This is Ryan Ellis. Ryan opened the eyes of many fans, and scouts, at the 2008-2009 World Junior Hockey Championships with a spectacular all around performance. Ellis was originally brought on to the team as the 7th defenseman, there only to play a powerplay specific role. However, much to every ones surprise he flourished in a defensive role as well.
Well I count myself among Ryan Ellis' biggest fans, it is important to realize that to expect Ellis to step into the roster this very year and be able to contribute is very unrealistic.
I am also a big believer in drafting the best player available at your selection, and not drafting for need (that's what UFAs and trades are for) and for me, if MPS or Schenn or someone of their calibre doesn't drop to the 10th position, then Ryan Ellis is the best available player in the draft.
Now whether or not Edmonton chooses to keep Ellis (who is much better than Chorney or Petry) or use him as trade bait latter on is up to them but this kid has the chance to be a top defenseman in the NHL (think Brian Rafalski).
Here's a link to Ellis' numbers for the last 2 seasons in the OHL
his +/- numbers also experienced a major improvement this year going from 30 in 08 to 52 in 09. While some of those totals may be due to the fact that Ellis increased his point totals, I think it definitely shows that Ellis' biggest weakness, his defensive game, is showing improvement. It is important to remember that he was facing higher competition, most likely with better linemates as well, this year.
Now, I am no statistical expert, and I couldn't find a way to calculate this (so this is done as my best estimate of what I read at behindthenet), but if Ellis were to play into the NHL his Desjardin's numbers would be somewhere around 30-40 points in around 70-75 games, with close to an even +/-. Not bad for a smallish 19 year old defenseman.
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