Thrashers Make Big Splash On D
Courtesy of NHL.com
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Written by: By Robert Picarello
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Raleigh, N.C.:Never accuse the Atlanta Thrashers of not thinking big.
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For the second-straight Entry Draft, the Thrashers made a big splash on defense with their first-round selection, choosing 6-foot-7, 210-pound defenseman Boris Valabik with the 10th overall pick. Valabik was rated sixth among all North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service and second among all North American defensemen heading into the 2004 draft.
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“It’s such an unbelievable feeling,” Valabik said after being called to the podium by Atlanta GM Don Waddell. “I was watching this ever since I was a little guy on the TV and now it came. It’s like dreams come true and I’m saying that because I mean it like that. Lots of people say dreams come true, but now I know how that feels. It’s such a great day.”
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Last June, Atlanta had another “big” draft day, selecting another highly touted defender, Braydon Coburn, with the eighth-overall pick. Coburn, who was the first defenseman taken in the first round by Atlanta, went into the 2003 draft ranked sixth among North American skaters. The duo should make visiting the front of the Thrashers’ net an unpleasant experience for the opposition in the not too distant future.
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“You know what, I saw Braydon in an under-18 tournament. I think it was last year or two years ago and I was watching him play and I was really liking his style of play,” Valabik said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity for me to learn something from him. He is a great hockey player.”
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Valabik is no slouch himself. The 18-year old defender, who’s often compared to Ottawa’s Zdeno Chara, should be a menacing presence on the blue line in a few short years, as he combines his great size with all-around skill. He likes to initiate body contact and he also likes to use his size to clear the shooting lanes in front of his goalie.
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“It’s a great honor to be compared to Chara,” Valabik said. “I never saw him play in the NHL. I saw him play maybe five, six years ago back home, but I still have lots of work to do and I’ll see in five or six years. I’m a defensive defenseman who tries to play hard every single shift and I always try to finish my checks. There are a lot of guys I like and admire from the NHL, but I just don’t want to be like any one guy. I just want to be myself.”
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Valabik moved to Canada when he was 17 in order to improve his chances of one day playing in the NHL. He made a name for himself back home in Nitra, Slovakia by helping his country finish sixth at the 2004 World Under-18 Championships and by finishing fourth among all blue liners at the tournament, he wanted to play in North America because he felt the style of play better suited him.
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“A player like me who wants to play physical hockey, Canada is the only place to be,” Valabik said. “It’s the only place to play that kind of physical hockey, plus I didn’t want to just sit in the penalty box back home. I wanted to play my style, so that’s why I came and I think it helped me a lot. My agent told me that there was a possibility that I could go to Canada when I was 15 and I left when I was 17, so it wasn’t really a tough call. It was a thing I wanted to do and I did it and I’m happy that I did it. It helped me a lot. I think it’s different than back home.”
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Back home in Slovakia, Valabik played on the bigger international ice sheet, which really didn’t allow him to use his God-given talents to the best of his abilities.
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“Playing physical is more difficult in the bigger rinks,” Valabik said. “You always have choices to make whether you should go into the corners or not. In the bigger rinks it’s more difficult because those guys are flying and you have to make a decision on who you’re going to hit and also European referees and international referees are different. They call the game different when it comes to hitting. The players also have more time for a pass in a bigger rink, so you have to be careful. But what I like about the smaller rinks is that you can get a chance to hit everything that moves.”
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Valabik notched 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) and a team-best 278 penalty minutes in 68 games with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League last season. His 278 penalty minutes ranked second in the OHL, led all league rookies and topped OHL defensemen. He was third among Kitchener defensemen and shared eighth among OHL rookie backliners with 15 points. The hulking defenseman also had eight penalty minutes in five playoff games.
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The Thrashers also used two more picks in the first three rounds to help bolster their backline for the future. In the second round, Atlanta used the 40th pick to nab Grant Lewis, a 19-year old out of Dartmouth (ECAC) and in the third round the Thrashers dialed up Scott Lehman out of Toronto St. Michael’s (OHL) with the 76th pick.
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Lewis recorded three goals, 22 assists and 57 penalty minutes in 34 games for Dartmouth last season. The 6-3, 190-pound defenseman topped the team’s blue liners, was fourth on the club, ranked third among ECAC defensemen and was second among all league freshmen with 25 points. He shared first on the Big Green, was tied for the lead among ECAC defensemen, was second among the league’s freshmen and shared seventh overall in the ECAC with 22 assists. The native of Pittsburgh, Pa., topped all Dartmouth defensemen with three goals and was third on the club and 13th in the ECAC in penalty minutes. He ranked second among ECAC defensemen and shared 14th among all ECAC players with 15 power-play points (two goals, 13 assists). Lewis, rated 21st among North America skaters heading into the draft, will be among 42 American players under age 20 to participate in the 2004 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp, which will be held Aug. 9-14 at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
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Lehman, 18, registered 32 points (five goals, 27 assists) and 189 penalty minutes in 66 games with Toronto last season. The 6-1, 195-pound defenseman ranked second among the team’s blue liners and shared 19th among OHL defensemen with 32 points. He ranked second among club defensemen and was 18th among OHL blue liners with 27 assists, topped the club with 189 penalty minutes and was fifth on Majors with a plus-12 rating. The native of Fort McMurray, Alberta, has recorded 45 points (eight goals, 37 assists) and 239 penalty minutes in 119 regular-season games and has added eight points (three goals, five assists) and 72 penalty minutes in 37 playoff games with Toronto St. Michael’s over the past two seasons. He earned four points (two goals, two assists) and a team-best 38 penalty minutes in 18 games with the Majors during the 2004 playoffs. Lehman, who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, was rated 87th among North American prospects heading into the draft.
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Judging by the way Atlanta develops its young talent, these three picks should be ready to jump over the boards to help the Thrashers contend in the Southeast Division in no time.
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“Atlanta is a great team and great organization,” Valabik said. “They know how to deal with young players and what to do with them. Just to see [Ilya] Kovalchuk and [Dany] Heatley it’s unbelievable. I’m very glad I’m here.”
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