Notice: Trying to get property 'post_title' of non-object in /home/ofzfvenynm4q/public_html/wp-content/plugins/wp-rss-feed-to-post/includes/wprss-ftp-display.php on line 109
It hasn’t happened often in Dan Marr’s 33 years in scouting, but the 2006 NHL draft pretty much followed the script.
Marr was the amateur scouting director for the Atlanta Thrashers, who were picking at No. 12, and “I told our GM (Don Waddell) if (forward) Bryan Little’s not there, I would trade the pick because we can get some of these next players a little later.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs were picking right behind us and Bryan Little fortunately was there for us and we made the pick. You could just see the air go out of the Maple Leafs because they had the same thing,” said Marr, who has been director of NHL Central Scouting since 2011.
The Chicago Blackhawks won’t have that problem.
They have the first pick Wednesday, giving them the right to select consensus No. 1 prospect Connor Bedard. But they also have a second first-round pick, No. 19 from the Tampa Bay Lightning, that could yield what would be top-10 value in other drafts.
“I’m pretty sure the Blackhawks are going to have a very, very good first day at the draft,” Marr said.
And on Day 2, the Hawks have four second-round picks, including No. 35, No. 44 (from the Ottawa Senators) and No. 51 (from the Lightning).
Their lowest pick in the second round is No. 55 (from the New York Rangers). If ever there was a time to have multiple high-round picks, it’s this year.
“The top 50 or 60 players in this class is deep,” Marr said. “After that it tails off.”
Marr said this draft class is unusual in that a lot of top candidates have varied skills and playing styles, so teams have a better chance of landing the targets on their draft board.
“It’s a real smorgasbord where they’re going to be able to pick and choose the type of player that they’d like to add,” he said. “In all likelihood, that type of player will be available when it’s their pick.”
The Hawks made ripples with Monday’s trade for Taylor Hall, but no draft picks were involved: The Boston Bruins got to dump $6 million in salary and received defensive prospects Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula.
The Hawks got a leader and offensive wing to likely line up with Bedard. They’re also about $9.8 million under the salary-cap floor, even with Hall, so they still have free agents to add.
In other words, nothing they do in free agency will affect their draft plans.
“One of the things (general manager) Kyle Davidson has always said is we’d like to build this team through the draft — then we have more control of players because they’re our own draft picks,” Hawks amateur scouting director Mike Doneghey said. “It’s easier to sign them when you already have them in the system. We made a huge dent in our prospect pool last year and we’ll bring it even further this year.”
Here are several players the Hawks might consider in the first and second rounds, along with comments from Marr and Doneghey.
Age 18, 6-foot-2, 184 pounds
Team: Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Doneghey: “He led the Ivan Hlinka tournament in scoring (10 points: four goals, six assists). He was just on the Canada team in April that won the (World Junior Under-18) bronze medal, and he put up numbers there. He’s a skilled forward. He plays wing with Canada, but he plays center in Oshawa. He’s obviously got a long body at 6-2 and he’s a good skater.”
Marr: “When you needed an offensive chance, he would create an offensive chance. When you had to defend a lead, he would defend a lead. He just made things happen. … He moved up on our final rankings just because we had so much respect for (his) game.”
Age 18, 6-5, 203
Team: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
Marr: “He went from 11 to nine (in the international rankings). … He consistently stands out with his passion. … In the men’s league, he didn’t necessarily get the numbers, but he was in on the play. And anytime you see that with a young player who plays at the pro level, where he’s able to contribute, it’s impressive. … His skill set stands out for a big guy, his puck skills with his stick handling.”
Age 18, 5-10, 172
Team: Omsk (Russian junior league)
Doneghey: “He’s a good puck-moving defenseman. He skates really well, he’s offensive. He sees the ice very well. He probably projects as a top-four defenseman in the NHL.”
Age 17, 6-2, 200
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Doneghey: “The second half of the year, after the coaching change (from Craig Duncanson to Derek MacKenzie), he had a lot of points. … He’s a big body. He’s shown the ability to score.”
Age 18, 6-0, 180
Team: Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Marr: “(Morin) is my favorite defenseman in this draft class. He reminds me of Marc-Édouard Vlasic with San Jose. … (Morin) gets the job done with or without the puck. Very calm and composed, just a smart player. … From midseason to our final ranking, Étienne went from 24 to 19.”
Age 18, 6-0, 166
Team: HV71 (Swedish Hockey League)
Marr: “He’s got the two first names, ‘Oscar Fisker.’ He’s from Denmark (but) played in Sweden. He’s kind of a sleeper guy that will go higher than what he’s ranked. … He’s not a big guy, but he plays bigger than his size. … He just has that compete in him, that extra effort. … He did well for himself by representing Denmark at the World Championships and by representing himself at the combine” despite a knee injury.
Age 17, 6-3, 212
Team: USA U-18 National Training Development Program
Marr: “Nelson played defense growing up and they converted him to a forward. … It was like an accelerated development (at NTDP). Instead of going like one, two, three, four, five, he was kind of going like two, four, six, eight. … He has a good frame on him. He got stronger as the season went along. That gave him more confidence.”
Age 18, 5-8, 168
Team: University of Michigan
Marr: “Brindley plays with a passion and a compete where he’s not going to be denied. But he’s a quick and clever player. And he goes into traffic. … He’s a front-door type player. … (Adam) Fantilli did his thing, but some nights I had general managers come up to me to say Gavin Brindley was the best player on the ice.”
Chicago Tribune Sports
Weekdays
A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.
Age 18, 6-3, 222
Team: University of Wisconsin
Doneghey: “We’ve known him for a couple years. He’s a Team USA guy and he’s played Minnesota high school hockey before that. He’s a big center and he’s strong and powerful.”
Marr: “He’s your big power forward. He did exceptionally well with the combine and he’s physically mature. … (As) a freshman, you’re hard-pressed to (make an) impact when you get to the NCAA, but he got better and better as the season went along.”
Age 18, 6-3, 202
Team: Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
Marr: “(One of) the players that might be sleepers. … Had an unfortunate injury that kept him out almost three months. But he finished the season strong when he did come back with Canada at the U-18s.”
