Trio of CHL’s Best Ready for Draft
By Paul Krotz/CHL
After more than a season of anticipation for many of the CHL’s top prospects the time has finally arrived for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh.
On Thursday afternoon 13 prospects including the top ranked trio of Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, and Mikhail Grigorenko were assembled at the Gateway Clipper Fleet for a river tour on the Empress Boat where media had the opportunity to speak to the players one last time before the first round begins on Friday night.
“I feel great,” said top ranked Sarnia Sting forward Nail Yakupov. “We’ve had fun here with the guys.”
Yakupov and some of the other top prospects have spent the last few days touring Pittsburgh and taking part in some events like skills development clinics and ball hockey games with local minor hockey teams.
Projected as the top pick of the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, Yakupov’s Scouting Report reads “a first step and ability to control bouncing pucks, knock them down and make a play are the best of any of the guys in the draft, in my opinion,” says NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards. “He really gets up to top speed very quickly and his hands are outstanding.”
Yakupov has spent the entire season with Sting teammate Alex Galchenyuk, but has had the opportunity over the past few days to spend some time with Grigorenko a fellow Russian playing with the Quebec Remparts ranked third overall by NHL Central Scouting.
“Being with the guys has been good,” Grigorenko said. “The Russian players Yakupov and Galchenyuk, they play together and I’m all the way in Quebec so for me it’s awesome to be here with them.”
Grigorenko has enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh and has used the extra media attention as an opportunity to practice his English.
The CHL Rookie of the Year’s Scouting Report reads “the type of player that controls the whole pace of the game,” says NHL Central Scouting’s David Gregory. “He can play with the puck at the same pace he plays without the puck. He sees the ice and opportunities really well.”
If the picks on Friday follow NHL Central Scouting’s rankings this would be the second straight year where the top three selections would represent each of the CHL’s three leagues with top WHL defenceman Murray of the Everett Silvertips sandwiched between Yakupov and Grigorenko.
“You see how many good players from the CHL that are here it’s pretty incredible,” said Murray. “It’s pretty cool that the guys last year got to go one from each league and it would be great to have it happen again.”
Last year it was Red Deer’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins followed by Kitchener’s Gabriel Landeskog, and Saint John’s Jonathan Huberdeau. Prior to 2011 the last time this occurred was 1998 when Rimouski’s Vincent Lecavalier was chosen first ahead of Plymouth’s David Legwand, and Regina’s Brad Stuart.
Murray is one of five WHL defencemen projected to be first round selections, his Scouting Report reads: “Murray is more like a [Scott] Niedermayer; he just does everything under the radar and so smooth you hardly notice it,” says NHL Central Scouting’s B.J MacDonald. “His skating is probably the best in the [WHL], he never gets out of position and I’ve never seen him lose a one-on-one battle.”
The 2012 NHL Entry Draft begins Friday night June 22 with rounds two through seven taking place on Saturday June 23 from the Consol Energy Centre.