great article on Nick Bjugstad

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/97030459.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUBP7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

i really wish the Wild would trade down and pick him, he's got so many tools, all of his attributes are good, his got an excellent shot. i mean his favorite player is Koivu, imagine how hard he'd work knowing he could play with Koivu.

oh well, we'll all be wishing we picked him in 3 years.

I'd have no problem with the Wild targeting him.

There's not really one guy in this draft at 9 that I'd jump at. I think trading down may be the best move... if there are any takers of course.

I'd love for us to pick this kid, imagine how happy he would be if he was drafted by the wild, he combined 2 years of HS to go play for the gophs sooner, he'd run back to MN just to get in better shape.

Also if you read the scouting report on Brock Nelson, the kids got like 3 relatives who've won olympic gold, 2 in 1960 1 in 1980 talk about hockey heritage.

Tho i have a feeling that we'll take Forbort, and on WMB people are saying the Wild are liking Burmistrov, which scares me, it sucks when your pick is a bust, but sucks more when he's dominating in the KHL.

To me, I just don't see value in staying at 9 when nobody there seems to stand out above the rest. Bjugstad needs a little work compared to some that will still be there at 9, but IMO he has equal if not higher upside than most of them as well.

Trade down to the low or mid-teens and take Bjugstad and IMO the team will end up with better overall value than staying put at #9.

TSN has us taking Nino they tend to be pretty accurate, but i would love for us to trade down, Bjugstad would be ready in 2 years, and he has all the tools, and an amazing shot.

IF we get a chance to pick Nino I'll be very happy.. I'd go on a limb and say if Nino dropped and we got him Fletch should try(I know pipe dream to have them both lol.. and not saying he can but its worth a shot) to trade up to snag Bjugstad aswell. If we don't get a shot at Nino then I would like them to drop and pick up a young player or pick in return and grab Bjugstad.

i would love for us to be able to do that Gnarkill, what would be awesome is Bjugstad and Nelson combo,

The thing is if we can snag Nino one of two promising MN players should be around in round 2, i'm talking about Brock Nelson and Justin Faulk.

Nelson has great offensive upside, size, skill, while Faulk is looking to become an offensive machine on the blue line, they both have size and good upsides and seem to be overlooked.

I know I just put this in the "we got the Finish PMB" thread... and TaLoN knows already, but I'm just not sold on Nick Bjugstad. As I said in the other thread, I know I only saw him a few times this season (and it was against 'Tonka who managed to make MOST star players vanish) but... he just doesn't strike me the way that Schroeder did in HS (or other higher profile MN HS players.) I was even more impressed with Leddy then Bjugstad.

I would like to see Brock in a Wild sweater though

Agree with you Zamboni on Brock, i'm basing my want of Bjugstad on simply his size, the tools he has and his shot, also his humility and work ethic.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not happy we picked Granlund but i want him to succeed, i want him to prove me wrong, i'll embrace him i will.

dude, you need to get over this minnesotan shit... seriously.

sqare wrote:

dude, you need to get over this minnesotan shit... seriously.

with the first pick in 2011 MN Wild are proud to select from New Prague MN Seth Ambroz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atWvJRR-gSE

yeah i'm insane and i love it

ok watching this vid i like this kid now, he's physical and in front of the net.

i need help

Quote :

Say what you want about Minnesota hockey coach Don Lucia, but there is no question the man has some serious recruits coming his way.

Last year, we saw Jordan Schroeder leave after two years, and freshman defenseman Nick Leddy developed nicely as the season wore on. The Gophers weren't good enough to make the NCAA playoffs or WCHA Final Five, but they have more help on the way.

Possible top ten NHL Draft pick Nick Bjugstad joins this fall, and possible 2011 top five pick Seth Ambroz was supposed to join him. The thought was that Ambroz -- who left high school for the USHL after his freshman season -- would be ready to play what would normally be his senior season of high school hockey in the WCHA.

It's quite a jump, but for someone who has been on an accelerated path, it wasn't something seen as impossible.

Hold on, though. Gopher blogger Hammy reported on Twitter that Ambroz will not join the "U" this fall. His report is backed up by a story on U.S. Hockey Report, a subscription-based site.

The thinking is simple: Ambroz will benefit more from being an alpha dog in the USHL than he will from having to work his way up the ladder at Minnesota. Not only that, but the physically imposing Ambroz took over 100 penalty minutes last year for the Omaha Lancers. If there is one part about his game that really needs work, it's probably that discipline thing.

Jokes about how WCHA officials treat the Gophers aside, it's probably not a good idea for him to enter the WCHA when he's only 17, has a reputation for taking penalties, and has to deal with 24- and 25-year-old college seniors. His fearlessness in the corners will eventually suit the Gophers well, as they have been known for a shortage of hard-working, high-character players in recent years.

That size (6-3, over 200 pounds by the time he gets to college) will help him a lot, too.

In the meantime, one has to wonder what Ambroz will do this year. Will he be bored with the USHL, or will he light it up like Thomas Vanek did before he became draft-eligible and eventually started terrorizing WCHA defenses?

Worse yet, will he become a pawn in the NCAA/CHL war? Let's hope not. Ambroz is a Minnesota kid, and he grew up close enough to the Twin Cities that you have to figure he's going to live a dream of sorts by playing for the Gophers. Not only that, but his advisor is former Bulldog and NHL mainstay Shjon Podein, and I can't see him recommending a kid go play major junior when he's been committed to a college for this long.

It's a bit strange to see a guy who has been pro-active in accelerating his education and hockey development suddenly hit the brakes. But this could be a good move for Ambroz, both in terms of becoming a star at the next level and for his 2011 draft chances.

We won't know if he did the right thing until the scouts have their say next winter.