2007 NHL Entry Draft: Preview

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06/19/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League will hold its annual Entry Draft this weekend at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, and the Chicago Blackhawks will get first crack at this year's pool of talented youngsters.

The Blackhawks, who ended last season tied for the third-worst record in the Western Conference, have never had the first overall pick since the draft began in 1963.

This year's draft is expected to be a wide-open affair, and fans should be prepared for surprises beginning with the very first pick. None of the players are considered to be a can't-miss prospect in the mold of Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, but there is still plenty of talent available.

The No. 1 pick will likely be right wing Patrick Kane or centerman Kyle Turris, but even that's not a certainty.

Kane is the top-rated skater by International Scouting Services after turning in an unbelievable rookie season in the Ontario Hockey League. The Buffalo, NY native led the OHL in 2006-07 season with 145 points (62 goals, 83 assists) while playing in 58 games for the London Knights.

Kane also tallied five goals and four assists as member of Team USA's bronze- medal winning squad at the 2007 World Junior Championships. Has good speed, but his scoring prowess is primarily a result of his excellent stickhandling. At 5-9, 160 pounds, Kane has always had something to prove and so far he's exceeded expectations every step of the way.

Turris could be the best prospect to ever come out of the tier II British Columbia Hockey League. It was his size that originally kept Turris from playing in the major junior leagues, but his six-foot frame shows that he has since grown into his skill. He is the top-rated North American skater by NHL Central Scouting after notching 66 goals and 55 assists in 53 games for the Burnaby Express last season. Turris has blazing speed, a hard shot, excellent vision in the passing game, and may be the first BCHL player to go first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

The best of the rest includes Russian winger Alexei Cherapanov, who set a Russian Super League rookie record by scoring 18 times for Avangard Omsk, breaking the mark set by Pavel Bure during the 1988-89 RSL campaign. Cherapanov is the top-rated European skater by Central Scouting.

After Kane, the next American expected to go in the draft is James Van Riemsdyk, a left wing prospect from Middletown, NJ. Van Riemsdyk, who played last year with the U.S. National Team Development Program, is already 6-3, 205 pounds and could fill out that frame and become a big-time power forward in the NHL. He will attend the University of New Hampshire in the fall of 2007, and should hone his game with the Wildcats.

The top defenseman this year is widely considered to be Karl Alzner, a 6-2, 206-pound blueliner from Calgary of the Western Hockey League. He is the sixth-ranked overall skater by the ISS after registering 47 points (8 goals, 39 assists) and posting a plus-16 in 63 games with the Hitmen in 2006-07. Alzner was also the youngest defenseman on the gold medal-winning Team Canada at the 2007 World Junior Championships.

This Burnaby, BC native is an excellent passer and strong skater who also knows how to use his 6-2, 206-pound frame. Alzner projects as at least a solid two-way defenseman in the NHL.

There isn't expected to be much in the way of goaltending talent this year and the first round could roll by without a single netminder getting drafted. NHL Central Scouting has named Jeremy Smith of Plymouth (OHL) as the top North American goaltender and Sweden's Joel Gistedt as the best European backstop available.

The lack of a standout name may also lead to a rush of trades, as teams near the top of the draft consider helping their team by swapping a high pick for more established players.

The first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft will begin Friday evening at 7 p.m. (et) and rounds 2-7 will start on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. The entire first-round order is as follows:

1. Chicago; 2. Philadelphia; 3. Phoenix; 4. Los Angeles; 5. Washington; 6. Edmonton; 7. Columbus; 8. Boston; 9. St. Louis; 10. Florida; 11. Carolina; 12. Montreal; 13. Toronto; 14. Colorado; 15. Edmonton (from NYI); 16. Anaheim (from TAM); 17. NY Rangers; 18. Calgary; 19. Minnesota; 20. Pittsburgh; 21. Phoenix (from DAL); 22. Montreal (from SJS); 23. Philadelphia (from NAS); 24. St. Louis (from ATL); 25. Vancouver; 26. St. Louis (from NJD via SJS) 27. Detroit; 28. Washington (from BUF); 29. Ottawa; 30. Edmonton (from ANA).

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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