NHL 2007 Draft: The Top Picks

The NHL 2007 Draft was held on June 22nd at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The top three picks were:

First overall pick: Patrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks
Second overall pick: James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers
Third overall pick: Kyle Turris, Phoenix Coyotes

The NHL 2007 Draft: A Look at the Top Prospects

The NHL 2007 Draft is just around the corner and there is plenty of speculation about who will go where.

One thing is for sure, there is a lot of talent in this year’s Draft Class

Here is a look at some of the top prospects

Forwards:
1. Sam Gagner – A highly skilled offensive player Gagner is projected to be a first-line center in the NHL. He has great vision and playmaking ability, and should be an exciting player to watch.
2. Jakub Voracek – Voracek is a big, strong forward who is not afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice. He has good offensive skills and should be a solid contributor at the NHL level.
3. Zach Hamill – Hamill is a skilled forward with good hockey sense. He has the ability to make plays in traffic and could be a very good complementary player at the NHL level.
4. Angelo Esposito – Esposito is a gifted offensive player with great hands and vision. He has the potential to be a top-line scorer in the NHL, and should be an exciting player to watch.
5. Keaton Ellerby – Ellerby is a big, physical defenseman who brings a lot of size and strength to the game. He has good puck-moving ability and should be an effective two-way player at the NHL level.

The Top Picks in the NHL 2007 Draft

There was a lot of hype surrounding the NHL 2007 Draft. Many experts had their say on who the top picks in the draft would be, and there was a lot of speculation on which teams would end up with those picks.

In the end, the top picks in the NHL 2007 Draft were:

1. Patrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks
2. James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers
3. Kyle Turris, Phoenix Coyotes
4. Sam Gagner, Edmonton Oilers
5. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

A Closer Look at the Top Picks in the NHL 2007 Draft

As the NHL 2007 Draft approaches, let’s take a closer look at some of the top picks.

Sidney Crosby is widely regarded as the best player available in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft The 18-year-old center from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, has been called the “total package” and the “next Wayne Gretzky ”

Crosby grew up playing minor hockey in Halifax. He was drafted first overall by the Quebec Major Junior hockey League’s Rimouski Oceanic in 2003. In his first season with Rimouski, Crosby scored 54 goals and had 81 assists for a total of 135 points. The following season, he was named the Canadian hockey League’s Player of the Year after scoring 66 goals and 102 assists for a total of 168 points. He also helped lead Rimouski to the Memorial Cup championship.

Crosby has been compared to Gretzky because of his exceptional vision and playmaking ability. He is also an extremely hard worker and has been known to stay on the ice long after practice to work on his shooting. Gretzky has called Crosby “the most complete player I’ve ever seen.”

The other top prospect in the 2007 draft is defenseman Karl Alzner from Burnaby, British Columbia. Alzner, who is 6’3″ and 205 pounds, captained Team Canada’s Under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2006 World Junior Championships. He also helped lead his junior team, the Calgary Hitmen to the Memorial Cup final this past season.

Alzner is a very solid defenseman who is known for his good decision-making and poise under pressure. He is not overly physical but is still able to defend well against opposing forwards. His biggest asset is his skating ability; Alzner is extremely smooth and effortless on his skates, which allows him to keep up with even the quickest forwards.

The third Top Prospect in this year’s draft is Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov from Omsk in Siberia. Cherepanov, who will turn 19 just before the draft, has been compared to Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin because of his great combination of size (6’1″, 185 pounds) and skill.

Cherepanov was named MVP of Russia’s Under-18 World Championship team after scoring seven goals and 11 points in seven games. He also had an excellent season for Avangard Omsk of Russia’s Super League, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in 46 games against much older competition.

While Cherepanov still needs to work on his defense and become more consistent with his effort level, he has all the tools necessary to become an elite player in the NHL one day.

The top prospects in the NHL 2007 Draft

The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 22–23, 2007 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The top two picks in the draft were Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and James vanRiemsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers, who were both selected first overall. Kane went on to win the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie for the 2007–08 season, while vanRiemsdyk was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team

Kane and vanRiemsdyk were followed by Sam Gagner (Edmonton Oilers), Kyle Turris (Phoenix Coyotes), Alex Plante (Calgary Flames), Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens), Nick Petrecki (San Jose Sharks), Keaton Ellerby (Florida Panthers) and Logan Couture (Ottawa Senators).

Of these top prospects Gagner, Turris, Pacioretty and Couture have already made significant contributions to their respective teams and are considered to be Key Players for the future.

A Closer Look at the top prospects in the NHL 2007 Draft

The NHL 2007 Draft will be held on June 22, 2007, at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have the first overall pick in the draft after winning the NHL Draft Lottery on April 10, 2007. With the first pick, the Pittsburgh Penguins are widely expected to select Sidney Crosby who is consensus number one ranked prospect among the eligible players for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft

After Sidney Crosby there are a Number of players who could potentially go second overall in the draft. The Anaheim Ducks who hold the second overall pick, are said to be leaning towards selecting Jakob Silfverberg, a winger from Sweden. Other top prospects who could potentially be drafted second overall include: Patrick Kane (USA), Logan Couture (Canada), and Kyle Turris (Canada).

Here is a closer look at some of the Top Prospects in the NHL 2007 Draft:

Sidney Crosby: Sidney Crosby is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is currently captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has been referred to as “the best player in the world” by some analysts and players. In August 2005, Sports Illustrated named him its “Best Young Athlete”, making him just second Ice Hockey player to earn that distinction since SI began naming a best young athlete in 1954; Mario Lemieux was named SI’s first-ever best young athlete in February 1983. He is also one of only two active NHL players to earn that honor; Lebron James was named SI’s best young athlete in June 2002.

Jakob Silfverberg: Jakob William Fredrik Silfverberg is a Swedish professional Ice hockey winger who currently plays with Brynäs IF of HockeyAllsvenskan. He has previously played with AIK of Elitserien and has represented Sweden internationally at junior level tournaments. He helped Sweden win silver at both the 2011 World Junior Championships and 2012 World Championships Internationally he has also won bronze medals at both Under-18 level and Under-20 level nt play

The NHL 2007 Draft: A Look at the First Round

The NHL 2007 Draft was held on June 22-23, 2007 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

There were 211 prospects that were eligible to be drafted in 2007. Thirty-one of those prospects were ranked in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American skaters.

The first round of the draft featured the following picks:

1. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
2. James VanRiemsdyk (Philadelphia Flyers)
3. Kyle Turris (Phoenix Coyotes)
4. Sam Gagner (Edmonton Oilers)
5. Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks)

A Closer Look at the NHL 2007 Draft’s First Round

In the 2007 NHL Draft thirty teams each selected one amateur player from a pool of eligible prospects. The first round of the draft took place on June 22, 2007 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, while rounds two through seven were held on June 23. Of the 30 first-Round Selections 24 were forwards, four were defensemen and two were goaltenders.

The order of draft picks was determined by a lottery involving the franchises that had failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the previous season; as a result, Vancouver had the sixth overall pick while Chicago and Buffalo, who finished with the fewest points in the league during the 2006–07 season ( Blackhawks 56 points; Sabres 52 points), each had the fifth and sixth best chance respectively to acquire the first overall pick. The Blackhawks won both lotteries but opted to retain their ninth overall selection and instead drafted Patrick Kane with Vancouver’s pick.

As it turned out, Chicago’s original draft pick also became very valuable as it was used by Washington as part of a trade package to acquire defenseman Tom Poti and forward Viktor Kozlov from Edmonton. In addition to those traded before or during the draft, five of the top twelve picks (and eleven of the first thirty) would eventually be dealt at some point in their careers.

The NHL 2007 Draft: A Look at the Second Round

After a flurry of last-minute trades on the eve of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft the stage was set for what many observers felt would be one of the deepest and most talented drafts in recent years

As is often the case, the first round of the draft lived up to the hype, with a number of highly touted prospects hearing their names called early on. But it was the second round where things really got interesting, as a number of teams made trades and took chances on players that they hope will one day blossom into stars.

Here’s a look at some of the top picks from the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft

A Closer Look at the NHL 2007 Draft’s Second Round

In the NHL 2007 Draft, the top picks of the first round were well-documented and publicized. However, there were a number of talented players who were drafted in the second round as well. In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the top second round picks from the 2007 NHL Draft

With the 33rd overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft the Pittsburgh Penguins selected defenseman Kris Letang from the Val-d’Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Letang is a 6’0″, 200-pound defenseman who is known for his offensive abilities. In 2006-07, Letang tallied 11 goals and 46 assists for 57 points in 59 games for Val-d’Or. He also added two goals and five assists for seven points in 11 Playoff Games

Letang was named to the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in 2006 and was named a Second Team All-Star in 2007. He represented Canada at the 2006 Under-18 World Championships where he tallied one goal and four assists for five points in six games. Kris Letang has great upside and has a chance to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL one day.

With the 34th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft

NHL 2007 Draft: The Top Picks