Dubi at Blueshirt Bulletin HQ in NYC

12:45 -- Just found this too, from Central Scouting Service, on Zeliska: "A good skater with great fine top speed ... an effective stickhandler ... soft hands and a fine selection of shots ... a smart center with good offensive instincts ... a skilled foward."

12:30 -- Another Czech in the book as the Rangers take Lukas Zeliska, a 5'11 center, in the seventh round. Actually, he's Slovakian, but he played in Czech juniors last season, an anomaly over there where players usually come up through their hometown system. The only scouting report I can find right now is from a dubious source (HF) and was written when he was 16 years old:

An elusive skater, Zeliska utilizes on his strong bursts of speed to outskate the opposing defensemen. He is capable of sharp turns and possesses a solid balance. Zeliska is blessed with above-average vision and hockey sense. He distributes crisp, accurate passes with precise timing. But he can also finish the scoring chances on his own, using his solid variety of shots. He unleashes a quick wrist shot and an adequate slap shot, both of decent accuracy. He doesn't refuse to return back to help out the defense, but is average in limiting the opposing player options. Zeliska needs be physically assertive all the time. He isn't playing afraid and can throw a good check, but is showing his mean streak only occasionally. He could also be more of a force when playing off the puck as his intensity vanes without the puck. Overall he is an extremely talented forward who will be a player to watch in 2006.

Clearly a glowing report. But obviously, as a seventh rounder, he was really much of a player to watch in this draft. Now that he is Ranger property, however, we will in fact be watching him.

12:00 -- Rangers take Eric Hunter, a 6'1 center from Prince George of the WHL, in the sixth round. Hunter is a high scoring player who will soon turn 20. He was drafted by Chicago in 2004 in the eighth round but went back into the draft after going unsigned. The Hawks' prospect report on him reads:

Is a very good skater, best characterized by his smooth and effortless style … reaches top speed quickly … has the knack of finding open ice … moves the puck with firm accurate passes … is opportunistic when receiving the puck in a goal scoring position … has a good quick release when shooting the puck … is used both killing penalties and on the power play … is a good competitor … an agitating-type player … likes to get under an opponents skin by giving them little shots to throw them off their game … uses his speed to create turnovers on the forecheck … will finish his checks … reliable in his defensive zone coverage … quick to jump on loose pucks in all areas of the ice.

11:26 -- That fifth round pick the Rangers originally held did indeed go to LA for the fourth round flip-flop. So Vancouver must have gotten something for giving up their fifth rounder outright.

11:25 -- Holy crap! There are people paying attention -- I thought Mitch was stealing the whole show here. Sorry about that, folks!

11:22 -- Rangers draft Tomas Zaborsky in the fifth round, moving up to the #137 slot originally belonging to Vancouver. Zaborsky is a high-scoring center from Slovakia. He will turn 19 in November.

11:20 -- Hunh! Just as I thought -- no one is reading this. That Pronger hoax I just reported got absolutely no one's attention!

11:17 -- This just in! Rangers get Pronger for Jessiman, Montoya, and next year's #1!

11:12 -- Jess thinks the Rangers traded their fifth round selection, probably to move up in the fourth, but so far NHL.com is listing it as belonging to the Rangers.

11:08 -- Rangers' press release on Sanguinetti just came through -- “Bob is a smooth skating defenseman who moves the puck very well,” says Don Maloney in the only quote in the release. “His game is well suited for the 'new NHL'. We are thrilled to add him to our organization." More on him at NYR.com.

11:07 -- And this from Red Line Report back in February on Kveton: "Not the same guy we saw last year playing up with the U-18s as an underager. His timid play at the Senior level in Czech Republic is a real concern for us."

11:05 -- Found this on Kveton at McKeen's: "Based on pure skill set along Kveton would be a possible first-round pick, but his lack of progress and serious questions surrounding his traffic awareness and overall dedication to play pro in the NHL arise as question marks on his pro potential."

11:00 -- So far, this one baffles me. The Rangers must have given something up to move up to get Kveton, but why? He looks like a small forward who doesn't score much. Still researching -- maybe there's more to him than meets the eye. After all, Prucha looked like a small forward who didn't score much when he was drafted, and that was before the new riules.

10:50 -- Rangers traded with LA to move up ten slots to #104, selecting David Kveton, a Czech winger. One pick after the Rangers' original position of #114, Islanders take my man Marcinko. So what the heck do I know? Nothing. If Gajdosik thought he was worth taking, they surely would have done so by now, and not have traded up in the fourth round to take someone else.

10:35 -- So what appears to be happening is that scouts are disillusioned with the weak talent pool and so are choosing players they think are sleepers, players they think they have the drop on, while letting the consensus guys slide. Whether they actually know something, or are reaching based on a hunch, only time will tell. So far, the Rangers have gone with the conventional wisdom and seem to have gotten bargains in the first three rounds. There are still a few guys I thought would go in the second round on the board -- maybe one more will drop into the Rangers' lap.

10:17 -- Well, the guy I wanted was passed by -- but Ryan Hillier is not a bad choice. He's one of the guys rated higher who slipped, so at least they stayed on the board. But he doesn't have much upside aside from the type of character forward we already have a plethora of.

10:15 -- Unfortunately, if Jess's info is correct, the Rangers' Slovak scout Jan Gajdosik is not at the table to advocate for his countryman Marcinko, who is still on the table with the Rangers up now.

10:10 -- Eight picks to go, and the way I'm reading it, there are some higher-rated talents that have dropped precipitously -- Forney, Zharkov, Marcinko, Armstrong, De Gray, and others. If the Rangers stay on the board, I'll be thrilled. Oops, there goes Zharkov, enigmated but talented, to the Devils.

10:05 -- Wild just got Cal Clutterbuck, the guy Jess wanted even as high as the first round. What a strange draft. Years from now, with the successes and failures scattershot through the first three rounds at least, some teams are going to be kicking themselves in the head over who they passed up.

10:00 -- Marcinko was someone the Rangers were said to be thinking about as a first rounder -- unless that was a smokescreen and there is a reason why he is dropping so far in the draft, they should trade up and grab him before someone else does.

9:50 -- There are still twenty picks to go until the Rangers select again, but the way things are going, someone I hoped they might draft in the second round is bound to be available in the third -- David Rucizka, Jan-Michael Juutalainen, Thomas Marcinko, a couple of others.

9:40 -- The Rangers get Artem Anisimov 54th overall in the second round -- this is the kind of draft it has been, the Rangers getting someone 33 picks later that many thought they might take with their first round pick. But with the board all over the place after the top 12 picks, the Rangers have a good one drop into their laps in both the first and second rounds.

9:05 -- Maybe Lou isn't that smart after all, trading away a chance at getting a hot property like Berglund in favor of a defenseman rated lower than #30 in all precincts.

9:00 -- OLN pulls the plug on the draft even before the first round is finished. Yeah, Bettman just loves these guys, eh? I guess hockey gets worst ratings than bulls fighting a tug of war against pick-up trucks.

8:35 -- Good move by Lamoriello trading down six slots and getting an extra pick -- better move by St. Louis moving up and getting Berglund.

8:20 -- Bobby Clarke forgets the name of the guy he's about to draft -- priceless!

8:12 -- Gord Clark says Sanguinetti. OK, that's a good pick. Ranger fan from Jersey, Brian Leetch is his hero -- the reasons they're giving for him slipping in the draft are the same reasons Leetch slipped down in his draft class. This guy was rated either #12 or #13 by ISS, CSS, and TSN, #15 by THN.

8:10 -- I'll be extremely disappointed if the Rangers don't draft Berglund. I might not be too unhappy if they took Sanguinetti or Williams. I'll be extremely unhappy if they take Foligno.

8:05 -- Montreal goes a bit off the board (I wrote that before Bob MacKenzie said it), selecting high schooler David Fischer. Idiot Vancouver fans boo Montreal for introducing their pick first in French before breaking into English.

8:00 -- Patrik Berglund was rumored to go to Anaheum at #19, but Brian Burke took defenseman Mark Mitera instead, someone the Rangers were considering as well. Although Chris Stewart is off the board, the Rangers right now will have a choice of at least two from among Berglund, Nigel Williams, and Bob Sanguinetti, among others.

7:55 -- There was an audible gasp when Gary Bettman announced that the Kings traded Pavol Demitra for the Wild's #17 pick so that they could get the guy they wanted, Trevor Lewis, a smallish USHL forward who went undrafted last year. I thought they were insane until I checked into the other guy the Kings got, Patrick O'Sullivan. It's still trading away the present for the future, or maybe a move dictated by the salary cap.

7:40 -- Gotta scratch my head about San Jose trading up to get a guy free-falling through the rankings -- wait for him five picks later, and if someone else nabs him, whoever you end up with is not going to be any less of a prospect.

7:30 -- First surprise of the draft -- Vancouver goes off the board and takes Michael Grabner, a player we thought for sure would be available when the Rangers' pick rolled around in the lower third of the draft. The wild card here is that he toiled for a poor team and was underrated -- perhaps that quality can now be said to have made him overrated.

7:20 -- Kings do Rangers a favor and take a goalie -- no team should ever draft a goalie with a high draft pick, it's too risky. This leaves one extra skater on the board for the Rangers.

7:10 -- Three picks after Neil Smith, Mike Keenan heads to the podium and drafts mini-Jags Michael Frolik. Interesting to note that Keenan was in Vancouver when they traded for Bertuzzi, now he gets Bertuzzi from Vancouver.

7:00 -- Gretzky hangs onto his pick too. No surprises yet.

6:55 -- First time in too many years that Mike Milbury is not drafting for the Isles. Former Ranger GM Neil Smith now in charge, of course, but draft is being run by Tony Feltrin, who finished his NHL career with 10 games as a Ranger after suffering an eye injury. New coach Ted Nolan makes the announcement -- Kyle Okposo. I'm not sure a USHL product going this high is that good of a pick, despite this guy's projection as a power forward.

6:50 -- The #4 and #6 picks have passed -- the Rangers were rumored to have inquired about both.

6:45 -- Phil Kessel's stock has dropped since his big WJC two winters ago -- now his stock plummets by becoming a Bruin. Maybe he'll get lucky and be traded after a few disappointing seasons, and then he can win a Hart Trophy for a real team.

6:40 -- Nice touch by George McPhee letting Ovechkin announce the Caps' selection -- George of course a popular Ranger agitator during his playing days.

6:35 -- Gotta feel sorry for this guy Toews -- he was just sent to hockey purgatory, the Chicago Wirtzes. See you in a decade when you become a free agent and your career can start for real.

6:30 -- Any hopes of the Rangers somehow landing another Staal brother dashed... Pittsburgh's new GM is Ray Shero, son of Freddy Shero -- Ray succeeded Craig Patrick as GM in Pitt, Patrick being the guy who replaced Fred as GM in New York in 1981. Under almost every NHL rock is a Ranger connection.

6:20 -- Colorado trades Alex Tanguay to Calgary for Jordan Leopold and a bunch of lesser round and conditional draft stuff.

6:15 -- Larry Pleau gives way to new owner Dave Checketts, his boss when he was a member of the Rangers' front office, to make the first overall pick. Will Pleau still be GM under JD? Not likely, with Checketts turning the mike over to someone else to make the announcement.

5:50 -- First trade of the day, as the Thrashers send Patrik Stefan and Jaroslav Modry to Dallas for Niko Kapanen and a low round pick. Stefan of course was one of the highly touted top four picks in 1999 -- he went #1, the Sedin twins 2 and 3, and the Rangers got the worst of the bunch at #4 in Pavel Brendl, who cost them Niklas Sundstrom, Dan Cloutier, and their 2000 first round pick, a top ten pick.

5:25 -- I was just cruising through some of the boards -- there are folks over at HF boards saying the Rangers are trying to trade up to Columbus's #6 or Phoenix's #8 slot. Haven't seen that anywhere else...

Comments

[laurie]

Toews comments on Chicago after he was picked were either naive or well scripted. I too feel for the kid...

[Bob Merchant]

8:10PM, Wife asks me how a putz like Bettman ever got to be the head of the NHL? I have no answer.
So it took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get our pick. They gotta speed this up. After that Ranger pick at 21, I gave up.

[five hole]

just didnt believe you

[laurie]

Damn you Dubi! I just ran to turn on XM to see if it was true. It seemed way too good t be true, but I trust you! :-P

[Aaron]

Dude that Pronger thing wasnt funny hahaha

[ThisYearsModel]

Lots of small prancers in this draft. Where's the beef?

[Mitch]

I could never steal your thunder Dubi...although my fingers are raw from typing all day...

[Mitch]

Well folks, I think I am going to call it a night. I want to thank Dubi with all of my heart for giving me the opportunity to share this evening with all of you. He's a true gentleman and has a heart for the Rangers unlike anyone I've ever met. He certainly has put his money where his mouth and heart is or are whatever the right grammar is right here.

I've had a great time tonight and I hope that I've been able to entertain and provide you with a sort of different point of view.

Lastly, PLEASE, if you haven't already subscribed to Blueshirt Bulletin, by all means support this venture...it's the most valuable, informative and cetainly entertaining resource for Ranger fans that you CANNOT find ANYWHERE.

Have a wonderful evening everyone... LET'S GO RANGERS!!!

[TYM]

Round 7 Lukas Zeleska of Slovakia

[jas]

Thanks for the great night, guys. Hopefully, Jess comes back with ample tidbits to chew on tomorrow morning...perhaps some Pronger/Havlat updates...HMMMMMM??!! Again, great work and good night.