NHL Draft: Profiles 71-75
71. Paul Postma D, Swift Current (WHL)
Lots of upside, Postma
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makes simple plays, yet he mishandles the puck occasionally.
He needs to develop better defensive technique. as he has a
tendency to attack with forward skating, rather than backing in
and containing. A good skater, mobile, and smooth, but he
plays a little too conservatively. He showed increased willingness
to get involved with the attack as the year progressed.
Moves well in turns and straightaways, and skating is his best
asset. He doesn't use his body very well, but he has the frame
to develop into a more physical presence.
72. Nick Palmieri RW, Erie (OHL)
Palmeiri is yet another OHL
winger who impressed with a solid showing at the CHL Top
Prospects Game. "Good upside," gushed a scout following the
game. "Straight ahead he's powerful, he may be just scratching
the surface." Erie's second round pick in the 2005 OHL draft,
he's a big power forward who is tough to control down low. His
offensive game is continuing to develop. "He's huge, good
around the net, skates like a power forward" What's hurting
Palmieri's cause is the team he's playing on. The Otters are
rebuilding, and many nights they aren't overly competitive.
Unfortunately the same can also be said of Palmieri on quite a
few of those nights. "I'd like to see more from him," admitted the
scout who earlier had suggested Palmieri could be considered
in the top 30. 'He's a really tough read."
73. Nick Larson C-RW, Hill-Murray (USHS)
Larson has good size, is fast,
and has a long reach with a heavy wrist shot, quick release and
soft hands. All of which adds up to a prospect with scoring-line
potential if he can put all the pieces together. "He is still very
raw and struggles with inconsistency," noted one scout. "But he
will also lift fans out of their seats once a game with a show of
dominance that flashes the true potential he possesses. His
game is all about using his strong stride and powerful body to
be an offensive threat up and down the ice." Scouts would like
to see him use his size more frequently away from the puck but
he does backcheck hard and shows adequate defensive commitment.
74. Dale Mitchell RW, Oshawa (OHL)
He's chunky, he could lose
a bit off the mid section. He's a north/south player, remarkable
accelerator speed for his shape. He plays in a bit of a vacuum
at times, gets focused in one-on-one, overlooks his teammates.
He has a toe-drag move; will it work at the next level? He's not
physically demanding, and gets flat footed in defensive situations
at times. Scouts would like to see him sustain his energy.
Good stickhandler, he uses tiny soft touches to move it around,
gets himself in front of the net, hustles back defensively at
times, but he's not that tough to play against. He's got a good
snap wrister. He needs to round out his game.
75. Tyson Sexsmith G, Vancouver (WHL)
If one merely looked at the statistics
it would be assumed that Sexsmith is the best draft-eligible
goalie prospect from the CHL. The rumble heard most of the
season was that he was a product of a stacked team and defensive
system. "He displays a good stance when down; his body
is upright, and he tries to cover as much net as possible with
good flexibility," said one scout. "He keeps his pads wide and
tries to cover as much space along the ice as possible." Quick
with his pads when he's down, Sexsmith moves well laterally
from post-to-post. "While his speed going down is very good,
he shows some vulnerability getting up as he isn't overly quick,
which gives opponents time to pick open holes." Sexsmith
raised his stock with his steady play during the WHL playofs and
Memorial Cup, showing a calm demeanor in leading the Giants
to the championship.