2006 Picks & Contracts

[Scout]

Courtesy Alan Caldwell

Thursday, May 15, 2008

2006 picks & contracts
The June 1 deadline for NHL teams to sign their 2006 draft picks or lose their rights is approaching just over two weeks away. From my calculations, there were 21 2006 NHL draft picks playing in the WHL this season. Of those 21:


9 have signed with their NHL teams
11 have not signed
1 has had his rights relinquished by his NHL team (Jordan Bendfeld of Medicine Hat, a Phoenix 5th rounder)
The players who have signed are:

Leland Irving (Everett) - 1st rd - Calgary
Ty Wishart (Moose Jaw) - 1st rd - San Jose
Riley Holzapfel (Moose Jaw) - 2nd rd - Atlanta
Ben Maxwell (Kootenay) - 2nd rd - Montreal
Robin Figren (Edmonton) - 3rd rd - NY Islanders

Bud Holloway (Seattle) - 3rd rd - Los Angeles

Ryan White (Calgary) - 3rd rd - Montreal
James Reimer (Red Deer) - 4th rd - Toronto
Levi Nelson (Swift Current) - 6th rd - Boston

The players who have NOT signed (as best as I can determine anyway) are:

Ondrej Fiala (Saskatoon) - 2nd rd - Minnesota
Keith Seabrook (Calgary) - 2nd rd - Washington
Brady Calla (Kamloops) - 3rd rd - Florida
Ben Wright (Lethbridge) - 4th rd - Columbus
Juuso Puustinen (Kamloops) - 5th rd - Calgary
Dane Crowley (Everett) - 6th rd - Tampa Bay

Jesse Dudas (Swift Current) - 6th rd - Columbus
Cameron Cepek (Edmonton) - 7th rd - Montreal
Evan Fuller (Moose Jaw) - 7th rd - Vancouver
Logan Pyett (Regina) - 7th rd - Detroit
Viktor Sjodin (Portland) - 7th rd - Nashville

(Sjodin was released by Portland midway through this season and is no longer with Portland, but he did play in the WHL this year so I left him on the list)

Of those names, Logan Pyett is said to be very close to a deal with Detroit, while Dane Crowley was signed to an amateur tryout by Tampa Bay after Everett's season ended (to enable him to play in the AHL for the rest of this year), so they must have some interest in him although he has not signed an NHL contract yet.

Calla and Puustinen are known to be negotiating with their NHL teams as well. The rest.....I have no idea whether there's any interest from the teams or not.

If I'm not mistaken, Fiala and Crowley will become unrestricted free agents if they do not sign by June 1st. The rest (including Bendfeld) will all re-enter the 2008 draft. Europeans used to be exempt from this rule but I believe with the new CBA, starting with 2005 picks NHL teams must sign European players within two years as well.

[canes77]

I dont think Alzner has signed either...Washington sure likes to take their time with the Hitmen D-men.

[Scout]

I believe Alzner was drafted in 2007 not 2006. Yes Washington takes its time signing players but i can't see them not signing him very soon.

Scout

[AlanC]

I believe Alzner was drafted in 2007 not 2006. Yes Washington takes its time signing players but i can't see them not signing him very soon.


I guess now that the season is over for both the Capitals and their AHL affiliate in Hershey, there probably isn't any urgency to the Alzner negotiations. They do have over a year to sign him yet so right now they are probably focused on signing any 2006 picks they have to get done, plus trying to re-sign any of their current pro players who are becoming free agents this summer, etc. Alzner probably just isn't a big priority since they can work on his deal all summer if they need to, as long as it's done in time for next season.

I personally don't think Seabrook is going to pan out into an NHL defenceman, if his play this year was any indication. But if he does, and it's with the Capitals, then the Caps could someday have a blueline featuring Seabrook, Alzner, and Jeff Schultz - three players from the same WHL organization. Not something you see every day....

[canes77]

That's true, Washington does has more time to sign Alzner, no June 1st deadline like the 2006 picks. I brought Alzner up simply because I believe he will be in the NHL come October.

[moon]

Calla and Puustinen are known to be negotiating with their NHL teams as well. The rest.....I have no idea whether there's any interest from the teams or not.


On Thursday Sutter said that Puustinen will not be signed by Calgary.

[Scout]

Wonder whats up with that. He has the size and by the looks of it the skill. Wonder why Calgary would let him go.

Scout

[AlanC]

Wonder whats up with that. He has the size and by the looks of it the skill. Wonder why Calgary would let him go.

No idea, but it's not necessarily the team's decision. It takes two signatures to make a contract and if the player doesn't want to sign, then there won't be a deal. Puustinen may simply not want to sign with Calgary....maybe he's just not interested in the NHL or doesn't feel he's ready for it yet. Or, perhaps he is holding out for more money than the Flames feel they can justify giving a mid-round pick without blowing their salary scale out of whack.

Who knows....there's tons of reasons why guys don't get signed....

[moon]

Wonder whats up with that. He has the size and by the looks of it the skill. Wonder why Calgary would let him go.

Scout

Sutter implied that he wasn't that impressed with Puustinen and that it was as much the Flames decision as Pusstinen's (if it was Pusstinen's at all). He said he wasn't surprised because most of the Scandinavian guys that come to the CHL don't ever make it to the NHL. The good Scandinavian stay in their countries and it is the weaker guys that have to come to the CHL because they can't get ice time at home.

As a Flames fan I am not worried that we didn't sign him. Didn't show me anything that would indicate he will be anything other than an average AHLer.

[peatfan]

Puustinen has signed for next year back in Finland. Not sure of the team but he signed about a month ago. He might have an escape ause as many do ut there is no way he will play ere in Calgary next year. At least three years away for a regular tour in the NHL if at all. Can't see him being more han a depth player. :clown: