Draft Gives Pens Plenty of Options
By Bob Grove

The United States National Team Development Program is on a roll.

Last year USA Hockey's Ann Arbor, Michigan-based program produced two of the first seven players selected in the NHL Entry Draft, with defenseman Jack Johnson (No. 3, Carolina) going on to star at Michigan and right wing Jack Skille (No. 7, Chicago) helping Wisconsin to the 2006 NCAA title. Its Under-18 team won the World Junior U-18 championship for the second consecutive season this April, and four of its players are expected to be taken early in the June 24 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.

"They try for the best 17- and 18-year-old kids in the country, and they do an excellent job with them," says Penguins' head scout Greg Malone. "The kids are on the ice every day, they play mostly on weekends, so there's not a lot of travel, and the coaches have an opportunity to spend a lot of time with the kids. This year, a lot of kids on that team are going to be drafted."

None will be drafted before 6-4, 218-pound defenseman Erik Johnson, rated the best available player by both the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau and Red Line Report. With only the St. Louis Blues picking before them-barring trades, which are likely to remain a possibility right up to draft day-the Penguins might wind up with Johnson. The Bloomington, Minn., native scored 16 goals and 49 points in 47 games to rank fourth on the team in scoring and added 88 penalty minutes-the team's second-highest total.

"He's a big, physical defenseman who also plays a nice finesse game with the puck," says Malone. "He gets it up the ice, jumps into the play, so he definitely can play on both sides of the puck. He's not afraid to use his size. Sometimes he actually gets too aggressive, so he has that edge to his game. But it's better to have to try to tone a player down than try to instill that into him."

Johnson has signed a letter of intent to play next season at the University of Minnesota, where center Phil Kessel already has a stellar freshman season behind him. The 5-11, 184-pounder from Madison, Wisc. scored 18 goals and 51 points in 39 games, finishing second on the team and earning WCHA Rookie of the Year honors. He's ranked second by Red Line Report and fifth by Central Scouting "He skates well, is quick, handles the puck well and scores highlight-reel goals," Malone says of Kessel, who led the World Junior Tournament in scoring and also represented the U.S. at the World Championships last month. "If you need a goal-scorer, this guy can put the puck in the net."

Another outstanding WCHA rookie, North Dakota center Jonathan Toews, is ranked third by Red Line Report and third by Central Scouting. The 6-1, 185-pound Toews scored 22 goals and 39 points in 42 games and was +20 with the Fighting Sioux after playing the previous season at Shattuck-St. Mary's, whose alumni include Sidney Crosby and Ryan Malone.

"For a kid of high school age to go to college and put up those kinds of numbers, playing a complete game at both ends of the rink, you have to stand up and take notice of that," Malone said. "Plus he played with Canada in the World Juniors, and not too many kids get a chance to do that in their first year (of eligibility)."

Another Canadian, 6-4, 208-pound center Jordan Staal, is ranked sixth by Red Line Report and second by Central Scouting after scoring 28 goals and 68 points in 68 games with the OHL's Peterborough Petes. The brother of Carolina's Eric Staal "plays a strong two-way game," says Malone. "He knows what to do in the offensive zone and then comes back low and helps out the defense. He shows a lot of similarities to Eric's game, so he has a lot of potential. He shows good leadership on the ice for a young kid. He has a big upside."

Senior Writer Bob Grove has been covering the Penguins since 1981 and currently serves as co-host on the Penguins Radio Network.