The Ottawa Senators are very pleased to select, from the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League, Emerson Etem.
After a culmination of days and weeks of preparing this mock draft for all of you, the mock has been released on Too Many Men On The Site . When it came to to my turn at #16, there were a couple of good players still left. However, my favorite has always been Etem, the smooth-skater who grew up in the Long Beach, California. In 2007, Murray drafted Jim O’Brien, the big centreman from Maplewood, Minnesota. In 2008, Erik Karlsson was taken at #15. 2009, Jared Cowen was the pick. Not only do we need a scoring forward below Jason Spezza on the depth chart, but also a fast one. Etem provides both. He’s a protypical centre, with a left-handed shot, something the Senators currently don’t have.
As we see with young teams such as the Penguins, Blackhawks, and Coyotes, they have speedy centres who never give up. If Ottawa wants to compete in such an offense-based conference, they’ll have to counter. Although an appearance in a Senators’ sweater is not likely for the next 2 years, I would think the 2012-2013 season should be a target base.
We’re not done yet here, though. I was also the armchair General Manager for the Montreal Canadiens. With the 27th overall pick, I took Brock Nelson, out of Warroad High School. The Habs couldn’t make it further than the Eastern Final because they didn’t have a big, rangy centremen who could pivot the attack. Nelson is that type of guy and with the Canadiens having a penchant of drafting Minnesota-born players, Brock will be the pick here.
Be sure to check out Too Many Men for all rumors and updates before the Draft, including the Live Draft Chat on Friday, at 7:00 PM ET. From Los Angeles, and hoping Jason Spezza does not get traded. Enjoy the awards show tonight!