The Cannon

2012 NHL Draft Prospect Profile #25: Philip Di Giuseppe

2012-05-25T13:00:05Z

Philip (Phil) Di Giuseppe

Position: Left Wing
Team: University of Michigan (CCHA)
Age: 18
Date of Birth: October 9, 1993
Place of Birth: Maple, Ontario
Ht: 6'1" Wt: 201
Shoots: Left

2011-2012 Regular Season Stats:

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
40	11	15	26	23	18/

One of the small but interesting group of Canadian born players who choose to go the NCAA route instead of into Major Junior hockey, Phil Di Giuseppe was an explosive player for U of M in his freshman season, winning the CCHA Rookie of the Month award in October and receiving an honorable mention on the CCHA all rookie team. A power forward very much in the mold of a Rick Nash style player, he decided to go to the NCAA instead of the OHL for the chance to mature both on and off the ice - an interesting decision that says a lot about his ability to look at the long term. Regarded as more of a playmaker than a pure scoring forward, he's also been highlighted for good skating ability and a strong puck possession game.

Scouting Report:

DiGiuseppe is an intriguing prospect with a lot of offensive potential. He is more a playmaker than a goal scorer at this point in his career. He has extremely good hockey sense, excellent vision, and the ability to make difficult passes, threading the needle through opponents sticks and skates to give a teammate a great scoring chance. He is very good in board battles and in working the cycle in the offensive zone. He's also not afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice and makes key plays in traffic. In the offensive end, Di Giuseppe is a tireless worker who is always forechecking hard, battling for loose pucks, and trying to create scoring chances out of nothing. Di Giuseppe is an above average stickhandler. He has soft hands and good puck protection skills. While he is more a playmaker than scorer, Di Giuseppe does possess a good wrist shot and release.

Last Word On Sports

After spending the past two seasons as one of the top underaged players in the OJHL, Di Giuseppe has been one of the top freshmen in the NCAA this season. Di Giuseppe is a powerful skater and has a quick stride with good acceleration. He does a good job of creating offense with his speed and works hard to fight through checks against physical defensemen. Di Giuseppe has good offensive instincts and does a good job of finding chemistry with different sets of linemates. He needs to continue to add strength as his style of play is very aggressive and it will be important for him as he makes his transition to the next level.

The Scouting Report

Why He'd Be A Good Fit In Columbus:

With his playmaking skills, big frame, and hard skating ability, Di Giuseppe could easily become a natural fit with players like Cam Atkinson or Ryan Johansen. Since the Jackets have been going back to the NCAA well for key players in their last few drafts, I think he's almost certainly on the team's radar should they acquire a later first round pick, but the bigger problem may be that a lot of scouting services and mock drafts expect the Red Wings to be all over this guy. Don't be shocked if we see Ken Holland calling his name at the first opportunity.

Di Giuseppe In Action:

Ryan Russell Signs 2-Way Contract With Blue Jackets

2012-05-24T21:49:21Z

(SB Nation) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced Thursday that they have signed center Ryan Russell to a one-year, two-way contract. The team did not disclose financial details of the deal.

Russell was acquired by the Blue Jackets in a minor deal with the Montreal Canadiens in July 2011. He played 41 games with Columbus in 2011-12, scoring two points and registering two penalty minutes in those games. He scored nine goals and six assists in 31 games with the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons. He made his NHL debut on January 17.

The 25-year-old projects as a depth player in the NHL, and his versatility in playing both wing and center ice suit him well. He's a small player, however, weighing in at just 180 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame, and that's a concern for his NHL future.

For full coverage of NHL free agency this offseason, stick with SB Nation's NHL hub.

2012 Draft Prospect Profile #24: Mike Winther

2012-05-24T13:00:17Z

Mike Winther, Prince Albert Raiders
Photo Copyright and Courtesy of: www.whl.ca

Mike Winther

Position: Left Wing / Center
Team: Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Age: 18
Date of Birth: January 9, 1994
Place of Birth: Trochu, Alberta
Ht: 5'11" Wt: 170
Shoots: Left

2011-2012 Regular Season Stats:

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
71	32	24	56	-9	59

The 2011-12 season had to be a bittersweet experience for Mike Winther. After adding just 10 points in 61 games in his rookie season, Winther saw his point productivity improve to 32-24-56 in 71 games for Prince Albert. The downside to the season was the dead last finish of the Raiders.

Focusing on the contributions of Winther, he became a special teams expert this season, scoring 20 (16 PPG, 4 SHG) of his 32 markers in man advantage/disadvantage situations.

Diminutive in size, but long on ability, Winther has the makings of a compact power forward. His special teams work speaks for itself. However, looking deeper, he plays a smart game. He is dedicated to the team and is willing to play a more physical game when the conditions demand it.

His quick, soft hands make him especially dangerous. His size complements his ability to locate open ice, where his skating speed comes to the forefront.

Scouting Report:

Peter Sullivan, NHL Central Scouting:

"He's sneaky-good; he's very deceptive with his skating. Not breakaway speed, but enough speed to get in and out of trouble in close quarters. … Mike has great on-ice awareness. He knows where guys are before they even get there. He does the little things that aren't in the book and you can't explain; you just have to see it for yourself."

Why he'd be a good fit in Columbus:

Although Jackets fans have only had a brief glimpse of how Cam Atkinson might operate at the NHL level, a comparison can be made between the two forwards.

How that would affect the Jackets three, four, five years down the road is anybody's guess. With some of the changes the Jackets have made in the past couple of seasons, it became apparent in the waning days of the Scott Arniel regime, that the players expected to jump start an offense weren't responding and the Jackets needed to revert to a more physical, and less comfortable, style.

A player of Mike Winther's caliber could further deepen what could someday become an offensive juggernaut at Nationwide. Todd Richards in his half-season audition, showed to an extent that he's able to get some more mileage from his forwards.

A bonus is Winther's willingness to mix it up. Here's a fun little scrap with Ryan Olsen of the Saskatoon Blades:

Blue Jackets Off-Season Continues: Derek Dorsett Re-Signed

2012-05-23T20:56:02Z

In a not-too-surprising move, the Blue Jackets announced today that they've re-signed winger Derek Dorsett to a three year contract:

Dorsett registered 12 goals and eight assists for 20 points and had 235 penalty minutes in 77 games with the Blue Jackets in 2011-12. He led the NHL in penalty minutes and is one of only three players since the start of the 1996-97 season to lead the league in that category and post double digit goals. He set career highs in goals, points, penalty minutes, games played, shots (137) and time on ice average (14:41), while leading the club in hits (199) and ranking fourth in takeaways (36).

I don't think there were too many people who didn't see this move coming, and Dorsett really took a big step forward this past season both on the ice and in the leadership arena. At times during the season he had an "A" on his sweater, and his commitment to never taking a shift off rubs off on his teammates. Dorse is always willing to engage in a fight with ANYONE from the other team, and he skates like his hair is on fire at all times.

His goals and assists were career highs, and that will be the big question going forward: can Dorsett continue to contribute offensively, or was this past season the product of a contract year push? Time will tell, but unless something has drastically changed, it's hard to imagine Dorsett not playing 110% at all times going forward. Hopefully the goals will continue to come.

SB Nation's NHL Awards 2012: The Cannon's Norris Trophy Ballot

2012-05-23T17:00:55Z

Over the past week or so, many of SB Nation's hockey writers have submitted their picks for the major NHL awards, and over the next few days we'll reveal the results. Yesterday, the Norris winner was chosen, with Shea Weber coming out on top.

Each writer submitted a first, second and third choice for the award. The first place vote was given three points, second place two, and third was given a single point. Matt and I each took part, and here are our picks:

Mike	Matt
1- Erik Karlsson	1- Shea Weber
2- Shea Weber	2- Nicklas Lidstrom
3- Zdeno Chara	3- Erik Karlsson

I don't normally like to give the Norris to the defenseman who scores the most points, but this season Karlsson was just dominant offensively. In this day and age, your defensemen need to be big contributors to the offense. Shea Weber is more well-rounded than Karlsson, and was a very close second in my voting. Zdeno Chara's presence in my top three shouldn't shock anyone. Matt didn't put the same emphasis on Karlsson as I did, ranking him third behind Weber and the ageless wonder Nick Lidstrom.

What do you think of our picks? Let us know in the comments.

2012 Draft Prospect Profile #23: Brady Skjei

2012-05-23T13:01:54Z

Brady Skjei

Position: Defense
Team: USNTDP
Age: 18
Date of Birth: March 26th, 1994
Place of Birth: Lakeville, MN
Ht: 6'3" Wt: 200
Shoots: Left

2011-2012 Regular Season Stats:

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
24	3	9	12	+5	12

Yet another of the deep crop of defensemen that will probably go in the first round, Brady Skjei brings size and solid skating to the table despite being a bit of a raw prospect. He slipped a spot from the midterm rankings, and finished the year as Central Scouting's 19th-ranked North American skater. He's reportedly grown as much as two inches and 15 pounds this past season, indicating a guy who may not be completely done yet. Despite that increasing size, his ability to skate is nearly unmatched; he might be the best skating defenseman in the draft.

He's a guy who can contribute on the rush, and take some chances because his skates can help him cover for those. However, his overall offensive game is still a work in progress. There have also been some questions on his willingness to get dirty.

Scouting Report:

Skjei is an imposing defenseman who continued to grow this season and has been climbing the charts as well. For a big player, Skjei is tremendously mobile and his high-end skating ability allows him to work in transition and handle incoming forechecks. He’s still got a raw skill-set and is learning how to use his size effectively, but the Minnesota commit has an enticing skill-set that projects well at the NHL level. At this point, Skjei has to be considered to be the 2012 edition of the NTDP’s Connor Murphy, and we’ll see how he plays over the coming months as he makes a final push up the charts.

The Scouting Report

His swiftness makes him a confident puck-rusher and very willing to jump into the attack. Defensively, his recovery speed allows him to take chances more slow-footed blueliners would shy away from. He’s demonstrated willingness to play a physical game though he’s not known for momentum-building hits. He has an active stick and uses it (and his solid wingspan) to shut down a large area of ice.

In addition, his breakout game has become increasingly proficient and his puck-moving capabilities might even enter territory reserved for the elite PMD’s in this draft-class. His speed allows him to handle the heavy-forechecking game and advance the puck effectively. Offensively, Skjei is still a work-in-progress and his upside appears relatively limited, but he’s shown some flashes of skill with the puck on the powerplay and his distribution game is certainly adequate.

It may be the curse of limited viewings, but it seems that scouts still haven’t peg Skjei with an ‘identity’ yet – which may increase the reticence of organizations to draft him. He’s not as offensively flashy as many of the defensemen listed ahead of him in 2012 and he’s still quite ‘raw’. Some scouts and analysts have questioned his willingness and/or ability to play a gritty game. He plays with less of an edge than many would deem ideal with a player of his physical tools.

NHL Mock Draft

Why he'd be a good fit in Columbus:

Skjei would be a guy that the Jackets would have to take with LA's pick (unless another first rounder in the early-20s materializes via trade), though he may not last that long. However, his size and mobility combined with his ability to move the puck up ice and even get in on rushes would make him an ideal candidate to fit in with many of the new Jackets' blue line corps. He's not a guy--right now, anyway--that will score like a Jack Johnson, but he may grow into that role as well.

2012 NHL Draft Prospect Profile #22: Zemgus Girgensons

2012-05-22T13:00:48Z

Zemgus Girgensons

Position: Center
Team: Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Age: 18
Date of Birth: January 5th, 1994
Place of Birth: Riga, Latvia
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 198lbs
Shoots: Left

2011-2012 Regular Season Stats:

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
49	24	31	55	+17	69

2011-2012 USHL Playoff Stats:

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
2	2	2	4	+2	0

Remember in 2005, when there was a young player from one of hockey's not-so-hotbeds ranked in the first round of the entry draft? I'm talking about Anze Kopitar of Slovenia, of course. Kopitar has gone on to be a very productive forward for the Los Angeles Kings, leading them to the brink of the Cup finals this season. In his draft year, Kopitar had question marks due to his birthplace, and this season Zemgus Girgensons is facing some of the same questions.

I'm not saying that Girgensons will go on to put up Kopitar-like numbers, but Girgensons is looking to become the first Latvian-born first round NHL draft pick. The main difference between Kopitar and Girgensons is each player's development path- Kopitar played in Sweden, where Girgensons has been developing in the United States, playing a year of Junior "A", followed by two years in the USHL.

This past season, Girgensons was the captain of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, and also contributed to Latvia returning to the main pool at the World Junior championship. He's a power forward, who'll crash the net and make his own space on the ice. He's not the most physical forward, but doesn't shy away from contact. He's got a serious love for the game, which translates to a strong work ethic on and off the ice. His season was cut short early in the playoffs when he suffered a fractured jaw, one of the many high-end prospects who's season was shortened this season due to injury.

He's committed to the University of Vermont this fall, giving the team that drafts him a four year, rather than two year window of development. His rights are owned by the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL however, and the NHL team that drafts him may try to convince him to go the major junior route.

Scouting Report:

Latvian native Zemgus Girgensons continues to take the path less travelled in regards to his hockey development. Girgensons came over to the US in 2008 rather than staying to play for Latvia’s U20 development team (SK Riga), a team stationed in his hometown. After playing one season in the EJHL, the six foot center made the jump to the USHL last season and had a huge year with 21 goals and 28 assists in 51 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. With many new faces upfront for Dubuque this season, Girgensons will have to take it upon himself to create scoring opportunities. Girgensons will likely be up to the challenge as he displays great offensive awareness. Despite not being an extremely physical player, Girgensons works hard his team’s own end and all-in-all has a very complete game. Even though Girgensons was selected by the Kelowna Rockets in the 2011 CHL Import Draft, Girgensons remains committed to the Fighting Saints and will start his collegiate career next fall with the University of Vermont.

- The Scouting Report

Why he'd be a good fit in Columbus:

We're starting to get into the range of players that will almost assuredly be drafted in the latter half of the first round. If the Jackets elect to take the Kings' first rounder this year, Girgensons may be available. Any team in the league would benefit from adding him to the roster, he's a big-bodied point producer with passion to burn. He compares himself to Ryan Kesler, and the Jackets would be in good shape up the middle with the likes of Girgensons, Brassard and Johansen.

Girgensons in Action:

SB Nation's NHL Awards 2012: The Cannon's Vezina Trophy Ballot

2012-05-22T02:11:12Z

Over the past week or so, many of SB Nation's hockey writers have submitted their picks for the major NHL awards, and over the next few days we'll reveal the results. Today, the Vezina winner was chosen, with Jonathan Quick taking home the hardware.

Mike	Matt
1- Jonathan Quick	1- Jonathan Quick
2- Pekka Rinne	2- Henrik Lundqvist
3- Mike Smith	3- Pekka Rinne

Matt and I both helped Quick earn the Vezina nod, and we each had Pekka Rinne in our top three. Where Matt decided to acknowledge Henrik Lundqvist's awesome season, I gave the edge to Mike Smith in my top three.

You almost couldn't go wrong in this category, the top four or five goaltenders in the league were fantastic this season. I yearn for the day when the Jackets can consistently have a goaltender in the Vezina conversation.

What do you think of our picks? Let us know in the comments.