Calgary's First Three Picks

Sutter didn't leave his scouts with much to work with as the top two picks from this draft were dealt away in prior deals, with out first going to Phoenix as part of the original Jokinen trade (which became Brandon Gormley - ouch), and the other of which ended up in Toronto's hands (I believe via Chicago, but I would have to do more research than my tired brain can handle), and became Bradley Ross, a player widely compared to superpests like Steve Ott and Sean Avery.

Which brings us to the third, where Calgary begins to invest in its own past;

Pick #64 Maxwell Reinhart-C Kootenay. Yes, its THAT Reinhart, ex flame defenseman Paul Reinhart's kid. Here's the book on him from whl scout/blogger Remmerde;

Max Reinhart / C: Lots of natural talent and offensive smarts, but effort level isn't always there. Has a quick stick, can create a bit and an accurate shot. But isn't always willing to pay the price to score. Despite the lack of passion, has the sort of skill that's worth spending a mid- to late-round pick on.

At pick #73 Calgary invested in one of the skating refrigerator projects that typically take forever to mature - if they ever do, in Joey Leach-D Kootenay. Here's Remmerde again;

Joey Leach / Kootenay Ice WHL

D-L / 6-3.0, 187 / 29-Jan-92

One of the most interesting mid-round guys available. Huge and plays big. Loves to use the body and is a punishing hitter. But still very responsible defensively. Loves to throw big hits and defends the crease area with enthusiasm. Can fight pretty well.

Isn't a great skater, but I saw quite a bit of improvement in his stride and pivots this season, so I'll gamble on this guy in the hopes he can get his skating to where it needs to be in a couple of years.

Greatly improved puck ability over the last season and a half. A lot more confident making a first pass and started to contribute on Kootenay's power play in the 2nd half. But as of now he projects as pretty much a pure stay-at-home guy in the pros. And that might be enough anyway - with his size and toughness, if he can provide anything more than just getting the puck out safely, that will be gravy at the next level.

Has grown at least an inch in the last year. And the second half surge in offense indicates this guy's development is just getting started. There is some slight chance this guy could surprise everyone with some decent offensive upside, which is why I really like this player.
Also worth noting that he has several hockey fights ranking among the better tilts this year in junior. Can't complain about him, at this point in the draft guys like Leach are exactly what you look for.

At pick #103 we went back to the gene-pool of the past and selected John Ramage-D from the University of Wisconsin - yep, he just happens to be the son of Rob Ramage - another ex-Flames defenseman.

Here's part of the Hockey's Future profile on him;

Talent Analysis: Ramage is a defensive defenseman who plays with an edge. He thrives on the physical side of the game, and with some added size and strength, could become a more dominating player for opponents to contend with. Like the rest of Wisconsin’s defensive unit, Ramage possesses great puck-moving ability. He displays good poise, patience and makes very good outlet passes. Although he may never post many points, Ramage does have some offensive upside to his game.

All in all, not bad considering where we were picking. A skill pivot who lacks heart, a project defenseman, and an undersized two-way defenseman who has good bloodlines. Will any of them make it? Probably not, but it will be worth watching.