On the Green

There was a sense of déjà vu when Mike Green laid out opposing rearguard David Schulz with a crushing open-ice hit at this year’s Top Prospects game.

Just a year earlier, Dion Phaneuf caught the eye of NHL scouts at the annual classic with his infamous check on Marc-Antoine Pouliot. Phaneuf’s stock subsequently skyrocketed, earning him a top-10 selection in the Entry Draft (Calgary selected Phaneuf ninth overall).

Although smaller in stature, the combative Green has similarly become a sought-after commodity since his national exposure. He has managed to piece together an impressive campaign, in spite of a catastrophic season for his Saskatoon Blades, who finished dead last in the Western Hockey League with just seven wins.

Green’s resume includes an under-20 World Junior Team try-out in August, as well as an appearance at the ReMax Canada/Russia Selects Challenge.

Currently ranked 17th overall by McKeen’s Hockey for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Green also impressed Central Scouting that ranked him eighth among North American skaters in their mid-term rankings.

According to Craig Oster of Newport Sports, the agency representing Green, "It would have been easy for him to pack it in when the situation in Saskatoon went sour, but it shows the kind of character that Mike has. He really grew in his leadership this season."

Green agrees that due to the team’s struggles, he was forced to shoulder much of the leadership duties himself. "We had a lot of injuries, a lot of guys in and out of the lineup. It’s hard to get into a set system when guys are playing with different linemates every night and can’t get used to who they are playing with," explains Green.

"I think the biggest thing though was that we never really got the leadership from our older guys that we needed. We needed leadership from them and we didn’t get it."

That leadership, along with what Oster describes as "one of the best all-around games in the draft", have kept Green on an upward path in the rankings.

A projected borderline first-round selection when the season opened back in September, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound blueliner not only solidified himself as a likely first-rounder in June, but also as a potential dark horse contender to go in the top ten, something that would be like icing on the cake for the humble blueliner.

"The draft is overrated really. It is just a snapshot in June of where NHL teams rank these players. What really matters is the next two years after the draft", Oster commented.

What scouts and fans can look forward to is the continued emergence of a young rearguard who has the ability to do a bit of everything. Blessed with good offensive instincts, a well-rounded defensive game, and a punishing physical style, Green projects to be a solid two-way defenseman who can excel in a variety of situations.

Green makes it clear that the team that drafts him will be satisfied with what he’ll bring to the table.

"They’ll be getting a kid who knows what he wants. I’ve wanted to play in the NHL for a long time. They’re getting a kid who… knows what it will take to get his game to the next level and who can play any role they want him to play. I’ll do whatever it takes to get to the NHL."