NHL Mock Draft Pick #17 – Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are very close to being an elite team. They have the goaltending, and the developing defense of a contender. As I stated yesterday, they are in need of skilled size in order to complete the package. There is some conjecture as to what direction the Habs go since they have a multitude of free agents and won’t be able to sign them all. This will put an immediate strain on the system and require an influx of talent soon.
Selecting on behalf of the Canadiens is Kosta, Lead Writer of A Winning Habit.
Defence, Joseph Morrow from Portland Winterhawks of the WHL
Jared’s Analysis – A slightly surprising off the board pick that has been slotted differently by different scouting services. ISS didn’t have him labelled as a first rounder, while CSB had him ranked ahead of the likes of Brandon Saad and Mark McNeill, who went earlier in this draft.
Kosta, Lead Writer of A Winning Habit gives us his scouting report on Morrow.
(Morrow is a) good offensive dman, great skater, great speed, great puck handler who might be weak defensively and still needs to improve in his own end.
I encourage fans and followers of the Canadiens to check out further information on the club and this pick in particular at A Winning Habit.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Here are the Mock Draft results so far (click on the team name to go to the post about that pick):
| Pick | TEAM | PLAYER |
| 1 | EDMONTON | Adam Larsson |
| 2 | COLORADO | Gabriel Landeskog |
| 3 | FLORIDA | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins |
| 4 | NEW JERSEY | Jonathan Huberdeau |
| 5 | NY ISLANDERS | Sean Couturier |
| 6 | OTTAWA | Ryan Strome |
| 7 | ATLANTA | Ryan Murphy |
| 8 | COLUMBUS | Dougie Hamilton |
| 9 | BOSTON (FR TOR) | Duncan Siemens |
| 10 | MINNESOTA | Sven Bartschi |
| 11 | COLORADO | Jamie Oleksiak |
| 12 | CAROLINA | Joel Armia |
| 13 | CALGARY | Mika Zibanejad |
| 14 | DALLAS | Nathan Beaulieu |
| 15 | NY RANGERS | Mark McNeill |
| 16 | BUFFALO | Brandon Saad |
| 17 | MONTREAL | Joseph Morrow |
Now on the clock for the #18 selection, on behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks, is Blackhawk Up.
PREVIEWING THE BLACKHAWKS
2010-2011 Record: 44-29-9 (13th Overall)
League Rankings:
Goals for: 4th
Goals Against: 12th
Power Play: 4th
Penalty Kill: 25th
TOP 5 Prospects in the system: Nick Leddy (D), Dylan Olsen (D), Jeremy Morin (LW), Kyle Beach (LW), Kevin Hayes (LW)
NEEDS: The Blackhawks are a year removed from the Stanley Cup championship and resulting purge of salary. They have a number of developing prospects in the system, and will be looking to build on that to ensure a solid future. They will be drafting by not by position and will take the best player available in their opinion. If recent picks have been any indication, you can throw the rankings out the window and toss a dart blindly to figure out who they will pick.
TOP 5 PLAYERS ON THE BOARD (per ISS):
1. Oscar Klefbom, D, Farjestad (SWE ELITE)
2. Rocco Grimaldi, C, USA Under-18 (USHL)
3. JT Miller, LW, USA Under-18 (USHL)
4. Mark Scheifele, C, Barrie (OHL)
5. Connor Murphy, D, USA Under-18 (USHL)
Check back on TOO MANY MEN ON THE SITE tomorrow evening to see who “Blackhawk Up” chooses to take for the Chicago Blackhawks, as the Fansided mock draft continues!
