NHL Draft: Profiles 16-20
16. Angelo Esposito C, Quebec (QMJHL)
Some subpar performances
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in the past year when the
national spotlight was on him
aren't helping his cause with
the scouting fraternity.
The final cut from the 2006
Canadian world junior team,
Esposito was one of the first
cuts at this year's camp. He
followed that up with a selfish
effort at the Top Prospects
game, although he was battling
the flu.
"This guy is really pissing
me off," noted one scout who
saw him at the Top Prospects
game, and in Quebec City a
few days before that with plenty
of other scouts on hand. He
was unimpressive in both contests.
"This guy has some
issues (mentally). He plays a
selfish game; doesn't want to
pay the price. He's dropping."
Esposito dropped from the
top three on most draft lists to
outside the top ten in the
space of a couple of months.
Despite the reservations about
his mental approach, scouts
realize he's one of the more
offensively talented players in
this year's draft crop.
"Very quick and skilled, but
plays on the perimeter," noted
one. "Been watching him
since he was 15; you always
love them early, then you overanalyse
them. He's certainly
talented on the power play if
he has the room, but he's not
anxious to get in there. But
he's a talented player."
17. Nick Petrecki D, Omaha (USHL)
Recently the NHL has fallen
in love with the puck-moving
defenceman, which may hurt
Petrecki's stock despite his
tremendous upside.
Blessed with a hulking
frame that he makes the most
of with arguably the draft's
nastiest mean streak, Petrecki
has the potential to be a commanding
physical presence on
the back end.
His mobility is a major asset
as he possesses a strong
stride that gives him great
range on the ice.
While you can't question his
competitiveness you can question
his hockey sense,
although his decision making
has improved throughout the
season.
"I finally saw him and he
was better," noted one NHL
team's head scout who earlier
in the season had been told by
his scouting staff not to bother
to go see Petrecki as he had a
habit of making numerous
mental errors each game,
whether it be a lack of discipline
or poor decisions in
defensive zone coverage.
"He's big, mean, can skate;
you need guys like that. He's
got all the physical tools, but
has a few brain cramps."
Likely will never be an
offensive defenceman, but he
has the upside to develop into
a physical, shut down defenceman
and should make an NHL
impact because of his mobility.
18. Michal Repik RW, Vancouver (WHL)
The 21st overall pick at the
2005 CHL Import Draft, Repik
led all Giants' rookies and
ranked fifth in the WHL in
rookie scoring with 24 goals
and 52 points in 2005-06.
Scouts were expecting him
to improve on his 24-goal
rookie output, but Repik only
managed to match last season's
total, which dropped him
out of consideration for the
first round until his outstanding
playoff performance.
Repik played on the number
one line with Milan Lucic
and Wacey Rabbit towards the
end of the season, and subsequently
turned in a superb
effort in the WHL playoffs and
carried it over in to the
Memorial Cup, where he
played with confidence and
showcased his ability to elude
checkers and create offence.
Repik led all WHL players
in scoring during the playoffs,
and then tied for the tournament
lead in scoring at the
Memorial Cup, capping it all
off with the Cup-winning goal.
"I think he has second line
winger potential," predicted
one scout. "One concern we
had early on was that he wasn't
playing well on the road; he
played way better at home, but
that started to change at the
end of the season and
throughout the playoffs. He
showed grit and physicality to
his game that we were questioning
before."
19. Mikael Backlund C, Vaseras (Swe)
A top-notch skater loaded
with skill, intelligence, and
leadership qualities, Backlund
is the kind of well-rounded
package any NHL coach would
desire.
Despite those qualities,
Backlund's stock has dropped
since the start of the season,
due in part to a knee injury that
sidelined him at mid-season.
"This is the first real setback
in his young career and a
learning experience in its own
right," opined one scout. "Make
no mistake though, he has the
mental make-up to battle these
types of adversities and perhaps
become even stronger in
the process."
He had plenty of scouts
watching him at the Under 18's
as many hadn't seen him this
year due to his struggles with
injuries. He didn't overly
impress before the bronze
medal match versus Canada.
"Everyone had been waiting
for that big game from him, so
maybe the Canada game will
do it for some teams. He's not
a great skater; looks a bit
heavy. Above-average skating
stride, but I like the guys that
try, and he's not real competitive."
"He has ability but he's
pretty inconsistent, " added
another. Something is missing
with him but I can't quite figure
him out. He has just average
creativity and he'll need more
speed and quickness."
20. Max Pacioretty RW-LW, Sioux City (USHL)
The Michigan recruit has
been receiving a considerable
amount of hype for his strong
season in Sioux City.
"He's a big body with long
limbs although he's more of a
finesse player," said one scout.
"He would benefit from
improving his motor and puck
pursuit along with using his
size away from the puck.
He's a good player, he can
really fire the puck. He might
have a shot at a top-six (forward)
position."
Blessed with supple hands
and patience, Pacioretty has
an eye for open passing lanes
and distributes the puck with
precision accuracy even
at full speed.
He also possesses a strong
stride that, with some added
explosiveness, should be topnotch
by the end of his collegiate
career.
One scout was quite succinct
in his description of the strapping
right winger. "He's a big
kid that can skate - a third line
type of guy."
Some teams really like him,
others aren't so sold.
"His ranking is all over the
board," noted one draft insider.
"At least one team has him in
their top 10 and a few don't
even have him ranked in the
first."
Expect Pacioretty to get
serious consideration by some
teams after the top dozen or so
players are selected.