The way I view Ralph, clearly our scouting stuff was really high on him and didn't think he'd last much longer. For someone that's a bit off the wall, it'll either look like a very good pick down the road or a what were they thinking type pick. I don't want to get into an argument that our scouts can do no wrong, but they are better than average, so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, unlike other organizations that struggle in every round outside of the 1st.
If Ralph can develop into a big guy that can defend and skate well, we are golden. A Carlo or Orpik, even an Edmundson.
Will be interesting to see how Ralph, Fischer, and Fischer stack up against the other defensemen for USA.
While our defensive prospects lacks a true #1 type that we can lean on, and the top pair potential guys are limited to what Jiricek and Lindstein can do, I am pretty confident we'll have plenty to round out our 4/5/6 spots with.