Draft News

It's amazing how much can change in the span of a week. This was supposed to be simply a draft review follow up on my previous blog entry "Five Days Before Ottawa." But, as I mentioned in that article, with the new ownership shoes have been falling fast and furious in Tampa Bay. Since that time the Lightning not only conducted their first draft under the Oren Koules regime, but they also named Barry Melrose Head Coach, locked up Vaclav Prospal to a long term deal, and acquired the negotiating rights for Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts who are expected to ink deals tomorrow with the team. And there's still July 1st to look forward to on Tuesday.

How will these deals work out? Hard to say. Am I enthusiastic about having Vaclav Prospal signed to a contract that will end when he's 38 years old (and having to see his skating at that age)? Not really. Do I have any idea what Barry Melrose's system will look like after 13 years away from hockey? I'd be lying if I said I did (and I'd be lying if I said I was really enthusiastic about Assistant Coach Rick Tocchet's off-ice baggage coming with him). Does Gary Roberts still have any gas in the tank? If he does it'll probably be worth $5 a gallon by the end of this coming season. And, am I really stoked about potentially signing Ryan Malone to a 7 year contract worth nearly $4.5 million dollars a year after a 51 point season that was just 3 points better than Michel Ouellet's last campaign in a Pens uniform? The new ownership is definitely rolling the dice with all of these moves.

Now, that said, it's nice to be shopping for groceries at the Whole Foods rather than the Super Wal-Mart for a change. The thing about a guy like Malone is that he does have the potential to be a second liner, whereas bargain bin players like Jan Hlavac the Lightning signed in previous years due to PS&E's budget constraints had little chance of being legitimate NHL scoring line threats. And while I won't back off my statement that OK Hockey projects the image that the circus is coming to town, I would like to praise them on very professionally handling the draft. There's some temptation for new ownership groups to make gigantic splashes at the draft, and Koules certainly could've tried to climb the ladder to get another first round pick. That wouldn't have been wise for the Lightning given the assets they had on hand, however, so discretion was the better part of valor. Koules polished off his first draft by making a nice PR move selecting David Carle as well, which sends a nice message throughout the hockey community that this organization does have a pretty big heart. So, altogether, it was a pretty good weekend in Ottawa. I thought the Lightning's draft last year was deeper and more on point with what needs to be done to rebuild the forward depth in the organization with it's emphasis on smaller speed-oriented players, but the team did get a franchise player in Stamkos and some nice depth players at the goaltending and defenseman positions in this draft. No complaints there. Next year's draft, now that the Lightning will have a pair of second round picks, will be a bigger opportunity for the organization to replenish depth.

Anyway, on to the players:

Damian Crisdotero of the times has a more detailed story up today on defenseman prospect David Carle's condition. The Carle family still holds out hope that the young blueliner's condition may be a less serious problem known as "athlete's heart", which is a thickening of the lining of the heart caused by exercising. According to the article, it will be six to eight weeks before test results will confirm whether his condition is indeed "athlete's heart." If it is, Carle will be off the ice another three months hoping that the lining of his heart reduces in size so he can resume his career.

"But it's almost a false hope," Carle said. "It's less than a 1 percent chance, so unless there's a miracle, I don't see it changing."

Carle, via Crisdotero's blog, urged all athletes to be safe and get themselves tested to make sure they catch any potential conditions like his in time.

NHL.com has a new notebook up featuring the Lightning's decision to draft D David Carle with their final pick in the seventh round today.

Sure doesn't sound like there is a lot of hope Carle can come back and play. That's a shame for Carle and the Lightning alike.

Seventh Round, Two-Hundred Third Overall
D David Carle, 5'11" 180 lbs, Shattuck-St. Mary's (USHS-MN)
Rankings: #60 North American CSS, #68 Overall Red Line Report, #70 Overall THN

55 GP, 10-34-44, 59 PIM

According to the Anchorage Daily News today (June 21), Carle, a University of Denver commitment and the younger brother of San Jose Sharks' defenseman Matt Carle, will have his hockey career put on hold – or most likely ended – by a heart condition. Carle told the newspaper on Friday he will no longer play the game after doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., diagnosed a heart condition that puts him at risk for sudden cardiac death if he exerts himself too strenuously. The newspaper states Carle said Mayo Clinic doctors on Thursday diagnosed him with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart that has been cited in the sudden death of young athletes.

The Daily News reports the abnormality was first detected in Carle's heart by doctors at the NHL's scouting combine in Toronto last month, prompting this week's visit to the Mayo Clinic.

On the Ice: Carle is an undersized puck-moving defenseman comparable to Colorado's Brett Clark. According to Red Line Report, Carle is a great skater with strong acceleration, good mobility, and good hockey sense. His shooting and passing skills are above average and he endears himself to coaches with his consistent play and willingness to do the little things. Denver is expected to honor his scholarship and make him a part of the Pioneer’s hockey program. Should Carle pull through his condition and resume his hockey career, the Lightning will hold his signing rights. However, this appears to be more of a reward pick of sorts to Carle by the Bolts.

Update:
Damian Crisdotero of the Times has the scoop on his blog.

"But general manager Jay Feaster said prospective new owner Oren Koules knows the family and the diagnosis might not be as severe as first believed. Besides Koules said, "The kid worked his whole life to be drafted in the NHL, and I don't see a reason he shouldn't be."

Seventh Round, One-Hundred Eighty-Second Overall
RW Matias Sointu, 5'10" 154 lbs, Ilves Jr. (FIN)
Rankings: #42 Europe CSS, Red Line NR, THN #93 Overall

41 GP, 21-19-40, 38 PIM

Sointu is a very undersized but very skilled Finnish forward who scored at nearly a point a game clip this season with Ilves' Junior A team and also scored 3 goals for Team Finland at the U18 World Junior Championships. Sointu fell 15 spots from his Midterm CSS ranking, but he still might be good value in the seventh round.

Sixth Round, One-Hundred Sixtieth Overall
D Luke Witkowski, 6'2" 180 lbs, Ohio (USHL)
Rankings: Unranked

58 GP, 3-10-13, 139 PIM

Unranked by the major scouting services, Witkowski, a Western Michigan University commitment for 2009, has only recently begun playing defense. The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets rearguard is known for his skating, physical play, and work ethic. Witkowski told McKeen's Hockey he projects as an offensive defenseman.

Sixth Round, One-Hundred and Fifty-Second Overall
D Mark Barberio, 6'1" 200 lbs, Moncton (QMJHL)
Rankings: #134 North America CSS, #36 Overall Red Line Report, #59 Overall THN

70 GP, 11-35-46, 75 PIM

Perhaps a steal here for the Lightning who get a strong defender who logged nearly 30 minutes a night last season for Moncton. Barberio is a solid two-way defender who will take the body, but there's a knock on his skating ability. Red Line projects Barberio as a #4 or #5 defenseman in the mold of Craig Rivet. THN projects Barberio as more of an offensive defenseman and even suggests some organizations had Barberio ranked as a first round pick.

Fifth Round, One-Hundred Forty-Seventh Overall
RW Kyle De Coste, 6'2" 178 lbs, Brampton (OHL)
Rankings: #115 North America CSS, #274 Overall Red Line, NR THN

66 GP, 10-12-22, 48 PIM

De Coste is one of the younger players in this draft, so he's more of a project pick who brings a decent sized frame to the table. More info to follow.

Fifth Round, One-Hundred Twenty-Second Overall
G Dustin Tokarski, 5'11" 185 lbs, Spokane (WHL)
Rankings: #9 North American Goalie CSS, #129 Overall Red Line Report, THN #NR, McKeen's #90 Overall

45 GP, 30-10-3, 2.05 GAA, .922 sv%, 6 shutouts

Tokarski stole the show at the 2008 Memorial Cup, winning MVP honors for the Spokane Chiefs. A bit undersized, the positionally sound, mentally tough goaltender stopped 53 shots in the Finals to defeat the Kitchener Rangers. "The Tick" split duties in the regular season. The Watson, Saskatchewan, native finished among the top goalies through the regular Western Hockey League season and was named the Western Conference championship series MVP after the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans in a memorable seven-game series that included five total overtime and three double-overtime games. He missed being eligible for the 2007 draft by one day. He went undrafted in the WHL Bantam Draft. He led his midget club to a championship, and considering Spokane has a young roster, he could put up huge numbers on his way to another Memorial Cup experience next year in Rimouski.

Fourth Round, One-Hundred Seventeenth Overall
C James Wright, 6'3" 185 lbs, Vancouver (WHL)
Rankings: CSS 35 North America, Red Line #76 Overall, THN #48 Overall

60 GP, 13-23-36, 21 PIM

Wright had an up and down year battling mono for part of the season before finishing strong with a good playoff run. The consensus on Wright appears to be that he is a long term project. He has good size and strength, a good long stride, and decent hands. However, he doesn't have much burst and he's reluctant to use his size to his advantage. This is a boom or bust pick. Red Line projects him as a "2nd liner or never develops" and compares him to Kris Beech. THN pegs him as a "checking forward" with the potential to become a third or fourth line shut down center.