2008 NHL Entry Draft GDT

[Cicada 4]

what happened to our 2nd round pick

gone to LA in the Stuart trade, who then traded it to Colorado

Edited June 21, 2008 by Cicada

[Lilja 0]

haha I love it. I bet noone else had even thought about the samuelsson kid because everyones been busy checking the junior leagues in first place.

Looks like samuelsson barely ever played junior hockey and moved on to playing Tier III with men at 17 instead.

[Lilja 0]

I did a Google image search for Jesper Samuelsson...

I know the draft is full of kids, but seriously!

But that photo is like 4 months old!

[YoungGuns1340 1]

haha I love it. I bet noone else had even thought about the samuelsson kid because everyones been busy checking the junior leagues in first place.

Looks like samuelsson barely ever played junior hockey and moved on to playing Tier III with men at 17 instead.

Definitely seems like one of those picks where Andersson went the extra mile where other scouts just wouldnt make the effort.

[redwingfan19 293]

fyi, the team that Samuelsson plays for Timra, is Henrik Zetterberg's old team

hmm zeterberg drafted in the 7th round 210th in 99

jesper drafted in the 7th round 211th in 08

both played for same team

maybe history will repeat itself

[11iscoming 1]

samuelssons stats from last season: 14 gp, 8 goals, 8 assists, 47sog, 50% fowpct (as a winger), +9 , not to shabby

was enough to convince the timra management to get him to play in the elite league next season for them.

Edited June 21, 2008 by 11iscoming

[Systemfel 33]

http://www.nt.se/sport/artikel.aspx?ArticleID=3619392

There's a vid there of Samuelsson talking about going to Timrå.

samuelssons stats from last season: 14 gp, 8 goals, 8 assists, 47sog, 50% fowpct (as a winger), +9 , not to shabby

was enough to convince the timra management to get him to play in the elite league next season for them.

2007-2008 Vita Hästen Division 1 40-20-42-62-73

What are you talking about?

Edited June 21, 2008 by Systemfel

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

Is there any doubt that Jasper will one day win the Hart and Conn Smythe?

A+++++ pick

[11iscoming 1]

http://www.nt.se/sport/artikel.aspx?ArticleID=3619392

There's a vid there of Samuelsson talking about going to Timrå.

2007-2008 Vita Hästen Division 1 40-20-42-62-73

What are you talking about?

i got the stats from my usual source (official site of the swedish hochey association) for swedish hockey results and stats. and it says what i stated above. maybe that are the stats from a playoff round later on or something....i don´t get the swedish hockey system in the lower leagues. where did you got your stats from?

[11iscoming 1]

samuelssons stats from last season: 14 gp, 8 goals, 8 assists, 47sog, 50% fowpct (as a winger), +9 , not to shabby

was enough to convince the timra management to get him to play in the elite league next season for them.

that are his stats of one part of the season, the other part he had: 26 gp, 12 goals, 34 assists, 75sog, 53% fowpct, +20

together: 40 gp, 20 goals, 42 assists, 122 sog, +29

[dicksmack 33]

I must say, Hakan Andersson makes watching the whole draft interesting. The Pierre McGuire theory on Datysuk and Zetterberg being drafted is that if the Wings knew how amazing they were going to be, they would have taken them higher...

I think the Wings knew that in Datsyuk's case, he was basically unknown to NHL scouts; in hank's they knew that he was considered too small and weak to play in the NHL, so why waste a higher pick? Andersson has said that his later round draft philosphy is to take a chance on small, skilled fast guys cuz they can get bigger and stronger; wheras big guys aren't likely to get any faster.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I must say, Hakan Andersson makes watching the whole draft interesting. The Pierre McGuire theory on Datysuk and Zetterberg being drafted is that if the Wings knew how amazing they were going to be, they would have taken them higher...

I think the Wings knew that in Datsyuk's case, he was basically unknown to NHL scouts; in hank's they knew that he was considered too small and weak to play in the NHL, so why waste a higher pick? Andersson has said that his later round draft philosphy is to take a chance on small, skilled fast guys cuz they can get bigger and stronger; wheras big guys aren't likely to get any faster.

Pierre McGuire is a ****** bag. The Hakan Andersson theory is that he goes to the tough places where no one else bothers to look and knows that no one is going to take these guys because no one has seen them play and what these young prospects put up on paper in their early careers are fairly underwhelming.

Considering the rate at which we draft gems in the late rounds clearly speaks to the fact that "well no one else knows about this guy, so lets take him late when no other good players are left, and use our high picks to draft the good prospects everyone knows about, before theyre all gone."

Edited June 21, 2008 by YoungGuns1340

[B.B. 0]

The Pierre McGuire theory on Datysuk and Zetterberg being drafted is that if the Wings knew how amazing they were going to be, they would have taken them higher...

See, I have never understood that theory. If you know that another team is not going to pick them, then why would you pick them earlier than you had to.? This way, we can pick other players that we covet with the knowledge that the Datysuk and Zetterberg's will be there in later rounds. Makes sense to me...

[ben_usmc 253]

I'm suprised McGuire took Sids dick out his mouth long enough to say anything this draft.

[dicksmack 33]

Pierre McGuire is a ****** bag. The Hakan Andersson theory is that he goes to the tough places where no one else bothers to look and knows that no one is going to take these guys because no one has seen them play and what these young prospects put up on paper in their early careers are fairly underwhelming.

Considering the rate at which we draft gems in the late rounds clearly speaks to the fact that "well no one else knows about this guy, so lets take him late when no other good players are left, and use our high picks to draft the good prospects everyone knows about, before theyre all gone."

That's true, he's among the hardest working birddogs around and you can't find all the secret prospects, but you can scoop the known but underestimated guys (Hank) if you realize speed and skill can be supplemented with muscle but not the reverse...

[YoungGuns1340 1]

That's true, he's among the hardest working birddogs around and you can't find all the secret prospects, but you can scoop the known but underestimated guys (Hank) if you realize speed and skill can be supplemented with muscle but not the reverse...

The Wings have been a successful franchise for nearly over 15 years already. Essentially meaning they havent had high picks for that long. Its been Illitch's philosophy for a while now that once the Red Wings had established a good core - around 20 years ago - that he was going to use his pocketbook to keep it that way and build on that. I cant think of any other NHL owner who is as committed to the win now philosophy as Illitch is, so knowing that, if Im the Wings brass, Im going to assemble a group of hardworking scouts that are willing to scout the tough places and have the ability to see potential that may not become apparent until 5-10 years after the prospect is drafted. And IMO, thats exactly what the Wings have done.

[dteowner 20]

It's a big advantage when your team is good enough that you don't need these kids to make the big club in a year. Some teams can't pick a guy that "needs to add muscle" because they need players now. Hakan does a great job for us, but he's got broader options than scouts for crap teams. We can wait 5 years for a kid to find his talent.

[eva unit zero 271]

It's a big advantage when your team is good enough that you don't need these kids to make the big club in a year. Some teams can't pick a guy that "needs to add muscle" because they need players now. Hakan does a great job for us, but he's got broader options than scouts for crap teams. We can wait 5 years for a kid to find his talent.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

While yes, the teams with earlier picks do need players more, the only pick that a team should even think about picking a 'draft him right onto the ice' type of player is the first half of the first round. Everything after that should be picked based on long-term results rather than ability to play right away. If a team needs to get NHL-ready players to fill out their roster, they can sign free agents. Draft picks should never, for any team, be used for the purpose of filling the roster. A weak team can afford to draft a prospect who needs to add muscle if it means drafting a guy who in 5 years will be All-World instead of drafting a guy who has filled out well enough, but will never be better than an average second liner in his NHL career.

The fact that the Wings' front office understands how to draft players better than most NHL front offices is not because they have more success as a team; they have more success as a team because the front office understands how to draft players better than most NHL front offices.

[grsbmd 0]

I'm actually really excited now about Gustav Nyquist. I just read this on HFBoards from one of the staff members:

I can assure you guys that this isn´t just a random pick. He could have been a draft pick last season but Håkan didn´t get the chance to see him enough (and the rest of the league though that he was to small and weak). We watched a game togather this season and he was bugged that he didn´t take his time to see him more last year. But thankfully he went undrafted. This season "someone" brought his name up to Håkan and he started following him pretty much from the start of the season and at the end season he was a high candidate for a mid round pick because of his: speed, hockey sense, playmaking ability, and work ethic. He needs to get stronger and the 4 years that he can spend in college will help adress that need. I know that at least one more team from the Western Conferance were interested in him and probably would have taken him in the 5th rd.

He reminds a whole lot of Zetterberg (Note: Not saying that he´s the next Z) with his offensive skill but even more with his great defensive game. He reads plays so well and is very competetive and allways works hard on the backcheck. And he´s doing this as a Jun-a player. With more seasoning he should get even better. His stickwork is very Datsyuk-like in the defensive-mode as he has an uncanny ability to steal pucks from the opposition with ease.

This is the player that excites me the most from the Wings draft and it´ll be interesting to follow him for the next few years.

[norrisnick 1]

http://www.nt.se/video/?tab=1&mp=36165...p;autoplay=true

I don't speak Swedish but apparently that's Jesper talking about the move to Timra.

[Systemfel 33]

http://www.nt.se/video/?tab=1&mp=36165...p;autoplay=true

I don't speak Swedish but apparently that's Jesper talking about the move to Timra.

I posted that before (at #258), but yes, that is correct. Here's a transcript-translation of the vid for you:

Yeah, but at the same time, I would never take that step if I and the people around me didn't believe I could be successful. Timrå assistant coach Per Nygårds has been in contact with me, so they're obviously aware of who I am, and what they'll be getting. But we'll see how it works out.

-- What do you demand from yourself?

Obviously, a lot more than other people. I want to play in the SEL. If I do it this upcoming season or the one after that remains to be seen. But I'll try my hardest to make the team rightaway.

-- The pace is a lot faster in the SEL, can you talk about that a bit?

It's a thing of habit, you can tell from all the players in Linköping who I played with i TV-Pucken (national U16 tourney).

Sure, it's a more up-tempo game, but eventually you'll get used to it. I'll just stay sharp and that'll work out as well.

Have to let go of the puck a bit earlier, all the other players are a lot smarter, but I think it'll go well.

-- You're gonna have to look after yourself now, with your own place and all that?

Yeah, I don't think it'll be that hard, I was raised well, my mom taught me well, so I'll be OK.

I've done some cleaning, some dishing, some washing. I'll learn.

Edited June 22, 2008 by Systemfel

[Systemfel 33]

Small Samuelsson interview

Bob McKenzie of TSN basically joked that, "Let's see if he's a Conn Smythe or a Selke winner." The site didn't get that, but there are some nice quotes in there.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Samuelsson comments.

"That's probably looking to much into it. I might have the same drive as they do, but then again, it's probably just one out a billion [late picks] who really makes it."

"No, [i'm not surprised that Detroit picked me,] I talked to Håkan Andersson at several occasions during the season and he also came out to see me play. So I kind of saw it coming that the Red Wings would get me pretty late in the draft. No other NHL scouts tried to contact me."

"I guess I'm a decent skater with my biggest asset being my hockey sense. I'm pretty good at setting up teammates. So I guess I'm more of a playmaker than a finisher. But I can finish as well, if the play calls for it."

"I'm really gonna work hard to make Timrå off the bat, and if I don't, I'll play with Sundsvall in Allsvenskan (SWE-2) The fact that Sundsvall and Timrå are only about six miles apart was a big factor in me signing for Timrå."

"There are a lot of young guys who want to improve and practice hard in Timrå. We'll see how far it takes me. If I can adapt like Fabian Brunnström if tough to say, I don't really know the level. But I'm gonna work hard."

Edited June 22, 2008 by Systemfel

[zata40 3]

we have to be the only team that gets the most excited over our last draft pick.

[Cruiser008 37]

I'm actually really excited now about Gustav Nyquist. I just read this on HFBoards from one of the staff members:

I read that too... those are some glowing reviews from a Hakan acquintance.

[dteowner 20]

Quick draft-related question. Anyone know the story on the extra pick in the 2nd round? Who got it and why? Thanks in advance.

Edited June 23, 2008 by dteowner