DRAFT

ANALYSIS

(EDITOR’S NOTE: As teams head into the NHL draft, they are all in the midst of self-appraisal. Here’s one NHL insider’s look at what each team needs to address in the off-season)     Mighty Ducks of Anaheim:  Really no need to panic over last year’s disastrous season. Ryan Getzlaf and Joffrey Lupul are two good forward prospects, and there are some very good young players. Stanislav Chistov is still only 21. The goaltending is sound. The defence should be fine. Certainly you can question whether Sergei Fedorov is the right go-to guy for this team, and Vinny Prospal wasn’t the player they need him to be. Should they try to re-sign Paul Kariya?      Atlanta Thrashers:  Defence. Defence. Defence. Have we mentioned this team needs some defensive help. The expectation is that the team will look for defence in the trade market. Braydon Coburn will make the team next season. But certainly the Thrashers would like to grab a talented defenceman in the draft. With Kari Lehtonen in goal, and enough scorers up front, this team could easily climb into contention if it cleans up its defensive game.     Boston Bruins:  The defence is sound, and Andrew Raycroft has proven himself to be a competent goalkeeper. They parted with a good prospect (Shaone Morrison) and a first rounder to land Sergei Gonchar. They certainly would like to get lucky in this draft to replace them. In watching Tampa Bay have success, you wonder if the Bruins are thinking they need to land a couple of veterans like Dave Andreychuk and Tim Taylor to help Joe Thornton in the leadership duties.     Buffalo Sabres:  Tomas Vanek not withstanding, the Sabres still could use another good offensive prospect. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Sabres make a trade or two at the draft to change the dynamic of the team. Isn’t it time for them to deal from their stable of young netminders, and make a final decision on who their No. 1 guy is going to be going forward? Three talented young goalies under the age of 26 is at least one too many, and this team needs someone to step in and take some of the goal scoring burden off Miro Satan.      Calgary Flames:  Although the Flames had unexpected success and made money this season, don’t expect them to go on a spending spree. They will live within their means, and that means hard choices on players like Craig Conroy and others. The team’s defensive core looks very good with Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr and others. This team has good role players, but it cannot afford to make mistakes in the draft, and they’ll be looking to add more speed and skill up front.      Carolina Hurricanes:  It would be nice to see them land a good young winger to play with Eric Staal, but don’t forget that this team is only a couple of seasons removed from the Finals. Jeff O’Neill is still a decent player, and the ‘Canes have prepared themselves with the idea that they can be a buyer if the new CBA includes some form of cap. They hope to be grabbing veterans that other teams must move.      Chicago Blackhawks:  The good news is that Tuomo Ruutu is the real thing, and Bryan Berard turned out better than expected. Coach Brian Sutter willed that team to be more competitive. But there’s not enough talent here, and not enough prospects coming. Anton Babchuk and Brent Seabrook give the organization hope to build around on defence, but a young, talented goalkeeper would go a long way toward pushing this team forward in a positive way.     Colorado Avalanche:  Even with Peter Forsberg supposedly heading back to Sweden and Joe Sakic getting closer to retirement, this team still has offensive talent. Don’t count on them re-signing Paul Kariya, and Teemu Selanne now looks like it was a major mistake. The defence still looks very good, and David Aebischer’s performance level was high enough that goaltending shouldn’t be an issue. But Colorado really has to begin stockpiling prospects again. That’s an imperative.      Columbus Blue Jackets:  Teams need 10 to 12 good draft picks to be the foundation of their team, and general manager Doug MacLean is well on the way. With Rick Nash and Nikolai Zherdev, the Blue Jackets have the makings of a great first line. Hopefully it’s time for Pascal LeClaire to start pushing Marc Denis. At the beginning of last season, Denis hurt the team from time to time. There’s actually much to like about the Blue Jackets as a team to watch in the future, especially when you consider they will get another premium player this draft, maybe Cam Barker to be a new play mate for Rusty Klesla.     Dallas Stars:  It’s difficult to know exactly what the Stars are planning to do. The word last summer was that the team wanted to dramatically shed payroll, but last trade deadline the word was they were buyers not sellers. This team needs an injection of youth and it needs its top players to play like top players this season. With Hatcher and Sydor gone and Matvichuk getting up in years, the blue line is in deperate need of an overhaul.     Detroit Red Wings:  First and foremost, they have to re-sign Kris Draper. Although the team is cast as an old team, they actually have a strong corps of youngsters, led by Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Niklas Kronwall and Igor Gregorenko, which is good since they don’t have a selection among the top 90 picks in what is a mediocre draft year. Jiri Fischer has to rebound from a tough season. Robert Lang is also a key part of the team’s future.     Edmonton Oilers:  How difficult do you think it was for the Oilers to watch the success their provincial rivals, the Calgary Flames, had in the post-season. General manager Kevin Lowe is respected for the job he’s done. Ales Hemsky is a good young player, but this franchise really needs a star player like a Jarome Iginla or Martin St. Louis or Vincent Lecavalier. Give the Oilers some credit for going with Ty Conklin. He’s a credible NHL goalie.     Florida Panthers:  Say what you want about Mike Keenan, but his trading record isn’t too shabby as a general manager. He brought Chris Chelios to Chicago, Chris Pronger to St. Louis and Todd Bertuzzi to Vancouver. Florida made big progress last season, and the nucleus is in place, beginning with the NHL’s best goalie in Luongo, and building out from there. They need some veteran support people to help guide the kids along. With Nathan Horton and Jay Bouwmeester, the team has two star quality building blocks.

Los Angeles Kings:  This team simply needs good health as much as it needs any other ingredient next season. With Alexander Frolov, Denis Grebeshkov and Dustin Brown, they have good youngsters to mix with the veterans. A decision has to be made about expensive Ziggy Palffy. And Jason Allison, even if healthy, is going elsewhere. The team should probably add another young goaltender, and with two picks in the top 14, should have a shot at whoever’s left from Schwarz/Montoya.     Minnesota Wild:  Essentially, most of the teams in the Western Conference improved last season and the Wild were in neutral. Marian Gaborik’s contract woes and poor start seemed to carry over to the team. Certainly this team is in good hands with Doug Risebrough, but right now they don’t have as many good young assets as Columbus.     Montreal Canadiens:  With all due respect to Saku Koivu, wouldn’t you like to see another star in Montreal? Alexei Kovalev’s addition really seemed to give the team and the franchise a boost. Koivu turned up his game after jousting with Mike Ribeiro. This team has some young defencemen — Mike Kommisarek in particular. And the troika of Chris Higgins/Andrei Kastsitsyn/Alex Perezhoguin are fine prospects up front. This team just needs more skilled veterans with size.     Nashville Predators:  With Ryan Suter, Scottie Upshall, Dan Hamhuis and Scott Hartnell, the Predators have done well with their first rounders. But the franchise really could use David Legwand to take another step in his development. What’s it say when Team USA, short on younger standouts, didn’t take Legwand for the World Cup team. He needs to make more progress. This team has bundles of good young players. They could use a couple of talented veterans and they may go after them after the new CBA is negotiated.     New Jersey Devils:  Some opponents say the Devils are running out of prospects, but Zach Parise should be a fine player. With Scott Stevens’ health in question and age creeping up, GM Lou Lamoriello may have to aggressively pursue another quality defenceman. But the team has faith in David Conte’s ability to restock the shelves.     New York Rangers:  Don’t forget that goaltender Dan Blackburn is still just 21. The team needs to start adding some younger players, although it’s still hard to imagine that this team won’t look at free agency as a means to cure woes. Everyone roots for the Rangers to fail, but it’s sad where this team is at today.     New York Islanders:  The team needs more toughness on defence, especially someone who can clear the crease. It also needs to draft well and hang onto those prospects. Of course it also needs out of Alexei Yashin’s contract, but that isn’t going to happen.     Ottawa Senators:  This franchise still has as much pure talent as any team in the National Hockey League. But it needs a top-flight goalie, whether it’s Dominik Hasek or another veteran. Ray Emery is a gifted apprentice. The new coach has to give Jason Spezza the opportunity to be creative in addition to teaching him the defensive game. They have Patrick Eaves in the pipeline and he’s a spunky player. The Senators still could use a winger with some snarl to his game.     Philadelphia Flyers:  The team has to be worried about Jeremy Roenick’s health, and John LeClair obviously isn’t the scorer he once was. Joni Pitkanen is a good young d-man and Jeff Carter was a fine draft pick a year ago, but there’s mileage on this roster and it could use some fresh faces at all positions.     Phoenix Coyotes:  Although Brian Boucher had an incredible hot streak last season, the Coyotes may have to ponder a goaltending switch. It wouldn’t hurt to add another good young goalie to the system. Hopefully the Coyotes will start to get more mileage out of their draft picks. Ladislav Nagy is going to be a standout. But the team needs depth and talent.     Pittsburgh Penguins:  Mix Ryan Whitney with Marc-Andre Fleury, with Brooks Orpick, with Ryan Malone, with Evgeni Malkin, and then ponder the possibility that Mario Lemieux might be healthy. The future doesn’t look quite so bad, particularly if Lemieux can play a couple of more seasons.     St. Louis Blues:  The Blues’ problem is no secret: too much payroll tied up in too few players. Is it time to change the dynamic up top by jettisoning Keith Tkachuk, if that’s even possible? The team doesn’t have a wealth of talented youngsters, although don’t forget that defenceman Barret Jackman missed most of last season with an injury.     San Jose Sharks:  Many of the team’s good young core players are also veteran players. That’s a good comination. The defence is quite sound, although a good young puck carrying defenseman would be a nice player to add. Goalie Evgeni Nabakov is still only 28. No concerns there. Just begin stockpiling young depth for a rainy day — or a big trade deadline manoeuvre.     Tampa Bay Lightning:  The team is good, and the team is still young. Time to start adding depth players, particularly on the no-name defence, where there are no real standouts. Dave Andreychuk won’t last forever so it’s time to start thinking about developing a young checking centre.     Toronto Maple Leafs:  This team is old, very old, and it still needs defensive help. Is Nik Antropov going to be a player or not? Questions will need to be answered. Room has to be made for an infusion of young blood, players like Carlo Colaiacovo and Alexander Steen. The Maple Leafs have some prospects, but they have to commit to playing them. Obviously re-signing Ed Belfour is a priority, ‘cause there’s nothing else in the system.     Vancouver Canucks:  Even if you believe in Dan Cloutier, you have to start thinking about adding another potential star goaltending prospect. Certainly the switch from Brian Burke to Dave Nonis will alter the team philosophy in some fashion. Some guess that Nonis will be more open to change. The team needs another defenceman and upgrades on the second and third lines.     Washington Capitals:  Thanks to last season’s house cleaning, lots of first round draft picks could dot Washington’s roster this season, and GM George McPhee might eventually get a green light to add veterans to the mix. That could be an interesting combination. Defenceman Steve Eminger must step up quicker and Eric Fehr needs to be a player. But by keeping Olaf Kolzig, the team at least can count on veteran goalkeeping.

DRAFT

ANALYSIS

Each June just prior to the Entry Draft, the NHL holds its annual star-studded awards ceremony in Toronto to honour the game’s greats for their achievements during the preceding season. The traditional hardware includes such distinguished trophies as the Art Ross (league’s top scorer), the Lady Byng (combining skill and gentlemanly play), the Vezina (for the top goaltender), the Hart (most valuable player), etc.     Here at Red Line, we minted a new set of hardware three years ago specially designed for the incoming draftees that we feel rivals the NHL’s prestigious mugs. Here now are the categories and our nominations for the fourth annual Red Line Report Silverware Collection. The Rodney Dangerfield Trophy (Most underrated players)     1. Valtteri Tenkanen — Can you be underrated if you’re not rated? Most teams don’t even have him on their list.     2. Jordan LaVallee — Wasn’t used on the top lines much and didn’t put up big scoring numbers, but we feel he’s capable of a whole lot more. He’s big, has a physical dimension, and can handle the puck.     3. Dave Brown — Hey, he was underrated 292 times last year, so we’re pretty sure that qualifies him to be on the list again. The Alexandre Daigle Trophy (Most overrated players)     1. Grant Lewis — May end up going as high as the 20s overall because some think he’s big with a high skill level. Actually, he’s a 19-year-old who picked up some points on the PP by feeding Hugh Jessiman in a brutally bad college conference.     2. Oscar Hedman — Has good offensive skills, particularly on the PP, but he’s kind of short and tubby, doesn’t hit much, and is weak defensively.     3. Sami Lepisto — Made his reputation off one good week at the World Jrs. Other than that, he’s an ‘84 DOB with average size and skills. The Yvan “Roadrunner” Cournoyer Trophy (Best pure skaters)     1. Enver Lisin — Most dynamic and explosive skater in this class. Has speed, balance, acceleration, and different gears he can shift into. We just wish he’d use them more often.     2. Johannes Salmonsson — Has tremendous first few steps — goes from 0 to 60 faster than anyone. Backs defenders off blue line and can split “D” with world class speed.     3. Robbie Earl — Sheer blazing speed. Explosive first step and east-west lateral agility. It’s as though he’s got miniature nuclear power plants in each of his powerful thighs. The Brad “Quicksand” Marsh Trophy (Slowest-footed players in the draft)     1. Julien Sprunger — We’ve seen better skating in a women’s mud-wrestling pit. Come to think of it, we’ve seen better everything in a women’s mud wrestling pit.     2. Wes O’Neill — Roughly the same turning radius as a school bus. Has pioneered the concept of the human turnstile.     3. Fredrik Naslund — All the acceleration of a Mack truck lumbering up the side of a mountain. Has the Bambi-legs. Gordie Howe Trophy (Best character guys and fiercest competitors)     1. Alex Ovechkin — One of the most overlooked aspects to his game is that he’s a superstar with no ego and a super

team guy. Attitude, work ethic, and dedication to getting better every day are off the charts.     2. Andrew Ladd — If you’re in a war, you want him in the foxhole next to you. Comes after you hard from the opening faceoff to the last buzzer and is a natural born leader.     3. Mike Green — A coach’s dream - gave full effort every night, every shift, despite Blades being eliminated from playoff contention somewhere around, oh... say mid-October. Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Most Natural Hockey Sense)     1. Denis Parshin — Plays like a chess grandmaster, always visualising where the pieces are going to be three and four moves from now. So imaginative he surprises his own linemates with passes.     2. Dave Bolland — With his mind it’s brains over brawn — and it’s not even really a fair fight for the big guys. Knows instinctively where everyone is on the ice.     3. Rostislav Olesz — Play just seems to come to him. Sees the whole ice, knows what opponents are going to do even before they do. Allstate “Good Hands” Trophy (Best natural goal scorer)     1. Enver Lisin — Any time he leaves the bench, it’s a scoring opportunity. Even if he’s on the bench, his odds are better than 50-50.     2. Alexander Radulov — Scores in variety of ways (electrifying solo rushes, PP 1-timers), doesn’t need time or space to get shot away.     3. Robbie Schremp — Absolutely magical hands and the ability to buy time in front. Lethal 1-timer on the PP. Roberto Duran “Hands of Stone” Trophy (Worst natural goal scorer)     1. Kevin Porter — The Venus de Milo statue had better hands.     2. Petteri Nokelainen — He’ll get his share of goals crashing the net, but mostly they’ll bounce in off his noggin rather than his stick.     3. Boris Valabik — Stickhandles like he’s chopping wood.  Society of Plastic Surgeons Trophy (Toughest players/Best fighters)     1. Evan Schaefer — Not the biggest dog in the fight, but what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in punching power.     2. Philip Axtell — Just gigantic at 6-5/245. There’s no pretense here; he’s an old-time enforcer, pure and simple. You don’t want to be in the vicinity when he snaps — and he will snap.     3. Boris Valabik — Big Bo never fought before this season. Now he casts a long shadow in the corners of OHL rinks. The Shell No-Pest Strip Trophy (Little gnats who are very big pests to play against)     1. Martin Karsums — Never lets up, even after the whistle.     2. Liam Reddox — Agitator extraordinaire. Industrial strength abrasive. Plays like a pit bull — locks on and won’t let go.     3. Chris Bourque — Gutless little twerp uses stick very carelessly. Too bad Ray never taught him respect for fellow players.

DRAFT

SPOTLIGHT

Schneider shines on big stage		Schneider Report Card Size/Strength Agility Leg/Foot Quickness Flexibility Glove Gand Angles Rebounds Composure/Poise Competitiveness   B+ B A- A- C B B- A- A performance at the World Under-18 Championships.     “It was definitely something I hadn’t done before,” commented Schneider on the whole World Under-18 Championship experience. “So I felt I had something to prove. And I hadn’t been with the [U.S. Under-18 National Team] before, so I had to earn their trust and respect.” He did that to the tune of a .929 save percentage and 1.71 GAA (both good for second best in the tourney behind probable top 10 pick Marek Schwarz), while allowing only seven even strength goals in six games.     Throughout the process in Belarus, Schneider learned some valuable lessons. “I learned that some things you can get away with at [the prep school] level, you can’t get away with as you move up,” he observed sheepishly. “I now know that when I’m stickhandling, I need to make the reads faster. Guys get on you so fastas you go up in levels, you have to get used to having less time or you’ll get your defencemen killed. I also think I picked up some mental toughness in Belarus and learned what it takes to defend a one goal lead late in the game.”     The young goalie has worked diligently over the past two summers on some technique issues, trying to improve his rebound control and patience, and working on being more compact and out-waiting shooters.     As for the whole draft day experience, Schneider is trying not to focus on it too much. “Once you get drafted, it doesn’t really matter which team you go to or how high you get picked. You just have to keep progressing,” he said.     So once again, in his own even-keeled way, Schneider has boiled it down to a simple and modest goal — one that will probably lead him to more outstanding accomplishments.
The 2003-04 season began with modest personal goals for Cory Schneider — he simply wanted to get his Phillips Andover Academy team into the New England prep school playoffs. No easy feat given that nobody can even remember the last time Andover (anything but a hockey power) made it.     He ended the season backstopping the United States to a silver medal at the World Under-18 Championships last month in Minsk. Oh, but not before strapping Andover onto his broad shoulders and giving them a piggy back ride right into their first prep school playoffs in over a decade. Guess you could say, “Mission accomplished... and then some!”	top student at Andover (one of the most academically challenging prep schools in the country), the lanky Massachusetts native naturally had his choice of numerous top universities that beat a path to his door. Ultimately, he settled on Boston College, where he was initially slated to begin school in the Fall of 2005. But recent developments have pushed the timetable up, and Schneider will now compete for the Eagles’ No.1 netminding job as a true 18-year-old freshman come September.     “[B.C. coaches] told me there wasn’t any space or scholarship money available this year, but then when [Adam] Pineault left, that opened up a spot for me,” said Schneider, who was
Cory Schneider File Ht/Wt:  6-2/188 Position:  Goaltender Catches:  Left Birthdate:  March 18, 1986 Team:  Philips Andover Academy Scouting Report:  Has terrific size and agility. Very flexible and can be acrobatic at times. Makes big saves at key moments. Leg quickness and side-to-side movement make him tough to beat down low, and he's tall enough to cover top corners when down on knees. Does a good job squaring up to shooters and letting the play come to him. Lacks consistency with the glove hand and needs work on rebound control and puckhandling.
Schneider has been a Red Line personal favourite for three years now (in the interest of full disclosure, we should note that RLR’s chief scout, Kyle Woodlief, is also the Quebec League Central Scouting Bureau’s U.S. scouting director, and tried hard to recruit Schneider for the “Q” a few years ago), and despite his relative lack of exposure, the rest of the scouting community has finally caught on to his talent.     We recently asked the young netminder if he had ever considered leaving Andover for a more high profile situation leading up to his draft year. “Yeah, it crossed my mind. I was presented with other opportunities, but it’s a cultural thing [in the Boston area] to play in the prep schools and then move on,” he responded. “In the end I felt that if you’re good enough, they’ll find you.”      Spoken like a mature, wise-beyond-his-years young man - which Schneider certainly is. Having been a clear on his reasoning in choosing the	Boston College program.     “I definitely wanted to pursue a high level of education to keep my options outside of hockey open; you can never have too many options,” the netminder noted. “Plus I wanted to have a chance to win a national championship, and that’s something Boston College gives you every year.”     In Red Line’s considered opinion, one of the main reasons the Eagles frequently came up short of the national title in the past two decades with very talented squads is that, for all their recruiting successes, they were never quite as fortunate in landing the big fish between the pipes. That all changes with Schneider.     The 6-2/188-pound redhead has terrific size and flexibility, and does a great job getting quickly back into position after making the first save. As might be expected from someone so focused off the ice, he maintains during battle, and shows very good mental toughness and competitive fire, both of which were on display during his recent