Completed my draft with that selection.
21. Julius Honka, D
82. Ryan Collins, D
112. Julius Bergman, D
125. Pavel Kraskovsky, F
142. Anders Bjork, F
172. Arkhip Nekolenko, F
202. Eetu Sopanen, D
Relatively happy with my draft, really wish I had a 2nd round pick though. In general, heading into the draft, one of my goals was to get bigger and faster at both ends of the ice. Defense in particular was an area of concern for me, since over the past 2 years we haven't really drafted any, and our most promising two are about to graduate to the big club.
Julius Honka provides an extremely dynamic ofd who has the potential to put up big offensive numbers and really lead our powerplay in the future. The idea of having a guy with his talent next to Subban on the powerplay is just crazy. Either that, or we could have two actually effective powerplay units. His ability to move the puck would also do wonders to our transition game. He does not shy away from the physical stuff, and can flat out skate. It took me a long while to decide between him and Larkin, but in the end I went with Honka by the slightest of margins.
The other 3 dmen I selected, Collins, Bergman, and Sopanen, all bring a blend of size with skating. Collins is more of a shutdown style, playing a very cerebral style more akin to a Hal Gill, using stickwork and position to eliminate scoring threats, while also possessing a good first pass to quickly move the puck out of the zone. Bergman is more of a 2way dman who moves the puck well and possesses fluid skating. Sopanen is a huge longshot, but if he can stay healthy enough to actually develop his raw tools, he could really be a player, very much a long term project.
In regards to the forwards I selected, I am pleased with them. They carry a pretty huge risk, since the two biggest talents among them are Russians still in Russia, which is a huge concern. In both cases, the talent is very high and is also paired with size and a certain level of grit. Since it was late round picks, I felt the risk was appropriate for the potential reward. Its not like I am taking them in the first round.(sorry whitesnake) Bjork is a relatively safe pick, a bit undersized at 5'11, but he can still grow. I really like his work ethic and hockey sense, could be an effective two way forward on a 3rd or 4th line someday.
The two picks I had the hardest time with, were the first and last ones. It was very hard to pass on Larkin in the first, and also hard to pass on another player in the last round, who I may name later, if he is selected or not by the end of the draft.
As usual it was fun
. Hope people aren't too upset with my draft on behalf of our beloved Habs. I took a lot of risks, I think my draft has the chance of being very strong or very weak in 4~5 years. Cheers!
