Entries with the tag: nhl+entry+draft

Things Learned in Ottawa at the Draft

by Alanah McGinley on 06/25/08 at 10:22 AM
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From Elena Bergeron and Sarah Turcotte at ESPN Magazine,

9.  If it weren’t for silly trades, the draft would last 10 minutes. The first round took 90 million hours, because GMs insisted on brushing by tables like a chesty cocktail waitress.[...]

10. We need to start calling ourselves The Worldwide Leader, Except in Canada. No one knows what ESPN is in Ottawa. We had to tell people we were “the TSN of America.” They probably thought we were making it up to meet Mike Fisher.

11. Canadiens are nice to everyone—except Ray Emery. The Sens’ decision to place Ray Emery on waivers during the draft kind of soured things for us.

read on

Drafted From Around the World

by Alanah McGinley on 06/21/08 at 04:40 PM
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From the Canadian Press,

Smiles were the order of the day as NHL teams went through the final 181 picks in about the same time it took them to make the first 30 a night earlier.

It was a good draft overall for Canadian players as 119 players were selected - the most since 2004. Americans were next with 46 selections followed by 17 Swedes, nine Russians and seven Finns.

read on for an overview and quotes from Saturday’s rounds 2-7

Thoughts From the Draft: Day 2

by Alanah McGinley on 06/21/08 at 02:54 PM
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Guest writer Erin Nicks is covering the NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa for Kukla’s Korner this weekend.

By Erin Nicks

Those concerned about Ottawa picking up some grit in this year’s draft will need to dig deep into Round 5, when the club (after much apparent hemming and hawing) selected defenceman Mark Borowiecki with the 139th pick.

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NHL Entry Draft 2008 Liveblog

by Alanah McGinley on 06/20/08 at 05:26 PM
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Guest writers Erin Nicks and Patrick Williams are covering the NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa for Kukla’s Korner this weekend. This post will be updated with random news through the evening. Original post-time is 5:26pm. All times EST. Updates will be time-stamped and added below.

5:26pm—Erin: Zach Bogosian, on his travels to Ottawa and the surrounding areas to train…

“I’ve been coming up here 4-5 days a week – it’s pretty bad on gas, but it’s worked for me for the past couple of years.  Obviously (fitness guru) Lorne Goldenberg has trained some great players like Gary Roberts and Cory Stillman – he helps me out a lot.  That’s one of the main reasons why I’ve succeeded over the past few years – he made my body ready for the rigours of the NHL.”

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The Best by Draft Position

by Alanah McGinley on 06/20/08 at 02:41 PM
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From John Kreiser on Canucks.com,

A look at the best picks in the history of the NHL Entry Draft, by where they were selected in the first round. (Up and coming includes players from 2003-07)

No. 1 – Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh, 1984)—If the Penguins had not drafted Lemieux in 1984, the franchise likely would have left Pittsburgh two decades ago. Lemieux was brilliant from the day he arrived, and eventually the Penguins built a supporting cast that helped him lead the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cups. Had he stayed healthy, it would have been interesting to see whether he could have broken some of Wayne Gretzky’s scoring records. Perhaps the most physically talented player in NHL history.

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KK Interview with Thomas McCollum

by Alanah McGinley on 06/20/08 at 11:50 AM
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Guest writer Erin Nicks is covering the NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa for Kukla’s Korner this weekend.

By Erin Nicks

As the top-ranked North American goaltender in this year’s draft, Thomas McCollum has garnered attention for being a potential franchise backstopper. At yesterday’s media luncheon featuring some of the top prospects, the soft-spoken ‘tender shared a few thoughts on the draft and his future.

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KK Interview with Drew Doughty

by Alanah McGinley on 06/20/08 at 11:12 AM
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Guest writer Erin Nicks is covering the NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa for Kukla’s Korner this weekend.

By Erin Nicks

Blue-chip defenceman Drew Doughty wants to jump immediately into the NHL with both feet—and many think he’s capable of doing so.  After a conversation with him yesterday, you get a pretty clear idea of where he’s hoping to land.

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Morning Line

by Alanah McGinley on 06/20/08 at 10:58 AM
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What’s the NHL Draft all about for the players?  James Duthie asks Steve Stamkos in the Ottawa Citizen:

“Having everyone here to watch is what makes it special.  Your family, your coaches, your friends, I think it’s a moment where they all realize the influence they’ve had on your life. That they’ve been a big part of your success.”

Duthie notes that there have been about 1,300 tickets allotted for families and friends at this draft… which is far short of the 3,000 requests.

Meet the Press: Patrick Williams

by Alanah McGinley on 06/20/08 at 10:21 AM
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Today is the opening of the NHL Entry Draft, and Erin Nicks and Patrick Williams are covering the event in Ottawa for Kukla’s Korner. Earlier this week we asked Erin a few questions about her life and love of hockey, and today it’s Patrick’s turn. 

Patrick is the ideal journalist to cover the NHL’s draft weekend, given how much time he spends with and writing about the up-and-coming stars.  His beat is the American Hockey League—writing for the likes of Slam! Sports and The Hockey News, among others—and so he’ll be seeing a lot of some of these draft picks in the coming years as they rise into the AHL and beyond.

Patrick, what is the main difference between working in the media in the NHL and AHL?
Everything in the NHL is a lot more tense, and the egos (and not simply those belonging to the players) are decidedly larger.

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Hurricanes Acquire Hordichuk From Predators

by Alanah McGinley on 06/19/08 at 03:12 PM
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From TSN,

The first of many trades expected during the NHL draft has taken place. The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired forward Darcy Hordichuk from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2009.

However, Hordichuk is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and if he does not sign with the Hurricanes, Carolina will receive a fifth-round draft pick in 2010.

The Hurricanes have also signed blueliner Tim Gleason for 4 years at an average of 2.75 million per year.

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Analyzing the Players

by Alanah McGinley on 06/19/08 at 01:29 PM
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From Adam Kimelman at NHL.com,

The latest attempt to analyze players is psychological examinations. The League provided a five-minute test at the 2008 NHL Scouting Combine, coordinated by Dr. Ralph Tarter of EXACT Sports, with the results made available to all 30 teams. [...]

“What we’re using are three normed and validated, and American Psychological Association-approved, psychological tests that measure normal personalities,” [former NHL player Joe] Day said. “We’re not looking at any pathology. … It’s measuring normal adult behavior. Two of the instruments we use measure traits. Are you a dominant or aggressive person? Are you highly assertive? Another one measures emotional intelligence. So while you could be dominant and aggressive in social situations, with a high level of emotional intelligence you should be able to channel those traits appropriately to the context or situation. So it’s a nice blend.”

read on for a look at how the Blackhawks in particular are expanding their use of psych testing

Canadian Teams on Draft Day

by Alanah McGinley on 06/19/08 at 11:33 AM
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Globe & Mail writers Matthew Sekeres, Eric Duhatschek, Allan Maki and Tim Wharnsby have put to together an assessment of the draft situation for all six Canadian teams.  They take a look at each team’s available picks, specific needs, salary cap space and the progress of their top picks from last year.

Article: What will the Canadian contingent do?

Media Coverage of the Entry Draft

by Alanah McGinley on 06/17/08 at 01:31 PM
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A note from the league --

NHL Network’s special Draft programming begins Friday, June 20, with the NHL Draft Preview Show live from Scotiabank Place at 6 p.m. ET.  After all 30 first-round selections are made, NHL Network will be the place to be for the live NHL Draft First Round Recap Show.  Fans can tune-in for instant analysis of how their favorite team fared as NHL Network breaks down all of the Round 1 action. 

The first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft on Friday will start at 7 p.m., ET.  In Canada, NHL Network will simulcast TSN’s live coverage of Round 1, which begins at 7 p.m., ET. RDS in Canada also provides live coverage of Round 1.  In the U.S., VERSUS will air TSN’s live feed of Round 1 in its entirety.  NHL Radio’s live audio coverage of Round 1 can be heard on radio stations across North America, on XM 204 and on NHL.com.

Update 2:16pm ET: George Malik at Snapshots has rounded up a nice selection of online Draft coverage out there today. 

Meet the Press: Erin Nicks

by Alanah McGinley on 06/17/08 at 12:48 PM
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In preparation for the NHL Entry Draft this weekend, I threw together a short Q&A for both Erin Nicks and Patrick Williams, who are covering the event for Kukla’s Korner. 

First, meet Erin Nicks. (Even Gary Bettman has learned to stay out of her way...)

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2008 NHL Entry Draft at Kukla’s Korner

by Alanah McGinley on 06/16/08 at 02:31 PM
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Kukla’s Korner will be covering the NHL Entry Draft live again this year, this time with the help of two great hockey writers, Erin Nicks and Patrick Williams.  They’ll be providing exclusive interviews from Ottawa, liveblogging the gossip, and posting whatever else they find going on behind the scenes.

More details available here.

P.S. My endless gratitude to Patrick and Erin for undertaking this project with me for KK readers—it should be a lot of fun!

Fast-Tracking Draft Picks

by Alanah McGinley on 06/10/08 at 08:28 AM
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From Ken Warren at Canwest via the Vancouver Sun,

“Guys get fast-tracked because of free agency at 27. You need cheaper players. You’re going to see lots of players come right out of junior who are going to play on the big team.”

More and more, NHL teams appear to be building around a core of franchise-type players, signing them to multi-year contracts while filling in the rest of the roster however possible.

“You’re locking up five or six guys long-term, with big money, and your other guys are moving on,” Murray said. “That’s why we’ve increased the amount of people on our amateur scouting staff. Every team has over the years. Since the new [collective agreement between the NHL and the players’ association], you have to draft guys who can come up and play. You can’t have a draft where you get nobody. That kills your organization.”

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Learn From the Best

by Alanah McGinley on 06/08/08 at 04:17 PM
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From the Ottawa Senators via Marketwire.ca:

The National Hockey League Coaches’ Assocation and the Ottawa Senators will present the 2008 NHL Coaches’ Seminar on Thursday, June 19, at the University of Ottawa.

The clinic runs from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and participants will have the opportunity to watch, listen and learn from some of the best coaching minds the NHL has to offer. All presentations will be made by NHL coaches and will cover topics such as skill development, tactics, strategy and systems play. Participants will also receive a seminar handbook.

The day begins with presentations by the guest coaches, highlighted by a welcome from Hall Of Fame coach Scotty Bowman.

More info at the Ottawa Senators website.  Or go here to find out about other events associated with the upcoming 2008 NHL Entry Draft

A Fine Crop

by Alanah McGinley on 06/08/08 at 11:13 AM
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From Aaron Portzline at the Columbus Dispatch,

The Hockey News projects that four of the first six picks will be defensemen, which hasn’t happened since the 1982 entry draft.

In fact, no more than three defensemen have been taken among the top 10 picks in the last 10 drafts.

“This is the finest crop in the history of the draft,” said Grant McCagg, who covers the draft year-round for McKeen’s Hockey, an online news service.

“And it comes at the right time for a lot of clubs, too. There is a real shortage in the league right now when it comes to defensemen who can carry the puck. Lots of teams are looking for one or two of those guys. That makes this even more attractive.”

read on...

*Related article previously on KK

NHL’s Summer Agenda

by Alanah McGinley on 06/06/08 at 12:48 PM
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From TSN:

With the NHL’s 2007-08 campaign in the books, the drama now shifts from the ice to the front office as the league’s 30 teams begin their mad scramble to prepare for next season.

As of Friday, half a dozen teams are still in need of a new head coach, with the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Thrashers, San Jose Sharks and Ottawa Senators conducting searches. And the list of ‘free agent’ bench bosses is impressive to say the least.

Names being circulated over the last month include…

read on for an overview of the coach quest, and other matters on the NHL summer agenda

NHL 2008 Entry Draft

by Alanah McGinley on 05/13/08 at 03:30 PM
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The NHL has built a dedicated website for the 2008 Entry Draft.

Site features all the latest news, player profiles, scouting reports, photos, video and interviews, and will continue to be updated.

Reflecting on the Dustin Penner Deal

by Alanah McGinley on 05/08/08 at 11:10 AM
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From Robert Tychkowski at the Edmonton Sun,

Much ado, it turns out, about nothing.

“It’s just so typical of how people jump to conclusions,” Edmonton’s general manager said yesterday in a telephone interview from the World Championships.

Lowe took enormous heat at the time of the deal, and was forced to defend himself during every subsequent attack from Burke.

Now that the draft order is complete (except for 27, 28, 29 and 30, depending on how the final four play out), and the evidence is there in black and white, there has to be a sense of vindication. Unfortunately there’s no undoing the bad blood and the black mark the the feud left on Burke, Lowe and the NHL.

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Update 12:18pm ET: More on the adventures of Penner, Lowe, Burke & Co. from David Staples in the Edmonton Journal today.

First-Round Order of Selection for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft

by Alanah McGinley on 05/06/08 at 12:29 PM
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NEW YORK (May 6, 2008)—Following is the order of selection for the first 26 picks of the 2008 Entry Draft, June 20-21 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

The four remaining selections in the first round of the draft—picks 27 through 30—will be allocated based on the results of the upcoming Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final.

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