NHL Mock Draft Pick #6 – Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are in unfamiliar territory drafting in the top 10 of the Entry Draft.  on the heels of the New York Islanders selection of Sean Couturier, the Senators are prepared to make the #6 pick.  If you haven’t already done so, check out my overview of the Senators‘  needs from yesterday.

Picking for the Senators is Tony, on of the Editors of SenShot.

First off, we would like to thank Fansided and the Too Many Men On The Site for hosting a great event. On behalf of SenShot and the Ottawa Senators organization, we are pleased to announce that with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 Fansided NHL Mock Draft, SenShot selects from the Niagara Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League, center Ryan Strome.

Senator Centre

Jared’s Analysis –  Since I am a writer for SenShot, I am reclusing myself from the analysis, so I have invited a writer from a site that will not have a first round pick to provide a guest analysis and remove me from a possible conflict of interest.  Thanks to Eugene from Broad Street Buzz for accepting the role.

Eugene’s Analysis – The Sens have fallen on hard times. When things are as bad as they are now, there’s no single position that will fix things right away. Strome is a good starting point because he brings a lot to the table. Many scouting reports say that his jump in production over the last year has helped his draft stock skyrocket. He can score, but is primarily a playmaker. He can help elevate the offense and make his teammates better. A big knock against him is that he’s a bit light. Still, small players have a place in the NHL, and if he’s got the vision to make up for what he lacks in strength, he’ll be ok. Let’s not forget that he’s not even 18. He can still grow.

Tony from SenShot gives his assessment of Strome:

First off, I would like to say there was a great debate about who we should select with this pick from the SenShot team. After looking at who was still on the board, we narrowed the field down to two players: centre Ryan Strome and defenceman Dougie Hamilton. Here are the three main reasons why we picked Strome over Hamilton: 1. In terms of organizational depth, we are stacked on defense.  2. We see Strome being similar to Matt Duchene at the same age.  If Strome can develop like Duchene, then Ottawa will be solid down the middle for years to come.   3. If Ottawa drafts Strome, he doesn’t have to be a star. We have Jason Spezza for that. We just need a solid second line center that can produce offense with different players. He’s got good size, speed and smarts that will most likely make him successful in the NHL.

Followers of the Senators should check out SenShot for more on this selection and Senators news in general.

Here are the Mock Draft results so far (click on the team name to go to the post about that pick):

HAVE YOUR SAY

Now on the clock for the #7 selection, on behalf of the Atlanta Thrashers, is Thrasher Backer.

PREVIEWING THE THRASHERS

2010-2011 Record: 34-36-12  (25th Overall)

League Rankings:
Goals for:  25th

Goals Against: 29th

Power Play: 12th

Penalty Kill:  27th

TOP 5 Prospects in the system: Carl Klingberg (LW), Patrice Cormier (C), Spencer Machacek (RW), Paul Postma (D), Arturs Kulda (D)

NEEDS: The Atlanta Thrashers were in the midst of the playoff race until near the end of the season.  Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd were key pieces to the puzzle acquired from Chicago in their post-Cup purge.  The Thrashers need to solidify all areas of the team, and should take the best player available.  With the run on forwards for the last 5 picks, the two best players on the board are defensemen, Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Murphy.  It would be a mistake to pass on one of these players.

TOP 5 PLAYERS ON THE BOARD (per ISS):

1.  Dougie Hamilton, D, Niagara (OHL)

2.  Ryan Murphy, D, Kitchener (OHL)

3.  Mika Zibanejad, C, Djurgarden (SWE ELITE)

4.  Joel Armia, RW, Assat (FIN ELITE)

5. Duncan Siemens, Saskatoon (WHL)

Check back on TOO MANY MEN ON THE SITE  tomorrow evening to see who  “Thrasher Backer” chooses to take for the ATLANTA THRASHERS, as the Fansided mock draft continues!