2012 NHL Draft Grades: Grading Nail Yakupov and Each First-Round Pick

The Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League have produced the first overall pick for the second time in the last five NHL drafts with Nail Yakupov following the footsteps of Steven Stamkos.

Granted the privilege of picking first for the third consecutive season, Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini padded on another lethal major-junior forward to his rebuilding core. Yakupov figures to waste no time joining former Red Deer Rebel Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall of the two-time Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires.

Tambellini could not go wrong by selecting the man ranked No. 1 among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Service and top overall by the International Scouting Service. But based on what his organization already has and what it still needs to embolden, he loses a few points on the grading rubric by eschewing top-notch defense.

With criteria based primarily on what each team needs now and what is practical for the long run, here is an evaluation of each selection in Friday’s first round of the 2012 NHL draft.

No. 1: Nail Yakupov to Edmonton, A-minus/B-plus

The Oilers really could have used an elite defensive prospect in their system, given the multitude of burgeoning scorers already in place. That said, Yakupov was as close as anyone was to the consensus top pick for a reason.

So, to paraphrase George Carlin, this was not the best choice Edmonton could have made. But you know something? Not bad either.

No. 2: Ryan Murray to Columbus, A

With their defense ailing exponentially in the three years since they last made the playoffs, the Blue Jackets were wise to take on the draft-eligible prospect who most everyone holds as the best blueliner in the 2012 pool.

No. 3: Alexander Galchenyuk to Montreal, A/A-minus

Injuries reduced Galchenyuk to two regular-season and six playoff games this past season with Sarnia.

But for what it’s worth, he sprinkled two goals and two assists over that one postseason series. Three of those points were playoff collaborations with the likes of Yakupov.

Galchenyuk’s iffy health history may delay his impact in The Show. But his Sarnia seasoning and potential to ultimately deliver a steady supply of fruitful physicality ought to entice the Canadiens fanbase.

No. 4: Griffin Reinhart to NY Islanders, A-plus

The last franchise to choose first overall before the Oilers, the Islanders needed a reliable blue line prospect to complement 2009 draftee John Tavares' upfront contributions. They got that in one of the most sizeable rearguards in the pool.

Reinhart is coming off a WHL championship campaign with the Edmonton Oil Kings, whom he led through the playoff with a plus-14 rating. Not much left for him to prove at any level but the NHL.

No. 5: Morgan Rielly to Toronto, A-minus/B-plus

Perhaps this puck-moving, point patroller could help Buds buffs forget about the would-be pick in Dougie Hamilton who went to Boston as part of the Phil Kessel swap?

Rielly’s resume boasts an enticing combination of two-way proficiency, leadership and championship experience. But he is also coming off an injury-shortened campaign with Moose Jaw of the Western League, which could prove to complicate his ability to make an immediate splash.

Still, once he is ready to establish himself, perhaps patience will finally pay off in many respects for Toronto and its fanbase.

No. 6: Hampus Lindholm to Anaheim, B/B-minus

It’s kind of curious that the Ducks went for the blueliner Lindholm rather than, for instance, one of his two offensive Swedish countrymen, Filip Forsberg or Sebastien Collberg.

This author holds that Anaheim was one of the few high-picking teams that needed to shore up its strike force more than its defense. The Ducks were in a position to nab a forward who, at worst, would have been set to lend them some depth on a full-time basis no later than 2013-14.

No. 7: Matt Dumba to Minnesota, A/A-minus

Internationally seasoned and hardware-laden, Dumba led his Red Deer Rebels with 37 assists and nine power-play goals in 2011-12, his second full season in the Western League. He might need a little more time to foster at the major-junior level, but could ultimately be the key to filling the Wild’s offensive-defenseman void.

No. 8: Derrick Pouliot to Pittsburgh, A/A-plus

It is common knowledge that the Penguins’ defense was their undoing in the homestretch and first round of the 2012 postseason. In turn, one could not be accused of hyperbole for terming it a “genius move” to deal the pricey pivot Jordan Staal. This includes the return package with a chance to choose from a more quantitative and qualitative pool of blueliners.

Rather than wait until their originally slated No. 22 pick, they shed some of their surplus offense and took Carolina’s pick for Pouliot.

A prolific playmaker with the Portland Winterhawks this past season, Pouliot can amount to a negligible subtraction of offense with a noticeable addition of defense if he transitions nimbly enough.

No. 9: Jacob Trouba to Winnipeg, A

If all goes according to plan, Trouba can step onto the Jets’ blue line brigade after a year or two at the University of Michigan. By then, he could constitute one of the last pieces Winnipeg needs to make at least a few head-turning ripples in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

No. 10: Slater Koekkoek to Tampa Bay, B/B-plus

If Koekkoek burgeons, then general manager Steve Yzerman and his front-office colleagues will prove they saw something that others did not. Right now, it is at least a mild head-scratcher that they went with the Peterborough Petes blueliner when they could have gone with one of two slightly more proven OHL defenders in Olli Maatta or Cody Ceci.

The Bolts picked Koekkoek at a time when they still had the 19th overall selection ahead of them. He would have made a little more sense in that slot and in tandem with one of his aforementioned Ontario League adversaries.

No. 11: Filip Forsberg to Washington, A

With the horde of defensemen and defense-starved teams auspiciously bumping Forsberg down, the Capitals wisely took action to address one of their own needs. Whenever he cracks the lineup, Washington will have an instant shortage of excuses for insufficient depth.

No. 12: Mikhail Grigorenko to Buffalo, A

A la the Capitals, the Sabres addressed a need to revamp up front by claiming the sizeable forward while he was still available.

No. 13: Radek Faksa to Dallas, A-minus/B-plus

Roughly a point-per-gamer in his rookie campaign with the Kitchener Rangers, the 6-foot-3, 202-lb. Faksa has proven he can generate fruitful physicality and produce on both sides of the special teams’ spectrum.

No. 14: Zemgus Girgensons to Buffalo, B/B-plus

Out of the United States League and en route to Vermont, Girgensons is not going to do anything for the Sabres in the near future. But while they might have had a chance to go for a major-junior forward ranked higher than Girgensons in most every scouting report, the Sabres could still reap rewards from him after he fosters for at least a year or two at the college level.

No. 15: Cody Ceci to Ottawa, A-plus

The Senators went the local route by taking a near point-per-game point patroller from the 67s, whose production rate and plus/minus have both gratifyingly swollen over three OHL seasons.

If he translates his Canadian League pedigree smoothly across town to the NHL, he can constitute a double-threat with Erik Karlsson. At the top of their respective games, not only would Karlsson and Ceci embolden Ottawa’s two-way threat, but also alleviate most every specter of turning the puck over and yielding shorthanded chances to the opposition.

No. 16: Tom Wilson to Washington, A-minus

Another irreproachable additive to the future of the Capitals’ strike force, although his ultimate output and consistency on the scoresheet make him a bit of a dark horse.

If nothing else, though, Wilson is not shy about using his brawn, which ought to help give coveted space to his linemates.

No. 17: Tomas Hertl to San Jose, B

Nothing inherently wrong with Hertl for most any team in terms of storing up for the long run, but he won’t be the answer to the Sharks’ most pressing needs, particularly on defense and the penalty kill.

No. 18: Tuevo Teravainen to Chicago, B-minus

By all accounts, as evidenced by Corey Crawford’s mediocrity at the top level and reliable reports on their farm system, the Blackhawks should have gone for a goalie.

No knock intended on Teravainen’s offensive value, but Chicago’s topmost summer priorities should have consisted of seeking an established goalie via trade or free agency along with drafting a prospective stopper to climb through the ranks.

No. 19: Andrei Vasilevski to Tampa Bay, A-minus

It will not be long before Dustin Tokarski and Jaroslav Janus, the tandem that just delivered a Calder Cup to Norfolk, are both out of the AHL picture. Vasilevski, top-ranked among European goaltenders by the Central Scouting Service, figures to step up and lend the requisite insurance once that day comes.

No. 20: Scott Laughton to Philadelphia, A-minus/B-plus

The captain of his Midget AAA team in 2009-10, Laughton is coming off a sophomore surge with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals that saw him more than double his output from the year prior. Although Philadelphia’s abundant offense has spoken for itself, Laughton can make a timely stroll into a revolving door.

Regardless of whether Jaromir Jagr is back with the Flyers next season, he likely will have retired or at least be on his last legs when Laughton is ready to make an impact.

No. 21: Mark Jankowski to Calgary, C-plus

Jankowski, bound for Providence College this autumn, is only the second player in Friars history to have been selected in the first round. The other was Joe Hulbig, who was taken 13th overall by the Flames provincial rival from Edmonton 20 years ago and had a relatively modest professional career.

What Jankowski can do for Calgary in the long run will all but make for an epic, Sherlock Holmes-caliber mystery.

No. 22: Olli Maatta to Pittsburgh, A

Maatta finished second only to London Knights teammate Bo Horvat for the best plus/minus among OHL rookies at a plus-25. He also has a relatively dense international background with his native Finland, for whom he served as an alternate captain in last year’s U18 World Championship.

Simply put, the Penguins have done what they needed to do the most at the earliest opportunity this offseason by emboldening their blue line for the short and long run.

No. 23: Mike Matheson to Florida, B/B-plus

The Panthers didn’t do much at the draft to ensure their odds of a second consecutive playoff appearance by drafting a defenseman rather than try to trade up for a prospective offensive force. But with Matheson bound for Jerry York's capstone class at Boston College, they did not waste their first-round choice altogether.

No. 24: Malcolm Subban to Boston, A-minus/B-plus

By no means did Tim Thomas’ abrupt departure spawn a goaltending emergency across the Boston organization.

But even with Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin at the top level, the Bruins could use the insurance throughout the organization. For only the hockey gods know what Michael Hutchinson and Niklas Svedberg will amount to in Providence and even how Khudobin will fare once he is a full-timer in The Show.

In the event of any need, Subban can come up directly from the OHL at any time and will be eligible to incubate in the AHL within two years.

No. 25: Jordan Schmaltz to St. Louis, B/B-plus

As the Blues seek to establish themselves as perennial contenders, they can bank on Schmaltz building upon his winning background.

Already, he has a United States League playoff championship and a U17 World Championship gold medal under his belt. And he will hone his skills at another championship-starved program in North Dakota, the same school that produced current Blues’ scorer T.J. Oshie but is going on 13 years without an NCAA title.

If all goes according to plan, Schmaltz should be ready within two or three years to further or carry on St. Louis’ status in the upper echelon of NHL powers.

No. 26: Brendan Gaunce to Vancouver, A-minus

Gaunce serendipitously slid far enough for the depth-starved Canucks to pick him up, even if he is not to be an instantaneous impact in 2012-13.

Regardless of short-term reward, Vancouver had the option when other teams passed Gaunce over. How would the front office have been perceived if they, too, had let him get by?

No. 27: Henrik Samuelsson to Phoenix, B-minus

Maybe if he can be taught to vent a little more of his energy on the goals and assists portion of the scoresheet, Samuelsson can play a supporting role in ultimately filling in for aging veteran strikers Shane Doan and Ray Whitney.

No. 28: Brady Skjei to NY Rangers, B-Plus

Long-term benefit is virtually all one can request this late in the opening round, let alone beyond. And long-term defensive insurance in the form of Skjei will not hurt the Rangers, even with their current top-level blue line brigade all under the age of 30.

No. 29: Stefan Matteau to New Jersey, B/B-plus

Those who are up to speed on their hockey history courses know what Matteau’s father did to end the 1994 Eastern Conference finals at the Devils expense. Less than two decades later and only one month ago, Adam Henrique returned the favor to the rival Rangers with an overtime goal to end the same round of the playoffs.

But down the road, Henrique and the younger Matteau just might constitute a one-two offensive catalyst for New Jersey.

No. 30: Tanner Pearson to Los Angeles, B

Pearson, who more than doubled his output and improved his two-way game in his second year with the Barrie Colts, will be 20 in August and therefore eligible to step right into the Kings farm system.

With the presumptive graduation of Dwight King and Jordan Nolan to full-time NHL status, the new first-round draftee can and should be leaned on to lend some stability to the Manchester Monarchs.