2011 NHL Draft: Pittsburgh Penguins Draft Recap and Profiles

After much hype and expectation, the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is over. Some trades were made, but nothing reaching the level of the over-abundant rumors that have floated around for the past few weeks.

Perhaps the best news to come out of St. Paul, Minnesota was the official word that Winnipeg's NHL franchise would once again answer to the name "Jets". The lowest moment seemed to be the branding of the Vancouver Canucks as the NHL whipping boy in the aftermath of the post-finals riots, with boos raining down on each mention of their name.

The Pittsburgh Penguins made only five selections trades that depleted their stock of picks. When Ray Shero and his team finally decided on their first pick, many fans were left stunned.

Shero went D; many were thinking Forward, especially with guys like Nicklas Jensen, Tomas Jurco, and Pittsburgh area product Brandon Saad still on the board. However, Shero has his own philosophy. Despite the fact that many of us in the fanbase did not agree with the pick, Ray Shero has one more Stanley Cup ring than most, if not all, of us can claim.

The true NHL Draft "grades" will likely not be in for quite some time. When you make the 23rd overall pick, you don't usually expect him to be anywhere near NHL-ready.

The same can be said of their later-round picks. If it turns out that the Penguins have found a diamond in the rough, then fans will look back on this draft similar to those of 1998, 1999, and 2002, which produced Rob Scuderi, Ryan Malone, and Maxime Talbot at the 134th, 115th, and 234th overall picks, respectively.

Since grading the late-round guys out is nearly impossible at the moment, let's call it an "incomplete" for the draft. Instead, we will focus on learning a little bit about the guys and hoping that they benefit the Penguins down the road.

1st-Round Selection: Joseph Morrow

Player: Joseph Morrow

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 197 lbs.

Born: December 9, 1992

From: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Position: D

2010-11 Team: Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)

2010-11 Stats: 60 games, 9 goals, 40 assists, 67 PIM, (regular season); 21 games, 6 goals, 14 assists, 27 PIM (playoffs)

What To Like About Him: He is described as having a "booming shot" and can take care of both ends of the ice.

thescoutingreport.org: "Morrow is an excellent skater, and makes a nice first pass out of his own zone, seamlessly starting his team's breakout. He also has a deceptive shot that he ably gets through traffic and on net, generating scoring chances for his teammates, particularly on the power play."

2nd-Round Selection: Scott Harrington

Player: Scott Harrington

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 200 lbs.

Born: March 10, 1993

From: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Position: D

2010-11 Team: London Knights (OHL)

2010-11 Stats: 67 games, 6 goals, 16 assists, 51 PIM

What To Like About Him: He was slotted high in Central Scouting's midterm rankings; perhaps can reclaim that potential.

thescoutingreport.org: "He's an average skater who doesn't have outstanding offensive instincts and has shown that he's a little susceptible to being broken down defensively."

5th-Round Selection: Dominik Uher

Player: Dominik Uher

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 195 lbs.

Born: December 31, 1992

From: Ostvava, Czech Republic

 Position: C

2010-11 Team: Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

2010-11 Stats: 65 games, 21 goals, 39 assists, 60 PIM

What To Like About Him: He appears to have a scoring touch and play-making ability.

Penguins.NHL.com: "He plays hard. He's strong. He has good speed. He put reasonable numbers. He plays like a Penguin. A great two-way guy."—Randy Sexton, assistant director of amateur scouting

Photo courtesy of Penguins.NHL.com

6th-Round Selection: Josh Archibald

Player:  Josh Archibald

Height: 5'10" 

Weight: 161 lbs.

Born: October 6, 1992

Position: W

2010-11 Team: Brainerd High School

2010-11 Stats: 27 games, 30 goals, 48 assists, 40 PIM

What To Like About Him: He's young with time to develop. He will attend the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Penguins.NHL.com: "Very good speed, physical, aggressive. He put up good numbers in the Minnesota High School league."—Randy Sexton, assistant director of amateur scouting

Photo courtesy of Penguins.NHL.com 

7th-Round Selection: Scott Wilson

Player: Scott Wilson

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 166 lbs.

Born: unable to verify

From: unable to verify

Position: C/LW

2010-11 Team: Georgetown Raiders (OJHL)

2010-11 Stats: 42 games, 20 goals, 41 assists

What To Like About Him: He's young and has time to develop. A project, most likely.

Penguins.NHL.com: "Speed, tenacious, good skills, plays hard and in your face. He's a power play, penalty kill guy, good all around. He's tenacious. He comes at you."—Randy Sexton, assistant director of amateur scouting

Photo courtesy of Penguins.NHL.com

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