Player by Player Draft Analysis

[smozoma]

{draft.position} {name} ({previous draft positions} - {average draft position})

Draft Thread: http://forum.nhl94.com/index.php?showtopic...amp;#entry53056

1.1 Ed Belfour (4, 3, 4, 1 - average: 3.0)

A good goalie will steal games for you, and Ed Belfour is the best there is. Are we going to see edisaurusrex win 20+ games?

This is the Eagle's first time being the #1 pick, after going 4th, 3rd, and 4th in the previous 3 drafts. His average draft position is now 3.0th overall.

With Lemieux not going in the top 10, Belfour's average draft position is now 2nd best after Roenick (who is drafted 2.5th on the average).

1.2 Jeremy Roenick (3, 4, 1, 2 - 2.5)

No surprise seeing him go second.

He'd better get a no-trade clause as soon as he can before Hokkee has a chance to ship him out for Kirk Muller and Arturs Irbe. With Roenick at the helm, expect to see a revitalized Hokkee near the top of the scoring race, like in the oNHL94 (first stats league)

1.3 Steve Yzerman (6, 13, 3, 3 - 6.3)

People have caught on to how good Yzerman is. He really has no weakness. Great skating, shooting, passing, and brains.

Picking his own team this season, xdeathsbloodx should see an upswing in wins with Yzerman steadying the team.

1.4 Teemu Selanne (8, 10, 9, 4 - 7.8)

Quite a jump for the Teemu, never having been taken earlier than 8th before, but not undeserved. His skills are almost identical to Bure's, but he weighs a little more so can't check or accelerate quite as well. He makes up for it with a more accurate shot.

Sdogg should benefit more from Selanne's speed this season than he did from Roenick's onetimer ability last season.

1.5 Patrick Roy (5, 9, 5, 5 - 6.0)

How Roy ever lasted until the 9th pick in GDL2, I'll never know.

matthurray takes the goalie route again this season (having drafted Belfour last season), but can he bring in the offense needed to make the playoffs?

1.6 Petr Klima (53, 35, 21, 6 - 28.37)

The first big surprise of the draft. Klima was a part of takeyourpill's GDL1 championship team, and was his leading scorer in his games after he took over the team from Rob D, scoring 101 points in 39 games (95 pts for Ciccarelli).

Klima is definitely underrated, but most would put him in the middle of the first round, not 6th, ahead of our next guy:

1.7 Pavel Bure (7, 2, 6, 7 - 5.5)

Carse gets an elite player like he's always wanted. Is he Cup bound this season? Can Bure repeat as the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophy winner? Recchi had 181 goals for Carse last season, so 200 goals seems almost guaranteed for the Russian Rocket.

1.8 Joe Sakic (33, 28, 10, 8)

Sakic is another guy who's been moving up every draft as he proves his worth, but I think there are many who doubt he's a top-10 player.

Clearly the Kings didn't like Fleury last season, so Sakic should be a great improvement over their leading goal-scorer from last season, Pierre Turgeon.

1.9 Alexnder Mogilny (2, 5, 8, 9 - 6.0)

This is Mogilny's lowest draft position ever, as he's never really been able to bring his teams success quite as well as one would expect from the game's best skater and 2nd-highest rated forward (but he's still better than Lemieux!)

jrodimus scored 129 goals with Bondra (aka Mogilny-light) last season, so could we see Mogs be the fourth player to ever break 200 goals?

1.10 Doug Gilmour (12, 8, 13, 10 - 10.8)

Roenick-light should bring a scoring touch to smozoma that he's lacked in previous seasons, but the question remains: can he make the playoffs without an elite goaltender?

1.11 Dino Ciccarelli (13, 14, 7, 11 - 11.3)

Ciccarelli's dynamite shot guaratees him a top-15 draft spot.

Sebe, drafting his own team this season, should put him to good use. Another 200-goal candidate.

1.12 Theoren Fleury (1, 6, 11, 12 - 7.5)

Fleury's precision checking makes him a great player, but two seasons in a row outside the top-10 show that he can't be counted on to put the puck in the net with quite as much efficacy.

skoolyardpuck should benefit well from a forward checking presence on the ice, something missing from his team last season.

1.13 Russ Courtnall (37, 25, 20, 13 - 23.8)

Another big gainer, Courtnall is one of the game's best skaters and was extremely dangerous last season for BHF. Can Scribe use him just as effectively? Having never been drafted better than 20th before, as the 13th pick, he's a bit questionable.

1.14 Mike Gartner (25, 12, 12, 14 - 15.8)

Gartner is one of the game's best puck chasers, picking up loose pucks even under AI control. A fast skater and hard shooter, it's surprising he's never been picked higher than 12th.

Icestorm should have no trouble matching his rookie season success with Mustachioed Mike on the ice.

1.15 Grant Fuhr (10, 19, 23, 15 - 16.8)

BHF looks to take a different tack this season, taking the game's 3rd best goalie, instead of loading up on offense.

1.16 Mike Modano (15, 22, 18, 16 - 17.8)

Once Modano returns from the Stanley Cup playoffs, he can look forward to playing for offensive-minded coach dmac, who led Bure to the Ross and Richard trophies last season. Modano's unpredictable shot accuracy should prevent him from accomplishing the same feat, though.

1.17 Mark Recchi (27, 20, 19, 17 - 20.8)

Recchi is another player who has been drafted earlier every successive draft. His 3rd-place showing in the scoring race last year showed what he can do under a coach who doesn't play the trap. CamKneely will be aiming for his second Art Ross winner (Lemieux won the trophy in GDL1).

[smozoma]

1.18 - CGY - Ray Bourque (14, 15, 16, 18 - 15.8 )

Jamonica drafts the first defenseman of the draft, Ray Bourque.

Bourque's stock has steadily fallen each draft (14th, 15th, 16th, and now 18th - 15.8th on the average), and this is the lowest he's ever been drafted. Despite all his skills, the fact remains that he's a big softy who can't take a hit, and that hurts his ability to let loose his cannon-like 5/5 shot. It's always fun having Bourque on your team, though, since he dishes out a pile of hits under AI control.

This pick is a bit of a surprise, since Jam had such great success with the much quicker Phil Housley last season (62 goals, surely a record for defensemen?). Jam also scored 147 goals with Lindros, though, so maybe he knows how to get offense out of a guy like Bourque.

1.19 - MTL - Mario Lemieux (9, 1, 2, 19 - 7.8 )

Habs breaks from tradition and doesn't pick a MTL player, but he still picked a Montreal-born player!

Le Magnifique comes home with big expectations, but lots of doubts. Considered one of the game's most overrated players, he is very unsteady on his feet, which makes him an easy target for a check-first-ask-questions-later defense employed by some other coaches. Still, he won the scoring race in GDL1 handily. Can he take Habs, one of only two coaches to play every regular season GDL game, to the finals? Habs will have to adjust to having a heavy centreman, unless he plans to play him on the wing, as a vastly upgraded Shanahan (250 goals in 112 games under Habs).

(Lemieux does not pass firefox spell check.. blasphemy!)

1.20 - WSH - Don Sweeney (43, 18, 29, 20 - 27.5 )

thegr8199 takes the game's most feared defenseman with the 20th pick. With respectable 4/4 skating and devastating checking, it's a wonder that Don Sweeney has only been drafted in the first round twice (I was tempted to take him 10th!).

With this pick, gr81 makes it known he's gunning for the GAA, SV%, and PK% titles in GDL4 (he was 3rd, 3rd, and T1st last season with the merely-average Tommy Soderstrom in goal).

Sweeney can contribute offensively as well, as seen in this video where he scores a goal shooting it over the net, off the glass, off Belfour's back, and in (at 1:52):

1.21 - TB - Tomas Sandstrom (31, 31, 15, 21 - 24.5 )

angryjay93 was another who wanted Sweeney's terrifying presence on his team, but he'll have to settle for the league's all-time leading EV, PP, SH, and SH2 goal-scorer, Tomas Sandstrom. Despite his total stats, Sandstrom has never won the Art Ross or Maurice Richard trophy. Will this be the year? He'll have to contend with Bure once again.

1.22 - WPG - Phil Housley (35, 17, 26, 22 - 25.0 )

Mr. Interception, Phil Housley is drafted 22nd by kgman. We'll have to see how kgman copes without a top-flight forward such as Modano or Gilmour. Will Housley's superb defensive presence and smooth skating take kgman to another finals?

1.23 - QUE - Wayne Gretzky (16, 16, 17, 23 - 18.0 )

The Great One is another overrated player who's weaknesses have become common knowledge. This is the first time he's been drafted lower than 17th.

Sungod will need to find a player in round 2 able to leverage Gretzky's pinpoint passing in order to generate goals. Gretzky's ability to check and not to give the puck away should keep Sungod's GAA low in his first GDL season.

1.24 - ANA - Cliff Ronning (62, 55, 40, 24 - 45.3 )

swos, the league's European expansion coach, makes a surprising pick, taking Cliff Ronning with the last pick of the first round. Ronning has never been drafted earlier than 40th until now. Though a terrific skater and a checking threat, his 2/3 shot leaves much to be desired. swos will need to make a careful pick next in order to get the most out of Ronning.

[Carse]

i like the writeup.. but i can't say i had the wreckin ball last season

[take_your_pill]

great stuff dude!!

will you analyze the 2nd round as well??

[smozoma]

great stuff dude!!

will you analyze the 2nd round as well??

Yeah, I'll do one or two more rounds, covering the cores of the teams.

[Scribe99]

Awesome writeup, fun read.

[sungod661]

great stuff cant wait for round 2

[smozoma]

2.1 - ANA - Geoff Sanderson (77, 65, 55, 25 - 55.5 )

swos: Ronning, Sanderson.

Sanderson makes a massive jump, being picked first in the 2nd round, having never been chosen earlier than 55th before, a jump of 30 spots. Sanderson is a decent player, but there are plenty of players left with better skills.

This pick by swos is a complete mystery. Why not Robitaille or Fedorov? We'll have to see what swos has up his sleeve. Sanderson is known to have good 'reach,' one of kgman's mystery player skills.

2.2 - QUE - Brett Hull (21, 33, 36, 26 - 29.0 )

Sungod: Gretzky, Hull.

Hull once again doesn't make the first round, landing in Quebec with the 26th pick.

Hull has the most powerful shot in the game, but also one of the least dependable. Sungod took Gretzky in the first round, so has the Gretzky+Hull combination that, in theory at least, should be deadly. Past results from Hull suggest that this is a rookie mistake. Hull has a hard shot, but has a bad habit of missing the widest of open nets; he's also easy to check. Sungod will need to use him with surgical precision if he wants to make a big splash in this first season. It will be interesting to see who sungod chooses to play centre -- Hull, to take advantage of his dangerous one-timer, or Gretzky, for his great backchecking abilities.

2.3 - WPG - Nelson Emerson (50, 109, 42, 27 - 57.0 )

kgman: Housley, Emerson.

kgman makes us all wonder again, taking Emerson 27th, his highest draft position ever. Emerson is great checker (the best 4-weight player remaining), but his shot is average. He should prove effective at hunting down the opposition when they have the puck, but can he provide the offense necessary to take kgman to the Cup again?

2.4 - NYI - Petr Svoboda (49, 63, 66, 28 - 51.5 )

AJ: Sandstrom, Svoboda

Wow, this is a huge jump for the league's all-time PIM leader. Svoboda was a big part of kgman's superb GDL3 season, and it's payed off for him. His solid checking presence should make up for Sandstrom's defensive weaknesses and give AJ another great season.

2.5 - WSH - Brian Bradley (38, 24, 14, 29 - 26.3 )

Gr8199: Sweeney, Bradley

gr81's go-to guy returns for his 3rd(?) season.

This is going to be a dangerous team at both ends of the rink, with two very capable 4-weight players. Bradley may not be fast, but he is good at everything else, especially one-timing, with his big 4/5 shot. gr81 should have a career year and have a good shot at the Cup.

2.6 - MTL - Stephan Lebeau (89, 57, 32, 30 - 52.0 )

Habs: Lemieux, Lebeau

Captain Lebeau returns to the Forum again, and with this pick, it appears Habs intends to play Lebeau at C and Lemieux at wing. This will be a very dangerous team, and both players should end the season in the top 10. We could be seeing Habs in the finals if he can keep the puck out of his own net.

Lebeau's draft position has improved each season.

2.7 - CGY - Mats Sundin (48, 21, 37, 31 - 34.3 )

Jamonica: Bourque, Sundin.

Sundin is a solid player who can put the puck in the net with ease, and contribute to some extent on the backcheck. With no solid checking presense, Jam could be in the trouble in the GAA column.

2.8 - NYR - Pat LaFontaine (19, 7, 28, 32 - 21.5 )

CamKneely: Recchi, LaFontaine.

This is one of the best draft picks this season. LaFontaine may be overrated, but as a mid-2nd-round pick, he is a steal. This is the latest he's ever been drafted (he went 7th in GDL2!). VC with just two picks has built a team that can pot a pile of one-timer goals and can also backcheck to keep the puck out of the net. We may see VC lead the league in Attack Zone.

2.9 - VAN - Luc Robitaille (11, 30, 34, 33 - 27.0 )

dmac: Modano, Robitaille

While never a bad pick (except at 11th as in the GDL1!), Robitaille does not, at first glance, appear to have much chemistry with a player like Modano. It will be interesting to see how dmac makes use of these two players.

2.10 - CHI - Dallas Drake (156, , 67, 34 - 85.7 )

BHF: Fuhr, Drake

This is a solid pick by BHF, who continues his defensive trend. Drake may not score too many, but his checking power will keep the opposition from getting quality shots on Chicago's quality goaltender. BHF should challenge gr81 for the best GAA in the league.

[smozoma]

2.11/35 - EDM - Peter Bondra (23, 11, 22, 35 - 22.8 )

IceStorm70: Gartner, Bondra

This is by far the lowest Bondra has ever been drafted. Though he skates as fast as any other player, his 4 agility means he isn't easily controlled, and so this season he falls out of the first round for the first time.

IceStorm looks to build upon his phenomenal rookie season by drafting two of the game's best pure goal scorers. This line will be very hard to defend against, but will they be able to keep the puck out of their own net?

2.12/36 - MIN - Sergei Fedorov (44, 27, 24, 36 - 32.8 )

Scribe99: Russ Courtnall, Fedorov

After cracking the 1st round last season, Fedorov falls to the middle of the second round. Though one of the game's best playmakers, he lacks the checking ability to be a first round guy.

Scribe adds a competent complement to Courtnall, but will need to add some toughness in order to do as well as he did last season.

2.13/37 - NJ - Robert Reichel (96, 52, 53, 37 - 59.5 )

skoolyardpuck: Fleury, Reichel

Reichel is a solid all-around player who really turned it on at the end of last season helping Dallas win 13 of their last 14 games to make the playoffs. Is he the real deal though? Drafting him 15 spots earlier than ever before, skool hopes so. He should play well with CGY teammate Fleury.

2.14/38 - ATL - Andrei Kovalenko (28, 72, 30, 38 - 42.0 )

Sebe_The_Legend: Ciccarelli, Kovalenko

Kovalenko is tied with Fleury as the lightest player in the league (light = good checker), but he lacks the speed and intelligence of his minuscule counterpart.

Sebe has built a forward line that will be tough to contain. Kovalenko will be able to shrug off checks from heavier players in order to make the play to Ciccarelli for the big one-timer goals. His average passing ability should prevent Ciccarelli from reaching the 200 goal plateau, though.

2.15/39 - DAL - Felix Potvin (18, 34, 25, 39 - 29.0 )

smozoma: Gilmour, Potvin

The game's 4th-highest rated goalie drops to the 39th pick. smozoma hopes he picked up a steal and an adequate replacement for Roy from last season. Gilmour is one of the game's best backcheckers, so this team should still challenge for the lowest GAA despite's Roy's royal absence. With that in mind, smozoma should concentrate on finding a player to click with Gilmour in Round 3.

2.16/40 - BUF - Denis Savard (79, 40, 35, 40 - 48.5 )

jrodimus: Mogilny, Savard

After being overlooked until the 4th round in GDL 1, Savard has been a solid 2nd round pick. Though his shot isn't impressive, his weight and agility make him one of the game's toughest players.

With this pick, Mogilny should be a top-5 scorer, and perhaps approach the 200-goal mark.

2.17/41 - LA - Gary Suter (40, 47, 48, 41 - 44.0 )

lakings93PA: Sakic, Suter

Suter is a skilled defenseman who should be able to contribute at both ends of the rink.

One gets the feeling that other people keep taking Kings' favourite players right before his draft position. Sakic and Suter are both solid players, but neither are the stand-out players. A playoff position could come down to the last couple games, like last season.

2.18/42 - STL - Adam Oates (17, 32, 27, 42 - 29.5 )

Carse: Bure, Oates

Oates is one of the games highest-rated players, but has never performed up to his 93 rating. Bure is rated just 90, but was drafted 35 spots earlier! This is the lowest Oates has ever been drafted and though he's overrated, he probably should have been drafted a bit earlier, as he quietly brings in points.

At 42nd, Oates is a terrific pick, especially to play with a dynamic player like Bure. People will have a tough time choosing who to cover. One wonders just how far beyond 200 goals Bure will get this season...

2.19/43 - COL - Geoff Courtnall (32, 60, 59, 43 - 48.5 )

take_your_pill: Klima, G. Courtnall

Geoff is not as fast as his brother, but he's still a large threat. He's probably been a bit undervalued in the previous two drafts, going 60th and 59th.

Pill adds another speedster to his team. Many question marks remain around Klima's ability to lead the team, however. Is Courtnall too much of the same?

2.20/44 - PIT - Esa Tikkanen (26, 41, 49, 44 - 40.0 )

matthurray: Roy, Tikkanen

This is a bit of a dead-spot in the draft, where there is a sudden drop-off in desirable players. Tikkanen is not a bad player, but his fragile checking rating makes won wonder if he can be depended upon to put the puck in the net. Roy will have to have another career season if matthurray wants to rebound from a disappointing GDL3.

2.21/45 - HFD - Gary Roberts (46, 26, 33, 45 - 37.5 )

Sdogg: Selanne, Roberts

Sdogg looks poised for a breakout season, nabbing Roberts 45th overall. Roberts is one of the game's best one-timer shooters. Who will play centre?

2.22/46 - NAS - Joe Juneau (85, 39, 44, 46 - 53.5 )

hokkeefan: Roenick, Juneau

Juneau is stabilizing as a late-2nd-round pick. He's a good checker and decent at everything else, but will need to be more dependable than he was last season, when he was drafted to be Dallas's top centre, losing the job to Reichel. He should have no trouble racking up assists as Roenick's feed-man. Though I hate to say it, maybe Hokkee should look into to trading Juneau for someone a little different, since Juneau is just a less-skilled Roenick.

2.23/47 - SJ - Steve Larmer (39, 48, 39, 47 - 43.3 )

Edisaurusrex: Belfour, Larmer

Under the shadow of great players such as Roenick, Belfour, and to a lesser extent, Chelios, it's hard for someone like Larmer to get the attention he deserves. He is solid in every category and is also one of the best backchecking forwards, with 6 defensive awareness. Ed could double his points total from last season and challenge for a playoff spot if he keeps drafting this well.

2.24/48 - PHI - Cam Neely (30, 44, 72, 48 - 48.5 )

xdeathsbloodx: Yzerman, Neely

Neely is a great shooter and deker, but has trouble staying on his feet. He's one of the more overrated players in the game.

deathsblood missed his pick and was awarded Neely at the end of the round. Neely should complement Yzerman well, though.

[Carse]

we demand round 3 coverage ! great stuff smoz

[dmac]

Yeah if you got the time keep em coming these are all great reads.

[IceStorm70]

awesome work Smo. Great reads.

Hope you keep it going!

[sungod661]

if you have the time keep it up please

[smozoma]

3.1/49 - SJ - Tony Granato (71, 59, 54, 49 - 58.3 )

• edisaurusrex : Belfour, Larmer, Granato
  
• Granato's stock has risen steadily each season, finally breaking the top 50. This should be his peak, though. He's a fast skater (4/5), and respectable in all other areas, but has no real standout talents.
  
• Ed makes another terrific pick here. Hogue might have been a slightly better pick, due to his better passing, but Granato's better checking makes a good argument in his favour. I see a vast improvement in edisaurusrex's point total this season.
  

3.2/50 - NAS - Curtis Joseph (24, 38, 46, 50 - 39.5 )

• hokkeefan : Roenick, Juneau, Joseph
  
• Joseph's draft position has plummeted dramatically, from 24th in GDL1 to 50th in GDL4. The league has gravitated more towards offense this season.
  
• This is a solid pick by Hokkee, who now has two hard-hitting forwards and the league's (arguably) 4th best goalie. Hokkee looks poised to make the playoffs after a disappointing GDL3.
  

3.3/51 - HFD - Chris Chelios (42, 42, 45, 51 - 45.0 )

• Sdogg : Selanne, Roberts, Chelios
  
• Taking advantage of the league's shift to drafting forwards, Sdogg takes the game's best all-around defenseman with the 51st pick, 3rd in the 3rd, round. Chelios had previously never been drafted outside the 2nd round, so this is a definite steal.
  
• Sdogg has built a highly skilled team with varied areas of strengths. He should be able to line up well against any other team in the league, so long as he brings in a good backstop in round 4 -- unfortunately, that is over 40 picks away and the pickings should be slim by that time.
  

3.4/52 - PIT - Pierre Turgeon (54, 36, 38, 52 - 45.0 )

• matthurray : Roy, Tikkanen, Turgeon
  
• After being drafted in the middle of the 2nd round the past two seasons, Turgeon and his 4/5 shot drops to an early 3rd-round pick. Though a cunning one-timing centreman, his lack of checking ability reduces his desirability.
  
• matt might have benefitted more from a tougher player like Makarov, but Turgeon's dangerous shot will keep other teams' defenses honest. Though this team won't light up the scoreboard, with Roy in net, this can be a winning team, provided matt can pot 3+ goals per game.
  

3.5/53 - STL - Al MacInnis (60, 54, 51, 53 - 54.5 )

• Carse : Bure, Oates, MacInnis
  
• MacInnis's ulcer-inducing 6/1 shot makes him a consistent 3rd-round pick. Though a bit on the heavy side (8), he's a 4 in agility, speed, stick-handling, and passing, making him an offensive threat that must be respected.
  
• This team will score A LOT of goals in GDL4, but may suffer a bit in the defensive zone. Carse will need to make a couple careful picks in the upcoming rounds to balance out this team.
  

3.6/54 - LA - Alexei Zhamnov (63, 82, 87, 54 - 71.5 )

• lakings93PA : Sakic, Suter, Zhamnov
  
• Zhamnov makes a 23-spot jump up the draft ladder. He's a highly skilled player, but not too flashy. There are not a lot of players outside the first round who can boast 5s in agility, stick-handling, and passing (Makarov and Messier I think are the only ones left undrafted?). His 3/4 shot, though not overpowering, is not to be ignored.
  
• kings has a solid offensive-minded team here, but will need to shore up his back end in the coming rounds.
  

3.7/55 - COL - Bob Essensa (52, 58, 56, 55 - 55.3 )

• take_your_pill : Klima, G Courtnall, Essensa
  
• Essensa is a solid goaltender, and a bit of a stand-out among the 70-75 rated goalies. He's been consistently drafted in the mid-50s.
  
• With no lack in speed and a solid goaltender, this team will be good in both ends of the rink. If pill regains his GDL1 championship form, this team could be very dangerous.
  

3.8/56 - BUF - Nicklas Lidstrom (65, 68, 63, 56 - 63.0 )

• jrodimus : Mogilny, Savard, Lidstrom
  
• Lidstrom, one of the best checking defensemen in the league (5 weight) finally cracks the top 60, and should stay there in upcoming drafts. Though not particularly quick, his 4 agility makes him very dangerous to opposing forwards, and his 4 passing allows him to contribute offensively. One of the best D at generating odd-man rushes with a timely check and quick pass.
  
• How many times are we going to see "Mogilny, Lidstrom" on the scoresheet for a breakaway goal? Mogilny's chances at reaching the 200 goal mark look better than ever.
  

[smozoma]

3.9/57 - DAL - Sergei Makarov (93, 66, 61, 57 - 69.3 )

• smozoma : Gilmour, Potvin, Makarov
  
• Makarov also breaks the 60th pick mark for the first time. Makarov is a highly skilled player, but his shot is an unimpressive 2/4, and his 2 Defensive Awareness could be a liability.
  
• This pick shows smozoma's dedication to offense this season, picking a 5 passer to feed Gilmour for the one-timer. Will smozoma lead the league in one-timer attempts as he did in GDL2?
  

3.10/58 - nj - Alexei Zhitnik (68, 61, 58, 58 - 61.3 )

• skoolyardpuck : Fleury, Reichel, Zhitnik
  
• Zhitnik has been drafted 58th two seasons in a row now. He is a top-10 defenseman who can hit and skate.
  
• skool has built a good team that will turn many an opponent's rush into an odd-man chance the other way. With Fleury and Zhitnik roaming the ice, opponents are going to need to pass the puck to avoid getting checked and having it stolen.
  

3.11/59 - ATL - Joe Nieuwendyk (118, 81, 104, 59 - 90.5 )

• Sebe_The_Legend : Ciccarelli, Kovalenko, Nieuwendyk (I spelled that without looking!)
  
• Nieuwendyk jumps from 104th to 59th, suggesting that Sebe jumped the gun on this pick. Though a good skater and shooter, his 2 passing will prevent him from connecting one-timer passes with Ciccarelli, and his 8 weight will prevent him from utilizing his speed ettectively. This draft started out promisingly for Sebe, but lackluster 2nd and 3rd picks could prevent him from eclipsing his rookie season points total garnered using a well-drafted team created by TessLog.
  

3.12/60 - MIN - Pelle Eklund (72, 77, 64, 60 - 68.3 )

• Scribe99 : R Courtnall, Fedorov, Eklund
  
• Eklund rises to the 60th pick for the first time in his GDL career. His 5 weight makes him a valuable player, though his other attributes are fairly average. He's a good role player, adding a checking presence on the wing and a surprising knack for scoring goals.
  
• This is a very well-put-together forward line that could actually be just as tough to play against as Scribe's Selanne, Ronning, Broten line from last season. He'll have another good season, but the lack of defense will be a weakness come playoff time.
  

[jrodimus]

Smo, your draft analyses ROCK!!!!!!!!

[smozoma]

3.13/61 - EDM - Neal Broten (125, 118, 57, 61 - 90.3 )

IceStorm70 : Gartner, Bondra, Broten

After being overlooked in the first two GDL season, Broten has become a mid-3rd-round pick due to his speed, checking, and passing (all 4s).

Icestorm adds some toughness up front and should score a lot of goals this year. Skipping on a quality D or goalie may cost him a few games, though.

3.14/62 - CHI - Benoit Hogue (45, 53, 52, 62 - 53.0 )

backhandfloater : Fuhr, Drake, Hogue

Hogue is a great 2nd-tier sniper, quick (4/5) with a dangerous 3/5 shot and a good sense of how to get open. He is typically an early-3rd round pick but fell out of the top 60 this season.

Backhand has added a dangerous scoring touch to his team. Russ Courtnall was dangerous for him last season, and opponents should be almost as wary of Hogue.

3.15/63 - VAN - Paul Coffey (29, 43, 41, 63 - 44.0 )

dmac : Modano, Robitaille, Coffey

Coffee drops 12 spots to 63rd. Though highly skilled, his lack of checking ability makes him a poor choice in the second round.

With the drafting of Hogue and Broten, the draft enters another dead zone, so taking Coffey now is a good move by dmac (though a goalie is rarely a bad move, either). This team will generate a lot of offensive chances, but probably won't be as dangerous as last year's one-man-band Bure team.

3.16/64 - NYR - Tom Barrasso (22, 50, 47, 64 - 45.8 )

CamKneely : Recchi, Lafontaine, Barasso

This is the latest Barasso has been drafted. He's a good goalie, but not a game-breaker.

CamKneely adds a respectable goalie to his team, giving him 2 good two-way forwards and a solid goalie. This team is already well balanced and should cause opponents lots of trouble.

3.17/65 - CGY - Eric Lindros (51, 80, 74, 65 - 67.5 )

Jamonica : Bourque, Sundin, Lindros

Lindros makes a jump to 65th this season. He's one of the game's most dangerous one-timer men, but his atrocious 12 weight and disappointing 3 speed make him hard to use for most people.

Not many people can draft a 147-goal scorer in the 3rd round (that's how many Lindros had last season under Jamonica), but Jamonica seems to know how to get the most out of heavy players. I'm in his division, so I guess I'll see how well he uses these guys!

3.18/66 - MTL - Tommy Soderstrom (67, 64, 62, 66 - 64.8 )

HABS : Lemieux, Lebeau, Soderstrom

Soderstrom is taken in the 60s for the 4th season in a row.

Habs adds a respectable goalie (3rd or 2nd in GAA and Sv% last season) to make up for the defensive shortcomings of Lemieux.

[smozoma]

3.19/67 - WSH - Evgeny Davydov (124, 106, 94, 67 - 97.8 )

thegr8199 : Sweeney, Bradley, Davydov

Davydov has been greatly overlooked in past seasons, never having been picked earlier than 94th. His solid checking presense, respectable 4/4 skating, and 4/4 shot have helped his draft position jump up 27 spots to 67th.

gr81 adds another solid player with Davydov. This team is more than competent in both ends of the rink.

3.20/68 - NYI - Brian Leetch (56, 62, 50, 68 - 59.0 )

angryjay93 : Sandstrom, Svoboda, Leetch

Leetch drops a few spots to 68th, his worst draft position ever. He's a skilled player, but has trouble converting that into results.

Taking the highly irregular strategy of taking two defensemen in the first three rounds, AJ should lead the league in shots-against average, but without a respectable 2nd forward could find it hard to score as easily with Sandstrom as in previous seasons, since teams will be able to check him to the ice pretty easily without worrying about who else could get the puck. With two Dmen good at turning an opponent's rush around, he will need to score a lot of goals on fast breaks. He should add a speedster in the next round to take advantage of Leetch's 5 passing.

3.21/69 - WPG - Pat Verbeek (122, 92, 31, 69 - 78.5 )

kgman : Housley, Emerson, Verbeek

Verbeek is a versatile player who is 'ok' at everything, but not great at anything -- except apparently "reach," kgman's mystery player attribute. He was drafted 31st by kgman last year, but goes a more reasonable 69th this season.

It's hard to say what Verbeek does for this team, but kgman is sure to put him to good use. This is a team of varied characters and should have a strategy for any opponenent.

3.22/70 - QUE - Steve Duchesne (102, 103, 88, 70 - 90.8 )

sungod661 : Gretzky, Hull, Duchsene

Duchesne goes 70th this season, 18 ahead of last year, and probably a bit too early. He's a great playmaker, but his 8 weight makes him a defensive liability, unable to effectively check 75% of the league's forwards (54 of the first 72 forwards drafted weighed 7 or less!).

sungod's team should score goals, but will have trouble scoring more than the amount given up. sungod will be learning who the studs and duds of the league are this season, the hard way.

3.23/71 - ANA - Ron Hextall (86, 76, 78, 71 - 77.8 )

swos : Ronning, Sanderson, Hextall

Hextall moves up a little to his best draft spot ever.

Swos adds a quality goaltender to his team, but will it be enough to make up for his questionable 1st and 2nd picks?

3.24/72 - PHI - Mark Messier (55, 23, 91, 72 - 60.3 )

xdeathsbloodx : Yzerman, Neely, Messier

deathsblood again didn't know the draft was on and so was awarded Messier. There is a lot of offensive skill on this team, but a large lack of balance. Neely and Messier will be ineffective backchecking, leaving all the work to Yzerman.

[sungod661]

what about duchesne?

[smozoma]

what about duchesne?

Whoops! Clearly I was distracted by my Kraft Dinner when writing.

I added Duchesne now in my previous post.

[chrisduda11]

Fellas,

I’m not in any leagues yet, but I am waiting for the opportunity. The write up on the draft makes the whole 94’ community worth joining. Smozoma, phenomenal! If I can help you gather any information for more write-ups, let me know.

[smozoma]

Fellas,

I’m not in any leagues yet, but I am waiting for the opportunity. The write up on the draft makes the whole 94’ community worth joining. Smozoma, phenomenal! If I can help you gather any information for more write-ups, let me know.

I'm going to wait for the roster freeze on Tuesday and then cover the starting lineups. The trades were too hard to keep up with