NHL Draft 2008, Continued

Third Round

66th Overall: David Toews, HIGH-MN SHAT.ST.MARY'S (Yes, he's Jonathan's brother)

Red Line rank: #102 - David Toews LW, 5-10/175, Shoots L, DOB- 07 JUN 90, Team- Shattuck St. Mary's.

"Little bro' has skill, but is small and injury prone."
"Younger brother of Jonathan forged his own niche at Shattuck by cracking the 100-point barrier, but still comes up a bit shy skill wise in the comparison. Has grown a lot on and off the ice and has the drive and desire to follow in big brother's footsteps. Has plus vision and playmaking ability, and a knack for finding openings in the tightest places to get hard accurate passes or shots off. Works well in the corners and can dart quickly off the boards and make plays on net. Durability is an issue as he's small and ended the season injured. Also lacks explosive first step you'd like to see in a smaller player.
Projection: Small, injury prone scorer.
Style compares to: Kyle Welllwood"

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ISS rank: 27
Position: Left wing
Born: 6.7.90
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 175
ISS Ranking #27
ISS Nov. Ranking #19

Report Card
Size/Strength: Good
Skating: Excellent
Shot/Scoring: Very Good
Puckhandling: Very Good
Hockey Sense: Excellent
Leadership: Excellent
Poise: Very Good
Defense: Good
Strengths
1. Incredible hockey sense,always around the puck
2. Constant offensive threat
Areas For Improvement
1. Size and strength
2. Core strength
Skill:He has a great scoring touch and good imagination. A very good stick handler in a crowd and can shoot the puck with accuracy.

Scouting Report:Toews possesses a very good shot, and at times will elect to pass when he should be taking the shot. Despite not have a large frame, he does a nice job battling along the boards and using his body to protect the puck. He works extremely hard every shift on the ice and carries himself with a great deal of class. His size is a slight issue but he works so hard that he makes up for it with tenacity and effort on every shift. His low centre of gravity actually assists him because he is difficult to move off the puck and has the skills to get it to a teammate in a great location. He has improved his defensive abilities and does whatever it takes to help his team win.
NHL Potential: Great leadership traits that should translate very well at the next level
Style compares to: Dany Heatley
Year Team GP G A PTS PIM07/08 Shattuck-SM 51 44 56 100 20
--------------McKeen's rank: # 65
"The younger, smaller and less heralded of the Toews brothers, David is a savvy and skilled center with a knack for generating offense below the hash-marks.'
He creates most of his offense in tight around the net where he's particularly effective pulling the puck off the wall to attack the net before threading the needle with a deft pass through traffic or picking the corners in tight with his compact release,' - describes McKeen's scout Max Giese. 'He doesn't possess the commanding power game his brother does, but his ablility to protect the puck and manufacture offence in heavy traffic is his most standout quality.'Toews is not a dynamic skater, as he lacks a secondary gear, but that prevent him from arriving in the right place at the right time in most situations thanks to above-average intelligence. Scouts were concerned about his lack of consistency this season. He was mediocre at the Nike Bauer tournament last November, and hot and cold in high school hockey for Shattuck St. Mary's, yet in February at the 4 Nations Cup he played outstanding. Toews did not consistently play hard away from the puck. Combine that with his lack of size and breakaway speed, and many scouts weren't ranking him highly."

72nd overall, Jyri Niemi, WHL
05/04/2008 - The Finnish import has caught the interest of many scouts with his stellar two-way play .. the 6-foot-3, 190-pound defenseman played just 49 games due to injuries but scored 14 goals and had 34 points .. also had 57 penalty minutes and a minus–1 rating .. is blessed with great skating ability and has great poise and patience with the puck, as his hockey sense for a young player is over the top .. has one of the shots from the point in the WHL and he can let go some blasts with good accuracy .. he has really worked on his cycle down low defensively and protects the puck well .. is willing to battle hard and usually the knock against European players is that they do not play physical and are soft .. Niemi, however, is not afraid to go in the dirty areas to make a play .. delivers good outlet passes from his own end, as he pays attention to wear his teammates are and will be .. really improved as the season progressed and has a great chance of being a late first to an early-second-round selection.

65. JYRI NIEMI
Position: Left defence
Born: 6.15.90
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 192
ISS Ranking #65
ISS Nov. Ranking #47

Report Card
Skating Very Good
Shot/Scoring Excellent
Puckhandling Good
Hockey Sense Very Good
Scouting Report:Niemi is an offensively gifted d-man who has a cannon for a shot. He put up good numbers for Saskatoon and moves the puck well. He is a powerplay specialist but is improving in 5on 5 play as well. Players are starting to shy away from getting into the path of his slap shot that hasbecome even more accurate. Needs to add some toughness to his play and consistency in the d-zone.His passing ability is improving as well.Year Team GP G A PTS PIM07/08 Saskatoon 49 14 20 34 57

73rd overall, Kirill Petrov, Russian Super League (?)

Red Line rank: #8 - Krill Petrov RW, 6-3/218 Shoots L, DOB- 13 April 90.

"Can be invisible for 57 minutes, then win the game."
"A tremendously skilled, but typically Russian power winger with boom-or-bust written all over him. Has a great overall package of size/strength, soft hands, great release on his shot and terrific goal scorer's touch around the net. Type of player who can be (and frequently is) invisible for 57 minutes in a game, then just takes over and dominates, becoming a man among boys. Can really go with the puck if given even a sliver of open ice. Thick, wide and extremely powerfull, almost impossible to knock off stride. Has the puck for as long as he wants it. Skill set is excellent, can dangle in traffic, dart through small openings and get quick shots away off either foot. An electrifiying talent - if someone is constantly lighting a fire under him. Very low intensity and drive. Surprisingly strong defensively.
Projection: Likely star in the Russian Super League.
Style compares to: Alexander Frolov

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ISS Rank #17

Report Card
Size/Strength-Very Good
Skating-Very Good
Shot/Scoring-Excellent
Puckhandling-Excellent
Hockey Sense--Very Good
Leadership-Good
Poise-Very Good
Defense-Average
Strengths
1. Creativity
2. Perimeter Offense
3. Forecheck
Areas For Improvement
1. Defensive Awareness
2. In-Tight Scoring
Skill:Petrov's size allows him to protect the puck very well with his body.

Scouting Report:Petrov is a power forward that can set the tone of the game with a big hit or a big goal.His aggressive style and forecheck are difficult for any players to defend against.He knows how to create space down low and consistently punishes players. He is intimidating, talented, smart and a respected player who works very hard. he has a heavy shot and loves to hover around the slot for a onetimer.He reads faceoffs very well, especially in the offensive zone. He will never give up on a loose puck and is very hard to knock off the puck once he gets it.
NHL Potential:Excellent secondary scoring option
Style compares to :Ryan Getzlaf