RHL 17: Entry Draft Recap for MIM

The first two Entry Drafts for any expansion team in the RHL are extremely crucial as history would indicate due to the fact of getting multiple picks in each round to help stockpile prospects. Unfortunately during all the activity that has taken place over the past couple of weeks, namely the Expansion and Entry Drafts, GM Khoo was seen hitting the books cramming for an important exam that will help out his day job to fund the team in Vulcan.

To spare you the all the gory details all Khoo had to say was "Three months of studying and a 6-hour exam. Who the hell has a 6-hour exam?" Fortunately when the results came back after a week of extreme nervousness, Khoo got great news that he passed and wouldn't have to hang his head in shame.

Meanwhile, the Entry Draft was proceeding at a quick pace and Khoo admittedly didn't have enough time to do his homework. "I just tried to pick the best players available based on my early scouting reports. Overall I'm sure that I made some errors in judgement, but I'm pleased with who I came out with. These things tend to be a difficult if you are new to the league since you don't know any ones tendencies etc. I'm glad its done and am looking forward to the auction."

A breakdown of the MIM selections:

Erik Johnson (MIM1a) Going into the draft there wasn't much separating Johnson and Staal. MIM scouting staff just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to draft a potential franchise defencemen. Johnson has the offensive abilities to quarterback a PP and the defensive abilities to shut an opponent down. He could see action with the big club as early as RHL 19. Plays Like: Chris Pronger

Riku Helenius (MIM1b) Riku probably could've been had in Round 2, but the MIM decided to not take the chance and snatch the best goalie prospect in the draft. His performance in the U18 World Championships were what got him noticed as he was named MVG. Plays Like: Kari Lehtonen

Matt Corrente (MIM2a) "A talented, mobile defencemen with a rocket shot." is how Khoo described him. With more maturity, hopefully he will be able to control his aggression as he tends to take too many undisciplined penalties. Coming in at the MIM2a pick, this was a safe choice here. Plays Like: Marc-Andre Bergeron

Tomas Kana (MIM2b) Being the first forward drafted in MIM history, Kana brings a gritty North American game despite his small frame and playing in the Czech Republic. Although he can use work on his offence, he is excellent on the penalty kill and his work ethic is second to none. Plays Like: Kris Draper

Jamie McGinn (MIM3a) McGinn brings speed, energy and a good 2-way game. He does a ton of good things and can be utilized in every situation including the PK. Although not flashy, he can change the momentum of a game by scoring big goals and setting the pace. Plays Like: Steve Sullivan

Chris Summers (MIM3b) To round out MIM's first Entry Draft, another promising defencemen was picked. Known for his skating ability and good defence, Chris brings extreme mobility on the D who can keep up with the fastest forwards. Plays Like: Scott Niedermayer

Judging by the pool of players that was drafted by Khoo, it is clear that they all have some traits in common: speed & mobility. "I think that we've accomplished a lot of goals we set out for ourselves in the draft. Eventually, I'd love for the Mind Melds to be a team that others hate to play. I want them to be able to play a fast, physical game with a strong work ethic. After today, I think we're one step closer in doing that." Khoo said while addressing the media.

Next order of business is to hit the FA Auction and full out the rest of the MIM roster.

RHL17: Expansion Draft Results!!!

If there was one thing that Mind Melds GM Khoo had in mind going into the Expansion Draft, it was to hopefully get some good value from slim pickings. "I think we accomplished our mission in getting who we did. There were a couple of surprises in terms of who was left unprotected, which made my decision very easy." But the usual suspects were available at draft time that composed of mostly unrated players for RHL17 that required Khoo to take a pass on several teams.

Khoo ended up selecting 9 rated players and 1 prospect which is far from a full team. There are plenty of FAs out there and plenty of CAP space available.

A quick introduction of who was picked (with help from the Official NHLPA website):

Matt Cullen

Matt Cullen joined the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2005-06 National Hockey League season. He signed with the Hurricanes before the 2004-05 NHL lockout, a year in which he won a goal-scoring title in Italy with SG Cortina. In the Italian playoffs, he scored 22 points in 18 games.
Matt played more than 500 games in his first seven NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers and Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He scored a career-best 48 points in 2001-02, the year in which he led the team with 30 assists. At the minor-pro level, Matt played for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and Baltimore Bandits. At the college level, he was a WCHA Second Team All-Star at St. Cloud State in 1996-97. After his freshman season in 1995-96, he was the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' second-round selection in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

Matt Cooke

Matt Cooke is in his seventh National Hockey League season with the Vancouver Canucks. He has more than 400 games of NHL experience (including the playoffs). He won a Northwest Division title with the Canucks in 2003-04, the team's first division title in 11 years. In 2002-03, he won the Fred J. Hume Award as the Canucks' unsung hero. In 2001-02, he led the Canucks with 111 penalty minutes.
Matt made his NHL debut on Oct. 14, 1998. At the minor-pro level, he played for the Syracuse Crunch in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. At the major-junior level, Matt played for the Kingston Frontenacs and Windsor Spitfires. He finished 10th in league scoring with 95 points in 1996-97. At year's end, he was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

Ben Clymer

Ben Clymer joined the Washington Capitals before the start of the 2005-06 National Hockey League season. He is a Stanley Cup champion, having won a playoff championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has been a full-time NHL player since 2001-02, the year he scored a career-high 14 goals and 32 points in 81 games. In 2002-03 and 2003-04, he won Southeast Division titles with the Lightning.
During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Ben played for Biel-Bienne in the Swiss Nationalliga-B. In his first two pro seasons in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, Ben split his time between the NHL and the International League (Detroit Vipers). Before turning pro, he played one season of major-junior hockey with the Western League's Seattle Thunderbirds. He was a college player in the two previous season at the University of Minnesota, although he missed nearly all of the 1997-98 season with a shoulder injury. Before college, he played high school hockey with the Jefferson Jaguars.

Ric Jackman

Ric Jackman started the 2005-06 National Hockey League season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, he played for Bjorkloven in the Swedish first division, scoring 39 points in 46 games.
In 2003-04, he played his first full season at the NHL level, splitting the campaign between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Penguins. After playing just 25 games for the Penguins, he led the team with a .96 points-per-game average. Six of his seven goals were scored on the power play. From 1999-2000 to 2002-03, Ric played for the Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Dallas Stars.

Jamal Mayers

Jamal Mayers was drafted 89th overall in the 1993 Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. On November 3, 1996, he made his NHL debut in a 6-3 win over the Stars. After playing five more games that season (he recorded an assist on November 5 against the Maple Leafs), Jamal returned to the NHL for 34 games and 56 hits in 1998-99. In 1999-2000, he joined the NHL ranks full-time and recorded 17 points and 150 hits in 79 games as the team won the Presidents' Trophy.

A recent representative of Team Canada at the 2007 World Hockey Championships, Mayers is known for his high intensity play and relentless forechecking that have always given troubles to defenders.

Mike Ribeiro

Mike Ribeiro was drafted 45th overall in the 1998 Entry Draft by the Montréal Canadiens. In 1999-2000, he played his first 19 games at the NHL level and scored two points. In 2000-01, he played two games with the Canadiens. In 2001-02, Mike played 43 games with the Canadiens and scored 18 points as the team made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Mike was playing in the AHL playoffs when the Canadiens advanced to the NHL’s second round. In 2002-03, Mike played 52 games and scored 17 points as the Canadiens missed the playoffs. In 2003-04, Mike played 81 games as the Canadiens posted their highest win total (41) in eight years and made the playoffs for the second time in three years. Mike led all Montréal scorers with 45 assists and 65 points and ranked second with a +15 plus/minus rating. In the playoffs, Mike helped the Canadiens reach the second round before losing to the Lightning.

Dwayne Roloson

Dwayne Roloson signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames on July 4, 1994. On November 13, 1996, he made his NHL debut in a 3-3 tie with the Stars. Fifteen nights later, he earned his first win with a 2-0 shutout over the Kings. Dwayne played 31 games that season, splitting goaltending duties with Trevor Kidd. He posted a 9-14-3 record and a 2.89 goals-against average. In 1997-98, Dwayne played 39 games for the Flames and won 11 times with a 2.99 GAA.

In 2006 he helped guide the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes before suffering a knee injury in Game 1 that kept him out of the entire series.

Duvie Westcott

An up and coming defenceman for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Westcott was drafted in the 2001 and has steadily improved his game at the AHL level before cracking the lineup as a regular in 2005.

Nathan Dempsey

Drafted in the 11th round in 1992 by the Leafs, Dempsey has never lived up to his billing in which he displayed good overall ability and control on the PP but is undersized and tends to loose physical battles in the corners. He just signed a contract with SC Bern of the Swiss National League for 2007-2008, so he may be only available for a couple of seasons in the RHL.

Jordan Smith (Prospect)

Drafted 39th overall in the 2004 draft, Jordan was a promising defencemen in the ANA system before a freak accident left him blind in one eye. He has since retired from professional hockey. GM Khoo has stated that since Smith was a freebie that won't cost anything, there was no harm done in having him on the prospect list.

Vulcan GM... Caught With Pants Down!

Can you say Rookie? Its really the only word to really describe what went down today. Early this morning, after GM Khoo submitted the list of players taken in the Expansion Draft, a collective dropping of jaws was seen across the league. "What can I say?" Khoo was quoted as saying. "I misinterpreted the rules and should have gotten clarification from the league before making an idiot of myself. My bad."

Shortly after the list came out, YDP GM Howard Wong was seen quickly making a phone call saying something along the lines of "What are you doing? You're embarrassing me here." The two were later seen running a joint practice session between the Mind Melds and the Penetrators at an undisclosed location in Edmonton. Early speculation was that there was a trade imminent but it was quickly shot down by both parties.

Khoo was granted a reprieve by RHL chief Paul Myers and had a chance to resubmit the list later in the day since none of the paperwork had been processed. A huge *SIGH* could be heard by the Trekker faithful as they wanted no part of anyone named Bure since it resembled the name of character that worked on DS9 that later turned out to be a traitor.

A formal announcement of results from the Expansion draft is expected in the next few days.