Mike Chen's Hockey Blog
Who Was That?
by Mike Chen on 03/04/09 at 06:20 PM ET
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Olli Jokinen, Derek Morris, Olaf Kolzig…sure, you know who those guys are, but what about some of the lesser-known assets that were in play during the trade deadline? Here’s a quick primer of guys you probably never heard of. Judging by where they were drafted and what they’re currently doing, chances are you probably won’t ever really hear of them. All profiles courtesy of the good folks at Hockey’s Future.
Richard Petiot (D, 2001 draft)
Note: This profile was written when Petiot was still in the Kings’ system. That tells you something.
Talent Analysis
Petiot is a big punishing player, known more for his momentum-changing hits than his scoring. He is a stay-at-home defenseman who, along with teammate Mark Stuart, forms one of the best tandems of hard hitters in all college hockey. Petiot is a good skater for his size and excellent in the corners.
Former General Manager Dave Taylor on Petiot: “He has excellent size, good mobility, and makes a solid first pass. He continues to work on his overall strength and we like his overall potential.”
Future
Petiot has a legitimate future as an NHL defenseman for the Kings if he continues his development. He plays a solid defensive game and plays with a physical edge. His size and strength, combined with his mobility, will make him an intimidating force on the blueline. Despite the severe injury, Los Angeles tendered Petiot a qualifying offer in 2007 to retain his rights, showing that the Kings believe he can come back from his injury and continue with his development.
Nick Bonino (C, 2007 draft)
Talent Analysis
Bonino is a forward with good hands, playmaking ability and pro size. Concerns about his speed are what kept him from being a high pick in the last two drafts. If he addresses his skating issues, and continues to develop his offensive game, he could be a decent NHL player one day.
Future
His combination of raw offensive talent and size are appealing to Sharks scouts, but he has a lot of work to do. The next couple of years are crucial in Bonino’s development, and if his skating improves dramatically, he has the chance to become a top nine forward in the NHL.
Timo Pielmeir (G, 2007 draft)
History
2006-07: US-Land Banking League, previously known as the DNL (Deutsche Nachwuchs-Liga), experienced something it hadn’t seen in six years - a champion from a town other than Mannheim, Germany. The new German champion was none other than the Cologne EC Junior Sharks. Spearheading the way to the championship after a second place finish during the regular season was 17 year-old goalie Timo Pielmeier, who posted a win-loss record of 24-11 in the regular season followed by a 6-0 record in the playoffs. His total of 2070 minutes played easily topped the league, while his 2.17 GAA was tops among goalies who had played at least 20 games during the season. In addition to this impressive achievement at home, Timo represented Germany on the international stage in both the U20 WJC and the U18 WJC, helping Germany remain in the A-group at both competitions. Particularly impressive was his 3-2 victory against Latvia and the 6-3 victory over the Czech Republic at the U18 WJC held in Tampere and Rauma, Finland.
Eric O’Dell (C, 2008 draft)
History
O’Dell was playing junior “A” hockey when the 2007-08 season began, having committed to play at St Cloud State University starting in the fall of 2009. However, after the OHL Oshawa Generals traded his rights to Sudbury, O’Dell determined that major junior hockey was the correct path for him, and he joined the Wolves in January 2008. In 26 regular season games with the OHL team, O’Dell posted 32 points (14 goals and 18 assists). He lead all Sudbury rookies in scoring and was 15th overall among rookies in scoring, even though he played less than half the games of most of the other first year OHLers.
Talent Analysis
A rising star in the OHL, O’Dell has outstanding hockey sense and a pro shot. In addition, his puck-moving skills are good, and O’Dell has very good on-ice vision. O’Dell needs to add weight and build strength, as well as work on his skating, which is average at best.
Brandon Prust (LW, 2004 draft)
Talent Analysis
Don’t expect to see Prust’s name atop NHL scoring races anytime in the near future, but his heart and soul, crash and bang game may garner a few name bars across the backs of the Flames faithful. Prust never takes a night off and will do anything for his team from going into corners to killing penalties to dropping the mitts.
Perhaps his greatest attribute is his ability to step up when needed, as evidenced by a remarkable playoff performance with London in 2004. It was that quality that truly separated him from the rest in the minds of Flames scouts.
Future
His future with Calgary for now will probably remain at the AHL level with periodic call ups, when the Flames need some guaranteed energy from their fourth line.
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