Draft of 2009
Well, the 2009 NHL draft has now come and gone.
Every year about this time I anticipate the draft… I love seeing how teams will attempt to address current and future needs. Love the deals.. the drama (maybe more so this year)… love seeing certain GMs be aggressive to get the picks they want (attention Garth Snow).
I was pleased to see the Montreal Canadiens choose Louis Leblanc… now to be honest I was almost scared to witness the potential rath of the fans if someone other then Leblanc was picked…. oh, and I was amused to see that not even the prescence of Habs legends could keep the crowd from expressing their displeasure with Gary Bettman.
There are 2 guys that have got me curious….
Alexander Avtsin 6′2, 198 lbs.
Word is he has great offensive skill… and of course, his showing up to the NHL draft shows that he must want to play in the NHL. Very interesting pick. I heard someone say on TSN yesterday he was rated 18th in european players.
Can’t wait to see him play.
Joonas Nattinen 6-2 183 lbs
At the world under 18, he was top 3 in faceoffs… an important skill. He’s a playmaker… a playmaker with size. Hockey’s Future (check the link) says they believe he could be a special player as he grows
Also… can’t wait to see him play.
I should probably mention at this point… i can’t wait to see them all play!
Here are some articles of interest.
A good – and potentially very good – draft
- HABSInsideOut
- HABSInsideOut
Gainey preaches patience to fans
- The Gazette
- The Gazette
- RDS
- NHL.com
- Cyberpresse
- Slam! sports
- The Observer
- Canadiens.com
Posted by Yves Date: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Categories: Prospects
Tags: Draft, Habs Bloggers, Louis Leblanc, Prospects
Jarvis out, Muller in… Don Lever and more to come
I must say that I never saw Jacques Martin coming on as the new head coach of the Montreal Canadiens…. never ever would have guessed…
I know, I know.. this is terribly old news.
It was announced that Jarvis has been let go…. I personally thought that might happen…
Kirk Muller stays on… some people had said that he wouldn’t make it… but from what I read and heard, he was popular with the players… glad he’s staying on.
Don Lever. Mr Lever… you’re a fantastic coach and I really wish you would have made it on to the Montreal Canadiens coaching staff this season. Really…
Don Lever was let go as was Ron Wilson. This surprised me… honestly. Don Lever seemed to be of high value… and it wasn’t hype… the guy is a fantastic coach. I was hoping Don Lever would get the nod as an assistant.
I must say, with the draft coming up only days away, the Montreal Canadiens are certainly looking different then they did the last couple of years… new owners, new coaching staff… and one can certainly imagine there will be different faces filling spots that were held by (pending… for now) UFAs.
It’s an interesting time.
