When the NHL draft comes around each June, I always think back on Cliff Fletcher’s expression from his time with the Maple Leafs in the 1990’s, when he was the general manager, and every team could spend as much money as they wanted to, in order to put together a team. Free agents and talented players were easy to come by, when money was the primary requirement. For some teams of that era, the draft was not considered all that important. That was the case for Fletcher’s Leafs. Having said that, they did find some decent players in the draft during his tenure in Toronto, like Tomas Kaberle,( 204th selection in1996 draft.) and Sergei Berezin ( picked 256th in 1994, scored 37 goals in 98/99 season). It was Fletcher who uttered the phrase “draft shmaft”. The tone of the expression indicates Fletcher’s draft sentiments, at that point in time. No doubt, his feelings about the importance of the amateur draft have been altered, in the salary cap era of the National Hockey League, where draft selections are a must have, for teams that want to win a Stanley Cup.
There are two exceptional players in this draft. They are, as most hockey fans know, Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. As one very successful NHL executive explained to me, Taylor Hall has separated himself from Seguin in terms of being ranked slightly higher, from a scouts perspective. The qualities that scouts rave about pertaining to the Windsor Spitfires left winger, are his speed and grit. In particular, it is his lateral movement, described by one scout, as being as good as anybody he has seen in years, that may evolve him into being a franchise player, as opposed to a very good one. He is also described as having a great shot. The only small knock on Taylor Hall, is a degree of perceived selfishness. The hypothetical example from a scout, was that if Hall’s team lost a game 5-4, and he scored all four, that he would be more concerned about his accomplishments, than the team’s loss. However, the scout did not think that this issue, would be enough to keep him from perhaps being the first pick overall. In fact the scout went on to say, that the “selfishness”,might even push him along as he develops in his career.
Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers, is also described by scouts, as a gifted player. The center is coveted for his innate vision of the game. He too is a special athlete, who can “find the open teammate”. He has a great ability to “process what is around him.” According to one scout, what keeps Seguin a notch below Hall, is that his skating, is considered to be not at the level of Taylor Hall. Windsor Spitfires defenseman Cam Fowler, based on his raw skills, could be selected as high as the third pick overall. He is said to be as good a skater as there is in this draft. His other major asset, is that he can see the ice really well. Although he is not a tough player, the player he most reminds one very astute scout of, is Scott Niedermayer, who recently announced his retirement. The future Hall Of Famer, was not exactly a noted heavyweight, and that didn’t stop him from being one of the very best at his position in the last 20 years.
Other players to watch in this draft, include Brandon Gormley, a defenseman whose first pass, is as good as there is in this draft. Although he is not a great skater, he can process information quickly. A scout also predicted that Gormley will get a lot of power play time. He has a very good shot. Blue liner Erik Gudbranson, is a combination of size, a good shot, good skating , although he is not assessed as a high level skill player. Duluth, Minnesota native, Derek Forbort, is a 6ft, 5 inch, 195 pound defenseman, out of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. He skates very well, has great range, and is tough to beat in a one on one situation. Forbort is not regarded as either physically soft or very tough. He is obviously somewhere in the middle.