Cream of the crop

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/03/2015 (3831 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mark Scheifele’s ascent hasn’t been as rapid as the others, but the closer he gets to the finished product the more evident it becomes he’s going to be the best centreman of his class.

Scheifele was selected seventh overall in the 2011 NHL Draft, when a number of other big-name centres were taken. While some have produced more offence and others are more established as defensive centres, Scheifele is becoming the most useful two-way player of the group.

Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has had the biggest offensive impact of the group with 182 points in 251 games. At this stage, he has the clear-cut edge in offence.

On the other end of the spectrum is Philadelphia’s Sean Courturier with 111 points in 278 games but with a focus on the defensive end of the game.

Nugent-Hopkins has an Offensive Zone Start percentage of 17.6 this season while Courturier has a minus 16.8.

The Oilers don’t trust Nugent-Hopkins in his own zone and the Flyers don’t believe giving Courturier offensive zone draws is going to result in point production.

Right in the middle is Scheifele, at minus 5.7 per cent. In 145 career NHL games the 22-year-old has 26 goals and 77 points. Scheifele has 12 goals and 42 points this season through 71 games and has the best score-adjusted Corsi percentage of centres taken in 2011 at 53.8.

The combination of a minus number in offensive zone starts and a plus number in score-adjusted Corsi is the sign of a strong two-way player.

The Jets are a winning team and they rely on Scheifele to both produce offence and defend.

Skating recently on a line with Blake Wheeler, he’s been fast and productive, with 11 points in his last 11 games. He’s only going to get bigger as a man and better as a player.

Five years from now, he’ll be one of dominant two-way centres in the league.

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said at the 2011 draft the Jets weren’t picking a player to help them immediately, but one who would develop into a complete player the organization could revolve around. Mission almost accomplished.

 

Stick with the plan

There’s been lots of talk about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and what they should do with the second overall pick in this year’s CFL Draft. Lots of fans want the Bombers to pick U of M slotback Nic Demski with their first selection.

Getting Demski would be great from a number of angles, including his obvious ability and the fact he’s a Winnipegger.

But for Bombers GM Kyle Walters, the standard procedure is to draft an offensive lineman in the first round and he should stick with this approach, even if it means missing out on Demski.

Walters has the following picks in the draft: Nos. 2, 11, 15, 33, 38 and 46.

UNLV’s Brett Boyko is the best offensive lineman available, but is likely headed for the NFL. Danny Groulx and Karl Lavoie from Laval, Sukh Chungh and Sean McEwan out of the University of Calgary, Alex Mateas from UConn and Jacob Ruby from Richmond University are all top offensive lineman and first-round candidates. Walters will use his No. 2 pick on one of these O-linemen.

Demski won’t be around at No. 11, so if Walters really wants him, he’s going to have to trade up.

The Bombers also need to improve their Canadian depth on the defensive side of the ball, and Western’s Daryl Waud as well as Rice University’s Christian Covington, are players to keep an eye on.

 

Nice work, Chevy

Where would the Winnipeg Jets be had Cheveldayoff not added Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers, Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty? Not in the playoffs. Myers is signed long-term and the book is still out on whether the Jets will want to retain Stempniak and Tlusty. But Stafford is a player Cheveldayoff will want to keep. Since joining the Jets, he has six goals and five assists in 15 games.

Stafford is 29 and will want some term and a raise. He’s making $4 million, so expect him to want north of that number and for a minimum of four years.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawlessã