Monday, July 28, 2008

The little devils on my shoulder

Did you ever wonder why Halifax drafts Czech, after Czech, after Czech, in the Euro draft? The answer lies in NJ Devils prospect and former Moosehead Petr Vrana...his dad is the Mooseheads European scout.

NHL.com continues its prospects reports, this time featuring prospects from everybody's favorite team in red - the New Jersey Devils. Here is what they have to say about some of their Q selections past and present:


Petr Vrana -- In his third season with the organization, the 2003 second-round selection (No. 42) broke out with 20 goals and a team-best 61 points for Lowell.

Vrana can play center or the wing, and with his speed and growing responsibility at both ends of the ice, he could fill the skates of the departed Sergei Brylin with the big club.


Patrice Cormier
—With the second-round pick (No. 54) they acquired from trading down with Washington in the first round of the 2008 Draft, the club selected plus-size center Patrice Cormier from the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic.The 6-foot-2, 201-pounder had 18 goals and 41 points in 51 games for the Oceanic despite missing time with a concussion and shoulder injury. He led the team in scoring in the playoffs with four goals and nine points in nine games.

Cormier projects as a bigger, stronger John Madden, but with a bit more offensive upside.

"Patrice is at his best when he is using his speed and playing an aggressive game," NHL Central Scouting's Christian Bordeleau said. "He is a hard worker and is hard to knock off of the puck. At this point in his development, he projects to be a third line-type checker. He's the type of player who likes to play in traffic and likes to drive to the net."

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