2011 NHL Draft Grades, Atlantic Division

Here are some knee-jerk draft grades for the Atlantic Division.

New Jersey Devils: B+
The Devils really lucked out that defenseman Adam Larsson was on the board at No. 4 overall. The polished Swede will be an NHL mainstay for years to come and could even end up being be the best player in the entire draft. They get docked for not having a second-round pick, which the league made New Jersey forfeit for attempting to circumvent the salary cap with the Ilya Kovalchuk contract fiasco of 2010.

New York Islanders: A-
Owning four of the top 63 picks, the Islanders had a great draft. First they grabbed skilled center Ryan Strome fifth overall. Early in the second round they were able to pick a 6-foot-4, smooth-skating defenseman in Scott Mayfield who many thought could be a first round talent. At No. 50 overall the Isles nabbed a 6-foot-2 Swedish center, and they rounded the early choices out with Andrei Pedan, a 6-foot-4 defenseman. That’s a lot of size and skill added for an organization that’s looking to build through the draft.

New York Rangers: B
The Rangers selected Pittsburgh native J.T. Miller at No. 15 overall and then had to wait until No. 72 before they had another pick. Who knows if any of their middle round picks will ever turn into professional prospects, but adding Miller to the fold ensures they ought to have at least one impact player come out of the 2011 draft.

Philadelphia Flyers: B+
Sean Couturier, thought to be a top prospect, slipped to the Flyers at No. 8 overall, which is good enough to salvage a B+ here. However, they just traded a surefire NHL impact player (Jeff Carter) for two young, unproven players in Couturier and Jakub Voracek. Time will tell if the risky deal was wise, but it's hard to argue the pick of Couturier makes it a solid draft for Philly.

Pittsburgh Penguins: C+
Using a first round pick on defenseman Joe Morrow might be understandable, since the Penguins don’t have any players with Morrow’s skill-set in their prospect pool. But GM Ray Shero went off the board in the second round, selecting a defensive defenseman in Scott Harrington. It was a surprising move in many observers' eyes. The Pens then used their three middle-round picks on smallish, little-known forwards that seem to be longshots at this point.

NHL Drafts take a long time to sort themselves out, but as of now, Shero passed over several well-regarded skill forward prospects to add two defensemen. Considering the Pens' weakness in young forwards, and strength in prospect defensemen, it was a curious draft. Defensemen can always be moved for forward assets, as the trades of Ryan Whitney and Alex Goligoski proved, so Pens fans will just have to be patient and hope the Pittsburgh scouts selected young players who can pan out.

NHL Draft 2011 Results: Penguins Select Defensemen In First Two Rounds

Here's the full list of players the Penguins selected in the 2011 NHL Draft.

23. Joe Morrow, D. Morrow is a strong shooter and a good skater from Canada's Western Hockey League. You can read more about him here and here.

54. Scott Harrington, D. Harrington is a good skater, but he's not big and isn't a strong offensive player. You can read more about him here. Despite an organizational need for wingers, the Pens went with defensemen in the first two rounds

144. Dominik Uher, C. Uher is from the Western Hockey League. This pick is so much later than the previous two because the Pens didn't have a third- or fourth-round pick.

174. Josh Archibald, F. The Pens like his speed. He will head to the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

209. Scott Wilson, F. Wilson comes from the Ontario Junior A Hockey League and will play at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

For more on the Penguins' draft, check out PensBurgh.

2011 NHL Draft: Penguins Stick To Defense In Second Round, Select Scott Harrington

The Penguins continued their defensive-minded draft by selecting defenseman Scott Harrington from the OHL’s London Knights with the 54th overall pick in the draft.

In his own words,

“I feel I am a pretty good skater. That is my advantage. I try to model myself as a shutdown defenceman.

“… The biggest asset I bring to a team is just being hard to play against. My coaches have me against the other teams’ top lines. That is something I enjoy doing, having the challenge of facing the other team’s top scorers.”

Harrington’s personal assessment reflects most scouting reports out on the 18-year-old. His upside, however, is looked upon as limited, much like his size and offensive ability. A dazzling selection, this is not.

Harrington is expected to return to London for the upcoming OHL season.

2011 NHL Draft: John Gibson, Brandon Saad Selected Early In Second Round

Pittsburgh products John Gibson and Brandon Saad were projected by most analysts to be taken in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft. They weren’t.

But they didn’t have to wait long after.

Gibson, the top rated North American goaltender in the draft, was taken with the ninth pick of the second round, 39th overall, by the New York Rangers while Saad was taken four picks later by the Chicago Blackhawks.

As recently as December, Saad was projected by many to be taken with one of the top ten picks in the draft. Concerns over a big dip in form over the second half of the OHL season raised red flags and resulted in a pretty steep drop.

Gibson ends up as the second goaltender taken in a draft lacking any true standouts at the position. The first goaltender selected was Magnus Hellberg, one spot before Gibson.

NHL Draft 2011: Local Product J.T. Miller Picked By New York Rangers; Brandon Saad Still On Board

J.T. Miller, a Pittsburgh product, was surprised to be picked so early in the 2011 NHL Draft after the New York Rangers selected him at No. 15 overall.

Miller only had one discussion with the Rangers before he was drafted and admitted that he didn't expect to hear his name so early in the evening.

"Yeah, you're not lying there," he said. "I was definitely a little shocked. But getting my name called was the best feeling in the world."

Good for him. I wasn't expecting him to go quite so early. Meanwhile, though, another local product, Brandon Saad, remains on the board despite appearing in the first round in most mock drafts. (Shero, in explaining why he himself didn't take Saad given his local pedigree and the team's need for wingers, explained that defensemen could be traded for wingers later if need be.) Saad looks very likely to be selected in the second round on Saturday. Also look out for Pittsburgh products John Gibson (who's the best goalie available) and center Vincent Trocheck.

2011 NHL Draft Results: Penguins' Selection Of Defenseman In Joe Morrow Shouldn't Have Been Surprising

The Penguins surprised some observers Friday by selecting a defenseman, Joe Morrow, with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, despite an obvious organizational need for wingers. In fact, the Pens took Morrow even though a good local winger, Brandon Saad, was still on the board. But Penguins GM Ray Shero said that, ultimately, he had to trust his scouts.

"He's a very strong player, real solid on his feet. He should be a good two-way defenseman for us.

"We looked at maybe some opportunities to trade down a little bit, but, as long as he was still there, that's the guy our [scouts] didn't want to take a chance on passing on."

This shouldn't have been much of a surprise. One doesn't draft for need in the first round of the NHL Draft, where it might be several years before a player at all. Instead, the best strategy is to select the best player available, only use position as a tiebreaker (which is essentially what the Penguins said they would do), and use surpluses in one position to make trades in areas of need.

The second through seventh rounds of the NHL Draft will take place on Saturday.

2011 NHL Draft: Penguins Select Defenseman Joe Morrow

Amongst a flurry of trades in the 2011 NHL draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins elected to hold tight with their No. 23 pick and select defenseman Joe Morrow.

Morrow, from the Western Hockey League, has good size, is an excellent skater and could develop into a puck-moving NHL defenseman. In this wide-open draft, he was ranked by most services in this area, but the Pens did pass up forwards like Brandon Saad (Gibsonia), Nicklas Jensen, Matt Puempel and Ty Rattie.

When many thought the Pens might draft a forward, Ray Shero listened to his scouts and took the defenseman in Morrow. Shero’s earlier management job, as an assistant in Nashville, saw the Predators take many defensemen, like Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Ryan Parent and Kevin Klein, early on in the draft.

Chosing Morrow goes in that mold, several goal-scoring forwards were on the board but the Pens went a different route. Morrow will need a few years of development, but his addition to the Pens puts one more blue-chip prospect to the team’s portfolio.

As we’ve seen with Ryan Whitney and Alex Goligoski, the Pens aren’t afraid to trade good defensemen for forwards, so the idea to draft the best player available always works out at the NHL level. Now it’s just a matter of time to see how Morrow develops.

JT Miller Drafted By New York Rangers

Pittsburgh Hornets product JT Miller became the first Pittsburgh-area player taken in today’s NHL Draft when he was selected in the first round, 15th overall, by the New York Rangers.

He now becomes the highest ever drafted area player, taken one spot higher than R.J. Umberger was in 2001.

Miller is a native of East Palastine, Ohio, but played youth hockey in the Pittsburgh area and now calls Coraopols home… or at least did before being drafted today.

2011 NHL Mock Draft

Just hours before the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, a look at how it might shake out.  This draft is considered more wide-open than usual, so the accuracy of this list as we go on could be comical by the end of the night.

Regardless, we see three players with Pittsburgh ties hearing their names called tonight?  Whom could they be and where are possible locations? On to the draft!

1. Edmonton Oilers - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C (WHL)

"RNH" is the most dynamic offensive prospect in the draft. He's got elite puck skills and will be a great compliment to last year's first overall pick in Taylor Hall. Nugent-Hopkins still needs to fill out from his 163 pound frame and add muscle to be an impact player in the NHL, but his vision and playmaking ability make him the pick at #1.

2. Colorado Avalanche - Jonathan Huberdeau, C/W (QMJHL)

Colorado adds Huberdeau, the best player in juniors from the best team. Huberdeau is a riskier pick than some other options, but he also offers a higher ceiling with his ability. He's a smooth skating, skilled forward that probably projects as a winger in the NHL. Add him to Matt Duchene's line and the Avs have the making of a tremendous young core to build around.

3. Florida Panthers- Gabriel Landeskog, W (OHL)

Landeskog is the most physically ready prospect in the draft to play in the NHL next season. Florida can use that, but they can also use the character, work ethic and energy that Landeskog can immediately add.

4 New Jersey Devils- Adam Larsson, D, (Sweden)

A dream scenario for the Devils- they won the draft lottery to move up to this position, and the prospect they wanted falls to them. Larsson has NHL size and already played (and played well) in the top professional men's league in Sweden as a 17 year old. With a good mix of hockey sense and all-around game, he'll be a mainstay in the NHL for years.

5 New York Islanders- Sean Couturier, C (QMJHL)

The Islanders continue to add to their forward prospect pool with the best two-way player in the draft. Couturier has been compared in some circles to a Jordan Staal type of player with his size, reach and positioning. If his offensive abilities can progress, Couturier could be a special player, but at worst he will be a solid and reliable contributor.

6 Ottawa Senators- Ryan Strome, C (OHL)

Strome's stock has risen all year with a great season- he and Nugent-Hopkins tied for the most points (106) scored by any draft eligible player. Strome is a great playmaker and has terrific hands. Ottawa can use the skill infusion.

7 Winnipeg Jets- Dougie Hamilton, D (OHL)

Winnipeg is back in the NHL and are likely to announce they've brought back the Jets nickname tonight. That'll be the big story, overshadowing the pick of a very solid two-way defenseman who may have the highest ceiling for any defenseman in the draft.

8 Philadelphia Flyers- Mika Zibanejad, C (QMJHL)

Zibanejad is a center with good size, great two-way abilities and scoring touch. Which sounds pretty similar to an unpolished, younger Jeff Carter, the player the Flyers traded yesterday to get this pick.

9 Boston Bruins- Ryan Murphy, D (OHL)

The rich get richer: the defending Stanley Cup champs add an elite puck-moving defenseman in Ryan Murphy. The B's got this pick in the trade with Toronto for Phil Kessel and adding Murphy plugs one of the few holes they have in their organizational depth chart. Murphy is an excellent skater and racks up points, he'll have to add some strength to compete defensively in the NHL.

10 Minnesota Wild- Mark Scheifele, C (OHL)

The host city uses their first round pick to added a skilled center. The Wild need a big, skilled center and Scheifele provides just that. He'll have to work on his skating and develop further, but his hands and potential justify the pick.

11 Colorado Avalanche- Duncan Siemens, D (WHL)

With their second pick of the night, the Avs go to defense. Siemens is a big, tough, physical defenseman with some offensive upside, and at #11 Colorado's happy he's still on the board.

12 Carolina Hurricanes- Sven Bartschi, W (WHL)

Bartschi, at 5'10, isn't big, but he certainly is a fast skater and offensive dynamo. At this point in the draft he's got one of the highest offensive ceilings and skill sets.

13 Calgary Flames- Mark McNeill, C (WHL)

The Flames have a weak prospect pool, so they jump at the chance to add a big center with offensive potential. McNeill has a lot of strength and his high-end ceiling has been compared to that of a Ryan Kesler player.

14 Dallas Stars- Jamieson Oleksiak, D (Northeastern)

At 6'7, 245 pounds, Oleksiak has drawn natural comparisions to Tyler Myers or Zdeno Chara. Don't expect the big guy to last long in the draft.

15 New York Rangers- Joel Armia, W (Finland)

High offensive upside for this winger, but knocks on his consistency.

16 Buffalo Sabres- Nathan Beaulieu, D (QMJHL)

Beaulieu is a great puck moving defenseman, a commodity for NHL teams always seeking smooth skaters that can distribute the puck and run a power play.

17 Montreal Canadiens- Matt Puempel, W (OHL)

The Habs add a goal scoring winger and aren't concerned about a hip injury.

18 Chicago Blackhawks- JT Miller, C (North Dakota)

A great two-way center with a good motor that's headed to North Dakota? To the Hawks, that sounds a lot like Jonathan Toews. Miller doesn't figure to end up with that elite of a ceiling, but his future is still bright, and he is the first prospect with Pittsburgh roots to hear his name called.

19 Edmonton Oilers- Jonas Brodin, D (Sweden)

Smooth skating, good size and hockey sense- sounds like the classic Swedish defenseman.

20 Phoenix Coyotes- Nicklas Jensen, W (OHL)

Jensen has ideal size, is a great skater and has excellent hands. He needs to develop some physically, but could be an impact player.

21 Ottawa Senators- Brandon Saad, W (OHL)

The Gibsonia native gets selected by Ottawa, who added Strome at #6 and hope Saad can join him one day on a top line in the NHL.

22 Anaheim Ducks Zach Phillips, C (QMJHL)

Phillips played a huge role in his team winning the Memorial Cup and is a high-end offensive players. His skating needs work.

23 Pittsburgh Penguins- Rocco Grimaldi, C (North Dakota)

The Penguins roll the dice on the smallest player in the draft. Grimaldi is a terrific skater, has great hands, excellent drive, but how will his 5'6, 165 pound frame translate in the NHL? That's the million dollar question, but the Pens are in a position to roll the dice and swing for the fences on the type of high-end skilled prospect that they don't currently have a lot of.

24 Detroit Red Wings- Oscar Klefbom, D, (Sweden)

Detroit loves how his stock has risen, another technically sound player that has time to develop as the ageless Nicklas Lidstrom keeps on playing.

25 Toronto Maple Leafs- Boone Jenner, C (OHL)

Boone Jenner is about the defintion of a Brian Burke player: big, tough, hard-working, skilled. This one's right up the Leaf GM's alley.

26 Washington Capitals- Scott Mayfield, D (USHL)

Size (6'4), skating ability, aggression, and puck control make Mayfield an intriguing prospect.

27 Tampa Bay Lightning- John Gibson, G (Michigan)

Tampa GM Steve Yzerman turns to the Pittsburgh native to add a badly needed goaltender prospect.

28 San Jose Sharks- Tomas Jurco, W (QMJHL)

The European player proved he could play in North America this season in the CHL and has skill to burn.

29 Vancouver Canucks- Joe Morrow, D (WHL)

A good puck-moving defenseman always helps an NHL team, Vancouver glad to add Morrow and let him develop for a few years.

30 Toronto Maple Leafs- Tyler Biggs, W (US National Development Team)

At 6'2 210, Biggs lives up to his name. He plays an aggressive game, again a Burke player. His scoring touch is a question- but he hits, he fights and he will make an impact in some way.

2011 NHL Draft TV Schedule And Draft Order

The 2011 NHL Draft will begin at 7:00 PM EST on Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota, and will be broadcast on Versus. Here's a selection order for Friday:

1. Edmonton Oilers
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. Florida Panthers
4. New Jersey Devils
5. NY Islanders
6. Ottawa Senators
7. Winnipeg
8. Columbus Blue Jackets
9. Boston Bruins (from TOR)
10. Minnesota Wild
11. Colorado Avalanche (from STL)
12. Carolina Hurricanes
13. Calgary Flames
14. Dallas Stars
15. NY Rangers
16. Buffalo Sabres
17. Montreal Canadiens
18. Chicago Blackhawks
19. Edmonton Oilers (from LA)
20. Phoenix Coyotes
21. Ottawa Senators (from NSH)
22. Anaheim Ducks
23. Pittsburgh Penguins
24. Detroit Red Wings
25. Toronto Maple Leafs (from PHI)
26. Washington Capitals
27. Tampa Bay Lightning
28. San Jose Sharks
29. Vancouver Canadiens
30. Toronto Maple Leafs (from BOS)

In addition to the No. 23 pick, the Penguins will also select with picks No. 54, 144, 174 and 209.

It's hard to know what the Pens will do even in the first round, let alone in the later rounds, so we'll have to wait until Friday evening to see.

For more on the Pens, check out PensBurgh.

NHL Draft 2011 Prospects: Will Penguins Focus On Wingers?

The Trib names a few potential first-round NHL Draft picks for the Penguins, who will be picking with the No. 23 overall pick Friday night. The Trib focuses on wingers, including Tyler Biggs and local products Brandon Saad and J.T. Miller.

This isn't to say the Penguins won't pick these guys, and it's certainly possible the Trib has inside information here, but I wonder if the focus on wingers in particular is premature. Yes, the Penguins need wingers right now, but new draftees are unlikely to make an immediate impact, and the Penguins have repeatedly said that they won't be drafting for need in the first round. And I don't expect them to particularly care whether a particular player came fromt he area or not. Pens director of amateur scouting Jay Heinbuck does say that if they consider two prospects to have the same level of talent, they would rather pick the forward. If someone like Saad falls to them, it would be ridiculous to say that the Pens won't consider him. But I also wouldn't put it past the Penguins to pick a defenseman if they feel he's the best talent available at that time.

New 2011 NHL Mock Draft Has Penguins Taking Pittsburgh's Own Brandon Saad

Here's a new NHL mock draft that's worth checking out, in that it ties a new player to the Pittsburgh Penguins at No. 23 overall, and he's a local:

Pittsburgh: Brandon Saad (LW), Saginaw, OHL: Despite going stone cold in the second half of the season, Saad is a talented power winger with a lot of weapons in his arsenal. The fact he's a Pittsburgh native could give the Pens some extra incentive to call his name on Friday.

I don't think the fact that Saad is local will be much of an incentive for the Penguins, and neither do I think the fact that he's a winger will in itself sway them, since it's generally unwise to draft for need in the NHL. But the Pens aren't tipping their hand about who they are picking, so I can't blame the folks doing the mocks for seeing things this way.

Elsewhere in this mock, Rocco Grimaldi and Ty Rattie, two players who have been tied to the Pens in other mock drafts, go at No. 27 and No. 28. Another local product, J.T. Miller, joins Saad in the first round, going to the Coyotes at No. 20.

NHL Draft 2011: Five Pittsburgh-Area Players Prepare For Draft

The Trib has a good rundown of the local players who could be taken in the upcoming NHL Draft: Brandon Saad, John Gibson, J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Barrett Saib.

The two of those most likely to be first-round picks are Saad and Gibson. Saad has fallen down draft boards due to injury struggles this season, and he could be a mid- to late first round pick. Gibson is likely a late first round pick, or maybe a second-rounder, due to the fact that goalies are hard to project. Miller and Trocheck are likely to be second-rounders.

I'm not sure about Saib, who I haven't heard a lot about, but it sounds like he could be a late-round pick.

Could the Penguins pick one of these guys? One never knows:

Given that the Penguins have an abundance of American players in their system, it's not a reach to suggest that general manager Ray Shero will draft one of the local players.

The Penguins need some wingers, after all.

The Pens, though, won't draft a winger just because they need one, particularly not in the first round. And we'll have to see whether Saad is even available to them - he could be gone by the time pick No. 23 rolls around.

2011 NHL Mock Draft: Could Penguins Take Ty Rattie?

FOX Sports' latest 2011 NHL Mock Draft has the Penguins taking winger Ty Rattie:

All Rattie does is score and for a Penguins team in need of wingers for its sublime centers, he fits the bill.

Here's a good profile of Rattie. As a winger with offensive skills, he would certainly be a good fit for the Penguins in terms of his skill set. The Penguins are unlikely to draft for need, however, so it comes down to whether they like Rattie best. If he's available to them at No. 23 overall, they just might - Rattie easily could go higher. 

Other notable players in the FOX draft include local players Brandon Saad (No. 18, to the Blackhawks) and John Gibson (No. 22 to the Ducks). Meanwhile, Rocco Grimaldi, the small, speedy forward who some Pens fans want at No. 23, goes to the Senators at No. 21. 

The top three in this draft are Adam Larsson to the Oilers, Gabriel Landeskog to the Avalanche, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the Panthers. 

NHL Draft 2011: John Gibson Prepares To Be Selected, Mocks Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey

Goaltender and Pittsburgh native John Gibson is ready to be selected in the 2011 NHL Draft, perhaps in the first round. And he's got some interesting things to say about Pittsburgh amateur hockey after being cut from the Baldwin High School team a few years back:

"When I got cut from that team, I kind of just laughed," Gibson said. "I didn't really even know what to say. It was probably the biggest joke I've ever had. I've been cut off AAA teams, and that's fine. The competition's better. But high school hockey in Pittsburgh, I mean, it's nothing [special]."

I'm outraged ... no, actually, Gibson probably has a point. Not long after being cut from his high school team, Gibson was invited to try out for the National U-17 Hockey Team. And his star has risen since then. He's the top goalie in the draft. 

He is probably unlikely to be drafted in the first round, however. The development of goaltenders is hard to predict, which one can see by looking at the pedigrees of NHL starting goalies. Sure, there's Marc-Andre Fleury, who was selected with the first pick in the 2003 NHL Draft. But there are also many goalies, like Tim Thomas, Pekka Rinne, and Henrik Lundqvist who were drafted in the late rounds. The idea is that there's more certainty in drafting other player types. So Gibson could stay on the board until the second round. 

2011 NHL Mock Draft: Penguins Take Rocco Grimaldi In SB Nation Mock

The Penguins have selected center Rocco Grimaldi in SB Nation's NHL Mock Draft. This isn't the first time that a mock draft has connected Grimaldi to the Penguins. That doesn't mean that the Penguins actually want him, necessarily (we don't know who they want), just that writers think he's a good match for the Penguins' draft position in terms of talent.

Grimaldi is a very small player, at 5-foot-6, but he's hard-nosed and is extremely fast, with good stickhandling ability. When you're picking at No. 23, you can't get a perfect player, and Grimaldi's size won't necessarily prevent him from having a good NHL career.

In the NHL today, some of the best offensive players include Martin St. Louis, Brian Gionta, Daniel Briere and Tyler Ennis- all players who look like they couldn't get on roller-coasters compared to their contemporaries.

But all of those little players, to a degree, have an edge, are excellent skaters and think the game well, all combined with having great hands and skill. Grimaldi seems to have that pedigree.

For more on the Penguins, check out PensBurgh.

NHL Draft 2011: Local Product Vincent Trocheck Prepares For Draft

The Post-Gazette has a feature on Upper St. Clair's Vincent Trocheck, who is likely to be selected in the 2011 NHL Draft this weekend. Trocheck grew up in Pittsburgh but followed hockey to Michigan when he was 13. He sees Peter Forsberg as a role model, but Trocheck's problem is that he's smaller than Forsberg, and that bothers some teams. Don't expect the Penguins to take him in the first round, for example.

"[Size] is an issue that he's going to have to overcome," said Jay Heinbuck, the Penguins director of amateur scouting. "It's not size alone that's an issue.

"In today's game, it's when you have that [modest] size, you have to overset it with -- in my eyes -- better-than-average speed. So for me, his speed will need to improve.

"Having said that, that's probably why he's not talked about as a first-rounder. He maybe is on some teams' radar, but in our minds, he's not with that top echelon of players just because of that size-speed ratio."

Trocheck himself names his skating and his quickness as areas in which he needs to improve. A lot of people love Rocco Grimaldi, a fellow draft prospect who is a lot smaller than Trocheck is but could well be a first-rounder. I've yet to see Trocheck described as a first-rounder, but we'll see how things turn out.

NHL Draft 2011: Don't Expect Penguins To Draft For Need

Dave Molinari at the Post-Gazette warns us about the dangers of speculating about who the Penguins will pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Because the Penguins, barring a trade, will have the 23rd selection in the opening round, they’ll figure to go into Round 1 Friday evening at the Xcel Energy Center with a list of about a half-dozen guys they hope/expect will be there after the first 22 teams have chosen. One thing seems fairly certain: When a team is picking that late, it isn’t expecting to get immediate help from the draft. Consequently, the Penguins figure to go for – you guessed it – the best player available, regardless of position.

Well, right. This isn't the Pirates picking with the first overall pick in the draft, where the amount of speculation one can do about who they'll select is something less than infinite. It also isn't the Steelers, who picked near the end of the first round of the NFL Draft but who at least were selecting from among a group of players who might be expected to fill team needs fairly soon. There is no reason for the Penguins to draft for need, and because they're picking so late in the draft, no way for us to know who will be available to them, or what their top choices are.

NHL 2011 Mock Draft: Could Rocco Grimaldi Be A Possibility For Penguins?

There's a community 2011 NHL Mock Draft going over at the SB Nation blog Hockey Wilderness, and they've gotten around to naming the Penguins' top pick at No. 23. It's American forward Rocco Grimaldi, who the Western College Hockey blog writes about here.

He's truly an exceptional athlete with amazing physical abilities.

If it were up to me, I'd have no problem taking Grimaldi with a top ten pick in this year's draft. NHL teams are likely to be a little more conservative about using such a high pick on a player that is going to be deemed risky because of his size. Most likely, Grimaldi will go in the mid-to-late first round, possibly even dropping into the second round, though he could be a huge steal in the draft.

The problem with Grimaldi is that he's very small, at 5-foot-6. But when you're picking No. 23 overall, you aren't going to get a perfect prospect. Grimaldi has great speed, works hard and has terrific stickhandling abilities. It sounds like he'd be worth the risk at No. 23 overall.

Hockey Wilderness has the Chicago Blackhawks taking local product Brandon Saad with the No. 18 pick. You can read more on Saad here.

For more on the Penguins, check out PensBurgh.

Saad World: Brandon Saad's Draft Stock Falls Throughout 2010-11 Season

Entering the 2010-11 season, draft prospects were sky high for Gibsonia's Brandon Saad. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he helped Team USA win the Under-18 hockey championship in the spring 2010. He went to play at Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League to continue to ply his trade and prepare for his draft year.

Highly respected TSN analyst Bob McKenzie polled hockey scouts in September 2010, and their aggregate rank for Saad was the fourth-best draft-eligible prospect. McKenzie wrote that Saad appeared on nine of the 10 scouts surveyed and had set himself up nicely.

Then the season began and things went south for Saad.

To be fair, Saad was a rookie in the OHL, a very competitive league featuring players up to two and three years older than him. Still, Saginaw was a strong team and Saad only managed to produce 27 goals and 28 assists in 59 games. Saad missed time with injury, and was rumored to still be playing through it, which didn't help observers who judged him as looking unimpressive.

"The issue with hype comes accountability, and Saad really dropped off the map as the year went forward," said Jesse Marshall of Faceoff Factor. "To be fair, Saad was battling injury ... but that same drive and work ethic that put him at the top of a lot of lists to start the year kind of came back to bite him in the end. He appeared disengaged a lot towards the end of the year and some people accused him of mailing it in as the season drew to a close."

The bad taste left in Marshall's mouth was shared by all the scouting services. The NHL's official scouting service dropped Saad to No. 8 among North American skaters in their mid-season draft ranking, and Bob McKenzie's survey of NHL scouts also had Saad No. 8 in January.

After his injury at the end of the season, Saad would continue to slide, down to No. 19 among North American skaters. From being ranked in the top four before season considering all prospects, to No. 19 just looking at players from Canada and America, 2010-11 has seen Saad's draft stock drop quite a bit.

There's reason to believe not all hope is lost. Saad's injury, as it's rumored around Pittsburgh, has been more significant and nagging than publicly acknowledged. That he returned to game action and pushed through the pain speaks to character and a team-first mentality. Young hockey players can be inconsistent, and Saad has size and skill that simply can't be taught. As much as he's slid during the season, Saad remains one of the most-talented and highly-regarded young players available.

"At this point, I'd bet on Saad going in the 15-25 range, mid-first round," Jesse Marshall told SB Nation Pittsburgh. The team that selects Saad figures to add a player with promise but still a lot to prove. Brandon Saad will be one of the most intrguing prospects in the draft. Though he had a disappointing season, he still has a whole professional career in front of him to prove himself.

John Gibson, Top-Ranked Goalie In 2011 NHL Draft, Ready To Break The Mold

From Ryan Malone and R.J. Umberger to today's youngsters like Brandon Saad and JT Miller, Western Pennsylvania has been turning out more and more professional hockey prospects every year.  Until now, though, the big-time hockey players from the Pittsburgh area have always been skaters.  

Goaltender John Gibson, a Whitehall native, is about to break that mold.  Gibson is the Central Scouting Bureau's top ranked goalie for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  Actually, he's the consensus pick for the top netminder of every credible draft ranking around.

Gibson officially checked in at the recent NHL Scouting Combine already at NHL size- 6-toot-3, 205 pounds.  He spent this past season playing for the US National Development team.  Among his highlights is leading the USA's Under-18 year old team to an international tournament win this spring. Gibson will be heading off to Ann Arbor in the fall to play for the University of Michigan and their powerhouse program.

"The intriguing thing about Gibson is his size," Jesse Marshall, a draft expert from Faceoff Factor said to SB Nation Pittsburgh.  "[Gibson's] a huge kid but he's really flexible. He has the demeanor in net where he always appears to be in total control of his emotions and where he fits in the game. He doesn't show you much in terms of body language or anything of that nature. I'd also say he's advanced in terms of how well he can play the puck."

Despite having the size and pedigree, many predict Gibson could be a mid-to-late first round pick in next week's draft. It's especially difficult to judge the ceiling of goaltenders at the age of 18 or 19, so many NHL teams are gun-shy about drafting a goaltenders early. Looking in the recent past confirms this; in last year's draft there were only two netminders picked in the first round, and in 2009 there wasn't a single goalie selected in the opening round.

In 2011, some possible landing points for Gibson, given team needs and outlooks, could be the Chicago Blackhawks (who pick No. 18), Ottawa Senators (No. 21) or the Tampa Bay Lightning (No. 27). However, this year's draft is considered to be very wide-open, and often, draft-day trades will take place, so picking potential suitors for Gibson is especially tough. Whichever team gets his rights will be adding a rising star and a player to watch for the future.

One thing is certain, it could finally be a goalie's turn to take the spotlight in western Pennsylvania. Gibson could very well edge out Saad (Gibsonia) to be the first local player to hear his name first called on draft day.  

2011 NHL Draft: Penguins Pick At No. 23; Several Local Players Likely To Be Picked

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the No. 23 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, which starts on Friday, June 24. Here's a look at the Penguins' picks:

Round 1 - No. 23

Round 2 - No. 54

Round 3 - Traded pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for rights to Dan Hamhuis

Round 4 - Traded pick to Edmonton Oilers with Dany Sabourin and Ryan Stone for Mathieu Garon

Round 5 - No. 144

Round 6 - No. 174

Round 7 - Traded pick to Ottawa Senators for Alex Kovalev

There are several local NHL Draft prospects this year. Stephen Catanese already wrote about Coraopolis forward J.T. Miller and Gibsonia winger Brandon Saad. There's also Whitehall's John Gibson, who is the top goalie in the draft, and Upper St. Clair's Vincent Trocheck.

Here's an old feature on some of these guys from the Post-Gazette.

Here's an ongoing NHL Mock Draft at SBNation.com. The Penguins' pick will come on July 20. They've gotten through 12 picks so far, and none of the local guys have been drafted yet.

For more coverage of the Penguins, check out PensBurgh.