California Draftin'
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 3:10 AM PDT
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Is that a white seersucker dress shirt he paired with that pink satin tie? Kid's got style.
ARTHUR:
The temptation to draft Californian for drafting Californian's sake struck the Ducks in the 5th Round in 2005. Having already taken Bobby Ryan, a New Jersey native who played for the Junior Kings after moving to California, they were confronted with the opportunity of taking his former teammate, Brian Salcido. The young prospect had also played for the Junior Ducks and was born in Hermosa Beach, which would make him the first California born and California developed player to play for Anaheim.
He did indeed make it to the ice at the Pond, earning a start the old fashioned way i.e. three full and successful years in the AHL, and the Ducks seemed as enthusiastic about him as they've ever been about a fifth-rounder. However, that enthusiasm seems to have faded, and Salcido took a serious injury in the AHL this year, making his two game stint feel more like a publicity stunt.
The temptation to draft Californian will rear its ugly head again this year (and in a Draft held at Staples Center, no less), as the Ducks will be confronted with two first rounders (in a year when they have two first round picks) and one late rounder that all hail from Southern California. UPDATE: At WCHBlog's suggestion, I've added defensemen Taylor Aronson and Brandon Underwood to the list as late round possibilities. After the jump, I'm going to take an extremely cursory look at the players, and just leave you with the simple question, is it important to you that the Ducks draft a Californian?
Emerson Etem
6'0" 190lbs.
ISS Ranking: 18th (April)
Central Scouting: 8th
Etem was born in Long Beach. As you heard in the video above, he learned how to play roller hockey at the Y, and despite going to Shattuck St. Mary's for high school, he keeps his offseason regimen in California. He's also a big Kings fan. Feel free to be conflicted about that in the comments.
If you've seen him, you know the kid's got jets. He was also fourth in scoring (65 PTS) and second in goal scoring (37) on Medicine Hat as a rookie, and he led the team in scoring in the playoffs with 7 goals and 3 assists. Reportedly very fit with a solid work ethic, he could have a great showing at the Combine. There's no reason he couldn't be the Ducks' man independent of his place of birth.
Beau Bennett
6'0" 173 lbs.
ISS Ranking: No longer in the Top 30 (April)
Central Scouting: 32nd
Bennett is a native of Gardena (illest hockey player from here to Gardena?), and like Etem, he's a big Kings fan. He actually played for the Junior Kings, and I kind of wish I watched him there, as he's moved on to the BCHL, and I still haven't seen him play.
moved on to the BCHL
Ahem, let me rephrase that. He's moved on to rip the BCHL in half in his rookie season to the tune of 41G 120 PTS in 56 games. From trying to follow him online, I get the feeling that a lot of people haven't seen him at his best, as many have fallen into the temptation of comparing him to Kyle Turris and Tyler Bozak, who also tore up the BCHL, but whose non-statistical similarities to Bennett are rather unclear.
He's committed to Denver, and staying near California seems to be important to him for now. If he's there when the Ducks use the Flyers pick, I don't see why they don't go with Bennett. The Ducks could use a dynamic scorer in the cupboard.
Jacob Fallon
5'10" 191 lbs.
Central Scouting: 68th Domestic
Fallon hails from Riverside and is a former LA Select. WCHBlog has a good profile of him with some good links. The bottom line is that while scouts seem to like him and the University of Michigan seems to like him, it's not all that clear why, and he's had a disciplinary issue in the face of so-so numbers.
The Ducks have two sixth round picks this year, but picking Fallon may be as hollow a gesture as taking Salcido. Yes, the Ducks passed on the opportunity to take a 5'10" Californian before when they passed on Rhett Rakhshani in the 3rd Round in 2006, but I think Fallon might be available even if he does pan out. How much is the team that drafts him going to ask for a playmaking 5'10" two-way forward?
Taylor Aronson
6'0" 196 lbs.
Central Scouting: 88th Domestic
Another former Junior King, Aronson is the only Orange County player on the list, coming to you from Placentia. The defenseman played his rookie season in the WHL this year, and there's a quote about him from USA Today's Red Line Report that's gaining a bit of steam:
Taylor Aronson (Portland) — Has big-time natural talent and lots of upside if he decides he wants to be a player. We hated his complete lack of passion the entire regular season, but wow, has he ever turned it up in the playoffs. - USA Today 4/18/2010
His complete lack of passion the ENTIRE regular season? Well, if scouts hate him, he's probably on Madden's board somewhere. And really, despite the fact that I missed the Winterhawks this season, I can't help but think the quote is a bit hyperbolic. Even before he led the Portland defenseman in scoring in the playoffs (2G, 7A), he put up 5G, 25A and 65 PIM in the regular season. Is the guy fighting in the regular season here so much less passionate than the guy fighting in the playoffs here? The Ducks have no third round pick and their last four picks consist of 4th, 5th and 6th, 6th, but if they pick up extra late round picks in a trade, I could definitely see them giving Aronson a good look.
Brandon Underwood
6'3" 210 lbs.
Central Scouting: 196th Domestic
A big bruiser from San Marcos, CA, Underwood actually grew up a Maple Leafs fan, taking after his father who hails from Toronto. Despite being a couple of hours south, Underwood made the trek to play with the Junior Kings.
He's got a pretty good fight card for his two years in Kamloops of the WHL, and he was actually second on the team in PIM this year. Still, the Ducks haven't had a 7th Round pick since the Joakim Lindstrom trade, so I don't know how seriously they've examined late round tough guy possibilities. If a team takes a flier on Underwood, I doubt it would be the Ducks, Southern Californian or not.
Conclusion
With picks like Holland, Palmieri, Vatanen and Bobkov, Martin Madden seems to be the kind of guy that wants the most value possible at each pick level. Not the most value guaranteed, but the most value possible. If other scouts are finding reasons to pass on guys, you won't find those reasons on Madden's board. And picking in a vacuum, I have to believe there will be better players than Etem at 12 and maybe better players than Bennett at the end of the First. Does Murray pull the trigger anyways to go with a California kid, the same way the Wild have to consider a Minnesota kid or the Canadiens have to consider a French Canadian? Would you?
Also, bear in mind that Matt Nieto (5'11" 180 lbs), who is currently committed to Boston University, is available next year. He, too, learned hockey at the Long Beach Y and ended up at a Prep School (Salisbury in Connecticut). So it's not like this chance won't come again.
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I’ve added Aronson and Underwood at WCHBlog’s prompting. There are, of course, other late round possibilities like Jon Parker, and this wasn’t meant to be a truly comprehensive list, just a look at some really good picks and the traditional later picks.
The Ducks have obviously had a shot at mid-round California talent before in players like Rakhshani and Mitch Wahl and declined to pull the trigger, but the dilemma this year felt like a lot of likely NHLers versus more Salcido.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 11:56 AM PDT reply actions
I think the best thing I read about Etem was work ethic. I know you mention it, but I read that he comes in early to look at film and talk to coaches. Apparently, he’s a very active student of the game. That’s the kind of habit that can see a kid in a lineup either straight out of, or only a year after being drafted.
yeah, that was noted in his NHL.com profile, and not so much as far as him being a ‘student of the game’ but in his careerist attitude. He went to Shattuck St. Mary’s, played with the national development team, then went to the WHL and worked his ass off to get better. He’s basically doing everything to get into the NHL. And a guy who takes his draft year seriously is going to take his contract years seriously, etc. I don’t know if we have to paint him as a ‘student of the game,’ but he won’t be Wisniewski-ing it up on whatever team he plays for. Making money being a hockey player is clearly important to him.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions
It was an article I read when I googled him. I’ll try to find it for you. His coach answered a couple of questions and he mentioned something along those lines. I don’t think it’s an exact quote, but it was something about him trying to learn as much about hockey as possible, at least in terms of playing.
that quote’s in the above profile, and the coach notes that it’s rare to get video requests from his players. And at the end of the profile, Etem freely admits that he’s looking for the fast track. I don’t fault him for that. Scouts do take the CHL more seriously than the NCAA, Shattuck St. Mary’s more seriously than any California program, etc. He’s willing to build a pedigree and he’s willing to put everything together for his draft year. That’s a good thing.
I was just saying, let’s not make it a ‘student of the game’ thing. He’s got great hockey sense, and he’s working to improve it, but he admits in the article that he’s committed to getting to the NHL. That’s the goal. He’s not looking to use information about the game anywhere else. He’s not looking to fall back on a coaching position; this is about getting there ASAP, otherwise why leave home at 14, why leave for the WHL, etc.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 2:53 PM PDT up reply actions
And that’s not to shit on Rakhshani or Bennett’s decision to go to Denver to be closer to home, or Newton’s decision to finish high school out here or anything like that. I’m sure it takes just as much confidence that you’ll make it to the NHL for them to follow that path. And as they’ll be older, maybe they’ll be more impatient in their contract years than Etem, but I think a guy deserves credit for putting together a solid resume.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Drafting a Californian, or two, might help in selling the game to fans here in SoCal. It’ll show that the game is growing and there’s actually kids playing hockey down here.
Now, is it important to draft a Californian? I dont think so. We want to put the best product on the ice regardless where they’re from.
It’ll show that the game is growing and there’s actually kids playing hockey down here.
I think there are definitely players proving that already. My problem is that the Ducks passed on them. They didn’t opt for Rakhshani or Wahl, who are both OC kids, and I know Wahl at least is a big Ducks fan. Instead, their examples of Californian draftees are Jeremey Stevenson (born San Diego, raised in Ontario) and Brian Salcido (bona fide 5th Rounder).
I’m not suggesting we boo like the Minnesotans or the French Canadians do when one of their native sons gets snubbed, but this year seems like a real opportunity to actual get a California NHL player in a California draft.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions
well, i was trying to drum up everyone else’s response more than drive the conversation toward my opinion. But my opinion is they should decide what’s important to them. If they don’t really feel the need to support Californians coming up through the Draft, then don’t. If they do, then do. But no more of these publicity stunts. Not when I have to see Rakhshani actually playing well in the AHL.
As side note, I’d also like to see Jake Newton get a full season. None of that Richard Park crap where Hayward points out he played his youth hockey here for 15 games then they bury him in the minors.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Quite frankly, I couldn’t careless where our draftees come from. I don’t think origin should be taken into account on draft day.
Well, it’s a Staples Center draft. I think Louis Leblanc could have easily slipped into the lower third last year, especially with him intent on going to and finishing his education at Harvard, but Canadiens fans at the Draft would’ve rushed the stage if they picked an English Canadian, or god forbid, an American. It’s a unique situation in terms of picking a hometown kid.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions
I think drafting a Californian is an interesting idea. That said, I think everyone here would agree that it would be foolish to draft a Californian simply because that’s what he is, rather than select a player who isn’t Californian but may be better.
There's nothing to see here. And nothing gazes back at me.
it would be foolish to draft a Californian simply because that’s what he is,
which is definitely my problem with the Salcido pick. If you’re going to take a chance on a California kid, why not take a chance on a good one? Why burn a spare 5th Round pick, then in succeeding years pass on legitimate third rounders and this year FIRST rounders?
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 5:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Ya, that’s really the only issue I can see pertaining to this year’s draft. But hey, if they’re torn between two great players and one happens to be from California, I’d have no problem letting that be deciding factor on drafting that particular player.
There's nothing to see here. And nothing gazes back at me.
Birthplace Affirmative Action. Awesome.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m not going to lie. This Etem kid is the most excited I’ve ever been about the Ducks drafting somebody. I shouldn’t get my hopes up, because they will inevitably let me down. Still, if we drafted Etem, I’d pull an Arthur, and try to get my hands on his Medicine Hat jersey.
You know you want that Dan Sexton Bowling Green jersey!! Better hurry. Murray’s going to trade him this year for Ethan Moreau and an opened package of Nicorette gum.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions
That’s too real! I know you’re mostly joking, but there’s enough truth in that comment to terrify me.
the sad part is that it’s only mostly a joke. I swear to god he’s going to call about Wendel Clark before we fire him. He can’t help himself.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 22, 2010 12:46 PM PDT up reply actions
The black jersey is available for $99 here, but I’d call ahead to ask about having them stitch it for you. That’s what I usually do with my CHL jerseys. Etem wears 26.
by Arthur from Anaheim Calling on May 21, 2010 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions
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