2008 Wrap - Calgary

Calgary Hitmen

Michael Stone: Regarded as a 2nd or 3rd rounder coming into the season, but questions lingered over his skating and hockey sense. Those two negatives can sometimes lead to surprising slides on draft day, but I don't think that will be the case here. I think he's most likely to still go in the 3rd.

Ian Schultz: Toughest player from the toughest league in a draft that is very short on players who like to drop the gloves. That could translate into him going as high as the 2nd round, despite his poor skating.

Martin Jones: Economical, has a good glove and good size. Didn't finish the season or playoffs well, but he might have showed enough to scouts to still be a middle round pick. I'll be surprised if he doesn't go at all, but it's not out of the question. If he does, I think he'll have a few camp invites to choose from.

Kyle Bortis: On my list for the third straight year. You've got to give a guy with this much raw talent a shot anywhere after the end of the 4th round. And now we've finally seen what he can do when he's healthy. Every NHL guy just shrugs his shoulders when I bring up his name, so my guess is he'll get passed over again.

Brandon Kozun: Fun to watch and will be a great junior player, but he's so tiny. I could see someone grabbing him with a late pick anyway.

Others: Brendon Rowinski will be a pretty good junior, but I'm not sure there was enough there this year to be a pick. Ryan Fox is the remaining first year eligible, but didn't do enough to get on any lists.

Looking Ahead to 2009: Chase Schaber was the only '09 guy on the roster full-time. Very surprised he didn't produce more - he looks like he's got a lot of raw ability to go with all that speed and energy. Will be watched closely next year, but has to produce to move up lists.