By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 19, 2012 |
Belleville Bulls netminder Malcolm Subban is a relative newcomer to the position.
Day 8: Malcolm Subban, G, Belleviille, 1 NA goalie.
Malcolm Subban didn’t play goal until he was 12 years old but six years later he is poised to become the first goalie selected at the draft.
“I wanted to be a goalie from house league on My dad (Karl) was a coach when I was a player and he wasn’t too fond of me being a goalie,” Malcolm said. “It was really expensive and he thought I was a pretty ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 18, 2012 |
Day 8: Mikhail Grigorenko. C, Quebec, 3 NA.
At six-foot-three, with good skating and unparalleled vision among this year’s draft candidates, Mikhail Grigorenko offensive offside is equal to or even greater than that of consensus number one Nail Yakupov.
As a rookie, Grigorenko scored 40 goals and recorded 85 points in 59 regular season games. He followed that up with a tepid playoff in which he scored just three times in 11 post-season games.
After the playoffs, Grigorenko revealed he had been ill with mononucleosis and didn’t have the energy necessary to compete. ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 17, 2012 |
Jarrod Maidens brings a good two-way skill set.
Day 7: Jarrod Maidens. C/LW, Owen Sound: 35th NA.
Jarrod Maidens is a crapshoot, a player whose history of injuries has dramatically lowered his draft prospects. That said, there may be enough history to induce scouts to invest a second or third round pick on him.
While incomplete, the body of work is intriguing. Maidens played just 28 games and was knocked out of the lineup for good in late November because of a concussion.
That said the Attack selected him fourth overall in the ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 16, 2012 |
Saginaw's Jake Paterson helped knock the talent-laden Sarnia Sting out of the OHL playoffs.
Day 6: Jake Paterson, Saginaw, goalie. Third NA goalie.
Perhaps more than any other player, Jake Paterson is responsible for the confused top five scenario at this year’s draft.
While Nail Yakupov has kept his number one ranking, his standing as well as the position of his centreman Alex Galchenyuk was muddled by the Sarnia Sting’s first-round, six game loss to Saginaw Spirit.
The architect of that upset: 6’1” Spirit goalie Jake Paterson who stopped 163 of 180 shots ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 15, 2012 |
Defenceman Ryan Murray seems ready to be the first defenceman picked in the draft.
Day 5: Ryan Murray, D Everett Silvertips. 2nd NA.
The 2012 draft is top heavy with talented forwards but Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray figures to be the first blueliner to warrant a pick.
Still, the pick is in flux. With a bevy of young forwards, the Edmonton Oilers, owners of the first overall pick, may want to drop a place or two and emerge with Murray.
A six-foot-defenceman and captain with the (WHL’s) Everett Silvertips, Murray is an ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 14, 2012 |
Belleville Bull centreman Brendan Gaunce brings a solid two-way game.
Day 4: Brendan Gaunce, Belleville Bulls, C. 13th NA
A strong two-way player, Brendan Gaunce brings excellent size (6’2”, 215 pounds) and two-way instincts to the draft table.
A graduate of the Markham Waxers and the second overall pick in the 2010 OHL draft, Gaunce’s style was built with the NHL in mind.
“I think from a young age I was taught by all my coaches that to play in the NHL you have to play defence first,” he said. “I think that’s ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 13, 2012 |
Day 3: Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton Oil Kings, Defence. 10th NA
There are a few similarities between Griffin Reinhart and his father, Paul, an NHL defenceman who skated for 11 seasons in Atlanta, Calgary and Vancouver.
Both are defencemen. Paul was a linchpin rearguard who was often moved up to forward to make use of his offensive gifts.
Though not as accomplished as his dad on the offensive end, Griffin scored a dozen goals and added 24 assists in the regular season for the Oil Kings.
Griffin Reinhart is a towering shutdown defenceman with ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 12, 2012 |
Filip Forsberg isn't related to Peter but he has big-game potential.
With the NHL entry draft set for June 22, mapleleafs.com is profiling ten players to watch. The Maple Leafs figure to enter the draft with the fifth choice.
Day Two:
Filip Forsberg. Leksand C-LW. 1 European.
A six-two forward, the 17-year-old Forsberg is a riveting prospect who should be among the top five picks.
When competing against players closer to his age at the Ivan Hlinka World Under-18 championships, Forsberg scored four times and added two assists in six games.
The youngest player on ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 11, 2012 |
What kind of shadow will Alex Galchenyuk cast on the NHL entry draft, June 22?
The NHL entry draft is set for June 22-23 with the Maple Leafs, at this writing at least, holding the number five position. The Leafs haven’t enjoyed a higher position in the draft since they selected Scott Thornton third 23 years ago.
This is the first in a series of 10 player profiles, one a day, leading up to the draft weekend.
First off, the player most often associated with the Maple Leafs, Alex Galchenyuk.
Day One:
Alex Galchenyuk, ...
By Mike Ulmer, Posted on June 8, 2012 |
By June Tim Horton would have been back at Conn Smythe's quarry or maybe moonlighting at a little coffee shop he had started in Hamilton.
The furnace that is summer waits just over the horizon but your ice scraper might still be in the trunk or only recently banished to the garage.
June is the big payoff. It purges the memory of interminable winter. Each breath brings fresh possibilities.
Saturday, the city hosts its second June professional hockey game with the Norfolk Admirals seeking to oust the Toronto Marlies in Game 4.
Eight ...
