With The 25th Overall Pick...

Cuthbert Says:The Canucks expected to go after grit, a third or fourth liner to match up against the Ducks. Instead, I will be the first one to say, ?I can't believe this guy is still available!? Mayorov is the choice, though I was also looking at Joakim Andersson of Sweden.

Brett MacLean got to play with John Tavares and the OHL's Oshawa Generals. But he proved that he has touch (47 goals) in addition to size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds).

One of the lacking areas in the Canucks' prospects pool is a skilled center. O'Brien can certainly shore up that deficiency. As an underage playing in the U.S. development program in 2004, there was talk of him becoming the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. While those forecasts won't be correct, he will most certainly become a first-round choice for Vancouver. Having always played up against older competition, O'Brien yearned for the opportunity to go to Minnesota early. His numbers might not reflect it, but he had a pretty solid freshman season. He was sometimes frustrated by his lack of productivity this past season, but his overall game improved.

The Canucks come into the draft looking for offense, and McLean is the best bet at this point. He racked up 47 goals and 100 points playing alongside center John Tavares, so he knows how to finish his opportunities. But everyone you talk to worries about his skating. It's something he can work on, but maybe not to the point that he earns first line/first PP unit opportunities ... and that means he won't be a big scorer in the NHL.

Although his point production does not show it, O'Brien has greater offensive potential and he had to earn his ice time as freshman on a deep Minnesota team. His puck skills are good but not elite and he has enough to stickhandling and passing abilities to play at a high level. He has an accurate wrist shot in close and a slap shot with power and has soft hands to bury chances in close under duress not is not considered a goal scorer. He has excellent speed especially for a big player and has shown to be effective on the forecheck with his quickness to be disruptive. His good hockey sense makes him responsible in all areas of the ice and he is developing into a solid defensive player that logs penalty killing time. He does a good job blocking shots and clogging up passing lanes with his wing span and his stick and he can shadow opponents. Needs to fill out his frame and play with a more consistent edge every game but he could develop into a second line two-way power center.

The Canucks look to swing for the fences with a home run pick who could freshen up a collection of forwards that's starting to get stale.

The Canucks have showed a willingness last year to take players who may be a bit older and they're willing to be risky in order to try to get a big payoff with a good offensive talent.

The Canucks are looking to add some prospect help down the middle and they've had success in Sweden before. Andersson is a big guy who plays well in all three zones.

If he's still available, picking Perron is a no-brainer for the Canucks. He has the potential of being a first-line winger. He's quick and has a great shot.

Labels: NHL Draft 2007