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On Friday night, Jim Rutherford told us that he planned to take two defensemen among his three second round draft picks. Mission accomplished, with a trade thrown into the mix as well.
At number 37 the Canes took U.S. under-18 team defenseman Justin Faulk, who is committed to Minnesota-Duluth next season. Faulk describes himself as a good all-around defenseman who can shoot and skate well, with good offensive instincts. GM Jim Rutherford told the media that Faulk was the player they had targeted at 37 and were quite pleased to see him fall to them without needing to move around. Click for audio from Faulk's media conference call.
The Canes traded their second pick of the round, #45 overall, to Edmonton for center Riley Nash; more on him in a bit. To finish the round out, the Canes selected Minnesota high school defenseman Mark Alt, a big (6'3"), powerful rearguard who was recruited to the University of Iowa as a quarterback; he played both hockey and football in high school. He has a long way to go to make the NHL, but with that kind of size in high school he could eventually serve in a shutdown defenseman role. Alt will attend the University of Minnesota next season.
In the third round, the Canes again went for defense, taking Harvard freshman defenseman Danny Biega, the youngest of three brothers playing on the Crimson hockey team. Biega, a Montreal native, told us that he thought Carolina was an option to draft him, and was thrilled at how things turned out. He describes himself as a hybrid defenseman who enjoys jumping up on the play but also has a sound defensive foundation. The International Scouting Service scouting report on Biega noted that he goes looking for the big hit sometimes, and Biega said that his hitting ability is something he can use to contribute both defensively and as a momentum-shifter. He plans to play at least one more season at Harvard, but after that he said that his options are open and it sounded like he may have one eye on going professional in 2011. Click here for Biega's call with the media.
An annual rite of passage, it seems, is the Canes taking a player from the Plymouth Whalers, the Ontario Hockey League team that Canes owner Peter Karmanos also owns. This year, the token Whaler was defenseman Austin Levi, a stay-at-home defenseman taken at number 85, late in the third round. Levi admitted to the media that he was caught off-guard when his name was called because he was busy texting his teammate Scott Wedgewood, a Plymouth goaltender who went one pick before Levi to New Jersey. Despite the connection with common ownership, Levi was caught by surprise when his name was called, and he described himself as a stay-at-home defenseman who was just now coming around to worrying about offensive contributions. If he makes the NHL, it will be as a defensive specialist or penalty killer; it's doubtful he ever develops a true two-way game. Click here for Levi's media call.
The Canes' fourth round pick, Windsor Spitfires left wing Justin Shugg, was a steal at number 105. Shugg was projected as a mid third-rounder, at the latest, and the Canes were pleasantly surprised that he fell to them early in the fourth round. He was also the first forward the Canes took since drafting Jeff Skinner in the first round, so the team's priorities on defense were quite obvious. Shugg spent the OHL playoffs riding shotgun on first-overall pick Taylor Hall's line, but in the regular season he played most of the time on the third line and so he told us he takes a lot of accomplishment and pride in his defensive game. Shugg is a potential captain of the Spitfires next season, and will be among those leading the charge to win Windsor an unprecedented third straight Memorial Cup. Click for Shugg's conference call with the media.
Two more draft picks rounded out the Canes' draft. In the sixth round, they took a Stahl to go along with their two Staals. Chilliwack Bruins (WHL) defenseman Taylor Stahl racked up 146 penalty minutes, but only scored six points this season, so if he makes it to the NHL it will probably be as an enforcer. In the seventh round, the Canes took Danish goaltender Frederik Andersen, who played well at the World Championships a month ago and (trivia question!) is the first Danish player the Canes franchise has ever drafted.
Overall, it was a good if slightly disappointing haul for the Canes. They got a surefire NHLer in Jeff Skinner at number 7, and they indeed loaded up on defensemen like they promised they would on day two, but none of the drafted defensemen really jump off the page and project to a long NHL career. Of the defensemen, Justin Faulk and Danny Biega seem like the most promising prospects, with Mark Alt an outside shot many years down the road. I would be surprised if Levi (an incredible reach in the third round; he probably would have been available in the 5th, if not later) and Stahl ever play an NHL game, and Shugg has AAAA player written all over him; like Keith Aucoin and, to an extent, Patrick Dwyer, he will likely light the AHL on fire and be a serviceable NHL fill-in, but never pan out to anything of consequence. Andersen is nothing more than depth in goal; with Mike Murphy, Justin Pogge and Justin Peters all in the pipeline the Canes have plenty of organizational depth at goaltender.
Back in a second with a breakdown of the trades…
Great post, Brian, but you're selling Levi short too soon. He already has a two-way game, but he's better known for his shut-down style of D and played on a team that showcased Tyler Seguin's offense. He is a kid who plays whatever role is asked of him. We'll see if that role is expanded this season. Here are a couple of links for you in the meantime:
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