Sens' College prospects reviewed on Hockey's Future

Hockey's Future reviewed the status of Ottawa prospects currently playing in the NCAA last week, and--by and large--they're a lot of alright.

The most glowing review went to 2008 second-round pick Patrick Wiercioch, who (as of Feb. 6, 2009) has scored 10 goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season for the University of Denver Pioneers. HF had this to say about the offensive defenceman:

Wiercioch’s size is impressive, standing 6’4. He still needs to fill out his 180 lb frame, but when he does, it will make the transition to the pro ranks smoother. While Wiercioch has ample size, he lacks the mean streak that is present in large defensemen such as Chris Pronger, and Zdeno Chara, but that is not Wiercioch’s game. He is a smooth, offensive-minded rearguard who can hold his own in the defensive zone.

Aided by his solid skating ability, Wiercioch already looks to be a steal for the Senators. His impressive play resulted in an invite to Team Canada’s World Junior selection camp in December. While he did not make the cut for the actual tournament, the selection alone was impressive for a player who was not on the radar for many until this season.

All in all, HF reviewed the development of seven players in college; Here are snippets, but read the actual article if you want more depth.

• Eric Gryba (D): "After this season finishes, whether or not Gryba will turn pro remains to be seen. With Binghamton’s depth on the blueline, another year at Boston might be best to ensure he gets ample ice time."
• Mark Borowiecki (D): "Borowiecki is a long-term project to be sure, and will probably play at least two more seasons before the Senators sign him, if at all."
• Ben Blood (D): "Since he does not seem to excel either offensively nor defensively, and is not well rounded, Blood’s future is fuzzy at best."
• Louie Caporusso (F): "With 20 goals in 28 games, he is among the top goal scorers in the NCAA, blowing past his 12 goals in 33 games last season."
• Eric Condra (RW): "Condra is currently projected as a solid, third-line energy forward with some scoring touch. [...] Expect Condra to join Binghamton after the Fighting Irish’s season comes to an end and be signed to an NHL deal by Ottawa."
• Colin Greening (C): "At the age of 22 (23 in March) he would seem to have reached his ceiling in the NCAA, as he is unlikely to grow more as a player while competing against opponents who are up to four years his junior."

Sens 2007 draft update

The Senators chose four players in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus. All of them are playing in leagues that are easy to miss, so here is a quick rundown of how they are doing this season.

1st round, 29th overall: James O'Brien (C)

• O'Brien is playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. He was awarded the WHL's Player of the Week award for the week of Feb. 18-24, in which he scored 6 points (2G, 4A) and was +7 as the Thunderbirds went 3-0. As of Feb. 27, he was fourth on team scoring with 47 points (18G, 29A) in 60 games. He's the fifth-rated prospect the Sens have according to The Hockey News' Future Watch 08, and highest among the 2008 Sens picks.
  

2nd round, 60th overall: Ruslan Bashkirov (LW)

• He went back to Russia after playing in the QMJHL last season (he scored 30G and 37A in the Q in 2006-07). Word on the street is that Old Man Bashkirov, Ruslan's father, is a crazy person who pulled Ruslan and his brother, Roman Bashkirov, out of North American hockey to play in Russia. The Sens' prospect played on both Kazan Ak-Bars and Mytishi Khimik of the Russia Super Hockey League. After some ridiculously difficult research on the Mystishi Khimik website, I found his player profile--with no stats--and I learned that the Russian spelling of his name is "Руслан Башкиров". He also wears number 19, which doesn't bode well (cough*ALEXEI YASHIN*cough). It wouldn't be a bad thing if he decided to come back to North America, because according to HockeysFuture he "has the potential to be a second line offensive winger who brings and [stet] aggressive and competitive game." Then again, both Ilya Zubov and Alexander Nikulin bring that stuff.
  

3rd round, 90th overall: Louie Caporusso (C)

• Caporusso is playing as a freshman for the University of Michigan Wolverines, and he's scored 17 points (10G, 7A) in 25 games, good enough for seventh on team scoring despite missing nine games with a knee injury. U of M is a behemoth, assembling a 26-4-4 record as of Feb. 23, and 'Cappie' has scored 4 game-winning goals, tying him for second-most on the team. As quoted in The Michigan Daily, U of M coach Red Berenson has been impressed with Caporusso since the injury: "I really like the direction that Louie's going. Since he's come back, he has really given his line a dose of offense and smarts."

4th round, 120th overall: Ben Blood (D)

• Plays for the USHL's Indiana Ice. He was traded to Indiana by the Des Moines Buccaneers for Brett Bruneteau, a Washington Capitals prospect. He's scored 19 points (8G, 11A) in 42 games for both teams, good for seventh on the team, and has nine powerplay points (4G, 5A). At 6'4" and 220 lbs, and only 18 years old, the Sens are probably more interested in his 52 penalty minutes and whether or not he's a big hitter. But no media covers the Indiana Ice (despite the fact they're partially owned by 27-year-old Colorado defenceman John-Michael Liles), so I have no idea how he's been playing this season.
  

Another entry draft has come and gone

The Sens made four draft choices over Friday night and Saturday morning at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, and Bryan Murray said he was largely trying to build up size, complementing it with a Russian prospect already playing in North America. The picks were as follows, formatted with round number, and overall number in brackets:

1 (29): James O'Brien
2 (60): Ruslan Bashkirov
3 (90): Louie Caporusso
4 (120): Ben Blood

Ottawa traded their fifth- and seventh-round picks, as well as a seventh-rounder acquired from Phoenix in the Oleg Saprykin deal earlier in the year, to Tampa Bay in exchange for the Lightning's fourth-rounder in the 2008 draft, which is supposed to be deeper in talent than this year's was. The sixth-round pick was previously traded to Washington for Lawrence Nycholat this past February.

Sappy's big return?

Speaking of Saprykin, the Ottawa Sun has reported that former GM John Muckler tendered the winger a qualifying offer of just over $1M before he was fired. Apparently, if Oleg goes to arbitration he could earn "a reward of over $1.8 million". I don't know how Garrioch got that figure, but if arbitration awarded that it would be ridiculous. Apparently Murray is trying to move him.

McAmmond now officially sticking around

Speaking of things Muckler started before he got fired, the two-year contract extension he had tabled to Dean McAmmond was made official on Friday. In celebration, I shaved a playoff-era, McAmmond-esque mohawk into my head. The terms of the deal are supposedly $900K for 2007-08 and $950k for 2008-09. Here's hoping he retires as a Senator.

Sens Fever still in the capital

Taking the OC Transpo downtown a few days ago, I noticed some wicked Senators graffiti near the Bay Street station. If you get the opportunity, be sure to check it out. Here's a sneak peak, it's a pretty wicked piece of artwork.