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NHL notebook: Devils, Wings have draft science down

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NHL notebook: Devils, Wings have draft science down

By Pierre McGuire

NBCSports.com

Posted: Nov.20, 2006, 12:27 pm ESTEnough with the excuses. I am amazed by the excuse makers in the NHL who say that the NHL entry draft is an in-exact science. If that were true, then how come the same teams always seem to get it right, even if they are picking way down the line each and every draft?

Watching the New Jersey Devils play this past Friday (a 4-3 win over Ottawa), and Saturday (a 2-1 win at Toronto) it has become very evident that the draft is an exact science if you have people scouting who know what they are doing. The Devils are one of those teams. Chief Scout David Conte gets it. Look at the players they draft: smallish (Brian Gionta 82nd), talented (Patrick Elias 51st), quick (Scott Gomez 27th), smart (Zach Parise 17th).

Virtually each and every player they draft fits the profile of being a winner and hockey strong whichever program they come out of. GM Lou Lamoriello is wise in that he goes out and hires top rate people whom he delegates to very well. The same is true in Detroit.

Wings GM Ken Holland was a terrific scout before he became the Boss. He hired scouts smartly (assistant GM Jim Nill, former junior coach Joe McDonell, and European super-scout Hakan Andersson) who keep coming up with late round gems. Think Henrik Zetterberg (210), Valtteri Filppula (95), Johan Franzen (97), Tomas Holmstrom (257), and what about Pavel Datsyuk at (171)? I am not forgetting Niklas Kronwall with the 29th pick of 2000, but hey, he was easy -- he was a first rounder. Just kidding. The point is this scouting staff gets it as well.

Teams that build the core of their team through the draft will have a chance to win with more regularity in this salary cap era. Take a look at Buffalo (Ryan Miller, Henrik Tallinder, Thomas Vanek), Carolina (Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Cam Ward), Nashville (Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Dan Hamhuis), Anaheim (Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Shane O'Brien).

The facts are the facts. The same teams seem to always nail the draft. You can no longer spend your way out of draft day mistakes. Organizations that think the draft is just a hit and miss proposal are doomed to fail.

Take a look at the Islanders, Chicago, Tampa Bay (outside of the 1998 draft Vincent Lecavalier 1st, Brad Richards 64th, and Dmitry Afanasenkov 72nd, the Lightnings record is sketchy at best). Current Lightning GM Jay Feaster was hired in October of the 1998 season, so he was not even part of the 1998 draft.

General Managers are under the microscope more than ever before when it comes to building a team. The best way to keep your job as a GM is to go out and hire top quality scouts who can deliver draft day results. Contrary to popular opinion, scouting is an exact science that requires hard work, skill, passion, and savvy. It is amazing how the same guys seemingly always get it right.

http://www.nbcsports.com/nhl/448071/detail.html

before* :rolleyes:

Edited by GetYourRedOn!

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I am far from a Holland supporter, but they have good quality drafts. Yes I know most have been the dreaded Euros. But I firmly believe their last 2 drafts will produce some North Americans with size and grit. Of course most on this site does not believe it. Look at the kids that are coming up in the minors (not in Grand Rapids), I believe they will have a very good team. All this being said they do need some grit for the playoffs and none of these kids are going to help this year.

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