Two incoming U of M hockey players have been drafted so far today with goalie John Gibson going in the 2nd round to Anaheim and defensemen Brennan Serville going in the 3rd round to Winnipeg.
This is just speculation on my part but I think Serville going to WInnipeg is good news because they are pretty stacked with young defensemen so they might be less likely to encourage him to leave college early.
Gibson vs. Cambell
Not an expert
I am in no way an expert on goalies so perhaps someone else can shed some light but from what I understand Gibson isn't as good at this point as Campbell but may have as good or better upside in the long term. I am basing that on the fact that Gibson's numbers with the USNTDP were not as good as Campbell's but Gibson is a little bit bigger so he has the frame to really develop into a monster starting goalie in the NHL down the line.
ESPN needs to fix their short
ESPN needs to fix their short bio on Gibson, on the insider draft page it shows him as going to tOSU.
Gibson is nowhere near the
Gibson is nowhere near the NHL prospect that Campbell is. However, from our standpoint Gibson may be just as good as a college/CHL goalie. It's hard to predict goalies, but scouts obviously feel that Campbell has tons of NHL potential, even though he struggled during the regular season in Windsor. In playoffs, he was lights out.
Furthermore, Gibson is more likely to stay for a few seasons whereas Campbell is dead set on making the NHL ASAP and would have left as soon as he was able to play pro, even AHL.
We're getting a great player in Gibson, and like I said, he may be better for Michigan at this point due to the reasons I just stated.
Lastly, obviously Campbell isn't the most popular person on this board but hopefully we can keep any discussion of him mature because I know him personally and he is about the nicest kid you'll meet.
I've decided to lay off the food for a while, and go on the booze.
The way
I heard it decribed that I liked best, that might give people a little more context about the differences, is that Jack Campbell is the kind of goalie that (NHL scouts predict, in all this info, obviously) you can build a franchise around. Slam Dunk, A+ starter-type goalie that you can legitimately expect to win a Stanley Cup with, after he develops some.
Gibson was described more as expected to grow into one of the most capable back-ups in the League, play a lot of games for you and win a good number of them but they don't really ever expect him to be a starter, maybe in an emergency.
Obviously predicting anyobdy and especially goalies is chancy, but pretty much consensus on what I've read on the two is that Gibson is really, REALLY good, but Campbell was/is in pretty much a league of his own.
I also second the points above about how in development, the differences between the two might be slighter than the differences expected several years down the road and that he's more likely to stay a little bit longer. Those are both excellent observations.
Draft Info
Do you have any information on the wings selections?
I know Jurco played for Saint Johns Sea Dogs who won the Memorial Cup. He seemed like a pretty big bodied kid who didn't mind going into tough spaces. He did play on a obviously top CHL team but skated mostly on the second line from what I saw in the Memorial Cup.
One thing I did notice was the Wings seemed to put an emphasis on kids who played in North American Junior Hockey with their first four draft picks coming from either the QJHML, OHL, or WHL.
Could you elaborate at all?
For those Wings fans who care...
Wings selected RW Tomas Jurco with the 35th pick, D-man Xavier Ouellet at the 48th spot, and D-man Ryan Sproul with their last 2nd round pick.
I don't know much about the two defensemen, but take a look at the Jurco videos:
The official Red Wings site also posted a nice summary video.
http://video.redwings.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=0&id=119542
The kids Slovakian at 6'2", 187 lbs, AND he's got soft hands. Quite frankly I'm not sure how he didn't get drafted sooner...I think its a really good draft pick for Detroit. Just imagine him learning from Datsyuk the magician...
I'm not a lunatic. Seriously, i'm not.
Ok, maybe just a little bit.
35th?
Did the Wings trade down?
They traded their first round
They traded their first round pick for two of Ottawa's? second round picks. 35 and another one?
Yes
They traded their first round pick to Ottawa for two seconds (35th and 48th).
His number at one point is
His number at one point is the number 13.
Lucas Lessio also went late
Lucas Lessio also went late in the 2nd round to Phoenix.
Draft interview with Serville
From NHL.com:
Twitter: @Raoul_000
Draft interview with Gibson
From NHL.com:
Twitter: @Raoul_000
Jurco is a big kid with
Jurco is a big kid with exceptional hands. Think Holmstrom but perhaps more skilled and a better skater. Orginally projected as a top 15-20 pick, I think the Wings stole him.
Ouelett is interesting, he could be a very good player down the road.
I'm not familer with the others except Hudon. He's supposed to go to Cornell, so we'll see what happens. He's a highly regarded highschool prospect as he was invited to an elite camp or two. He's big and raw. Again, imho a steal for the Wings.
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Screw Lance.
The Red Wings
front office is so good, that you have a high level of confidence in whatever they do. Just a couple examples that are hard to believe now. Henrik Zetterberg was the 210th pick in the 1999 draft. Pavel Datsyuk was the 171st pick in the 1998 draft.
Have to kind of
Have to kind of disagree... Since the 2005 draft the wings have not seen one of their draft picks see the NHL. They did draft a kid in 2006 who was traded for Todd Bertuzzi who has seen some small time in the NHL, but to not have a single player make the NHL in the past 5 drafts has to be a little bit of a knock.
By no means am I discrediting the finding of Zetterberg or Datsyuk late in drafts but I think they haven't done well recently.
That is a little unfair
I agree that the 2006-2009 drafts may not have been really strong but the wings like their prospects overripe which is why Jan Mursak (2006 draft) hasn't had a full season in the NHL yet but he will this year. Also in 2007 they drafted Brendan Smith who is considered a virtual lock to be a top four defenseman in the near future. It is still a little early but it looks like the 2010 draft class has some absolute gems with Calle Jankrok and Teemu Pulkkinen.
One of
the reasons is look at where the Wings have been drafting. When was the last time they had a top 10-15 pick? For years they traded away their picks, and just reloaded in free agency or via trades. It's one of the reasons I hate the salary cap. It has hurt the Red Wings more than most teams.
Name me one person
who would pass up a chance at achieving their dreams and making money while playing the sport they loved. Most of us likely never played anything at a D1 or OHL level. To be that close to your dreams and have a chance to help your parents financially? I can't be upset with Mr. Campbell. I wish I had those kinds of options at age 18. I'd give up a lot for a chance to play even one year of pro hockey, even if it was the AHL.
Thanks again for your diaries on your road to the OHL. It was awesome to look into that little window of how big time hockey decisions are made. It was also helpful when looking at the Domi saga and taking his Twitter comments into context. If we view this as a business and not as a sport (when kids are looking at the NCAA vs. the OHL), these decisions are easier to understand.
*This was suppossed to be under JimLahey's post. I blame working double shifts and Kyle Kalis-mania for making me unable to post this where it is suppossed to be.
2006 was a bad draft for the
2006 was a bad draft for the wings, 07-08 were not bad drafts (Brendan Smith, Gustav Nyquist). With the way the prospects are playing right now and how many the wings have signed, 2009 and 2010 might end up being the best draft classes with wings have produced in 20 years They just haven't produced any NHLers yet for the same reason Abdelkader (05), Helm(05), Howard(03) and Kindl (05) have only just made it up with the big club. Holland likes to develop his players in the minors and breaking into the NHL on a stacked wings team is a lot harder than breaking into a rebuilding team that wants to rush it's top 10 pick to the NHL for exposure.
Could you shed some light on the comparison and differences between them. Definitely knew more about Jack Cambell but I hear really good things about Gibby as well and that draft position shows he must be very good.
Bo' Money Bo' Problems