They did well in this draft. Boedker is a speedy winger, and IMO will be very good eventually. Tikhonov, the Americanized Russian with an incredible lineage will probably begin in the minors. I heard that of all the prospects in the combine, Staal reported with the highest body fat %, so I'd expect a year of conditioning in the minors, then he can start working on living up to the Staal name. They felt that Stone and Brodeur are good enough to start restocking the defense around, both are 18, so they will get bigger and better, at least that's the plan. Long, the scorer from the OC, should get a good look, as will Billingsley and Hextall (will he have his dad's fiesty demeanor?). Alex Bourret, whom they traded for, could be like another ex-Hartford Wolf Pack player, Craig Weller, and make the squad with a good training camp. We may never see the players picked in the later rounds, but there's certainly something to follow this season, and it will be a fierce battle to make the team, with Summers, Kolarik, Porter and MacLean knocking on the door.
