Nic Perreault, &rsquo;90Kevin Grimes, &rsquo;97S. Bergkvist, &rsquo;93<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-02101/8954182-1-eng-US/f0059-022.jpg" title="f0059-02" width="350" height="327"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0371/8954175-1-eng-US/f0059-032.jpg" title="f0059-03" width="24" height="26">Canadian 60%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0457/8954168-1-eng-US/f0059-042.jpg" title="f0059-04" width="24" height="26">American 15%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0538/8954161-1-eng-US/f0059-052.jpg" title="f0059-05" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-114/8954154-1-eng-US/f0059-112.jpg" title="f0059-11" width="329" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body">(JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Vancouver&rsquo;s system1 Luc Bourdon, D, Cape Breton (QMJHL)2 Cory Schneider, G, Boston Col. (HE)3 Michael Grabner, RW, Spokane (WHL)4 Alexander Edler, D, Manitoba (AHL)5 Juraj Simek, LW, Brandon (WHL) &#9632;

f0059-06

Wish list centers on middle men

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0812/8954241-1-eng-US/f0059-082.jpg" title="f0059-08" width="248" height="153"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0722/8954248-1-eng-US/f0059-072.jpg" title="f0059-07" width="194" height="60"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0910/8954234-1-eng-US/f0059-092.jpg" title="f0059-09" width="282" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAT KANE No. 1 ranked in 2007</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-105/8954227-1-eng-US/f0059-102.jpg" title="f0059-10" width="1983" height="503"></div> &#9632;

f0059-08

American first round dream

<div class="byline">BY PETE KERZEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0290/8954314-1-eng-US/f0060-022.jpg" title="f0060-02" width="906" height="1056"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEX OVECHKIN 1st overall, 2004</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-01144/8954321-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg" title="f0060-01" width="137" height="128"></div>ALEX OVECHKIN SPOUTS the Capitals&rsquo; company line when it comes to Washington&rsquo;s prospects.&ldquo;We have good players here,&rdquo; Ovechkin said. &ldquo;We have good players coming up. We have good future.&rdquo;But Ovechkin, like many observers, wonders when his team will enjoy the fruits of a bountiful crop of youth. Washington&rsquo;s system, rife with unrealized potential, has yielded few players who have contributed heavily in the recent past.Ovechkin needs help up front, the defense needs able bodies and goalie Olie Kolzig isn&rsquo;t getting any younger.SCOUTS&rsquo; MANDATE Like most teams in the reformatted NHL, the Capitals are scouring Europe and Russia for players who can offer finesse and firepower on offense, strength and skating ability on defense.Washington has beefed up its pro and international scouting efforts and GM George McPhee constantly prowls key tournaments in search of talent. Amateur scouting director Ross Mahoney runs his department as a democracy where all opinions are considered. Washington&rsquo;s staff burns the phones on draft day and McPhee&rsquo;s willingness to stockpile picks has put him on peers&rsquo; speed dials.IMMEDIATE NEED With owner Ted Leonsis&rsquo; blessing, McPhee has promised to be active in both free agency and the trade market. Washington seeks a front-line center, preferably a smooth-skating European who can mesh with Ovechkin.It also needs an offensive defenseman who can help quarterback the power play and veteran forwards to free Ovechkin to roam and complement Alexander Semin&rsquo;s sniping prowess, thus providing two legitimate lines.LONG-TERM NEED&nbsp;Kolzig could be stellar in net at 40, or age could catch up to him. He&rsquo;d like to finish his career in Washington, but the Caps have no one ready to step in should Kolzig falter. Collectively, the offense has to kick it up a notch to keep Ovechkin happy and to take pressure off the back end. The defense has solid potential, but a lack of depth will be problematic if development stalls.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>READY TO STEP IN Ex-Cap Bengt Gustafsson, who is coaching center Nicklas Backstrom on the Swedish team in this year&rsquo;s World Championship in Moscow, thinks Washington&rsquo;s top pick in last year&rsquo;s draft is nearly NHL-ready.2006&nbsp;FIRST PICK Nicklas Backstrom, C, Brynas, fourth overall. 45-12-28-40-46. Backstrom&rsquo;s veteran senses, savvy and vision are well beyond those of the average 19-year-old. He&rsquo;s a rookie of the year favorite.RESTRICTED FREE&nbsp;AGENTS Kris Beech, 26, C; Steve Eminger, 27, D; John Erskine, 27, D; Tomas Fleischmann, 23, LW; Milan Jurcina, 24, D; Jakub Klepis, 22, C; Brooks Laich, 24, C; Jiri Novotny, 23, C; Brian Sutherby, 25, C.UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS Bryan Muir, D, 34.WHAT TO EXPECT WITH THE 5th OVERALL PICK<h3>20 PICKS SINCE 1987</h3><h2>Five Best Picks</h2>Jaromir Jagr, &rsquo;90Bill Guerin, &rsquo;89D. Langkow, &rsquo;95Thomas Vanek, &rsquo;03Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, &rsquo;94<h2>Five Worst Picks</h2>Daniel Dore, &rsquo;88Chris Joseph, &rsquo;87S. Chistov, &rsquo;01Ric Jackman, &rsquo;96V. Vishnevski &rsquo;98<h2>By Nationality</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0360/8954307-1-eng-US/f0060-032.jpg" title="f0060-03" width="347" height="332"></div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0446/8954300-1-eng-US/f0060-042.jpg" title="f0060-04" width="24" height="26">Canadian 55%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0533/8954293-1-eng-US/f0060-052.jpg" title="f0060-05" width="24" height="26">American 20%<img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0627/8954286-1-eng-US/f0060-062.jpg" title="f0060-06" width="24" height="26">International 25%<h2>How Long Did it Take Them to Make the NHL?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-089/8954279-1-eng-US/f0060-082.jpg" title="f0060-08" width="334" height="456"><figcaption class="caption-body">(STEVE BABINEAU/SPORTS ACTION)</figcaption></div><h2>Future Watch 07</h2>The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch ranking of the top five prospects in Washington&rsquo;s system1 Nicklas Backstrom, C, Brynas (Swe.)2 Eric Fehr, RW, Hershey (AHL)3 Simeon Varlamov, G, Yaroslavl (Rus.)4 Tomas Fleischmann, LW, Hershey (AHL)5 Michal Neuvirth, G, Plymouth (OHL) &#9632;

f0060-02

Help on the way for Ovechkin

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0060-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0720/8954352-1-eng-US/f0060-072.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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