D Peter McNally, Milton Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts.
He's a project but a smart one. McNally jumped 44 spots in the final rankings from central scouting. He finished 40th among North American skaters. He slid all the way to the fourth round mostly because he has one more year of prep school and then he's already committed to Harvard following that. One advantage: He can score. McNally put in 14 goals in 27 games and could play Division I hockey right now. Just one problem, he won't be. Instead, he's back in prep school where he won't be surrounded by better players who can elevate his game.
"If he takes full advantage of his time and he goes in there and is the absolute best player, then he's not missing a beat," Vancouver GM Mike Gillis said. "If he plays to the competition level then maybe he is (losing something).
"He sounds like he's a very intelligent kid who is highly motivated, self motivated."
Now that we've got a Harvard-bound prospect . . . for whatever it's worth, Harvard is my alma mater, for both undergraduate and graduate degrees . . . before grade inflation
Until recently I interviewed BC kids for Harvard admissions. They accept students on a "need-blind" basis, which means that if you can get admitted, they'll make sure the costs are covered by their enormous scholarship endowment. They don't inquire about financial status during the admissions process.
Harvard could easily fill its freshman classes 100% with students who got *perfect* scores on the various College Board exams. It choses not to do that. The idea is to create a well-rounded learning and social environment by selecting a very diverse array of students who are in some way unique, or frankly eccentric. Being brilliant could be it, or else being an outstanding athlete who is also smart enough and motivated enough to handle the coursework. They're not looking for "well-rounded" students, but for a well-rounded class. The social environment is very important. Students and junior faculty live and dine together during the final three years, the idea being to have all these bright, eager people cross-fertilizing each other's minds and attitudes.
These are ideals. In any group of humans, obviously, the ideals aren't always met. The Unabomber was at Harvard for a year or two while I was there, apparently. My freshman roommate was accepted as a football player from Texas, but got a Rhodes, and then became a strange and cultish movie director. My honours tutor was said to have written "the worst book on Shelley in 60 years."
On topic: Reading the stuff about McNally, it seems to me he's planning to spend another year at Milton, a senior year I guess, before going to Harvard. A lot of NCAA kids play in the USHL for a kind of a redshirt year between high school and college, but not in the CHL, since that deep-sixes a college career. I was 19 when I went to Harvard, having been kicked out of a military school, and having had to repeat grade 8. It does seem a bit strange for McNally, though. He's supposed to be a good kid, not a bad one
From what I've heard, he was a potential late 2nd rounder, but slipped because he is committed to going to Harvard next season. GMMG is big on smart players, and is willing to be patient with players who want to pursue their education. In a few years, we could be talking about how much of a steal this pick is.
Probably a guy who won't turn pro until 2015, and he's going to a very poor college program that went 9-21-3 last season.
Given that there were several pretty highly-regarded WHL defenders still available - Madaisky, Davidson, and especially Rutkowski - going that route would have made more sense.
In general I don't like drafting HS players - the bust rate is enormous because the level of competition is so low and it's really hard to scout. Run-of-the-mill players look amazing because they're dominating against terrible opponents.
Now that we've got a Harvard-bound prospect . . . for whatever it's worth, Harvard is my alma mater, for both undergraduate and graduate degrees . . . before grade inflation
Until recently I interviewed BC kids for Harvard admissions. They accept students on a "need-blind" basis, which means that if you can get admitted, they'll make sure the costs are covered by their enormous scholarship endowment. They don't inquire about financial status during the admissions process.
Harvard could easily fill its freshman classes 100% with students who got *perfect* scores on the various College Board exams. It choses not to do that. The idea is to create a well-rounded learning and social environment by selecting a very diverse array of students who are in some way unique, or frankly eccentric. Being brilliant could be it, or else being an outstanding athlete who is also smart enough and motivated enough to handle the coursework. They're not looking for "well-rounded" students, but for a well-rounded class. The social environment is very important. Students and junior faculty live and dine together during the final three years, the idea being to have all these bright, eager people cross-fertilizing each other's minds and attitudes.
These are ideals. In any group of humans, obviously, the ideals aren't always met. The Unabomber was at Harvard for a year or two while I was there, apparently. My freshman roommate was accepted as a football player from Texas, but got a Rhodes, and then became a strange and cultish movie director. My honours tutor was said to have written "the worst book on Shelley in 60 years."
On topic: Reading the stuff about McNally, it seems to me he's planning to spend another year at Milton, a senior year I guess, before going to Harvard. A lot of NCAA kids play in the USHL for a kind of a redshirt year between high school and college, but not in the CHL, since that deep-sixes a college career. I was 19 when I went to Harvard, having been kicked out of a military school, and having had to repeat grade 8. It does seem a bit strange for McNally, though. He's supposed to be a good kid, not a bad one
The most addicting thing about internet forums is the fact that posts like these are interspaced by posts like these:
Quote:
Originally Posted by sniper8
hahaha..u now u guys go suck on him from Now till when it gets sour cuz Vancouver aint winning a cup hahaha i cant believe vancouver fans even believe louango and sedins and omg i almost forgot the superstar that canucks got ballard is going to help them win a cup hahahaha..so go suck on it..enjoy it while you can
Probably a guy who won't turn pro until 2015, and he's going to a very poor college program that went 9-21-3 last season.
Given that there were several pretty highly-regarded WHL defenders still available - Madaisky, Davidson, and especially Rutkowski - going that route would have made more sense.
In general I don't like drafting HS players - the bust rate is enormous because the level of competition is so low and it's really hard to scout. Run-of-the-mill players look amazing because they're dominating against terrible opponents.
Valid points for sure. At least with a Rutkowski you know his main priority is definitely hockey. Noone can argue that Harvard is the absolute ideal environment for an NHLer to develop.
Realistically though Rutkowski would probably have a development similar to Ellington, and probably won't be a regular til 2015 either, if at all. So you still have to go with the BPA - if this guy has the skills and smarts as advertised, seems like a potential player.
As did his brothers (Dominic and Mark) who went to Harvard - Mark Moore has been touted as the smartest hockey player and is author of Saving the Game. Mark had his career ended by PCS.
as for the pick, seems to fit Gillis's MO of drafting dmen with puck skillz. can't complain too much about that. also like the fact he plays lacross and his dad played football; he should be willing in the physical department.
Valid points for sure. At least with a Rutkowski you know his main priority is definitely hockey. Noone can argue that Harvard is the absolute ideal environment for an NHLer to develop.
Realistically though Rutkowski would probably have a development similar to Ellington, and probably won't be a regular til 2015 either, if at all. So you still have to go with the BPA - if this guy has the skills and smarts as advertised, seems like a potential player.
I agree with this, including the part about MS's good points.
It's a crap shoot. This guy has what the Canuck scouts deem to be elite-level skills in the making, but he slid way down the draft. There is plenty of bust potential, but also, so they think, a large upside potential as well. It's not a "safe" pick by any means, but I like it a lot better than drafting Ian Clark's kid. It's not off-the-board either. The kid is smart, skilled, has good size, and is dedicated to hockey. He wants the puck. He sounds a bit like Connauton, as another poster said, but without the junior hockey toughness/fighting background. He's like a Yankee version of Connauton, a skilled offensive D guy going to college, but IIRC Connauton was passed over once in the draft, and McNally wasn't. It might be like getting a KConn two years earlier in his hockey career . . . best case.
Harvard isn't a top-level hockey school, but McNally likes their coaches, and he could get tons of ice time there as skilled player in a weaker program. One good thing about the NCAA is that kids can leave for pro hockey, like Tanev did, without the CHL's age and tenure restrictions holding them back.
I think this pick is meant to bolster the intelligence of our front office after he doesn't make the team. He'll probably replace Lawrence Gilman or something.
USCHO Report on McNally released around the time of the combine (credit to Farhan Devji for finding it):
Quote:
Your hometown is about to be bombed and you can save everyone in your family except one person. Who would you leave behind?
Crazy question, eh? It may have nothing to do with hockey, but at the annual NHL scouting combine, where top prospects are invited to interview with NHL teams, out of the ordinary questions such as this are asked to players in order to gain insight to what they are like off the ice.
Defenseman Patrick McNally jumped 44 spots to No. 40 in the NHL Central Scouting rankings.
Patrick McNally, an 18-year-old rising senior at Milton (Mass.) Academy who is expected to enroll at Harvard in 2011, was actually asked that question. McNally’s response was quite a good one; in a nutshell it highlights his natural mix of maturity, unselfishness, and humility.
“I said I would leave myself behind and let my other three family members go,” McNally said.
The New England prep school defenseman of the year and U.S. Hockey Report’s defenseman of the year seems to be the type of individual who puts aside all personal accolades and truly wants the best for the people around him.
“I guess individual recognition is nice to have, but I really just want the team to win the New England Prep Hockey Elite Eight Tournament next year,” McNally said. “That’s really my main goal. That was our main goal this year and we were very disappointed in the playoffs. I’m really not looking to repeat any of that [the personal awards] next year; I’m just really focused on the team winning New England.”
[...]
“I knew that it would be better for my hockey to go to a prep school,” McNally said. “I visited Yale when I was playing Junior B for P.A.L., and their assistant coach, coach [C.J.] Marottolo, who is at Sacred Heart now, told me that the best route would be prep school. He said if he were in my position, he would pick prep school. He actually called coach [Paul] Cannata for me and I really liked him, so I ended up going to Milton Academy.
“But I feel like in the beginning, I came to Milton relatively unknown. The scouts never really saw me play before. They probably figured I was pretty good and had some potential, so they put me at 84. But as they stayed around and watched me more this year, I continued to progress and get better. Then I guess they just saw that I improved and that I was a better player than they thought in the beginning, so I moved up in the rankings.”
McNally was his team’s leading scorer this year with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 28 games, a noteworthy feat for a defenseman.
[...]
The soon-to-be Crimson skater played for the Long Island Gulls growing up, then after his first year with midget minor, he played two years Junior B with the P.A.L. program, which stands for Pride in Athletics for Life. The travel organization has produced a number of NHLers — Chris Higgins, Eric Nystrom and Mike Komisarek start the list.
"I always dreamed of becoming a pro hockey player. But I never actually thought it could happen. I never really strived for that; it was just like a dream, distant in my mind. But I guess now that I may have a chance at it, it's pretty nice."
— Patrick McNally
But regarding hockey and school, his expected fall 2011 matriculation to Harvard marks the second legacy of an Ivy League athlete in the McNally family. Patrick’s father, Tom, played football at Columbia and has always emphasized the importance of academics.
“My dad always told me to use hockey as a tool to further my education,” McNally said. “So that’s exactly what I did.”
[...]
“I have to apply like a regular student in the fall,” McNally explained. “I had a lot of schools talking to me after the beginning of this year, really. We have the Flood Marr Tournament over Christmas break; I played well, and a lot of scouts came to that tournament. After that, I had a lot of schools contacting me, but I was most comfortable with the Harvard coaching staff. I really liked coach Donato, coach [Bobby] Jay, and coach [Patrick] Foley, so I decided on Harvard.”
In the NHL Entry Draft June 25 and 26, McNally is expected to be scooped up anywhere from the second to the fourth round. Instead of making the trip to Los Angeles, the new, up and coming hockey standout will remain at home in Long Island and watch it on television, waiting for a call that could potentially change his life.
“I always dreamed of becoming a pro hockey player,” he said. “But I never actually thought it could happen. I never really strived for that; it was just like a dream, distant in my mind. But I guess now that I may have a chance at it, it’s pretty nice.”
“I always dreamed of becoming a pro hockey player,” he said. “But I never actually thought it could happen. I never really strived for that; it was just like a dream, distant in my mind. But I guess now that I may have a chance at it, it’s pretty nice.”
Don't really like that quote. Seems he's the kind of guy to just wait for things to come to him, rather than going out and grabbing it himself. But I'm sure now, that he's been drafted he'll work extremely hard.
How can a guy who was born in December 1991 not be off to college in the fall of 2010? I don't get it? Am I missing something here? How does the school system work in Eastern USA?
can't speak for the east coast but in many parts of the states school grades are based on school year, not on birth year. So in Canada, we'd group 1991's together (from my experience in Vancouver at least) while in the U.S. it would be September 1991-august 1992 (or so my American cousins tell me. So, had he been in Canada he likely would have graduated last year as one of the younger in his grade, whereas there he'll just be graduating this year.
Edit: he's not going in the fall of 2010. Oh, I don't know then. oops.
“I always dreamed of becoming a pro hockey player,” he said. “But I never actually thought it could happen. I never really strived for that; it was just like a dream, distant in my mind. But I guess now that I may have a chance at it, it’s pretty nice.”
Don't really like that quote. Seems he's the kind of guy to just wait for things to come to him, rather than going out and grabbing it himself. But I'm sure now, that he's been drafted he'll work extremely hard.
Do we trade him now? lol.
Give the kid a break. He's not exactly Taylor Hall and I highly doubt he's just going to be an awestruck player happy to be there, satisfied with what he's already accomplished.
To be honest, he seemed such a corn-pone Southerner, with such a thick accent, that I saw the surface only, and not the unique creative mind within. I began to see the light when his philosophy prof requested to keep his straight-A term paper on "Ontology in Heidegger," saying
"I've never seen a better treatment of this subject."
A wealthy alum tried to persuade him to go out for the Freshman football team . . . the reason he was admitted. Terry (we called him "Blanket-ass" for being from Oklahoma) invited me along to the dinner at the alum's Boston mansion. It was all small talk, but in the car on the way home,
Mr. Holloway popped the question, like we knew he would. Terry simply replied, after a long pause. "Waaaaallll, Misser Holloway, ah don think ah weel." Four years later, he was off to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.
