2012 NHL Entry Draft Guide (free) – The Next Ones on THW

[hockeyspy]

For those interested:

THW’s 2012 NHL Entry Draft Guide – The Next Ones is your quintessential draft resource featuring:

Detailed unique prospect profiles in The Next Ones format
Mock Drafts
Exclusive rankings
Fantasy based rankings
Team Previews
Looking ahead to the 2013 draft and beyond

Link: http://thehockeywriters.com/2012-nhl-en ... next-ones/

The latest mock:
http://thehockeywriters.com/2012-nhl-mo ... wo-rounds/

...had the Pens selecting:

Colton Sissons in the 1st rnd
(his in depth profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/colton-siss ... t-profile/ )

&

Andreas Athanasiou in the 2nd
(his profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/andreas-ath ... the-greek/ )

According to THW's Top 120 rankings:
http://thehockeywriters.com/2012-nhl-dr ... s-top-120/

Pens might select as alternatives:

Tomas Hertl: http://thehockeywriters.com/tomas-hertl ... t-profile/

or perhaps a dman in Hampus Lindholm:

http://thehockeywriters.com/hampus-lind ... t-profile/

Second round targets may also include:

Troy Bourke:
http://thehockeywriters.com/troy-bourke ... t-profile/

Adam Pelech:
http://thehockeywriters.com/adam-pelech ... tradition/

If he falls, Ville Pokka:
http://thehockeywriters.com/ville-pokka ... t-profile/

Thoughts, comments, constructive criticism always welcomed.

[lemieuxReturns]

How is Philly picking ahead of the penguins?

[sil]

Personally not a fan of Scissons. He's just at or above average in most aspects of the game (skill, accuracy, skating, defense...), but doesn't really stand out in any one category. He'd be a nice 2nd round pick IMO, but he just doesn't have the top-end talent to take in round one...especially for a team lacking organization depth at forward. Others who follow these prospects closer could probably elaborate more.

I've seen Hertl to the pens in several mock drafts. He has size now, is tough with the puck and hard to push around. Good in the corners and strong on his skates. He'd be a better pickup by my value...but I'm also not a scout.

Best case scenario for me...Gaunce falls to the pens. Probably won't happen. Dumba, Koekkoek, Bozon, Pouliot, Frk, Kerdiles, Finn...I'd honestly take all of them before Scissons.

[sil]

How is Philly picking ahead of the penguins?

We finished better in the regular season. The final 8 teams in the playoffs take up the final 8 spots in the draft. The bottom 22 go in order of regular season success after the lottery results.

[mikey287]

Thanks for the links from thw (Chris?), I'll comment more in depth when I actually finish my draft research (late start this year), but I do hate Andreas Athanasiou from London...I don't like his chances of being an NHLer. Completely oblivious to the game around him I feel...

Thanks for the links though, more comments will follow...

[meecrofilm]

Personally not a fan of Scissons. He's just at or above average in most aspects of the game (skill, accuracy, skating, defense...), but doesn't really stand out in any one category. He'd be a nice 2nd round pick IMO, but he just doesn't have the top-end talent to take in round one...especially for a team lacking organization depth at forward. Others who follow these prospects closer could probably elaborate more.

I've seen Hertl to the pens in several mock drafts. He has size now, is tough with the puck and hard to push around. Good in the corners and strong on his skates. He'd be a better pickup by my value...but I'm also not a scout.

Best case scenario for me...Gaunce falls to the pens. Probably won't happen. Dumba, Koekkoek, Bozon, Pouliot, Frk, Kerdiles, Finn...I'd honestly take all of them before Scissons.

One of these is not like the others, hahah. But I agree with everything else. I'm always a fan of going higher upside in the first round, and one could argue that's what Shero's done the past few years as well, so I'm not to worried about us picking, say, Tom Wilson or something.

[canaan]

Andreas Athanasiou in the 2nd
(his profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/andreas-ath ... the-greek/ )

oh please, yes.

[llipgh2]

Andreas Athanasiou in the 2nd
(his profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/andreas-ath ... the-greek/ )

oh please, yes.

His eyebrows give Duper's a run for their money...

[columbia]

Andreas Athanasiou in the 2nd
(his profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/andreas-ath ... the-greek/ )

oh please, yes.

If this happens, you should change your screen name to Homer.

[canaan]

Andreas Athanasiou in the 2nd
(his profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/andreas-ath ... the-greek/ )

oh please, yes.

If this happens, you should change your screen name to Homer.

i'd prefer ILoveAthanasiouAndYanni

[mikey287]

Mine would become "Euthanasia4Athanasiou" ...no offense, canaan. Not a good prospect in my eyes.

[canaan]

Mine would become "Euthanasia4Athanasiou" ...no offense, canaan. Not a good prospect in my eyes.

i havent had a blind love for a player of greek origin in a long time. the last one had me carrying the greek flag in mellon for tommy K

[mikey287]

Yeah, as I was reading your post, the first thought that popped into my mind was "TK [the old one] was Greek I think" ...trying to think about other potentially ethnic Greeks in the league now or recently...Nikos Dimitrakos is probably one of the most Greek sounding names I think I've heard...Chris Chelios was Greek and so was his cousin (?) Nikos Tselios who I think was drafted by Carolina. I think Lindros was at least one quarter Greek...Krys Kolanos? I don't know, an excess of "s" usually means Greek or Latvian (as I believe 's' ends words that are masculine in their [Latvian] language)...I believe Jose Theodore is Greek although his name was changed to sound more French...

Anyway back at the ranch...

[Gaucho]

-os usually means Greek, -ins usually means Latvian.

[canaan]

That's a pretty good rule of thumb, gaucho.

Fun fact: Adam Burish is Greek

[hockeyspy]

Thanks for the links from thw (Chris?), I'll comment more in depth when I actually finish my draft research (late start this year), but I do hate Andreas Athanasiou from London...I don't like his chances of being an NHLer. Completely oblivious to the game around him I feel...

Thanks for the links though, more comments will follow...

Thanks all & mikey287.

I don't blame ya on AA - he seems to be a love/hate kind of guys - shows glimpses, but consistency & lapses are troubling. How would ya like to see the Pens land in the 2nd?

[steelhammer]

Excellent excellent report as per usual. Thanks for providing.

Here's a question. A lot of people around here (myself included) really like Tim Bozon. He had outstanding numbers in his first WHL season and doesn't seem to have many weaknesses outside of typical defense. Why is he only now just moving up the ranks and why is his ETA so high when his transition to NA hockey seemed effortless?

[sil]

Thanks for the links from thw (Chris?), I'll comment more in depth when I actually finish my draft research (late start this year), but I do hate Andreas Athanasiou from London...I don't like his chances of being an NHLer. Completely oblivious to the game around him I feel...

Thanks for the links though, more comments will follow...

Thanks all & mikey287.

I don't blame ya on AA - he seems to be a love/hate kind of guys - shows glimpses, but consistency & lapses are troubling. How would ya like to see the Pens land in the 2nd?

RW - Brian Hart

[Jesse]

May be a stretch, but I hope Riley Barber falls to us in the 2nd round.

[mikey287]

Excellent excellent report as per usual. Thanks for providing.

Here's a question. A lot of people around here (myself included) really like Tim Bozon. He had outstanding numbers in his first WHL season and doesn't seem to have many weaknesses outside of typical defense. Why is he only now just moving up the ranks and why is his ETA so high when his transition to NA hockey seemed effortless?

With Bozon, I question a little bit of his attitude and maturity level sometimes. Both from watching him and things that are suggested to me by others more familiar with him. I question his distribution abilities a bit. He brings an inconsistent level of play overall...some games he's all in it offensively (but nothing else), sometimes he's in it physically and on the forecheck and trying make hits (but nothing else)...I'm not sure how many times this year (honestly, because I certainly haven't viewed him 70 times) he's really put together a "complete" game much less consistently.

He's good though, I understand the questions about him...why isn't he considered a ~20 guy...I'm not sure if I have a full answer for that either to be honest.

[steelhammer]

Excellent excellent report as per usual. Thanks for providing.

Here's a question. A lot of people around here (myself included) really like Tim Bozon. He had outstanding numbers in his first WHL season and doesn't seem to have many weaknesses outside of typical defense. Why is he only now just moving up the ranks and why is his ETA so high when his transition to NA hockey seemed effortless?

With Bozon, I question a little bit of his attitude and maturity level sometimes. Both from watching him and things that are suggested to me by others more familiar with him. I question his distribution abilities a bit. He brings an inconsistent level of play overall...some games he's all in it offensively (but nothing else), sometimes he's in it physically and on the forecheck and trying make hits (but nothing else)...I'm not sure how many times this year (honestly, because I certainly haven't viewed him 70 times) he's really put together a "complete" game much less consistently.

He's good though, I understand the questions about him...why isn't he considered a ~20 guy...I'm not sure if I have a full answer for that either to be honest.

Thanks for the existentialist view, Mikey ;)

[mikey287]

May be a stretch, but I hope Riley Barber falls to us in the 2nd round.

I don't think that'll be an issue. He'll be there and passed in the second round I believe.

[mikey287]

Thanks for the links from thw (Chris?), I'll comment more in depth when I actually finish my draft research (late start this year), but I do hate Andreas Athanasiou from London...I don't like his chances of being an NHLer. Completely oblivious to the game around him I feel...

Thanks for the links though, more comments will follow...

Thanks all & mikey287.

I don't blame ya on AA - he seems to be a love/hate kind of guys - shows glimpses, but consistency & lapses are troubling. How would ya like to see the Pens land in the 2nd?

Tough to say, because I have no idea who will be there and it really depends on our first round pick...if we took a sure thing with our first, maybe I might want to take a chance with the second round pick (Henrik Samuelsson, Anton Zlobin who ever)...I'm kind of intrigued by Raphael Bussieres for some reason...

[hockeyspy]

A selection of updates (there are many more!)

2012 NHL Draft: The Next Ones Final Rankings (Top 150)
http://thehockeywriters.com/2012-nhl-dr ... -rankings/

2012 NHL Entry Draft Fantasy-Based Top 100 Prospect Rankings
http://thehockeywriters.com/2012-nhl-en ... -rankings/