| Subject: Silos' Draft Offensive |
Author:
Saskatoon Sun
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Date Posted: 17:24:25 11/17/02 Sun
The 2003 GWHL Draft is now history, with offense being the "center" of attention for the Saskatoon Silos. Four of Saskatoon's five picks were used to draft centers with offensive ability, with the fifth pick being used to draft a goaltender.
Silos' GM Ken McKenna was known to be unhappy with the offensive ability of some of the younger players and prospects in the organization, so it appears he has set out to shore up that area of concern.
Saskatoon's lone 1st round choice, the 13th pick overall, was used to select Finnish center Tuomo Ruutu. "At the risk of sounding like a cliche", smiled the GM, "we were surprised that Ruutu fell to the 13th spot. We had him 4th on our list, so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to draft this kid."
Ruutu is said to be a hard-nosed center with some offensive ability, possibly in the mold of a Peter Forsberg. While his skating ability is not world class, he has the speed to play the pro game, and he certainly possesses enough skill to be considered a top prospect.
With their first selection in the 2nd round, Saskatoon drafted center Jeff Taffe. Taffe is said to be a highly skilled center with a bit of an edge to his game.
The second pick of the 2nd round was goaltender Jason Bacashihua. Jason won't fill the net with his size (5' 11", 175 lbs.), but will instead rely on his reflexes and positioning to get the job done.
Derek Roy was the last of Saskatoon's trio of 2nd round selections. Roy, another center, has been a consistently strong performer at the junior level, and he appears to be ready to make the jump to the pro game.
The Silos' last selection of the draft, in the 3rd round, was center Mike Cammalleri. While on the small side (5'9", 185 lbs.), the diminutive Cammalleri has great offensive and leadership skills which make him a very desirable prospect. "As was the case with Ruutu, we were thrilled to have a shot at Mike in the 3rd round", said an obviously pleased McKenna. "We had him rated much higher".
With this draft, the Silos are now 5-deep at center amongst their prospects (Ruutu, Taffe, Roy, Cammalleri and Kris Beech). The addition of Bacashihua, along with defensive prospects like Barrett Jackman, Anton Volchenkov and Robyn Regehr, certainly gives the Silos a good base for the future.
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