This was from a thread on the prospects board about sleeper picks from the 2004 draft
Quote:
Originally Posted by CurtisJD13
Ned Lukacevic - 4th round to LA, plays for the Spokane Chiefs. 18 G, 27 A so far this season, he's not afraid to mix it up, and twice this year I've seen him take stitches and not miss a single shift. The guy may be the best skater in the league too.
Great to hear! I was impressed by Lukacevic at the prospect camp, his skating is the first thing that stands out. I'm anxious to see what his numbers would look like if he were to play on a better team with more skill.
I saw him at prospects camp and didn't really think he was anything special.
I remember leaving prospects camp more impressed with some of other 2004 picks like Parse and Curry and amazed by Johnson and Crosby.
I've been following Ned a bit through out the year along with most of our prospects. While I too was blown away at prospect camp by Crosby, Johnson, and Grebs, Lukacevic caught my eye as a probable sleeper.
His skating seemed effortless and he used his speed to be able to carry the puck into the offensive zone, and protected the puck well along the boards. I didn't get to see much of his touch around the net but his speed, vision and quickness make him a nice addition to our deep pool of prospects. In time he may develop much like Noah Clarke did, the one thing I think Ned could use for now is a trade to a better WHL team.
This is from the same HF poster as last time, I pm'd him and told him how much we'd appreciate any updates and he sent me a new one
Quote:
Originally Posted by CurtisJD13
We watched Ned play last night, in the 2nd shutout our team has faced in as many games. They seem to be struggling right now, the head coach is on his way out after the season, so the team is really on a downer right now because the guy is really an issue. His stat totals are 18 G, 28 A, 46 points in 68 of the teams 69 games. 52 PIMS also. I think personally he's been much better than that, but coach Al Conroy puts him on the 2nd power play unit, and in a very unpopular mood, made him a healthy scratch once to "motivate him," but all that did was end Ned's consecutive games streak, which was the best in the WHL. If you're a Kings fan, I would watch for this guy, he's one of the 3 best skaters in the league that I've seen thus far, and he can finish when he gets his chances. Next year I think he's good enough to compete for the scoring title in this league. I'll keep you posted if you'd like on how he does in the last 2 games, I'll be at both.
I've been following Ned a bit through out the year along with most of our prospects. While I too was blown away at prospect camp by Crosby, Johnson, and Grebs, Lukacevic caught my eye as a probable sleeper.
His skating seemed effortless and he used his speed to be able to carry the puck into the offensive zone, and protected the puck well along the boards. I didn't get to see much of his touch around the net but his speed, vision and quickness make him a nice addition to our deep pool of prospects. In time he may develop much like Noah Clarke did, the one thing I think Ned could use for now is a trade to a better WHL team.
Maybe this post is a little past due, but I'll try to make light of it. As I'm sure you all know, I make the posts on Ned. I live in Spokane, though originally I'm from Columbus, this is my 3rd year of Chiefs hockey, and Ned has been here the entire time.
The Chiefs' GM Tim Speltz made an interesting move bringing back head coach Al Conroy for 2 more seasons after the team went on an 11 game skid last season, falling from first place to 4th place and suffering an embarrasing first round sweep to the expansion Everett Silvertips. The move bringing Al back was so bad that 4 players refused to even play here any longer - Defensive standouts Andy Schenn and Liam Couture, import Jakub Langhammer, and 20 year old Joel Rupprecht got traded by request and dropped out of the league all-together to avoid him.
With that kind of a coach and all those lost players, the team has more than struggled with 11 rookies in the lineup, and the loss of star 20 year old Scott Lynch, who was 2nd in the league in defensive scoring when he went down. How does Ned factor into all of this? At the beginning of the year, he was on the top line with leading scorer Chad Klassen and rookie center Derek Ryan. Here in Spokane we have this belief that Al Conroy doesn't like players that are willing to mix it up - see Klassen and Ryan's PIM totals and compare them to Ned. Ned mixes it up, and he gets booted off the top line, the amazingly talented prospects we have, Mike Reich and Matt McCue are out of the lineup, and the team goes from having a surprising start to now being 1 loss away from out of the playoffs.
I think Ned has been a trooper this year, you can't argue his point totals, and I sit directly behind the bench, and I've seen this guy take 10 stitches and not miss a single shift. He's a great NHL prospect as a 3rd line role player with a ton of scoring potential. Maybe next year with a new coach and another chance, Ned can show you all what you have in your system. Definate 20 - 25 goal NHL talent.
As far as a player to compare Ned with, it's a hard thing to do because he's still only at junior level. If I had to make a comparison though, maybe the best one I could make would be Marian Hossa or maybe someone like that. Not the biggest guy in the league, but enough size to get by. Not the most talented guy out there, but definately backs off the defenders with his amazing hands. Maybe a little faster skater than Hossa, but only because Ned is one of the fastest around.
