June
22, 2006
2006 NHL Draft Prospect Profiles: Defensemen
Inside
College Hockey's coverage of the 2006 National Hockey League
Entry Draft in Vancouver continues with a look at some of
the best draft-eligible college players.
You know
where the various independent scouting services have ranked
these prospects. In addition to the Central Scouting Service
comments on each prospect, we offer "Scout's Take,"
Inside College Hockey's exclusive evaluation of the player
from one or more NHL scouts. Scouts were granted anonymity
in exchange for their candor.
Players
are listed in order of their final CSS ranking.
Defenseman
6-4 | 222 lbs. |
ERIK
JOHNSON
U.S.
NTDP | Minnesota recruit
Bloomington,
Minn. |
2005-06
Statistics: 38 GP, 11-22—33
Central
Scouting Service Rank: 1st among North American
skaters
CSS
says: “Powerful skater with a long, smooth
stride who has tremendous acceleration in open ice ...
excellent agility for his size ... an offensive-minded
defenseman who makes the transition from defense to
offense quickly and likes to rush with the puck ...
a solid positional player in the defensive zone ...
has great size, strength, physical presence ... a disciplined
player who leads by example.”
Scout's
Take: ““He’s a difference
maker. [His team isn’t] the same as when he’s
there. His only weakness is if he doesn’t treat
getting drafted in the first round like an award –
he’ll have to put it on the mantel and get right
back to work. Comparing him to Chris Pronger is a pretty
fair assessment, but he’s got some Rob Blake and
some Scott Stevens in him, too. That’s a pretty
good group to be compared to.” |
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Defenseman
6-4 | 226 lbs. |
NIGEL
WILLIAMS
U.S.
NTDP | Wisconsin recruit
Montgomery,
Ill. |
2005-06
Statistics: 48 GP, 6-9—15
Central
Scouting Service Rank: 13th among North American
skaters
CSS
says: “Very good skater with an excellent
long stride … very good straightaway speed ....
an offensive defenseman who likes to join the rush as
well as lead by carrying the puck ... pinches well for
scoring opportunities and has a very heavy shot from
the point ... uses his long reach effectively ... overall
positional play and hockey sense has improved over the
season.”
Scout’s
take: “He can skate, and he’s got
no problems with size. But he didn’t get to acquire
hockey sense by playing because of the defensive depth
on his team – he didn’t play in a lot of
different situations. Because of that, he may be perceived
as the worst defenseman on [the U.S. NTDP]. He maybe
would’ve been better off going someplace else,
playing in all types of situations and gaining more
notoriety, but he’ll benefit by playing for Mike
Eaves.”
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Defenseman
6-0 | 200 lbs. |
BRIAN
STRAIT
U.S.
NTDP | Boston University recruit
Waltham,
Mass. |
2005-06
Statistics: 47 GP, 2-11—13
Central
Scouting Service Rank: 22nd among North American
skaters
CSS
says: “Very good skater with good speed,
a strong powerful stride, excellent balance and agility
... handles the puck with confidence ... uses the boards
to his advantage, moving the puck to breaking forwards
... sound positional player in his own end ... sees
the ice well – has very good hockey sense and
is used in all game situations ... leads by example
and is well respected by his teammates and coaches for
his leadership.”
Scout’s
take: “He gets all kinds of accolades
for his leadership skiils, and he’s a mature player
who comes from a blue-collar background. Some [NTDP
teammates] named him as the guy they’d want to
play with for the rest of their careers. He’s
a tweener size-wise, but unlike other similarly sized
defensemen like [Denver’s] Matt Carle or [Minnesota’s]
Alex Goligoski, he’s not as gifted offensively.
But he seems to have all the intangibles.” |
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Defenseman
6-4 | 210 lbs. |
CARL
SNEEP
Brainerd
H.S. | Boston College recruit
Brainerd,
Minn. |
2005-06
Statistics: 26 GP, 14-23—37
Central
Scouting Service Rank: 26th among North American
skaters
CSS
says: “Strong skater with a smooth stride
who has very good straightaway speed and is light on
his feet ... can stickhandle and skate himself into
the clear and possesses excellent wrist and slap shots
... passes are crisp and on the tape and he likes the
playmaking role ... with excellent size and strength
he has a physical presence and can be a dominant force
... an excellent athlete who comes to play every game.”
Scout’s
take: “Sneep is a smart player with superior
conditioning. He’s also a great athlete –
he pitched and first base for the baseball team, was
a tight end and linebacker for the football team, and
started as a wing before moving back to defense. It’s
scary to think how good he can be once he focuses solely
on hockey. The only thing that will keep him from excelling
is himself, and his work ethic is second to none.” |
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Defenseman
6-1 | 180 lbs. |
CHRIS
SUMMERS
U.S.
NTDP | Michigan recruit
Ypsilanti, Mich. |
2005-06
Statistics: 51 GP, 5-10—15
Central
Scouting Service Rank: 47th among North American
skaters
CSS
says: "Very good skater with agility,
mobility and lateral quickness ... very quick feet and
very good balance ... very good passer who hits the
open man .... reads and anticipates the play well in
the defensive zone and ... has good hockey sense and
showed his value and versatility by playing on the wing
at the end of the season.”
Scout’s
take: “He’s a helluva skater and
an infectious player. He doesn’t have to score
to be effective. He plays hard every shift, but he’s
got a little [offensive] flair to his game. He also
plays bigger than his size. By moving to wing for the
U.S. at the World Under-18 Tournament, he showed that
the team is more important to him than his individual
goals. He’s a player who’s defined his game
– he knows who he is and what he is – and
when you ask him a question, he’s likely to answer
the one you just asked him and the one you were going
to ask next.”
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Defenseman
6-1 | 190 lbs. |
JAMIE
McBAIN
U.S.
NTDP | Wisconsin recruit
Faribault, Minn. |
2005-06
Statistics: 47 GP, 6-10—16
Central
Scouting Service Rank: 84th among North American
skaters
CSS
says: “Average skater, but has good agility
and balance ... will rush the puck out of trouble but
looks to pass the puck first ... has a good shot from
the point and likes to fake shot for closer attempts
... plays a sound positional game ... used in all game
situations ... decision-making has improved ... battles
hard in front of the net and in the corners ... delivers
solid body checks.”
Scout’s
take: “Here’s his dilemma –
he blew up in Sweden [at the World Under-18 Tournament]
with one goal and nine assists [in four games], but
CSS wasn’t there. If you see a player do what
he did in Sweden, how can you not bring him to [last
month’s] NHL combine? Some guys come into the
draft with some complacency, but he’ll come in
with a chip on his shoulder – he’s in a
no-respect mode right now.”
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