Character

Ahhh...the upcoming draft...sparking conversation all around Edmonton and the hockey world... so who WILL the Oilers grab???

Lets forget about the Hall's and the Seguin's just for now... obviously a top pick is in the cards... or IS it??? (another conversation entirely)...

I want to talk about CHARACTER...INTANGIBLES...LEADERSHIP...also known as the hallmarks of a champion; the characteristics that bring teams together.

I for one am tired of watching the selfish danglers (ala Nilsson, Comrie, O'Sullivan, etc.) who are only interested in scoring pretty goals and making fancy dekes...as a coach it is entirely infuriating to watch your players put themselves before the team...I've always said that if you want to know a guy... play hockey with him... that personality comes shining through before the end of twenty.
"Is this guy going to lay down in front of that shot?"

"...He EVER going to pass?"

"Does he talk about anything other than himself and his moves/goals in the dressing room/bench?"

"Is this guy going to stay on the ice ALL period?"

Selfishness is a cancer, the hallmark of Canadian hockey has always been hard work and TEAM first. Unfortunatley, this is a quickly fading notion amongst our hockey playing youth in Canada...Hockey is losing it's roots... our youth have very few role models to look to to understand exactly WHY Canada could always find a way to beat the vastly superior European teams (in terms of skill level).

I would suggest that the Oilers take a moment to reflect on exaclty this point... danglers and high offensive potential players in the junior and Euro leagues are abundant... CHARACTER...true grit... this NEEDS to be the focus for the 10/11 draft year; fortunately there are a few available in a realistic striking range... It may take a significant trade to land another pick in the top ten, but for me Nino Niedereitter is an absolute MUST for this team... net drive, personality, and an incredible skill set are 3 things you rarely find in a player these days... this guy won't shoot out the lights in the NHL... but how much would you give for an Esa Tikkanen right about now on this team??? This guy will find the net, punch you in the face, slash your ankles, and yap at you just like our old favourite Oiler wearing the #10 (dear GOD don't even THINK I'm talking about Horc) and contribute offensively consistently. Milan Lucic lite... or Esa reborn....smiling as I type this thinking of him in an Oiler uniform.

Remember Luke Richardson? How about Bryan Marchment? Dylan McIlrath appears to be the second coming of these two intimidating D-men. Unspectacular but a presence nevertheless. CHARACTER. He projects to be a late first rounder or an early second rounder, I fear that he will go MUCH higher than that however; I believe this because I sense there is a new movemment out there to draft quality players at all levels of hockey right now. I had the distinct pleasure of working with one of our former WJC coaches this off-season and his insight and philosophies on player selection mirror that of many other in his position... and that is:
"WHAT does this player bring to the table exactly?"
"Is there enough upside to outweigh the downside? (offense vs. lack of defensive ability)"
"Skill...Attitude...Work ethic...NEED all 3..."
Dylan lacks the offense, scouts say his footspeed is average at best... but the upside is a big, strong, physical D-man who plays hard, and plays to win.
Spirit of a champion.
CHARACTER