islesinfo - Draft Central 2002

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-Draft Central 2002-

	Isles Select Sean Bergenheim
	The Islanders draft supplied fans with plenty of excitement. In the end GM Mike Milbury made a few deals and the scouting staff came away with seven good prospects that will strengthen the system. Who knows, one may be a future star.

2002 Selections

RD # Selection Pos. Ht Wt From

1 22 Sean Bergenheim W 5-11 194 Jokerit, FIN

3 87 Franz Nielsen C 5-11 172 Malmo, SWE

5 149 Marcus Paulsson W 6-1 185 Morrum, SWE

6 189 Alexei Stonkus D 6-0 174 Yaroslavl, RUS

7 220 Brad Topping G 6-1 185 Brampton, OHL

8 252 Martin Chabada LW 6-1 202 Sparta, CZE

9 283 Per Braxenholm D 6-3 215 Morrum, SWE

W Sean Bergenheim: 5-11, 194 lbs. Born February 8, 1984 in Helsinki, Finland. Ranked 31 by THN, 15 by CSB among European Skaters. Here is what THN had to say:

THN: One thing about Sean Bergenheim: The only way to stop him is to chop the legs out from underneath him. Bergenheim is not a scorer and any scoring he does is a bonus. He's a third liner with speed, determination and competitive instincts. Hockey sense, however, is another matter. He might end up being a Finnish coming of Rico Fata, the sixth overall pick of Calgary in 1998, who is best suited for the minor leagues. "For me it is hockey sense. He's not a smart player," said one critical GM. "He goes 100 miles an hour. If Rico Fata can't make it at No. 6, how is this guy ever going to make it at all?" Bergenheim likes to hit and play the body. That could make him a serviceable third liner. "He can be a (Kris) Draper type of guy, but Draper is smarter," said a scout. "He makes some nice moves with the puck, but I do not see a lot of hockey sense," added a scout. "If he works on his hands, he will help his game." THN prediction: Character forward.

CSB: Personal Profile

Is rated 15th among European prospects on Central Scouting's final ranking, was 7th at mid-season … spent the first part of the 2001-02 season with the junior team in Vantaa before joining Jokerit in the Finnish Elite League … helped Jokerit capture the league championship … performed for Finland at the 2002 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic, capturing the Bronze medal (0-1-1 in 7GP) … played for Finland at the 2002 World Under-18 Championship in Slovakia, leading his team in scoring and ranking seventh in the tournament's scoring race (8-4-12 in 8GP) … played for Finland at the 2001 World Under-18 Championship, capturing a Bronze medal and ranking third in team scoring (3-1-4 in 6GP) … is teammates with top European prospect Kari Lehtonen.

CSB: Central Scouting Report

An excellent skater with good speed, balance and agility … has a very good shot … an effective puck-handler with a good scoring touch around the net … very strong on the power play and penalty killing units … a smart and safe player … a good team player and a hard worker … a tough competitor with a winning attitude.

- Listed as a left wing for Jokerit and wears #10.

Sean Bergenheim's stats

Year Team Lea. GP G A Pts PIM

2000-01 Jokerit Jr. A 18 6 4 10 26

Jokerit Jr. B 1 1 0 1 4

Finland WU18 6 3 1 4 8

2001-02 Jokerit Fin. 28 2 2 4 4

Jokerit Fin. Jr. 23 11 19 30 36

Kiekka-Vantaa Fin. Jr. 4 0 0 0 52

Finland WJC 7 0 1 1 4

Finland WU18 8 8 4 12 6

C Franz Nielsen: 5-11, 172 lbs. Born April 24, 1984 in Herning, Denmark. Nielsen played for Malmo Jr. in 2001-02 and put up some impressive numbers. He scored 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 29 games. "He's a highly intelligent player," said Head Amateur Scout Tony Feltrin. "He's a very skilled player who is very creative with the puck. His hockey sense and accountability for his own zone are very good." Franz is slated to play full time in the SEL next year for Malmo. "That's going to help out his development, for sure," said Feltrin. "That's one of the best breeding grounds in the world."

Nielsen is going to need some time to develop, according to the Islanders' scouting staffers. "He needs to get a lot stronger," said Feltrin. "That's going to play heavily into his development into being able to play in North America." Played well for Team Denmark in the World Championships.

Franz Nielsen's stats

Year Team Lea. GP G A Pts PIM

2000-01 Herning IK DEN 39 18 19 37 6

Team Denmark WJC d2 4 2 2 4 2

2001-02 Malmo IF SWE Jr. 29 15 27 42 8

Malmo IF SWE 20 0 1 1 0

Team Denmark WJC d2 4 3 10 13 0

Team Denmark WC d1 5 1 1 2 0

W Marcus Paulsson: 6-1. 185 lbs. Born January 10, 1984 in Karlskrona, Sweden. Paulsson is now part of the Czerkawski trade as this is the pick the Isles acquired along with Arron Asham. He played in the lower divisions of Sweden last year, notching only 1 assist in 31 games for Morrum along with 4 PIM's and was a -8. "Don't let the stats fool you," said Islanders scout Doug Gibson, "this guy is a very good skater and puckhandler. He's raw in a lot of areas and hasn't played at a top level yet. There's lots of room to grow. That will come with playing and more coaching." Paulsson needs to get stronger and develop with more ice time. "This guy has a lot of upside," said Gibson. "The potential is there. He comes from a very small town in Sweden. It's going to be some time before he starts putting things together. He has a good frame that we expect will fill out well." He is a lefty shot.

Update(June 27): Paulsson was selected by the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL 12th overall in the June 26th CHL import draft. Paulsson is apparently planning to play in the CHL next season. For a player that many believe already plays a North American style of game, the WHL should be a good place for him to develop.

Marcus Paulsson's stats

Year Team Lea. GP G A Pts PIM

2001-02 Morrum SWE 31 0 1 1 4

- There was so much draft information that I had to split up Draft Central into 3 pages. Check them out through the links below!

2002 Draft Central - Page 2 2002 Draft Central - Page 3

Draft-time Activity

Isles Trade: As predicted for the last week on IslesInfo, the New York Islanders have traded Mariusz Czerkawski. The announcement was made prior to the 14th selection, where Montreal traded up from the 15th pick. Czerkawski goes to Montreal for RW Arron Asham and a 5th round draft pick. Asham brings some size to the Islanders, he is 5-11, 209 pounds. He was a high scoring forward with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL during his junior days, but has struggled offensively in his four years pro. But, he is considered a very gritty player and that is something the Islanders felt they needed to improve after their first round playoff loss to Toronto. Stay tuned for more info coming soon!

Isles Trade Part II: The Islanders have acquired D Mattias Timander from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fourth round pick. Timander provides the Islanders with defensive depth. He is 6-2, 210 pounds and has notched 11 points in each of his last two seasons with Columbus.

Isles Trade Part III: The Islanders have traded the 67th pick in the third round, originally acquired from the Florida Panthers in the Adrian Aucoin deal last year, back to Florida in exchange for Bridgeport forward Eric Godard. Godard was a key component in the Sound Tigers run to the Calder Cup finals and was one of two players on their roster that were Florida property. Obviously he impressed the Islanders with his aggressive play. Isles scout Kevin Maxwell says he's the toughest player in the AHL.

Nystrom Update

Eric Nystrom was selected 10th overall by the Calgary Flames, who traded down with the Florida Panthers from the ninth pick. Bobby Nystrom was in attendance and was interviewed on TV. He seemed very proud.

- I wish he could have been selected by the Islanders but it wasn't meant to be. Good Luck to Eric as he begins his career in the Calgary organization.

Click here for all the pre 2002 Draft information by Isles Info.

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