I used to follow this shit, but I don't even know who's good this year. Any opinions, projections, mock drafts, etc?

Stamkos will go first.

Zach Bogosian, my boy will go in the top 3..Possibly to LA

Based on the combine results that is a possibility.

based on the hype over the last two months i would say its a certainty.

I hope they take Doughty instead....me being a Ducks fan and all....Bogosian is so complete and scary.

I've been told it will be Bogosian. But who knows. I didn't expect us to pick Hickey last year.

According to the Wiki page, , this is a D-deep draft, which is appealing as a Thrashers fan.

(It's so weird that these guys were born in the '90s, now. When I followed the drat, the players were older than I was.)

If LA takes Bogosian that would really shake up fantasy drafts as that means Doughty probably goes to Atlanta (lots of question marks there). Not sure which of one those two is the BPA but hopefully the LA braintrust isn't making their choice based on saving face for reaching with Hickey.

Myers is way too much of a project to go that high, ditto with Beach.

Hickey was my favourite 2007 prospect but even i was surprised when he got called at 4. i literally choked on a peanut lol. He will be a great pp qb for a potential monster in LA though.

I think Bogosian goes 2 and Doughty goes to Atlanta.

The Kings brass still back up the Hickey pick and the way they put it was. Karl Alzner will be a good player for many years but to them he will only be a number three defenseman in the NHL. That's as high as they see Alzner. Hickey on the other hand they considering a player that could become a 1-2 guy in the NHL similar to Scott Niedermayer or Lubomir Visnovsky. They traded to trade down from 4 last year but could not. No other team wanted to move down to select a player and the only team they could trade with would have been after Boston who would have selected Hickey if LA didn't.

Bogosian has passed Doughty in some rankings. I think the biggest thing that would kill Kings fans is if he drafts Tyler Myers with the pick.

Its amazing how much Bogosian has moved up...I read in the Hockey News draft edition today that there is an outside chance he may even go first overall...He is that good, and has improved that much.

www.seenstamkos.com

Stamkos is great, but if you want a dman Bogosian is cant miss as they come...

Go Zach

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm an inside source on this draft since my younger brother played with Viktor Tikhonov when he was in Northern California (Viktor was over two years younger than some of the pee-wees on the team)

Anyway, the inside information is that Viktor's mom is hot. Or, she was anyway. Kinda bitchy though.

go pick up the Hockey News Draft preview issue and read the article..

They talk about Tampa looking to making a trade and swapping picks..

Serge, I have the issue and what do you expect them to say,"hey everyone, don't bother tuning in as the #1 pick is a forgone conclusion."

Just because something is written doesn't make it even remotely true. I've seen you write that the Leafs are not that bad when in fact they suck.

Also, if this kids name wasn't Bogosian you wouldn't even know who he was let alone be talking about him.

fair enough..I was repeating what they say...Not only do we share the same name..The kid is Armenian..This is a huge thing for our community..So there...



I was also looking at the draft list..It looks like the Leafs are in a position to pick a good scoring forward as all the guys afer Stamkos are Dman..

GO LEAFS GO

Cross posted from the Bogosian thread:

Watch for #17 John Carlson to move up. Another NJ product coached by Danny O'Brien (who coached Rangers up and coming D-man Bobby Sanguinetti, and #2 draft picks James Van Riemsdyk and Bobby Ryan and AAIK still coaches Bill Guerin in the off season) John is a late bloomer who finally got a shot at the USHL after moving up slowly in the NJ Rockets Junior system. At 6'2 210 at age 18 who skates like all of the O'Brien coached kids, hes going to be a monster.

good stuff...I ll be watching closely

a lot of jersey fans are hoping this guy falls down to them, they are all over the kid. rumour has it lou might try and swing a trade to move up for del zotto though...

Carlson is a guy I bet Gainey has his eye on. I don't know if he'll last that long though.

So who else will be watching the draft ?

I don't know if I'm weird or not but I think I get more entertainment watching the draft and trade action than watching most games.

It's a little weird. The first round maybe, but after that I'd lose interest.

I won't be watching either way. Not much excitement for Penguins fans as our team doesn't have a pick until the 4th round. It could get interesting if they can trade the rights to some of our free agents (Orpik, Malone) for some picks.

Traded:
1st (29) - Atlanta receives a 2008 1st Round Pick, Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, and Erik Christensen from Pittsburgh for Marion Hossa and Pascal Dupuis
2nd (60) - Toronto receives a 2008 2nd Round and 5th Round Pick from Pittsburgh for D Hal Gill
3rd (90) - Phoenix receives a 2008 3rd Round Pick and LW Dan Carcillo from Pittsburgh for RW Georges Laraque

Still Have:
4th (120) -
5th (150) -
6th (180) -
7th (210) -

very exciting time of the year from today until the middle of July..Lots of trades and movement should happen.

I'll be watching, but mostly due to the same reasons as you. I love the breaking trades that go down, no matter how small.

Ideal night for me.....1st hour of Draft, BBQ with the boys, poker game right after.

before first pick is even made, 3 huge deals!

Calgary gets Cammalleri
La gets #12th overall
Anaheim gets #17 (Cgy) and #28?(LA)

Calgary gets Mtl's 1st
Mtl gets Tanguay

Pheonix gets Jokinen
Florida gets Ballard, Boynton, and #49 overall

nice move Pheonix, nice move Calgary!

here is where the drafts getting interesting. top 3 was as expected.

Not really.. it really gets more unpredictable starting w/ Columbus.

edit: I stand corrected .. NYI / TOR trade.

rofl.. Toronto -- and McGuire is gushing over their rebuild when they've potentially traded away a 2nd and 2 thirds.

Toronto changes GMs

still nuts

not if this dman is as good as they say he'll be

LOL at Pierre McGuire's Randy Macho Man Savage impersonation.

TOOL!

leafs trade up to get schenn, interesting to see if cbj takes myers or filatov now. i have a feeling they might take myers.

I'm thinking Luke Schenn just became waaaaay better than Zach Bogosian in someone's opinion.

Maybe not hosed but they need quantity for their rebuild.

another trade:

columbus trades for umberger.

He's the Human Eraser!!!!!!

Filatov in Columbus... hmm. Not a very good place for him to go (fantasy-wise).

They do have Brassard, Brule, Zherdev, etc... Oh and Hitchcock...ewwww.

missed Nash

you mean this guy?

nothing special

Well that's the first time I watch any part of any draft, it was entertaining but I think I'm done for the night.

I'm very impressed with the OHL, lots of of top 10 picks and the Q only has like 3 or 4 1st round prospects, yikes.

Montreal picking up tanguay for the 25th pick and their 2nd pick next year looks like a good deal. Tanguay is a good player and it's nice to add another french name to the team. I think all the peices are there for him to succed in Mtl. potential lines......

Tanguay- Sundin- Kovalev

S.Kostitsyn - Plekanec - A. Kostitsyn

Higgins - Koivu - Latendresse


so maybe i'm jumping the gun with Sundin but even if you put koivu or pleks on that line, your left with a guy like higgins on your 3rd line. This is all very exciting news.

as it stands today, the habs have 8 players on their roster who scored over 50 points last year, of them only Streit is unrestricted.

Ottawa moved up to go off the charts (a bit) ... ??

edit: TSN thinks Anaheim wanted him.

157 lbs, WOW!

Well that sucks for my FCHL team.

with the swap with Washington and DZ gone, Id be surprised if the Devils dont go with Carlson (unless they're pissed he played youth hockey with the Rockets instead of the youth Devils, lol).

BTW, I mentioed Danny OBrien because of all the NJ kids who have gone that he worked with (skating, primarily), but John's father Dick is a helluva bench coach.

boo, wanted gustafsson to drop to 30....

Luke Schenn is a monster...He is the best player in the draft , we will find out in 5 years...

Bogosian I support for other reasons...But great job by Fletcher...