2006 OHL Priority Draft Update--More Than 2 Years Later--Which Players and Teams Have Done Well

Earlier this week, I reviewed the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft, to see who had played in the WHL, who had been selected in the 2008 NHL entry draft, and how successful each WHL team had been in making player choices in the first five rounds of the bantam draft.

To make comparisons of the same age group, I used those players drafted in 2006 into both the OHL and the QMJHL. Today, I am reviewing the results of the first five rounds of that 2006 OHL Priority Draft. If the next few paragraphs bore you, I promise you that the conclusion will not. (I will return Monday afternoon, with an update of how the pre-season is going for the players in the three leagues.)

As for the OHL. In total, 100 players were drafted in the first five rounds of the 2006 OHL Priority Draft. Seventy five percent (all but 25) were playing in the OHL at the end of last season. Seventeen of the 25 not playing in the O were chosen in the fourth or fifth round, which means that generally teams had an excellent record of choosing players that would be successful enough to play major junior hockey two seasons after the priority draft.

Some teams had better records than others, but not necessarily what we would expect. Both Ottawa and Windsor selected the most players in the first five rounds of the priority draft (7), but the 67s had three of their seven players not in the CHL, and only one of the seven was drafted by an NHL team last summer. Windsor fared a little better, in that six of the Spits players are in the OHL, and the top two were selected in this past year's NHL draft. All of Guelph's five selections are OHL players, yet only one, Anthony Nigro, was selected by an NHL team, and that was in the sixth round.

Some interesting surprises arose. Both in percentage and in numbers, Brampton and Toronto had the best OHL/NHL draft percentage (each had 50% of their six OHL Priority draftees selected by NHL teams). Barrie also had six, but one of their draftees, Corey Trivino, chose the college route and is not counted. Toronto will probably wind up being the winner here, as the Majors' first round selection, Dylan O'Neill, will not be eligible for the NHL draft until 2009.

Several other teams had a 50% yield for NHL draftees, including Kingston, Peterborough, and Saginaw.

The team that was without question the worst drafter was the Owen Sound Attack. With only three selections, two did not wind up playing CHL hockey. Plymouth also lagged behind, as only three of their five draft picks are playing OHL hockey, and none of their selections have been drafted by NHL teams. To be fair, Verne Cooper is not eligible until next year, but even if he is drafted next spring, the results are pretty discouraging for the Whalers.

Conclusion: The OHL teams did an outstanding job of drafting in 2006, both in terms of selecting players for their own league and for players that would eventually be drafted by NHL teams. Because 11 of the 75 CHL players that were chosen in the 2006 priority draft were not old enough to be NHL draft-eligible in 2008, that left 64 that were of sufficient age to be selected by an NHL team. A total of 26 of those 64 were selected in the 2008 NHL entry draft. THAT IS CLOSE TO A 41% YIELD!!! Everyone knows that this past NHL draft year was a great one for the OHL, so these numbers may be somewhat skewed, but what a fantastic result for the OHL--one that should make the entire league proud.

Barrie
Stephan Della Rovere (first round)—Barrie Colts (Washington, 7th round, in 2008 NHL Entry Draft)
Alex Hutchings (second round)—Barrie Colts (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brian Lashoff (third round)—Barrie Colts (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Michael Hutchinson (fourth round)-- Barrie Colts (Boston, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Corey Trivino (fifth round)—Boston University (NYI, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)

Belleville
Shawn Lalonde (first round)—Belleville Bulls (Chicago, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Tipoff (second round)—Belleville Bulls (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Edward Pasquale (third round)—Saginaw Spirit (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
David Matthers (fifth round)—OPJHL (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)

Brampton
Cody Hodgson (first round)—Brampton Battalion (Vancouver, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Michael Lomas (second round)—Owen Sound Attack (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Zarbo (third round)—EJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Ben Alavie (fourth round)—Brampton Battalion (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Patrick Killeen (fifth round)—Brampton Battalion (Pittsburgh, 6th round, 2008 entry draft)
Kyle DeCoste (fifth round)-- Brampton Battalion (Tampa Bay, 5th round, 2008 entry draft)


Erie
Mitch Gaulton (first round)—Erie Otters (NYR, 6th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kelly Geoffrey (third round)—Erie Otters (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brian Shaw (third round)-- Erie Otters (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mitchell Forbes (fifth round)—SIJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matthew Cadieux (fifth round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)


Guelph
Anthony Nigro (first round)—Guelph Storm (St. Louis, 6th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Patrick Moran (second round)—Guelph Storm (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kyle Steckley (third round)-- Guelph Storm (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Cody St. Jacques (fourth round)—Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Travis Gibbons (fifth round)-- Guelph Storm (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)


Kingston
Josh Brittain (first round)—Kingston Fronts (Anaheim, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Nathan Moon (second round)—Kingston Fronts (Pittsburgh, 4th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Robert Mignardi (third round)—Kingston Fronts (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Hoyle (fifth round)—Harvard University (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)


Kitchener
Nazem Kadri (first round)—London Knights (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mike Mascioli (second round)—Kitchener Rangers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jamie Commerford (third round)—GOJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Philip Varone (fourth round)-- London Knights (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mavric Parks (fifth round)-- Kitchener Rangers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)


London
Philip McRae (first round)-- London Knights (St. Louis, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tucker Hunter (second round)-- London Knights (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kale Kerbashian (fourth round)-- London Knights (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kevin Bodker (fourth round)—NAHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tyler Vonengelbrechten (fifth round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)


Mississauga
Alex Pietrangelo (first round)—Niagara Ice Dogs (St. Louis, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Josh Dadic (second round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chris Vanlaren (third round)—Sudbury Wolves (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chris Desousa (fourth round)—Niagara Ice Dogs (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Barry Sanderson (fourth round)—Niagara Ice Dogs (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Oshawa
Michael Del Zotto (first round)—Oshawa Generals (NY Rangers, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Dean Howard (second round)—Sudbury Wolves (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Anthony Peters (third round)—Kingston Fronts (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Marco Franchini (fourth round)—Owen Sound Attack (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chris Leeming (fifth round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Ottawa
Tyler Cuma (first round)—Ottawa 67s (Minnesota, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Cody Lindsay (second round)—Ottawa 67s (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Thomas Nesbitt (second round)--Ottawa 67s (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Ribeiro (second round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jarred Seymour (three round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt MacDougall (fourth round)--Ottawa 67s (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Stefan Salituro (fifth round)—NAHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Owen Sound
Michael D’Orazio (first round)—Owen Sound (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brandon Burlon (second round)—University of Michigan (New Jersey, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Guy Carteciano (fourth round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Peterborough
Zach Bogosian (first round)—Peterborough Petes (Atlanta, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Daniel Ciampini (third round)—OPJHL (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jamie Doornbosch (fourth round)—Peterborough Petes (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jason Missiaen (fifth round)—Peterborough Petes (Montreal, 4th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)

Plymouth
Verne Cooper (first round)—Plymouth Whalers (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Thomas Kane (third round)—Windsor Spitfires (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jordan O’Neill (fourth round)—Plymouth Whalers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Steven McDonald (fourth round)—Not in hockey
Chad Rutkowski (fifth round)—Not in hockey

Saginaw
Nick Crawford (first round)—Saginaw Spirit (Buffalo, 6th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
TJ Brodie (third round)—Saginaw Spirit (Calgary, 4th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Andrew Clouthier (fourth round)—Barrie Colts (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Ryan Green (fifth round)—GOJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Sarnia
Steven Stamkos (first round)—Sarnia Sting (Tampa Bay, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Dalton Prout (second round)—Barrie Colts (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Peter DiSalvo (second round)—Barrie Colts (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brent Salvo (fourth round)—Sarnia Sting (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chase Clark (fifth round)—WOJB (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Sault Ste Marie
James Livingston (first round)—Sault Ste. Marie (St. Louis, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Sean Jones (second round)—Erie Otters (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brett Perlni (third round)—Michigan State U (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chris Dunham (fourth round)—OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Dylan King (fifth round)—Sault Ste. Marie (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Sudbury
Jared Staal (first round)—Sudbury Wolves (Phoenix, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Justin Larsen (second round)—Mississauga St Mike’s Majors (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
JK Gill (third round)—Sudbury Wolves (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kyle Tarini (fourth round)-- Sudbury Wolves (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Al Valiquette (fifth round)—Sudbury Wolves (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)

Toronto
Dylan O’Neill (first round)-- Mississauga St Mike’s Majors (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tim Billingsley (second round)-- Mississauga St Mike’s Majors (Phoenix, 7th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Cameron Gaunce (second round)-- Mississauga St Mike’s Majors (Colorado, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tyler Allen (third round)-- Mississauga St Mike’s Majors (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chris Carrozzi (third round)-- Mississauga St Mike’s Majors (Atlanta, 6th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jeffrey Vanderlught (fourth round)--OPJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Windsor
Greg Nemisz (first round)—Windsor Spitfires (Calgary, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Adam Henrique (second round)—Windsor Spitfires (NJ, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Thomas Battani (second round)—Kitchener Rangers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mark Cundari (second round)-- Windsor Spitfires (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Eric Wellwood (fourth round)--Windsor Spitfires (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Hackett (fifth round)—Plymouth Whalers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Devon Quarrell (fifth round)-- SIJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Carolina Announces Three CHL Players to Attend Main Training Camp

After failing to invite any CHL tryouts to their development camp this past summer, the Carolina Hurricanes have announced that three CHL players will be attending the team's main training camp beginning September 19 (training camp will be held in Raleigh). The invited players are Ryan McGinnis, a defenseman who completed his overage year with Oshawa last spring, blueliner Ben Olson who played for the Seattle T-birds during his overage 2007-08 season, and forward Brett Theberge, a member of the Peterborough Petes who was not drafted in his first year of eligibility.

Theberge will almost certainly return to the Petes after camp, while both McGinnis and Olson are likely to play in the AHL or ECHL this coming season. Both of the defensemen are long-shots to get an NHL entry level contract from the Hurricanes.

Review of CHLers at NHL Prospect Camps. Which Teams are Giving Which Players from Which Leagues a Look?

The CHLers that were not drafted by the NHL team holding the conditioning camp are listed below, with a little analysis and a suggestion to NHL teams up here first.

It is interesting to note that Detroit and Florida did not conduct prospect camps this summer. Detroit will participate in a rookie tournament in Traverse City and will be taking CHLers Jordan Foreman, Joey Ryan, Bryce Swan, Travis Ehrhardt, Cameron Cepek, Brent Raedeke, and Brian Lashoff. (Ryan had already been in the Rangers prospect camp earlier this summer and did not impress sufficiently to have the Rangers take him to Traverse City). Florida will be attending the Kitchener rookie camp, but the Panthers will not be looking at any CHLers as possible free agents at the camp. Nashville will play two games against the Atlanta Thrashers this month in Nashville, but have not released the roster yet. New Jersey has not announced any plans for its rookies to have either a special camp or games against other rookies.

These development camps give young players (drafted and free agents) a chance to get a look at the organization and see what it expects in an environment of less pressure than the main training camp. It also gives the teams a chance to really focus on the rookies. Finally, it gives undrafted players the chance to catch on with a team when they might have been passed over during the season (for whatever reason).

San Jose held its camp behind closed doors this season and, while I personally don't like being excluded from events like this, I think that it is a good idea. Young players get the chance to work with a team without the scrutiny of the media and the general public. It will be interesting to see whether more teams will implement this for their early summer camp. Because some teams also see the early summer prospect camp as a way to keep fans interested in hockey, it may not be realistic to expect its implementation league-wide, but it is my opinion that more teams should try it.

A couple of other notes about the players chosen for tryouts. Several players attended more than one camp and stuck at the second camp. Adam Perry and Vladimir Nikiforov come to mind.

The next is that certain NHL teams have particular CHL leagues that they prefer choose from to give tryouts. Pittsburgh and Montreal seem to draw mostly from the Q, while St. Louis chose mostly from the OHL and Tampa Bay from the WHL (which might have been at least partially because the Lightning camp was held in British Columbia). It is interesting to note that outside of the two teams that chose almost exclusively QMJHL players for tryouts, very few unsigned players from the Q (a total of nine) were attending camps. The total number of QMJHL players given tryouts (including Ryan who went twice) was 14. This was also the case for the WHL, who sent 14. This was not true for the OHL, which sent 26 (Perry went twice). Whether this is a pattern or not will have to be looked at over several years' time, but, at least for this year, players in the OHL had a greater chance of being selected for tryouts than those of the other two leagues.

Below is the list of players, NHL teams, their CHL teams, and birth years.

Anaheim--held their conditioning camp from June 27-July 3.
No CHL tryouts at the camp (although there were some NCAA tryouts).

Atlanta--Prospect Development Camp held July 8-13.
Spencer Anderson (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Kitchener Rangers
Patrick Cusack (Tryout)--1989 (QMJHL) Lewiston MAINEiacs
Ryan Daniels (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Saginaw Spirit

Boston--Development Camp July 8-12.
No CHL tryouts

Buffalo--Development Camp June 25-July 1
No CHL tryouts.

Calgary--Development Camp July 21-July 26
Chris Bruton (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Spokane Chiefs
Ryan Wilson (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Sarnia Sting

Carolina--Development Camp held from July 9 thru July 12.
No CHL tryouts

Chicago--Prospect Camp July 8-11
Patrick Asselin (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Oshawa Generals
Judd Blackwater (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Spokane Chiefs
Adam Perry (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Belleville Bulls
Joe Pleckaitis(Tryout)--1989 (OHL) Saginaw Spirit
Kruise Reddick (Tryout)--1990 (WHL) Tri-City Americans
Andrew Wilkins (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) London/Owen Sound
Kyle Stanley (Tryout)--1988 (QMJHL) Acadie-Bathurst Titan
Sebastien Dahm (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Niagara Ice Dogs

Colorado--Development Camp--July 11-16
No CHL Tryouts

Columbus--Development Camp--July 7-11
Devon Didiomete (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Sarnia Sting
John Hughes (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Brampton Battalion
Ryan Mior (Tryout)--1987 (QMJHL) Gatineau Olympiques

Dallas--Development Camp--July 7-11
No CHL tryouts

Detroit--None

Edmonton--Development Camp--June 1-8
Garet Hunt (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Vancouver Giants

Florida--None

Los Angeles--Development Camp--July 8-18
Michael D'Orazio (Tryout)--1990 (OHL) Owen Sound Attack

Minnesota--Development Camp July 8-14
Justin Hodgman (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Erie Otters
Cody St. Jacques (Tryout)--1990 (OHL) Guelph/Sault Ste. Marie
Steven Stanford (Tryout)--1990 (WHL) Prince Albert Raiders

Montreal--Development Camp July 7-12
Robert Mayer (Tryout)--1989 (QMJHL) Saint John Sea Dogs
Alexandre Monahan (Tryout)--1988 (QMJHL) Val d'Or Foreurs

Nashville--Development Camp June 26-29
No CHL tryouts

New Jersey--Development Camp July 21-25
Brad Snetsinger (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Windsor
Michael Swift (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Niagara

NY Islanders--Prospects Camp July 14-18
Andrew Engelage (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Windsor Spitfires
Maxime Gratchev (Tryout)--1988 (QMJHL) Rimouski/Lewiston
Vladimir Nikiforov (tryout)--1987 (OHL) Sarnia Sting

NY Rangers--Conditioning Camp June 23-28
Jean-Christophe Blanchard (Tryout)--1987 (QMJHL) Rimouski Oceanic
Chad Greenan (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Kootenay Ice
Radek Meidl (Tryout)--1988 (WHL) Tri-City Americans
Nick Pageau (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Belleville Bulls
Andrew Perugini (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Sarnia Sting
Joey Ryan (Tryout)--1987 (QMJHL) Gatineau Olympiques
Justin Wallingford (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Kingston Fronts

Ottawa--Development Camp June 23-29
Kevin Desfosses (Tryout)--1987 (QMJHL) Quebec Remparts

Philadelphia--Summer Prospects Camp July 20-26
No CHL Tryouts

Phoenix--Prospect Development Camp June 24-28
Adam Perry (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Belleville Bulls

Pittsburgh--Prospects Camp September 10-15
Jason Legault (Tryout)--1988 (QMJHL) Val d'Or Foreurs
Corey Cowick (Tryout)--1989 (OHL) Oshawa/Ottawa
Joey Haddad (Tryout)--1988 (QMJHL) Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Cedrick Lalonde-McNichol (Tryout)--1988 (QMJHL) Shawinigan Cataractes

San Jose--Development Camp July 14-18
Roster not released

St. Louis--Development Camp June 24-27
Vladimir Nikiforov (Tryout)--1987 (OHL) Sarnia Sting
Mark Cundari (Tryout)--1990 (OHL) Windsor Spitfires
Tony Dehart (Tryout)--1990 (OHL) London Knights
Joey Underwood (Tryout)--1990 (OHL) Saginaw Spirit

Tampa Bay--Prospect Camp July 28-August 1
Daryl Boyle (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Brandon Wheat Kings
Brady Leavold (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Kelowna Rockets
Taylor Procyshen (Tryout)--1988 (WHL) Tri-City Americans
Tyson Barrie (Tryout)--1991 (WHL) Kelowna Rockets
Anthony Grieco (Tryout)--1988 (OHL) Mississauga St. Mike's Majors
Evan Pighin (Tryout)--1988 (WHL) Chilliwack Bruins
Daine Todd (Tryout)--1987 (WHL) Medicine Hat

Toronto--Prospect Camp July 7-11
Greg Scott (Tryout)--1988 (WHL) Seattle Thunderbirds
Steafano Giliati (Tryout)--1987 (QMJHL) Lewiston MAINEiacs

Vancouver--Prospect Training Camp September 12-16
Scottie Howes (Tryout) --1987 (QMJHL) St. John Sea Dogs
Shawn Morton (Tryout)--1990 (QMJHL) Val d'Or Foreurs
Kyle Neuber (Tryout)--1989 (OHL) Mississauga St. Mike's Majors
Jordan Skellett (Tryout)--1989 (OHL) Erie Otters

Washington--Development Camp July 7-12
No CHL tryouts

CHLers in Pre-Season Tournaments

After crunching numbers yesterday to come up with an analysis of 2005 WHL Draft picks (see posting from yesterday), I thought that I would take a break and give you an idea of what is going on (besides training camps) for some of the better CHL players over the next three weeks.

Some of the rosters have yet to be announced, but it is significant to note how many rookie tournaments that NHL teams have decided to participate in this year. This is a great opportunity for undrafted players to show their stuff without having to compete against older NHL top players. Good luck to all.


The following is the list of pre-season tournaments involving either CHL teams or CHL players that have been invited by NHL teams to participate in the games (I included 1988s and younger in the latter group, if there is any chance that they may return to the CHL this season).

Everett Pre-season Tournament—was held from August 29-31. Six WHL teams participated, including the Chilliwack Bruins, Everett Silvertips, Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs, Tri-City Americans.

Edmonton Pre-season Tournament—was held from August 30-September 1. Five WHL teams participated, including the Edmonton Oil Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince George Cougars, Regina Pats, and the Swift Current Broncos.

Still to come are the following tourneys:

Tri-City Pre-season Tournament—September 4 through 7th. Participating are the US WHL teams, including Everett, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, and Tri-City.

Saskatoon Pre-Season Tournament—September 5 through 7th. Participating are Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, and Swift Current.

Traverse City Rookie Tournament—September 13th through the 17th. Eight NHL teams (Atlanta, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, New York Rangers, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay) will bring “rookies” to this tourney. CHLers scheduled to appear:

Atlanta: Ryan Daniels, Chris Carrozzi, Zach Bogosian, Angelo Esposito, Danick Paquette, Paul Postma, Patrick Cusack, Carter Bancks, Matt Lyall, Justin Larson, Robert Mignardi

Columbus: Matt Calvert, Devon Didiomete, John Hughes, Jakub Voracek, Steven Delisle, Brent Regner, and Ryan Mior. Stefan Legein is still listed on the Blue Jackets Traverse City roster, but as of now, he is not expected to attend. Don’t blink though, as this story still has legs.

Dallas: Roster not yet released

Detroit: Tom McCollum, Jordan Foreman, Joey Ryan, Bryce Swan, Travis Ehrhardt, Cameron Cepek, Brent Raedeke, Stephen Johnston, Randy Cameron, Zach Torquato, Brian Lashoff, Logan Pyett

Minnesota: Chris Culligan, Eric Doyle, Marco Scandella, Cody Almond, Thomas Knotek, Carson McMillan, Scott Wasden, Justin Falk, Jordan Mistelbacher, Justin Hodgman, Alexandre Neron, Tyler Cuma

Rangers: Antoine LaFleur, Dale Weise, Tyson Dowzak, Michael Del Zotto, Lyon Messier, David Stich, Matt Miropoulis, Chris Doyle, Nick Pageau.

St. Louis: Jake Allen, Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Cundari, Philip McRae, Anthony Peluso, Ian Schultz, Anthony Nigro, James Livingston, Matt McCue, Brett Sonne, Tony Dehart.

Tampa Bay: Torrie Jung, Dustin Tokarski, Kyle Bortis, Michael Ward, Kruise Reddick, Lucas Bloodoff, Dana Tyrell, James Wright, Mitch Fadden, Kyle De Coste, Brett Parnham, Mark Barberio.

Kitchener Rookie Camp—September 13 through 15th. Four NHL teams (Florida, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, and Toronto) will bring “rookies”, including the following CHLers.

Florida: Brady Calla, AJ Jenks, Michal Repik, Michael Caruso, Adam Comrie, Keaton Ellerby, Colby Robak, Corey Syvret.

Ottawa: Roster not yet announced

Pittsburgh: Patrick Killeen, Jason Legault, Jake Muzzin, Corey Cowick, Joey Haddad, Cedric McNicoll, Nathan Moon, Keven Veilleux, Alex Grant.

Toronto: Josh Day, Dale Mitchell, Luke Schenn, Thomas Stajan, Mikhail Stefanovich, Chris Didomenico, Joel Champagne, Eric Wellwood,

Oil Country Rookie Tournament—September 14-16th, in Edmonton and Camrose. Three NHL teams (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) will participate, along with the University of Alberta.

Calgary: Roster not yet released

Edmonton: Roster not released yet

Vancouver: Morgan Clark, Cody Hodgson, Yann Suave, Taylor Ellington, Prab Rai, Charles-Antoine Messier, Shawn Morton, Kyle Neuber, Jordan Skellet, Tyler Matheson

Anaheim-San Jose Rookie Game—September 16th in Las Vegas.

Anaheim: Josh Brittain, Nicolas Deschamps, Maxime Macenauer, Logan MacMillan, Brandon McMillan, Eric O’Dell, Eric Tangradi, John de Gray, Eric Regan, Marco Cousineau

San Jose: Jonathan Bonneau, Logan Couture, Zach Harnden, Jamie McGinn, Matthew Pistilli, Tyler Shattock, Mathieu Tousignant, Jason Demers, Julien Demers, Samuel Groulx, Adam Leblanc-Bourque, Timo Pielmeier, Tyson Sexsmith

Los Angeles Kings/Phoenix Coyotes Rookie Tournament—September 16 and 17 in Phoenix.

Los Angeles—Martin Jones, Justin Azevedo, Bryan Cameron, Andrew Campbell, Michael D’Orazio, Drew Doughty, Matthew Fillier, Thomas Hickey, Bud Holloway, Dwight King, Oscar Moller, Linden Rowat, Wayne Simmonds, Colton Teubert, Geordie Wudrick,

Phoenix—Kurtis Mucha, Colin Long, Tyler Johnson, Mikkel Boedker, Jared Staal, NicK Ross, Mathieu Brodeur, Tim Billingsley, Michael Stone.

Washington Capitols/Philadelphia Flyers Rookie Game—September 18th in Washington, DC.

Rosters have not been set yet.

Atlanta v Nashville Prospects Game—September 22 and 23, in Nashville. Rosters have not been released yet.

Boston v Islanders--September 18th, at Shelton Rinks in Shelton, Connecticut.
Rosters not released yet.

Analysis of 2005 WHL Bantam Draftees--Did they get drafted by NHL teams?

Last year, CHL News did a review of where the 2005 WHL Draftees wound up two years after their bantam draft selection. The players have now completed their third season since being drafted. How many are playing for WHL teams? How many were drafted in this past summer's NHL entry draft? CHL News looks at the first five round selections of the 20 WHL teams drafting in the 2005 Bantam Draft.

Of the 99 players drafted in rounds one through five, all but 25 (74%) are currently playing in the WHL. All four of Everett's selections, three of Kelowna's, and five of Red Deer's selections are in the WHL as the 2008-09 pre-season is upon us. On the other end, only one of Lethbridge's five and three of Portland's picks are in the league.

Of those 2005 bantam draft selections that are not now playing in the league, only one was selected by an NHL team in the 2008 NHL entry draft. Fourteen other 2005 WHL bantam draft selections were chosen by NHL teams in 2008, their first year of NHL entry draft eligibility. (Due to the disparity in months of age eligibility between the WHL and NHL, seven additional 2005 bantam draft selections were not eligible for the 2008 NHL entry draft, but will be in 2009.)

While 15 out of 92 WHL draftees is quite low for NHL drafting, it is common knowledge that the crop of draft-eligible players out of the Dub this year was not particularly good. So, before you rush to judgment about the efficacy of bantam drafting in a player's 15th year, more study is needed over a longer period of time (CHL News is on the case and will report the results over the coming months).

Additionally, players have a second year of draft-eligibility, so that, in addition to the seven eligible for the first time in 2009, several of the players overlooked in their first NHL draft year could be picked up by NHL teams in 2009.

What can be concluded is that, if a player is chosen in the first five rounds of the WHL bantam draft (meaning that the WHL scouts think he is worthy of selection and he is open to going the major junior route), it would be wise for the player to play WHL hockey, as he has a much better chance of being drafted by an NHL team out of the Dub than if he goes the college route.

Other obvious patterns have emerged, with the most important being--the top players in their 15th year are most likely to be the ones drafted by NHL teams three years later. Of the 15 players that were recently drafted by an NHL teams, eight were first round WHL bantam round selections in 2005. (Of course, that means that 12 first round bantam draft selections were not picked by NHL teams, but given that the WHL drafts a year earlier than the other two leagues, predictability is that much more uncertain.) What is important to note is that a top 14-15 year old has a very good chance of being a top 18 year old.

Another pattern that emerged in this mini-analysis is that just because a team has a lot of picks, does not mean that that WHL team will have the most NHL-drafted players--far from it. Swift Current drafted the most players in the first five rounds (seven players), while Kelowna selected the fewest (three). None of the Broncos' drafted players have been selected by NHL teams, while two of the three Rockets were. Although that certainly had something to do with the quality of the scouting for the teams, many other factors may affect it (including bad or good luck), so its really hard to conclude anything definitively beyond the fact that Kelowna did a better job drafting than Swift Current in that particular year.

This quick analysis does raise issues about the equality of resources of WHL teams to do the scouting of the players prior to the draft. While most teams can predict who will play in the WHL, some teams have a much better record in predicting who will be successful there than other teams do. One has to wonder why certain teams are so much better at this than others. Finding the answer to this is made all the more important when fees paid by the NHL to the WHL teams developing players are figured into the equation.

Can there be a better way to equalize the scouting resources expended by the teams? One would hope so, or this will be a never-ending cycle, with certain teams the league's perennial losers. The problem goes beyond the teams and their fans though--it affects the players that are being developed. Players need to develop in a winning environment, and one hopes that during at least one year of their major junior career they will get that. It is the idea behind the reverse draft ordering, but for many teams (and players), it just has not been working.

Food for thought this Tuesday morning! Let me know what you think.

The raw data is below.

Brandon
Sanford King (first round)--Brandon Wheaties (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jordan Hale (second round)--Brandon Wheaties (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Andrew Hayes (third round)--Brandon Wheaties (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Colby Robak (fourth round)--Brandon Wheaties (Florida, 2nd round, 2008 NHL Entry Draft)
Lucas Mikkelson (fifth round)--Not in hockey

Calgary
Brendan Rowinski (first round)--Calgary Hitmen (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Ian Schultz (second round)--Calgary Hitmen (St. Louis, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Josh Martin (third round)--Alberta Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Michael Stone (fourth round)--Calgary Hitmen (Phoenix, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Martin Jones (fourth round)--Calgary Hitmen (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Roy Farrer (fifth round)--Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Everett
Kyle Beach (first round)--Everett Silvertips (Chicago, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matthew Ius (second round)--Everett Silvertips (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Strong (third round)--Chilliwack Bruins (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Ty Skauge (fourth round)--Everett Silvertips (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Kamloops
Tyler Shattock (first round)--Kamloops Blazers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jordan Rowley (second round)--Kamloops Blazers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Paul Van de Velde (third round)--Everett Silvertips (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Dalyn Flette (third round)--Edmonton Oil Kings (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matthew Johnson (third round)--Not in hockey
Matt Chomyc (fourth round)--Not in hockey
Kurt Torbohm (fifth round)--Kamloops Blazers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Kelowna
Tyler Myers (first round)--Kelowna Rockets (Buffalo, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Riley McIntosh (second round)--Kelowna Rockets (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brandon McMillan (third round)--Kelowna Rockets (Anaheim, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)

Kootenay
Jordan Wilkins (first round)--BCHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Steele Boomer (second round)--Kootenay Ice (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kevin King (third round)--Kootenay Ice (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Riley Gillies (fourth round)--not in hockey
Brent Henke (fifth round)--Edmonton Oil Kings (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Lethbridge
Travis Bobbee (first round)--Portland Winterhawks (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Bo Montgomery (second round)--University of Regina (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Taylor Pillar (third round)--Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Steven Murray (fourth round)--Alberta Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Robbie Gunderson (fifth round)--Alberta Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Medicine Hat
Jordan Hickmott (first round)--Prince Albert Raiders (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Patrick Wiercioch (second round)--University of Denver (Ottawa, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Shane Neigum (fourth round)--Edmonton Oil Kings (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kurtis Decker (fifth round)--Edmonton Oil Kings (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Nathan Gelina (fifth round)--Not in hockey

Moose Jaw
Neal Prokop (first round)--Moose Jaw Warriors (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Chad Suer (second round)--Moose Jaw Warriors (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jason Grecica (third round)--Portland Winterhawks (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brian Sommers (fourth round)--Moose Jaw Warriors (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Darcy Sideroff (fifth round)--Not in Hockey

Portland
Thomas Frazee (first round)--Medicine Hat Tigers (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Ty Ariss (second round)--Moose Jaw Warriors (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Colin Reddin (third round)--Portland Winterhawks (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Devon Marshall (fourth round)--KIJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tayler Jordan (fifth round)--Not in hockey

Prince Albert
Jordan Trach (first round)--Prince Albert Raiders (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Blaine Tendler (second round)--Prince Albert Raiders (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
James Dobrowlski (third round)--Prince Albert Raiders (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tony Oak (fourth round)--Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Prince George
Dale Hunt (first round)--Prince George Cougars (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Matt Belich (second round)--WHL Tryouts (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Trevor Bauer (third round)--Prince George Cougars (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brad Anderson (fourth round)--PIJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Red Deer
Cass Mappin (first round)--Red Deer Rebels (not eligible for the 2008 NHL entry draft)
Zack Stebener (second round)--Prince Albert Raiders (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Joel Kot (fourth round)--Red Deer Rebels (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Colin Archer (fifth round)--Red Deer Rebels (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mike Scarborough (fifth round)--Red Deer Rebels (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Regina
Colton Teubert (first round)--Regina Pats (Los Angeles, 1st round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Brayden Metz (second round)--Chilliwack Bruins (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jeff Bosch (third round)--Regina Pats (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Dru Cotterill (fourth round)--Not in hockey
Kyle St. Denis (fifth round)--Kelowna Rockets (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Saskatoon
Teigan Zahn (first round)--Saskatoon Blades (Chicago, 5th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Travis Toomey (second round)--Saskatoon Blades (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Gaelan Patterson (third round)--Saskatoon Blades (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jared Friesen (fifth round)--Not in hockey

Seattle
Cody Hanson (first round)--Regina Pats (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jeremy Boyer (second round)--Seattle Thunderbirds (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jacob De Serres (third round)--Seattle Thunderbirds (Philadelphia, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jarred Prokopetz (fourth round)--Not in hockey
Sena Acolatse (fourth round)--Seattle Thunderbirds (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)

Spokane
Mitch Wahl (first round)--Spokane Chiefs (Calgary, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mike Reddington (second round)--Spokane Chiefs (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Darcy Kuemper (third round)--Spokane Chiefs (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Rylan Schwartz (fourth round)--Colorado College (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Andrew Maguire (fifth round)--Spokane Chiefs (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Evan Renwick (fifth round)--Alberta Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Swift Current
Geordie Wudrock (first round)--Swift Current Broncos (Los Angeles, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Ian Curtis (second round)--Prince George Cougars (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Phillip Gervais (third round)--Edmonton Oil Kings (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Eddie Friesen (third round)--MJHLSwift (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Jordan Mistelbacher (fourth round)--Everett Silvertips (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Darren Tarasoff (fourth round)--KIJHL (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Khris Foucault (fifth round)--Kootenay Ice (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)

Tri-City
Eric Mestery (first round)--Tri-City Americans (Washington, 2nd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Tyler Schmidt (second round)--Tri-City Americans (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Cody Wutzke (fifth round)--Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Kyle Birch (fifth round)--Tri-City Americans (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)

Vancouver
James Wright (first round)--Vancouver Giants (Tampa Bay, 4th round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Lance Bouma (second round)--Vancouver Giants (Calgary, 3rd round, 2008 NHL entry draft)
Nathan Deck (third round)--Prince Albert Raiders (undrafted in 2008 NHL entry draft)
Mike Piluso (fourth round)--Vancouver Giants (not eligible for 2008 NHL entry draft)
Warren Lees (fifth round)--Not in hockey

Labour Day at CHL News

With so much to catch up with, training camps are well underway, and some have even ended. I will try to give an update on each team over the next few days. Let's start with the WHL Brandon Wheat Kings.

Brandon--This summer, the team's biggest signing was Aaron Lewadniuk. Expected to follow in his brother's footsteps and play for Bemidji State, Lewadniuk changed his mind at the last minute and signed with the Wheaties. Originally drafted by Portland, in June 2007, after Lewadniuk gave a commitment to Bemidji, the Winter Hawks traded his rights to Brandon. Lewadniuk has already had a big impact, particularly during Sunday's intrasquad game. He recorded one goal and two assists during the game, and had the overtime shootout game winner.

First round 2008 draft selection, Klarc Wilson, gave the Wheaties a commitment in early August, but as was expected, he was "trimmed from the roster" late on Sunday. Also trimmed were five players in their 16th year: defencemen Dallas Ehrhardt (4th round 2007), who played for the Camrose Blazers (AMHL) last season and was somewhat of a surprise as a cut, as well as Kyle Krzyaniak (Yellowhead Midget AAA (MMH); centres Brendan Walker (12th round 2007), who played very well for the Eastman Midget AAA (MMH) last season, and Wheaton King (6th round 2007) who was with Brandon Midget AAA of the same league last season; winger Lee Stykel (9th round 2007) of the Moose Jaw Warriors (SMHL) was also sent home. Other 2008 bantam draft selections trimmed were: Liam Liston, Jordan Fransoo, and Jason Swyripa.

2007 first round selection, Brandon Regier has taken a year off from hockey. Lots of speculation here that he is quitting permanently, but he is only 16 years old, and only time will tell.

The Wheaties have completed their training camp and now have a roster of 31, including five overagers. Brandon's first pre-season game will be played against Regina on Friday, the 5th of September.

This Summer's NHL Signings of CHL Players

Beyond their required signings of CHL prospects selected in the 2006 entry draft, the NHL teams have been very active this summer signing CHL players. As expected, most of the recent signees were drafted last year; however, six were selected this past June, and two others were signed as free agents. Also not surprisingly, more than half of those signed "early," were first round selections.

The following is a current list of the players signed since June, their CHL teams, and the NHL clubs that have signed them.

Logan McMillan (Halifax) Anaheim Ducks (1st round 2007)
Angelo Esposito (Quebec/Montreal) Atlanta Thrashers (1st round 2007--Pittsburgh)
Drayson Bowman (Spokane) Carolina Hurricanes (3rd round 2007)
Akim Aliu (London) Chicago Blackhawks (2nd round 2007)
Nigel Williams (Saginaw/Belleville) Colorado Avalanche (2nd round 2006)
Jamie Benn (Kelowna) Dallas Stars (5th round 2007)
James Delory (Oshawa) Florida Panthers (free agent, originally drafted by San Jose in 2006)
Drew Doughty (Guelph) Los Angeles Kings (1st round, 2008)
Colten Teubert (Regina) Los Angeles Kings (1st round 2008)
Yannick Weber (Kitchener) Montreal Canadiens (3rd round 2007)
Chet Pickard (Tri-City) Nashville Predators (1st round 2008)
Nick Spaling (Kitchener) Nashville Predators (2nd round 2007)
Matt Halischuk (Kitchener) New Jersey Devils (4th round 2007)
Zack Smith (Swift Current) Ottawa Senators (3rd round 2008)
Kevin Marshall (Lewiston/Quebec) Philadelphia Flyers (2nd round 2007)
Mikkel Boedker (Kitchener) Phoenix Coyotes (1st Round 2008)
Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver) San Jose Sharks (3rd round 2007)
Timo Pielmier (St. John's/Shawinigan) San Jose Sharks (3rd round 2007)
Steve Stamkos (Sarnia) Tampa Bay Lightning (1st round 2008)
Greg Scott (Seattle) Toronto Maple Leafs (free agent)