Reflections on the 2012 NHL Draft
With the 2012 NHL Draft a few days in the rear view mirror, I thought I would share a few observations.
First, some feedback on a few draftees:
- Pick #7: Mathew Dumba. I saw Dumba play a couple years ago for the Calgary Edge School. I swear he was 5'5" and about 175 lbs at the time. Hockeydb.com currently lists him at 6'0" and 166 lbs. No way unless aliens have abducted and replaced him.
- Pick #9: Jacob Trouba. A long-time Compuware player who won a couple National Championships with the storied club before moving to Ann Arbor and the NTDP. Trouba was the top US-developed pick in the draft. Congrats and best of luck with Winnipeg.
- Pick #21: Mark Jankowski. Like Dumba, Jankowski played in the MPHL Prep League. Jankowski spent this past year with Stanstead College (a college preparatory school, not "university"), located in Stanstead, QC, just a few miles north of the Vermont border.
- Pick #26: Brendan Gaunce. I remember Brendan was playing for the Markham Waxers Bantam Major team a few years back and was the first bantam player I saw play that year were I said, we'll be seeing him some day... That day is getting closer.
- Pick #94: Brady Vail. Similar to Brendan, I remember watching my son's team play against Brady's Florida Jr Panthers Squirt Major team and being thoroughly impressed. He's had a long journey with trials and successes.
- Pick #169: Vince Hinostroza. OK, now I'm really going to show my ability to remember the obscure... I'm pretty sure Vince was #43 for the Chicago Blues mite team that won (or came really close to winning) International Silver Stick Mite AA Championship in St Clair Shores back in 2003. Vince moved on from the Blues to play for the Chicago Mission for years along with pick #100 Tom Di Pauli. Vince was picked by the his hometown Blackhawks.
- Pick #188: Louis Nanne. Grandson of Lou Nanne, former Minnesota North Star player and coach, I couldn't help but to notice the name. Interestingly, Louis was the only Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area HS player selected in the draft and it came in the last round. More on this later...
- Pick #211: Nick Ebert. NHL's Mr Irrelevant without the prizes bestowed upon him like the NFL tradtion. Sorry Nick. Nick was possibly the best US-born 15 year old when he kicked butt in Waterloo before moving to the OHL. I think this could be a sleeper pick.
Now, a few words about the draft as a whole:
- Throwing out Shattuck-St Mary's which is not a Minnesota High School team, Minnesota High Schools only saw four kids drafted. The top draft pick was 5th rounder Dominic Toninato. This has to be a modern day low for Minnesota. I'm a huge fan of the Minnesota development system, but those of us who like the Minnesota HS system should definitely not use the 2012 draft year as an example of it's success.
- One Boston area prep school, Nobles and Greenough, had three players drafted before the first Minnesota HS kid. How does a prep school team with three kids drafted by the fourth round not win a NE Prep School championship?
- Shattuck-St Mary's had four players drafted. That is about their annual average. Notre Dame (Wilcox, SK) has claims four draft picks, but Notre Dame's draftees all left the school years ago. Still, the number of Prep schools that have helped develop draft picks, is ever growing.
- The US seemed to have a real lack of depth at the forward position. US defensemen seem decently represented, but this was a real weak US forward draft class.
- The draft was good for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. Dubuque had two first round draft picks and one of their "graduates" playing at Cornell was picked up in the seventh round. Very commendable for the newest USHL program.
- I personally think this could go down as one of the weaker draft classes. There has been speculation for years that the US change from mid-year age level cut-offs to birth year when this class was in mites, could have impacted development. I personally think that may be over-analyzing the situation, but not sure I can disagree with that assessment at this point.
- There were a number of players that were not drafted that have made me scratch my head. The list of undrafted NHL stars and Hall-of-Famers is long. The failure to be drafted can be great motivation when viewed properly. If I had to bet grand on one player who was overlooked (again) this year who we will see playing at the next level it's London Knights goalie Michael Houser, OHL player of the year, CHL goalie of the year and backstop for the Memorial Cup Runner-up.
Drafting mostly 18 year old kids is part science and part roulette. History says that some first rounders will never play a single game in the NHL and only a couple players per round in the later half of the draft will ever make a living in the NHL. Hockey may be the greatest team sport ever played, but for most it will remain a game. A game that opens doors when used properly, but a game that can doesn't always help to develop successful adults. Use the game, don't be used by the game! Use the game to get a great education and when your on-ice skill stops helping you advance, be ready to use that education to carry you forward in life.
First, some feedback on a few draftees:
- Pick #7: Mathew Dumba. I saw Dumba play a couple years ago for the Calgary Edge School. I swear he was 5'5" and about 175 lbs at the time. Hockeydb.com currently lists him at 6'0" and 166 lbs. No way unless aliens have abducted and replaced him.
- Pick #9: Jacob Trouba. A long-time Compuware player who won a couple National Championships with the storied club before moving to Ann Arbor and the NTDP. Trouba was the top US-developed pick in the draft. Congrats and best of luck with Winnipeg.
- Pick #21: Mark Jankowski. Like Dumba, Jankowski played in the MPHL Prep League. Jankowski spent this past year with Stanstead College (a college preparatory school, not "university"), located in Stanstead, QC, just a few miles north of the Vermont border.
- Pick #26: Brendan Gaunce. I remember Brendan was playing for the Markham Waxers Bantam Major team a few years back and was the first bantam player I saw play that year were I said, we'll be seeing him some day... That day is getting closer.
- Pick #94: Brady Vail. Similar to Brendan, I remember watching my son's team play against Brady's Florida Jr Panthers Squirt Major team and being thoroughly impressed. He's had a long journey with trials and successes.
- Pick #169: Vince Hinostroza. OK, now I'm really going to show my ability to remember the obscure... I'm pretty sure Vince was #43 for the Chicago Blues mite team that won (or came really close to winning) International Silver Stick Mite AA Championship in St Clair Shores back in 2003. Vince moved on from the Blues to play for the Chicago Mission for years along with pick #100 Tom Di Pauli. Vince was picked by the his hometown Blackhawks.
- Pick #188: Louis Nanne. Grandson of Lou Nanne, former Minnesota North Star player and coach, I couldn't help but to notice the name. Interestingly, Louis was the only Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area HS player selected in the draft and it came in the last round. More on this later...
- Pick #211: Nick Ebert. NHL's Mr Irrelevant without the prizes bestowed upon him like the NFL tradtion. Sorry Nick. Nick was possibly the best US-born 15 year old when he kicked butt in Waterloo before moving to the OHL. I think this could be a sleeper pick.
Now, a few words about the draft as a whole:
- Throwing out Shattuck-St Mary's which is not a Minnesota High School team, Minnesota High Schools only saw four kids drafted. The top draft pick was 5th rounder Dominic Toninato. This has to be a modern day low for Minnesota. I'm a huge fan of the Minnesota development system, but those of us who like the Minnesota HS system should definitely not use the 2012 draft year as an example of it's success.
- One Boston area prep school, Nobles and Greenough, had three players drafted before the first Minnesota HS kid. How does a prep school team with three kids drafted by the fourth round not win a NE Prep School championship?
- Shattuck-St Mary's had four players drafted. That is about their annual average. Notre Dame (Wilcox, SK) has claims four draft picks, but Notre Dame's draftees all left the school years ago. Still, the number of Prep schools that have helped develop draft picks, is ever growing.
- The US seemed to have a real lack of depth at the forward position. US defensemen seem decently represented, but this was a real weak US forward draft class.
- The draft was good for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. Dubuque had two first round draft picks and one of their "graduates" playing at Cornell was picked up in the seventh round. Very commendable for the newest USHL program.
- I personally think this could go down as one of the weaker draft classes. There has been speculation for years that the US change from mid-year age level cut-offs to birth year when this class was in mites, could have impacted development. I personally think that may be over-analyzing the situation, but not sure I can disagree with that assessment at this point.
- There were a number of players that were not drafted that have made me scratch my head. The list of undrafted NHL stars and Hall-of-Famers is long. The failure to be drafted can be great motivation when viewed properly. If I had to bet grand on one player who was overlooked (again) this year who we will see playing at the next level it's London Knights goalie Michael Houser, OHL player of the year, CHL goalie of the year and backstop for the Memorial Cup Runner-up.
Drafting mostly 18 year old kids is part science and part roulette. History says that some first rounders will never play a single game in the NHL and only a couple players per round in the later half of the draft will ever make a living in the NHL. Hockey may be the greatest team sport ever played, but for most it will remain a game. A game that opens doors when used properly, but a game that can doesn't always help to develop successful adults. Use the game, don't be used by the game! Use the game to get a great education and when your on-ice skill stops helping you advance, be ready to use that education to carry you forward in life.
