Winter Hawks Prepare for "Better Late than Never" National Hockey League Draft
July 27, 2005 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
In a normal year, the NHL draft is held the last Saturday in June. But, this has not been a normal year in the sport of hockey.
With the 2004-05 NHL season completely wiped out due to the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and the player's association, the 2005 NHL draft was up in the air too. But, with last week's ratification of the new CBA bringing NHL hockey back to the sports landscape starting in October, the entry draft becomes one of the first tasks this Saturday, July 30, starting at 12 Noon, Eastern Time, at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
In fact, the new collective bargaining agreement affects a Portland Winter Hawks' player who has been ranked fairly high for Saturday's festivities. Defenseman Michael Sauer was rumored to be considering not "opting in" for this year's draft since he missed about half of his rookie 2004-05 season in Portland due to hip surgery. But now, under the new collective bargaining agreement, "opting in" is no longer an option or requirement. All players born before September 15, 1987 are eligible, so, like it or not, Sauer likely will be chosen by an NHL team this Saturday.
The reason Sauer may have been considering not opting in was his hope that with not one, but two newly repaired hips, he would be poised to have a dominant 2005-06 sophomore season with the Hawks in front of all the NHL scouts, raising his draft stock. But, based on the latest pre-draft ratings, Sauer does not have a lot to worry about. The native of Sartell, Minnesota was ranked # 22 among all draft-eligible skaters in North America in the latest pre-draft rankings as compiled by the independent NHL Central Scouting Service and many are predicting he could sneak into the first round.
But, Sauer is not the highest ranked Winter Hawk. That honor belongs to fellow defenseman Brendan Mikkelson, ranked # 16 among all draft-eligible skaters in North America by Central Scouting. McKeen's Hockey Rating Service, another respected independent scouting agency, is really bullish on Mikkelson, forecasting him as the 10th overall selection Saturday, midway through the first round, including all Europeans and goaltenders. Both Sauer and Mikkelson have great bloodlines. Mikkelson's father played parts of seven years in the NHL and his uncle, Jim McFadden, won the 1950 Stanley Cup with Gordie Howe's Detroit Red Wings. Sauer's older brother, Kurt, is a defenseman for the NHL Colorado Avalanche and another older brother, Craig, recently retired after a five-year career as a linebacker in the National Football League.
Central Scouting has rated two other current Winter Hawks for Saturday's draft. Forward Kyle Bailey was ranked # 152 among North American skaters in the final draft ratings and defenseman Jordie Fike was ranked # 189 in North America in Central Scouting's mid-term ratings released in January. Other Winter Hawks in their first year of eligibility for the NHL draft are forwards Nick Hotson and defenseman Kevin Tipper.
Also, 19-year-old defenseman Jonathan Sigalet, a sophomore at Bowling Green University who is on Portland's protected "college" list, has been ranked # 88 among North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings. Also, Hockey's Future ranks Sigalet # 6 among all NCAA draft eligible skaters. Sigalet, who had (3-13-16) in 35 games with Bowling Green last season, had an emotional year after his older brother and teammate, goaltender Jordan Sigalet, became a national news story when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He went public with his battle in December while still playing very effectively as one of the top NCAA goaltenders in the country. Jonathan Sigalet has attended a couple of Winter Hawks' training camps and has stayed in touch with the team while playing for Bowling Green. With his brother's graduation, Sigalet's draft position and NHL rights, as determined on Saturday, may encourage him to try a year of major junior hockey in the WHL with the Hawks in 2005-06. Sigalet, described as an exceptional skater with a great grasp of the game and special on-ice vision, was named the recipient of Bowling Green's Jack Gregory Award as the team's top scholar-athlete in 2004-05.
Portland had two players chosen in the 2004 NHL Draft. Defenseman Michael Funk and forward Brandon Dubinsky were both second round selections, both selected earlier in the draft than they were ranked by NHL Central Scouting. Funk, ranked 39th in North America, not including European skaters or goaltenders, went 43rd overall to the Buffalo Sabres. The New York Rangers picked Dubinsky, ranked 83rd among North American skaters, 60th overall. Both are expected to return as 19-year old veterans on the 2005-06 Winter Hawks, which, on paper, appears to be a fairly strong team.
The Winter Hawks have had as many as eight players chosen in one draft in 1978, 1980 and 1982. Since the franchise moved to Portland from Edmonton in 1976-77, a total of 101 Winter Hawks have been drafted by NHL teams in the 29-year history of the franchise. A total of 91 ex-Winter Hawks have played in the National Hockey League, including 25 ex-Hawks who played on NHL rosters during the 2003-04 season.
Gilbert Brule of the Vancouver Giants is the top-rated Western Hockey League player eligible for Saturday's draft, ranked # 4 among North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings. The Seattle Thunderbirds and the Winter Hawks are the only two WHL teams with more than one player rated in the top 60. But, these are only rankings and actual selections by NHL teams often differ significantly from the ratings of various scouting services.
Western Hockey League Stories from July 27, 2005
- Winter Hawks Prepare for "Better Late than Never" National Hockey League Draft - Portland Winterhawks
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