NHL Draft: Profiles 56-60
56. Keven Veilleux C-LW, Victoriaville (QMJHL)
Many scouts opine that their
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biggest concern with Veilleux is
his competitiveness, not his
skating. There's no such concerns
with his hands and offensive
game.
"He's got great hands and
reach," noted one scout, "and
his speed isn't that much of an
issue considering his size."
Veilleux's lack of aggression
and unwillingness to battle
for the puck is what's keeping
many scouts from considering
him as a first-round prospect.
"His talent doesn't outweigh
the fact that he's soft," noted
one scout, whose opinion is
echoed by others. "He doesn't
get into the traffic areas at all.
He's going to go in the second,
someone is going to like him,
but we wouldn't take him
there."
Veilleux didn't hurt his
ranking with his performance at
the Top Prospects game, playing
with more of a physical
edge than he's been displaying
in most QMJHL contests.
Unfortunately when he
returned to the Tigres his play
reverted to his passive style.
"On many nights I don't
think I ever saw him stop," said
one scout whi is not a fan. "He
was constantly circling, and
never paying the price."
Scouts were hoping to get a
good look at him in the Under
18's, but he didn't help himself
when he dislocated his shoulder
in Canada's opening game.
57. Nico Sacchetti C, Virginia (USHS)
Sacchetti, a junior at
Virginia High School, scored
53 points as a freshman, which
was second only to the Dallas
Stars' first-round draft choice
Matt Niskanen that year.
Together they led Virginia to
it's only appearance in the
Minnesota State Tournament.
Sacchetti followed up his
breakout season with a 74-
point sophomore campaign,
and 94 points (41 goals) in just
41 games as a junior. He's
committed to Minnesota.
A gifted skater, with great
agility and a powerful stride,
Sacchetti is quick and fast, but
doesn't have elite speed. He
is a crafty stickhandler with an
array of moves, and is very
strong on the puck.
"He has superior hockey
sense, which is probably is
greatest asset, allowing him to
make passes to teammates
that others may not see or do,"
noted one scout. "He has a
heavy shot, which is more
accurate than overpowering,
and has a quick release that
he can get off in traffic.
At 5'11, 185, Sacchetti is
solidly built but not big. He
has a powerful lower-body but
does get knocked down.
"He is a smart player, but
needs to be more consistent in
his defensive efforts. A good
athlete, he was the starting
quarterback on the football
team as a sophomore and is a
notable tennis player as well."
58. Taylor Ellington D, Everett (WHL)
Ellington surprised some by
being the only draft eligible
WHL defenceman to participate
in both Canada-Russia
Challenge games, but he performed
well, raising his profile
in the scouting fraternity.
"He plays hard, but his
upside is limited," says one
scout. "He's a big guy that
can skate but his decision
making is questionable - he
tends to overcommit at times."
Another scout is less
damning. "He's a competitive
all around defender who really
doesn't have too many weaknesses.
His defensive responsibilities
are what catch my
eye."
Unfortunately Ellington suffered
a serious neck injury in
February which sidelined him
until the playoffs, limiting the
number of viewings.
"He's not fancy," noted a
WHL follower. "He's an adequate
skater. He moves his feet
and gets his body into position
before applying hits."
"He moves well with the
puck, doesn't lose his head or
his speed with the puck on his
stick. He can be a punishing
hitter. He carries the puck out
from his body, which can be
good and bad.
"He's a safe composed
defender, confident, not afraid
to put the puck on the net.
He's very solid lately, his confidence
is soaring. He reminds
me of Keith Carney."
59. Akim Aliu RW, Sudbury (OHL)
Aliu has been compared to
Patrick O'Sullivan in that his
hockey talents may not match
where he is selected in the
draft due to concerns about his
character.
"I'm not a fan," said a scout
in January. "He's so rough
around the edges. He's got an
edge, but he doesn't have
instinct. I'm also not sure he's
got the greatest character -
You hear things about him."
Not only do people hear
things, but one week before
the end of the regular season
Wolves' coach Mike Foligno
suspended Aliu for "conduct
detrimental to the team."
Aliu needs work on his lateral
agility, although he has good
straight line speed once he's
going, and combined with his
size, strength and shot he can
be a load for opponents, as he
demonstrated with his solid
performance at the Top
Prospects game, where he
was arguably the best player.
Unfortunately scouts and
GM's will be weighing in factors
other than his hockey talent
when draft day rolls
around, although in Aliu's
defence he came back to the
team for the playoffs and performed
very well in a checking/
shutdown role while chipping
in a few goals.
"You're not picking this kid
in the first round," insisted one
scout. "There's just no way
you can take that gamble.
He's the type of first-round pick
that gets GM's fired."
60. Trevor Cann G, Peterborough (OHL)
Cann was one of two OHL
goalies invited to this year's
WJC evaluation camp along
with London's Steve Mason.
An early cut from the team,
the experience served him well
but he is hardly a stranger
when it comes to representing
his country in international
competition.
He has played on the
Under 17 and Under 18 teams
(twice) and was largely responsible
for Canada's success in
the first two tournaments. He
was solid in the recent U-18's
but Canada's defence imploded
against Sweden.
Last season, playing on the
OHL champions, he was able
to approach games in a different
manner, however the
Petes' lack of firepower this
year hurt Cann's confidence as
he had to be a standout every
night.
Cann tied Mason in games
played with 62. He faced the
most shots in the league, yet
managed to finish in the top
ten in save percentage.
Listed generously at 5-11,
Cann has a tendency to go
down too early, making himself
even smaller and exposing the
top portion of the net.
His lack of size hurts his
game in heavy traffic areas as
he is unable to fight and establish
position when his crease is
crashed.
Cann has helped his draft
stock by playing several solid
games in the past two Under
18's.