Saturday, June 21, 2008

Meanwhile, in the second round...

Caps had two picks, at 57 and 58 (the 54th having been traded to New Jersey last night as part of a deal to move up to #21). Here are the picks, background courtesy of nhlentrydraft2008.com:

#57: Eric Mestery – D (Tri-City Americans): 6’5”, 195; 71 games, 2-14-16, +9

· Credits his parents for having had the most influence on his career – "they've been there for me the whole way and they've put so much time, money and effort into my career".

· The best advice he has ever received was "play every shift like its your last" from Todd Davidson.

· Patterns his game after T.J. Fast because – "he is great with the puck, a good skater, smart and a very good role model".

· His most memorable hockey moment was setting the Tri-City franchise record for most wins in a season in 2006-07 – "we had such a great group of guys and it was fun to share it with them".

· If he could invite any three people to dinner he would choose: Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman and his dad – "because Gretzky and Yzerman are our favorite players of all-time".

· His Grandpa Mestery pitched for the New York Yankees farm team.

· The most embarrassing song on his iPod is "Right kind of wrong" by Leann Rhimes and if he could be in any one movie he would want to be in Friday Night Lights.

Favorites:

NHL Team: Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers

NHL Player: Nicklas Lidstrom

Shootout move: "fake shot, make one move and go five hole or blocker"

Practice Drill: "Horseshoe with drop pass"

Video Game: NHL 08 and Call of Duty 4

Movie: Friday Night Lights

TV Show: Friends

Actor: Vince Vaughn

Group: Rise Against

Pump-up song: Anything by Rise Against or Hawthorn Heights

Food to cook: Grilled cheese

Sport (other than hockey): Golf

Activity away from the rink: Beach volleyball

Place to shop: Buckle

Place to visit: Home

Scouting Report:

NHL Central Scouting's Blair Macdonald...

"Eric has good mobility, is able to contain the opposition and plays well positionally. He moves the puck quickly and on the tape, and is a good skater which allows him to join the rush effectively. He needs to add a little bit more spark to his game and to play with more confidence to become a better defenseman."

#58: Dmitri Kugryshev – RW (CSKA-2 Moscow): 5’11” 183; 35 games, 29-29-58, 10th ranked European skater in CSS.

· Helped Team Russia capture the bronze medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships, playing in all seven games and posting four points (1-3-4).

· Also won a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF Under-18 World Championships, posting three points (2-1-3) in three games.

Scouting Report:

"Dmitri is a skilled winger with good vision and the ability to make plays under pressure. He needs to improve his physical presence and his overall speed, but his work ethic and balance on his skates still make him an effective winger."

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