NHL Draft: Disappointing Year for New England - 2

The 2008 NHL Draft was disappointing for many New England prospects. Only five players at the prep or junior level in New England were drafted. In his second and final installment of the New England prospect post-draft review, McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano looks at several notable players who were not drafted including Avon Old farms defenseman Lee Moffie who was ranked 181st by Central Scouting.

Part 2 - Non-Drafted Players

Jack Downing (2009), F, University of Vermont (NCAA)

Scouting Notes From Pre-Draft Tournament

A physical forward who never passes up an opportunity to hit someone .. has good hands and uses his teammates well .. possesses a good, hard shot, but will not score a lot of goals by rocketing one past the goalie .. most of his goals seem to be his drive to the net and finding rebounds .. a solid tournament.

Notes from Vermont Head Coach Kevin Sneddon

Jack has proven himself to be one of the top rising young stars in Hockey East. He is a power forward with exceptional hands and ability to finish. If there's one player on our team that I would want the puck on his stick in tight to the net, it's Jack. I've been very impressed by his work ethic as well as his passion to learn from the coaching staff and his teammates. Jack will have a great future here at UVM as well as at the professional level.

Looking ahead

Downing is a 1989 DOB, so he has another chance in next years draft after having been passed over in the last two drafts. Going into his sophomore year at Vermont, Downing will need to improve on his numbers, as he had 10 points (8 goals) in 33 games. He was ranked 105th on Central Scouting's Final Rankings. If he gets passed over again, he will become a free agent and will have two more years left and should be a sought after college free agent.

Antoine Laganiere (2009), F, Deerfield Academy (Prep)

Looking ahead

Ranked 126th on Central Scouting's Final Rankings and recently committed to Yale for 2009. Looks to be returning back to Deerfield next year and should be considered again for the draft. Will need to see him more, as he did not play in the Beantown Spring Classic with the rest of the top draft-eligible players from New England.

Nik Pokulok (2009), D, Northwood Prep

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 132nd on Central Scouting's Final Rankings .. Committed to Clarkson for 2009 .. very good size and strength (6-5, 220) .. brother of Washington Capitals first round draft pick Sasha Pokulok .. a decent skater who seems to be getting used to his body .. at the Beantown Tournament, what stood out the most was his improvement in his skating from earlier viewings .. skates very well backwards .. plays tough in front of his own net .. strong on the PK .. has limited offensive ability .. plays on the PP, but would not be considered a PP player on a stronger team .. moves the puck well from the backend .. plays a strong, physical, defensive game .. tough to beat 1-on-1 and out of the corners .. he definitely plays within himself and never tries to do too much .. his ranking was a bit surprising, but definitely a possible pick in the later rounds.

Looking ahead

Nik looks to be returning to Northwood for his senior year. If his development continues as much as it did during this past season, he should once again receive attention for the 2009 draft. He is still very raw, but I look forward to watching him again next year.

Patrick Mullane (2009), F, Avon Old Farms (Prep)

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 138th on Central Scouting's Final Rankings .. Committed to Boston College for 2009 .. similar to Lee Moffie (see below), he has come a long way since his freshman year and has added some offense to his already tough, physical game .. a driven player whose toughness makes him hard to knock off the puck .. plays with jam and never misses an opportunity to throw a check .. always plays hard every shift with a consistent effort .. despite his decent size (6-0,195), Mullane is as tough as they come .. plays an aggressive style, especially on the PK .. moves the puck well and his passing is deadly accurate .. played well with Sr captain Cam Atkinson (fellow BC recruit/ Columbus draft pick) .. dominant and powerful with the puck .. has quick hands .. strong 1-on-1 player with good inside/outside moves .. has a strong, powerful stride and good speed coming down the wing .. showed good vision in the offensive zone .. should be a late round pick in the draft .. could be one of the first prep players drafted in June, along with Mark Goggin and Julien Cayer.

Looking ahead

Very surprised he did not get picked. It is reported that Mullane will be playing for Omaha (USHL), which is the best thing for him to do. I am guessing he did not get drafted because scouts want to see how he does at a higher level. A solid season in the USHL will get him noticed by more scouts and prove all the teams that did not draft him wrong. He is a solid player and projected to be a third-liner with offensive skills at the college and pro level. My prediction is that not getting drafted will help Mullane go earlier in the 2009 draft.

Danny New (2009), D, Avon Old Farms (Prep)

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 141st on Central Scouting's Final Rankings .. committed to Providence for 2008 .. does the little things well and so consistent - probably will never jump out at you .. has size (6-1, 185) and plays a physical game but not overpowering .. his skating and consistency continues to be impressive .. plays a little on the PP, after Moffie, but the main defenseman used on the PK .. on the PK, has his stick in the passing lanes and effective in breaking up passes .. has a decent shot from the point and although he does not have much offensive instincts, he does like to jump into the offense .. in the defensive zone, he makes strong outlet passes, but is prone to a few wraparounds .. moves the puck well through the neutral zone, especially on the PP .. plays a safe and smart game .. displayed good speed both forwards and backwards .. will need to get stronger for the next level .. shows more and more as a potential draft prospect.

Looking ahead

Will be attending Providence College next year and his 2009 draft status will depend on how quickly he adjusts to the college level. I expect New to be a solid second or third pair d-man and continue to be effective on the PK. I look forward to watching his progress.

Joseph Campanelli (2009), F, Westminster Prep

Scouting Notes From 2008 Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 143rd on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. Committed to Yale for 2008 .. decent size (6-1, 170) .. in my only viewing of Campanelli, it was easy to see why he is a prospect for the upcoming draft .. his offensive abilities and ability to skate with the puck are impressive .. a smart player with the puck, although the execution was not there playing with linemates he has never played with before .. moves the puck quick, as evident on Chiasson's goal .. willing to go to the net hard and creates traffic in front as soon as the puck goes back to the point .. despite his modest frame, Campanelli mixes it up in the corners and battles hard along the boards .. looks to have very good upside and a potential late round pick.

Looking ahead

Will be attending Yale University next year and similar to Danny New, his draft status will depend on how quickly he adjusts to the college level. He will most likely be asked to contribute offensively right away, so a successful season could really help his draft potential.

Paul Lee (2009), F, Avon Old Farms (Prep)

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 145th on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. Committed to Dartmouth for 2008 .. very good size and strength (6-3, 210) .. centered Avon's top line with Mullane and Atkinson .. strong skater with a long, powerful stride and very good straightaway speed .. tough to contain around the net with his size and strength .. plays on the second PK unit and uses his strength and skating well .. plays a tough, physical game and finished all of his checks .. moves the puck well in the offensive zone .. smart with puck and has a quick release .. tough on his skates and hard to take the puck away from him .. when he drives to the net, he is very dangerous on any rebound chances .. strong on the forecheck .. all season, he was making a strong case for a possible late round pick.

Looking ahead

Another prep senior heading into college (Dartmouth) who will need to prove himself at the college level to garner more draft attention. He should find himself on the third or fourth line at the start of the season and depending on how quickly he adapts to the pace of the college game, he could find himself on the second line at the end of the year.

Derrick Pallis (2009), D, Nobles (Prep)

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 167th on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. Committed to Princeton for 2008 .. size (6-1, 175) and needs to add weight and muscle to his frame .. moves the puck well from the backend and has ability to skate it himself .. ability to make deadly, accurate-long passes from his own zone .. when he skates the puck, he gets it into the offensive zone, but does not seem to create many scoring chances .. his best asset is his poise with the puck in every zone .. also at times, he looked more like the prospect from a few years ago .. vocal on the ice and on the PP, really slows things down with his poise .. not the hardest shot but gets pucks to the net and shoots for rebounds and tips .. has a long reach and uses it effectively 1-on-1, but would like to see him step-up earlier and be more physical .. could see him being a late round pick, but also would not be surprised if he was passed over this year.

Looking ahead

The fourth prep senior who was not drafted but Pallis will have another chance as a freshman in college next year. He should be a solid, puck moving defenseman at the college level, but may need more time to adjust to the speed of the forwards, especially in the defensive zone. He may be a free agent college player who after three or four years at Princeton will have NHL scouts wondering why they passed up on him.

Lee Moffie (2009), D, Avon Old Farms (Prep)

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season

Ranked 181st on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. Committed to Michigan for 2009 .. has made tremendous progress since his freshman year and now as a junior, still has the most potential out of all the prep defensemen this year .. had a strong offensive season .. good size (6-2, 200) .. his best asset has been his skating, as he is a fluid skater with a nice stride .. has the ability to skate the puck and really move up ice for a quick transition into the offensive zone .. has a quick burst of speed coming through the neutral zone with the puck .. has a strong, low shot from the point and it is accurate .. smart with the puck .. rarely makes a mistake with the puck and is very poised, even when being pressured .. received a lot of icetime .. allowed to be offensive, as his partner Brendan Rempel (Jr.) is a tough defensive defenseman .. makes strong passes on the PP and has good vision .. could play with a little more urgency in the defensive zone .. would like to see him be more physical, although a mean streak does come out once in awhile .. as stated above, his potential is huge and could be drafted anywhere from the fourth to sixth round .. still stand-by the fact that he should receive more consideration for the upcoming draft, as his deficiencies in the defensive zone can be fixed, but he remains one of the top defensemen in prep with the highest potential. Had 32 points (7 goals 25 assists) in 27 games during the season.

Looking ahead

Similar to Mullane, I was very surprised he did not get picked. It is also reported that Moffie will be playing for in the USHL for Waterloo, which is the best thing for him to do. Also like Mullane, I am guessing he did not get drafted because scouts want to see how he does at a higher level. A solid season in the USHL will get him noticed by more scouts and prove all the teams that did not draft him wrong. He is a tremendous defenseman with high potential. He has very good offensive skills and will round out the rest of his game soon. My prediction is that Moffie will get drafted early in the 2009 draft after a strong season with Waterloo.

Peter Starrett (2009), D, Catholic Memorial (MA-HS)

Scouting Notes From 2008 Super 8 Tournament and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 185th on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. Committed to Harvard for 2008 .. has very good size (6-3, 212) .. strong in the defensive zone and tough to beat out of the corner .. received a lot of icetime with Catholic Memorial .. likes to pinch-in from the point a lot and got caught up ice a few times .. uses his size well .. needs work with the puck, especially being strong with the puck .. after the Super 8, did not know if he was ready to make that jump to Division 1 college .. he received other offers from schools that were interested in him taking a year of juniors before making the jump to college, but elected to go to Harvard right away .. at the Beantown Spring Tournament, his play proved he has the ability to play with some of the best players in New England .. he played a sound defensive game and did not try to force any offense .. in terms of the draft, cannot see a team drafting him out of Mass High School, but could end up on Central Scouting Final Ranking.

Looking ahead

Starrett has a tough task ahead of trying to crack Harvard's defensive lineup, but if he plays a decent amount and is solid in his own end, he could end up on a few draft lists. If not, after four years at Harvard, he could be a solid free agent pick-up.

Nicholas Prockow (2009), F, Berkshire (Prep)

Scouting Notes From 2007-08 Prep Season and Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 201st on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. Committed to Colgate for 2008 .. has good size (6-1, 180) .. at the Cushing Tournament, he did not standout at all, but was still named to the All-Tournament Team .. played the point on the PP .. concerned with his skating – weak skater who seems to get knocked off the puck too easy .. could be the possibility where he is growing and adjusting to his size .. decent shot .. do not see him getting drafted, but should continue to develop in college.

Looking ahead

Another prep school senior heading to college next year (Colgate). Out of all the seniors going to college, he will need to work harder on getting stronger and preparing to play against bigger and stronger players. I do not see him landing on any draft ranking next year, but if he becomes a solid offensive contributor at the college level, he could be a strong candidate for free agency.

Jeff Ryan (2009), F, St. George's (Prep)

Scouting Notes From Beantown Spring Tournament

Ranked 210th on Central Scouting's Final Ranking .. has not yet committed to a college .. at the Beantown Spring Tournament, with all the other high profile names that you hear about, Jeff really came to play and stood out over some players already committed to college .. has quick strides and was backchecking hard and moving his feet in all three zones .. definitely a player to be interested in watching.

Looking ahead

While St. George's (Div. II prep) is not a regular stop on many scouts list, Jeff Ryan took his chance at the Beantown Spring Tournament and really proved that he has the ability to play with the top New England players. It is rumored that he will be playing for the Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL) next year. I do not see him landing on any draft lists again, but it is possible.