Also visiting the Sags organization were Étienne Brodeur, Alexandre Michaud, Simon Desbiens and Laurent Dauphin.
Bourret recorded eight goals and 25 assists in 63 regular season games and added another three helpers in 19 playoff games. He was ranked 92nd for this weekend’s NHL Draft by Central Scouting.
MALL OF AMERICA TRIP
NHL.com has more on the top prospect’s visit to the Mall of America yesterday where they went on some roller coasters and visited an aquarium.
"All in all, we weren't talking too much about the draft and instead just having fun," Sea Dogs forward Jonathan Huberdeau said. "We can't determine where we're going to go so it won't change anything. It just didn't matter, at least for this day."
In the same article it was revealed that four teams invited Huberdeau back for an interview following the scouting combine - the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.
HUBERDEAU NEWS TODAY
An interesting tweet from Jonathan Huberdeau’s agent, Allan Walsh:
Look for some big news regarding Jonathan Huberdeau to be announced on Thursday.Exciting stuff.
T-J PROFILES
More draft profiles from the Telegraph-Journal have been released. Tomas Jurco was featured on Tuesday, Zack Phillips yesterday, and Nathan Beaulieu today. Jonathan Huberdeau will be featured in tomorrow’s paper.
THN MOCK DRAFT
Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News released his mock draft on Tuesday and had some interesting results. Adam Larsson, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Sean Couturier went 1-2-3-4 while Jonathan Huberdeau went fifth overall to the New York Islanders.
THN also has Zack Phillips going ahead of Nathan Beaulieu. Phillips is predicted to go 13th overall to the Calgary Flames and Beaulieu 14th overall to the Dallas Stars. Lastly, the mock draft has Tomas Jurco going 28th overall to the San Jose Sharks.
Read the full mock draft for explanations on each pick.
Simon Despres is currently the highest ever drafted Sea Dog, going 30th overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Draft. If this mock draft proves true, all four will make Sea Dogs history.
SEA DOGS DOMINATION
NHL.com, via Fox News, had an article on the Sea Dogs' expected domination of the 2011 NHL Draft on Tuesday. Four Dogs could go in the first round while several others could be selected in the later rounds.
"It's something that has never happened since I've been here, where a team has had this much talent," Central Scouting's Chris Bordeleau told NHL.com. "It's just been an exceptional year and kind of an exceptional team coached by a real good person in Gerard Gallant."
"The fourth line on that team is as good as some second lines on a lot of other teams in the CHL," Central Scouting's Chris Edwards added. "They're really deep and very well coached."
Eight members of the Portland Winterhawks were selected in last year’s draft.
The Canadian Press has named Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink a possible ‘sleeper pick’ for this year’s draft.
A Memorial Cup champion with the Sea Dogs, Tesink doesn’t get the same fanfare as fellow draft-eligible forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Tomas Jurco. He’s reliable defensively, a strong skater, has the ability to play an energy game and was a fixture on the Saint John penalty kill.Tesink was ranked 47th by Central Scouting in their final rankings after compiling eight goals and 27 assists in 59 regular season games. He also recorded three goals and two assists in 19 post-season games.
As fun as it will be to see how high the likes of Huberdeau, Beaulieu, Phillips, and Jurco go, it will be equally as intriguing to see where – or if – guys like Tesink and Scott Oke get drafted.
MORE ON TESINK
Another story on Ryan Tesink was posted on NHL.com on Tuesday. Teammate Nathan Beaulieu had some kind words to share about the rookie forward.
"I'll give it to you right now … I'll call it," Beaulieu said. "Ryan Tesink is probably the most underrated player in the draft this year. He should be a second-round pick in my eyes. He's going to be a pro. He's got the heart of gold and he's a hometown kid."
BEAULIEU TO THE BRUINS?
Could the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins take Nathan Beaulieu ninth overall? The New England Hockey Journal explains that it is a legitimate possibility.
Some scouts are quoted in the article.
“(Beaulieu) was so underrated so long by so many people that he's now become overrated,” said an NHL scout for an Eastern Conference team recently. “I love everything about him but the hockey sense, and that's a big concern."Beaulieu tweeted yesterday that he has arrived in Minnesota for the draft festivities.
"(Beaulieu’s) such a smart, character kid,” said another NHL scout. “He's exactly the kind of player you want on your team. (He) has some real offensive potential but I keep going back to his character and the fact that he brings his best to any situation.”
RED LINE MOCK DRAFT
The Red Line Report released their mock draft yesterday. They have Jonathan Huberdeau going third overall to the
“After dealing away Nathan Horton and Michael Frolik, there's not a lot of skill left up front,” writes Kyle Woodlief of Red Line. “It's a tough choice with Larsson still left on the board, but they need someone to come in and energize the fan base and put some points up on the scoreboard.”
The Red Line Report has only one other Sea Dog going in the first round with Nathan Beaulieu going ninth overall to the Bruins. Drummondville’s Sean Couturier is placed 10th and Victoriaville’s beastly netminder, David Honzik, is predicted to go 27th overall mainly because of the state of Tampa’s goaltending situation.
TSN aired their mock draft on Tuesday night and featured rotating picks from Pierre McGuire and Craig Button. The full results can be found here.
Button’s love of Huberdeau continued as he took him fourth overall with the New Jersey Devils pick. Beaulieu went 12th overall to the Carolina Hurricanes and Phillips 13th to the Calgary Flames.
McGuire’s analysis on the Flames picking Phillips:
For years they've been dying for a centre in Calgary. Phillips is a great playmaking centre, he can elevate his game at key times and did so in the Memorial Cup final.HF ON BEAULIEU
Hockey’s Future has a scouting report on Nathan Beaulieu posted. From HF:
Kim Houston of the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau calls Beaulieu "a complete package in terms of his overall game" and applauds the strides that he took over the course of his draft year to improve in all aspects of his play. "What I see in him, I see a level of maturity that I didn't see last year. I even saw it at the start of the year. I think now, he's really playing a lot better defensively than what he did at the beginning of this year. Before and in last year, he'd get the puck and we all knew he could rush the puck and make things happen, but now he's a lot smarter about when he goes and when he jumps up in the play, when he does, he makes sure it's an opportunity to create something and that's very positive for the team. I see a maturity in him and the defensive side of his game has really improved and I think that's what the scouts are looking for.""I expected more from him at the beginning of the year,” added Chris Mooring of International Scouting Services. “After last year, where I thought he was their best defensemen in the second half and coming down the stretch and into the playoffs.”
GETTING TO KNOW TOMAS JURCO
From Open Ice Hockey:
McKENZIE’S TOP 10
If you missed it Monday on TSN, here is Bob McKenzie sharing his top 10 list.
Photo Credits: Facebook, Marc Henwood/Station Nation, Steve Dangle
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