2012 Entry Draft

[RSchmitz]

http://www2.tbo.com/sports/lightning...medium=twitter

"He was absolutely the best player available on our list,'' Murray said. "We think Slater Koekkoek, the only reason he might have fallen on some lists or some may not have been as aware of him as possible was because the injury this year. But he has a real track record.''

[pete]

He doth protest too much.

[timothy]

For those keeping score... 4 out of Murray/Yzerman's top 5 draft picks thus far over the past two years have been Russians. Trend probably won't hold tomorrow...

[pete]

Yzerman, of course, the Peterborough alumni. Did that contribute to him being Cuckoo for Koekkoek?



Photoshopping fun, engage!

[Goboltz56]

Originally Posted by timothy

For those keeping score... 4 out of Murray/Yzerman's top 5 draft picks thus far over the past two years have been Russians. Trend probably won't hold tomorrow...

I wouldnt be surprised to see us take Gusev if we still have florida's 2nd, or if he's there in the 3rd.

[pete]

I think he'll go later. My gut tells me he's a 5th to 7th round guy.

[Goboltz56]

Slepshyev maybe?

[pete]

Arzamastsev would be an outstanding 6th or 7th round pick. Blows the doors off Nesterov, IMO.

[KyleFreadrich43]

scoutingreport.org

"Koekkoek has size, skating ability, physicality, and an offensive game that could combine to form a player who could very well be the homerun pick of the draft."

mynhldraft.com

"He’s very good defensively, especially while defending rushes (which can be tough). He’s tough to beat one-on-one, he’s physical, he uses his body well to rub players off the puck and he’s just a tough guy in general to play against. He’s not overly big, but he uses the size and strength he does have very well. Koekkoek is a great skater, very good on the rush, and he knows when to jump into the play and when to stay back. I’d say his transition game as a whole is fantastic. Koekkoek has outstanding vision and is a very good passer which makes him quite effective on the powerplay. He has a pretty good shot, too. With his solid defensive play, it’s safe to say he is more than capable of killing penalties, as well. A few more things that I really like about him is that he’s not afraid to block shots, he never takes shifts off and will do whatever it takes to win."

prohockeytalk.com

"Mark Seidel, chief scout for the North American Central Scouting, calls Koekkoek “physical and smart.” He’s a smooth skater that carries the puck well enough to lead rushes up the ice, but won’t leave his team hanging at the other end. "

firstroundbust.com

"May have the highest ceiling of any defensemen in the draft...has excellent size and a frame that can support more mass...very mobile skater, strong on his edges, and has good first step explosion...very tenacious presence on the ice, making him a hard player to go up against...makes crisp tape to tape passes...very adept at skating the puck up the ice and making intelligent reads...great work ethic...battles for position in front of his net...has a heavy shot that gets through to the net...until his injury he was logging over 30 minutes a game for Peterborough...positioning and gap control can be inconsistent, but can be corrected through coaching...shoulder injury and subsequent surgery has caused him to be a forgotten player...was willing to wear a harness and play"

[timothy]

Originally Posted by Goboltz56

Slepshyev maybe?

Slepshyev was #1 overall in 2011 KHL draft (Vasilevsky was #7 overall) and captained the WJC U18 team going 3-4-7 in 6 gp. Played 39 games last year as a 17 year old in the KHL for Metallurg.

6'2" and 187 lbs

Corey Pronman's scouting report:

Slepyshev is one of the rare 17-year-old forwards who has been able to step into the KHL and produce, albeit at a marginal level. His production is along the lines of what elite prospects Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vladimir Tarasenko did in their 17-year-old seasons, though, for example. Slepyshev is an above-average skater who is tremendously agile and is also able to get up to a notable top gear. When you combine his great agility with the fact he has high-end puck skills, he really is a nuisance to check. Slepyshev is very effective at dodging opponents and creating space for himself. I've seen times on penalty kills where he would dance around the opposing zone for 15-25 seconds because several opponents keep missing him. Slepyshev has a plus if not near that shot and he knows it, as he has a shoot-first mentality with the ability to score from way out. He can still make plays and doesn't have tunnel vision, but I wouldn't classify him as a playmaker. Slepyshev's physical game needs some work as while he's average-sized, he's got a bean pole frame and can easily be pushed off the puck. He will show some physical effort, although that at times could be better, and has some defensive value too, but his strength level is way behind where it needs to be.

Chad has him ranked #68 on his list, which means he'll definitely be there at pick #40, but we might be able to get him at pick #71 (or FLA's conditional pick if they opt to let us have it)