Author:
Gruce Barrioch, Canadian Press
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Date Posted: 17:47:07 02/16/05 Wed
[Winnipeg, MAN] The GWHL held its latest entry draft on Sunday, with the talent pool considered solid but not spectacular.
In spite of the apparant averageness of the pool of talent, there were a few clubs that held several picks in this draft. Not all of these clubs seemed to take advantage of their bounty, but time will tell on that count.
The first selection of the draft, made by the Whitehorse Warriors with the pick they acquired from Saskatoon, was center Yannick Lehoux. Lehoux is a skilled player who could turn out to be the top offenive threat from this draft.
The draft's second pick was another skilled center, Jakub Klepis. Klepis was chosen by the Steeltown Hammers. The first goaltender selected, and the third pick overall, was Antero Niitymaki. The Halifax Harpoons made several moves to put themselves in a position to take Niitymaki, which shows how high GM Stephen Holodinsky was on this player.
The fourth pick was held by the Saskatoon Silos, which they used to select winger Brandon Bochenski. Bochenski had a good college career, and hasn't missed a beat in the pros. The last of the top five selections was another goaltender, Cam Ward. The Charlottetown Islanders selected Ward, a goaltender who seemingly does nothing but win regardless of the level of the game he is playing.
There was just one deal completed during this draft, making it one of the more uneventful drafts this league has held.
Picking winners and losers isn't a simple task with this group of players. Still, here is an attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Winners
Charlottetown- had four picks, and seemed to make the most of those selections. Found a goaltender for the future in Ward, plus a potential offensive whiz in Kyle Wellwood, plus two good defensive prospects in Brett Skinner and Kevin Bieksa.
Victoria- another club with four picks that seemingly made the most of those choices. The Cougars nabbed versatile forward Andy Hilbert, promising young goaltender Josh Harding, plus forwards Alexei Shkotov and Patrick Sharp.
Montreal- only two picks, but the Marauders made the most of them. They picked up what some considered to be the best goaltender in the draft in Ilya Bryzgalov, and also landed tough defenseman Garnet Exelby.
Saskatoon- with seven picks, this club has some room for error. Bochenski was probably the best scoring winger available, while Andrew Hutchinson was one of the top defensemen in this draft. The club also found some potential immediate help along the blue line in the form of Ales Pisa and Radek Martinek, and may have another defenive gem in Maxim Kondratiev.
Solid
Edmonton- landed some immediate help in the form of defenseman Steve Poapst and forward Fernando Pisani. Also selected two good goaltending prospects in Yann Dannis and Peter Budaj, plus solid forward Garth Murray.
Steeltown- While the Hammers failed to make the most of their eight picks, they still managed to add some solid prospects to their organization. Klepis, Boyd Gordon and Mike Morris should all eventually contribute, while defenseman Matthew Spiller will keep the front of the net clear.
Toronto- the Trojans made four good choices, including one pick (Thomas Pock) that sparked a bit of controversey. Pock and Dennis Wideman should help the defensive depth of the organization, while forwards Brad Boyes and Chris Kunitz should be contributors up front.
Quebec- another club that picked up some solid depth for their club. Top pick Matt Greene will be a force on the blue line one day, while goaltender Vesa Toskala should help the goaltending depth for the club. Pierre Dagenais and Peter Schaefer are close to playing in the GWHL, as well.
Whitehorse- landing Lehoux was the main prize, but the selection of winger Rene Bourque may have been the most inspired pick. Aside from Junior Lessard, the other players selected have iffy potential.
Losers
Ottawa- in spite of having several picks in the first couple of rounds, the Oaks seemed to miss opportunities to pick up good prospects. There are a few solid choices, to be sure, but the placement of those picks was questionable.
Winnipeg- with only two selections, and none in the first round, it was difficult for the Wolves to come up with any future stars.
No decision- B.C. and Halifax had just one pick each.
While the main focus of everyone in attendance was on the players being selected that day, there was also plenty of buzz about the 2007 GWHL Draft, a draft that could be one of the deepest in years. Although there were still some interesting players left undrafted from the 2006 crop, these misfits will be overshadowed by the 2007 harvest.
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