Palms of a Goal Scorer

Nick Palmieri
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Country: USA
Position: RW
League: OHL
Team: Erie Otters
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 215
Shoots: Right
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Scouting Report: The Otter’s big, power winger from Clinton, New York is an instinctive goal scorer .. finally getting tested and playing good competition after being a dominant player against his peers in the Northeast US .. has a big frame standing at six foot three inches and carries 215 pounds .. owns soft hands and is good at protecting the puck well with his reach and frame .. an average skater all around but uses short bursts that make him dangerous on the rush .. darts in and out of lanes looking to fire when given the room .. an intuitive forward in the offensive zone .. reads his linemates well and is usually the one who finishes their pretty passing plays .. scored a beautiful goal to finish off an even prettier display of passing with linemates Skellett and Geoffrey .. drives to the net and is quite a load to handle .. not the loudest checker but does not mind bodying guys off of pucks .. could get nastier but has talent you do not want sitting in the box .. is a reliable winger who returns to his own zone and helps his defense out though he may be slow to react at times .. plays on the penalty kill .. the type of forward who will not stand out much during the game until he scores .. absolutely needs to improve skating and conditioning along with showing he can dish the puck atleast half as good as he snipes it .. Palmieri will be the type of pick a team will hope their conditioning coach can mold and develop into an NHL player.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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56 games 24 goals 21 assists 45 points -24 99 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Palmieri is a project pick whose size and goal scoring ability cannot go unnoticed. With that said, DraftBuzz is wary of his quiet presence on the ice and is not entirely sure just yet if that is a worrying concern or a positive quality. We rank him in the 65-75 range, and think he will go somewhere in the mid second round-late third round range on draft day.

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(photo courtesy of www.ottershockey.com)

Great Dana

Dana Tyrell
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Country: Canada
Position: Left Wing
League: WHL
Team: Prince George Cougars
Height: 5'10''
Weight: 185
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: Prince George’s left wing is a lively skater with an explosive burst .. he has one of the most striking skating styles in the draft .. acceleration, agility, and speed are NHL quality already .. pivots from forwards to backwards with ease and power .. plays with no fear and barrels into boards to snatch up loose pucks .. is a great competitor and has a huge heart .. sticks in the crease and takes all kinds of abuse waiting to bang in rebounds .. an underwhelming hitter .. you anticipate heavy speed and power generated from skating ability yet all it amounts to is a light bump .. that said, he makes sure to finish all of his checks .. not a natural puck carrier but has good potential to improve this ability with experience .. not tall but has a wide stance and skating stride which makes him look thick and bigger than listed size .. has an athletic physique .. has the raw potential to be a good penalty killer because of hustle and speed, but needs to learn more of the technical skills and run around less in his own zone .. conditioning needs to come around in time .. plays with Durand and Hunter .. Tyrell is a great supporting winger whose battle quotient and skating ability will attract quite a few teams.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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72 games 30 goals 26 assists 56 points +4 51 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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15 games 1 goals 6 assists 7 points -2 4 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Tyrell put together a respectable season and at times flashed a dominant side with his speed and determination. With another year under his belt, we can see him becoming an offensive force for Prince George. DraftBuzz likes his potential to be a second-third line heart and soul winger in the NHL and rank him 19th. However, there are some concerns that his offensive game will not come around, and as a result, some may rate him lower. DraftBuzz projects Tyrell to be selected anywhere from the 15th pick to the 45th pick.

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(photo courtesy of Dhiren Mahiban)

Head Moose

Jakub Voracek
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Country: Czech Republic
Position: Right Wing
League: QMJHL
Team: Halifax Mooseheads
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 190
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: This likeable Czech had an impressive rookie campaign with Halifax and has transitioned flawlessly to the North American style of hockey .. has an imposing physique with strong legs and a broad upper body .. always looks alert and has head on a swivel .. the main offensive force on his team and carries himself as if he knows this .. has a slow pickup and looks to be a bit lead footed upon acceleration .. has deceptive speed once going and can make defenders miss with speed, stickhandling, and moves .. soft hands can make any type of pass under pressure .. does not hesitate to use his size to his advantage but is not a nasty presence .. works hard along the boards and fights .. a bit lax coming back and is prone to leaving the zone prematurely .. has a great shot .. one of his biggest flaws is his willingness to dish the puck to a fault when he should just hold on to it and shoot .. is a bit of an enigma from time to time as he can get on hot and cold streaks .. The strapping winger will be a wonderful draft day pickup for a team who needs a playmaking winger with size and skill.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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59 games 23 goals 63 assists 86 points -7 26 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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12 games 7 goals 17 assists 24 points +5 6 PIM
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WJC - Team Czech Republic

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6 games 1 goals 2 assists 3 points -4 4 PIM
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WJC U18 - Team Czech Republic

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4 games 1 goals 2 assists 3 points +/-0 2 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: DraftBuzz thinks Voracek is a top three talent and ranks him 2nd overall in the May ranking. He's offers a great blend of size, speed, and playmaking and we think comparisons to a more explosive version of Peter Mueller are right on point. However, it is possible that Voracek slides a bit on draft day and switches positions with forwards like Gagner, Turris, and Van Riemsdyk.

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(photo courtesy of www.halifaxmooseheads.ca)

Route 67: The Hard Hitting Highway

Arron Alphonso

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Country: Canada

Position: RW

League: OHL

Team: Ottawa 67's

Height: 5'11''

Weight: 183

Shoots: Right

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Scouting Report: The 67’s physical right wing has had some knee problems in the past and has missed a decent amount of time during his three years in the OHL .. is one of the 67’s top forwards after McGinn and Couture .. most impressive asset is his surprising hitting ability .. generates great power from his legs and is able to send guys flying .. braces himself well when meeting up with opponents .. has average skating ability and is not the prettiest skater out there .. crashes the net hard .. needs to improve top speed and agility .. oustanding puck pursuit makes up for underwhelming skating ability as he causes impressive turnovers .. clogs up passing lanes and makes defenders cough up the puck often with a quick stick and exceptional determination .. shields the puck well with his body and is good in his own zone as a result .. good at dumping and chasing .. although he has a hard shot, he telegraphs it much too often and just throws it at the goalies chest .. not creative and is not expected to lead the play offensively .. This checking forward is a powerful hitter and should pick up some more offensive confidence and skills next year.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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54 games 17 goals 23 assists 40 points +11 55 PIM

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2007 Playoff Stats

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5 games 2 goals 2 assist 4 points -2 10 PIM

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Draft Day Status/Projection: Alphonso showed us great checking skills this year with hitting, forechecking, and being very involved in the play. If he steps up his offensive contributions a level next year, we can see him becoming an effective 3rd/4th line grinding winger. DraftBuzz believes he will come around offensively in his post-draft year, and as a result rank him in the 55-70 range. We can see him getting selected anywhere from late second round to late third round.

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(photo courtesy of www.ontariohockeyleague.com)

Steady Torque

Zach Torquato
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Country: Canada
Position: Center
League: OHL
Team: Erie Otters
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 195
Shoots: Right
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Scouting Report: Acquired in a mid season trade from Saginaw, Torquato was a terrific “leadership” pickup for the young Otters squad .. assistant captain .. a steady player who looks to now be in charge of the forward lineup .. smart, reliable, and good in all facets of the game .. good faceoff man .. average skating is one of his main flaws .. doesn’t have gamebreaking acceleration, great shiftiness, nor elite top end speed but has good game and hockey speed .. knows how to get his points at this level, but does not project to be an offensive forward .. good puckhandler and chooses low risk plays .. superb on ice awareness ranging from knowing where teammates are to anticipating developing plays .. passes are always on the tape .. becoming a great defensive center as a result of being given much responsibility .. has great confidence as he was the lone forward on many 5-3 penalty kills .. not overly creative with the puck and will not wow you with amazing stick skills .. has a terrible habit of dropping his head to look at the puck in flight .. needs to stay away from putting himself in vulnerable positions on the ice .. Torquato is just an overall solid player who has good potential to skate on a multipurpose third line.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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65 games 30 goals 39 assists 69 points -23 69 PIM
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WJC U18 - Team Canada

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6 games 0 goals 3 assist 3 points -1 2 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Torquato is a likeable prospect who has all the abilities you want in a quality, character forward. He's got some offensive talent, but how much is the question with him. He does well with a lot of ice time heaped on his shoulders, and as a result is a good bet to get chosen in the second-third round. DraftBuzz ranks him 35-45 and likes his winning disposition and makeup.

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(photo courtesy of www.ottershockey.com)

Smooth Skating Shiestel

Drew Schiestel
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Country: Canada
Position: Defense
League: OHL
Team: Mississauga IceDogs
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 181
Shoots: Right
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Scouting Report: This unknown skating and puckhandling standout was buried on Mississauga’s last defense pairing .. long legs generate powerful and graceful strides .. hovers and then has an explosive burst of speed .. reaches top speed in seconds .. has good puckhandling ability and can lug the puck up ice effectively .. owns a good lead pass .. has a nice shot which he could use more often .. is capable of making the safe play but needs to show his steady side more .. likes to pinch sometimes overenthusiastically .. as a result gets caught deep but can catch his assigned forward because of skating ability .. solid in reverse .. susceptible to drifting and leaves his man alone .. collapses easily at his own net and is not willing to engage mischievous forwards .. prone to miscommunicating with his partner .. has the potential to get better as he is very coachable .. looks to be underdeveloped with the mechanics of being a defenseman rather than having poor hockey sense or being a dumb player .. Schiestel has interesting raw offensive upside as evidenced by his 6 assists in 5 playoff games, but he needs to discover an acceptable defensive game with time.

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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66 games 6 goals 15 assists 21points +13 40 PIM
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2007 Playoff Stats

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6 games 0 goals 6 assist 6 points +3 2 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: We can see Schiestel being a player who will either put it all together and have his prospect value rise through the roof or just plummet. He has some very nice individual skills but the rest of his game absolutely needs to come around. We have him ranked in the late fourth round-early fifth round range, but can see him going anywhere from late third/early fourth round to being undrafted.

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(photo courtesy of www.ontariohockeyleague.com)

Fast Attacking Tiger

Billy Sweatt
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Country: USA
Position: Left Wing
League: WCHA
Team: Colorado College
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 180
Shoots: Left
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Scouting Report: Colorado College's Illinois burner is one of the fastest players in the draft .. has short, choppy strides where he gains a lot of ice and catches guys quickly .. a deadly straight line skater who can outrace many opponents .. possesses okay agility and tends to hop at times to get going .. not the most fluid stickhandler, but makes his mark with his puck protection .. likes to go wide on defenders, hang the puck on the right side using his body as a shield, and then drives to the net with great success .. a heads up player in all three zones and is an aware conscience .. great on the backcheck with persistence and speed/power ratio to quietly body guys off the puck .. became more electric on the rush as the season wore on and displayed some neat end to end dances .... forechecks hard and does not mind going through guys to get to the puck .. a smart checker who knows when to press and hit and when to lay off and focus on his offensive efforts .. a good passer who chooses safe plays for the most part .. can go quite a long time without taking a shot and being noticeable offensively .. needs to gain more lower body strength and mass .. Sweatt is a forward whose skating will only sharpen and impress as he moves up the ladder, but will his offensive talents stagnate?

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2006-2007 Regular Season Stats

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30 games 9 goals 17 assists 26 points 18 PIM
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2007 WJC - Team USA

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7 games 1 goals 1 assists 2 points -1 0 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Even though there are legitimate concerns about his offensive capability, Sweatt shows all the parts of being a complete player. He's heads up defensively, is a magnificent skater, and has nice size and grit. Making the USA WJC U20 team and playing well shows his ability to perform at a high level at a pretty young age. Since the draft is all about projection, he is one of our projection picks who we think will come around and make it. As a result, DraftBuzz had him 10th in the last ranking. However, he is definately a candidate to slip a little bit and end up in the 16-24 range with the top 15 teams possibly looking to go in other directions than the American speedster.

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(photo courtesy of www.coloradocollege.edu)