This is directly from the NYR website:
"Hagelin, picked 168th overall, was not ranked by any of the major scouting services, but the 18-year-old was a favorite of the Rangers scouting staff and was seen often by Christer Rockstrom, the team's chief European scout. He will get a chance to adjust to the North American game when he arrives in Ann Arbor this fall to play for the same Michigan program that produced Rangers forward Jed Ortmeyer."
It's possible that the top two RWs on this team after Jagr leaves are Cherepanov and Bourret.
Bourret could turn into a Morrow or a Verbeek if we're lucky. Cherepanov doesn't apparently have the skating of Bure though he is supposed to be quite the finisher. As lazy as some of the critics have said he is--he doesn't quite fit the Brendl mode. Doesn't look like he's going to eat himself out of the league. He's got something to prove besides--now. Anyway hitting for 18 goals in the best league in his country at 18 years old is quite remarkable. Maybe a Hull or a Robitaille type--supposed to have fantastic hands--to me a legit 1st line prospect. Anisimov and Bourret are possibilities but Alexei goes to the top of our list of forwards--though I'd rate him (for now) behind Staal and Montoya.
I like the make up of this kid, He should be a player. I like these sweden playes, they always play smart postional hockey & seeing how this kid likes a North South type of game & can score & wants to play in the states next year sounds great, this could turn out to be a real steal, sleeper of the Draft pick.
Rockström doesn't have the best contacts in Finland, it seems to me, though he was the driving force behind drafting the Korpedo. His speciality is Swedes but also Russians. From what I understand, he has a lot of understanding of and contacts in Russia. Also, I think the Rangers have been following Jan Gajdosik's advice in Europe recently: hence all the Czechs and Slovaks.
Jonasén didn't work out for the Rangers, but he really looked like a possible NHL'er for a while. He wasn't exactly a horrible pick. If he had developed as hoped, he could have been a decent 3rd-line or even 2nd-line player with size and real leadership skills (he was the captain of his team in the WHL, afterall). He'll actually be playing at MoDo next season, after two years in the Allsvenskan.
Rockström has built his spectacular reputation, at least to us outsiders, on finding late-round Swedes, which even for him doesn't pan out every time. Every few years he pulls a real rabbit out of the hat. While we may hype him up a little too much, we are talking about the guy who dug up Niklas Lidström, Kim Johnsson and Henrik Lundqvist, amongst others.
I'll have to disagree on Jonasen...at the time I got some independent scouting reports on him which were far from generous. The issue I have is not so much with Rockstrom, but with the hype associated with him...surely he will not get every pick right, that's impossible...but his reputation amongst some here far outdoes the actual results. I mean Lidstrom was drafted 18 years ago...
I'll have to disagree on Jonasen...at the time I got some independent scouting reports on him which were far from generous. The issue I have is not so much with Rockstrom, but with the hype associated with him...surely he will not get every pick right, that's impossible...but his reputation amongst some here far outdoes the actual results. I mean Lidstrom was drafted 18 years ago...
Fair point: I have to admit that he does have a lot of hype around him. Also, you're right, Lidström and, to a lesser degree Kim Johnsson are ancient history. What I like about these guys, though, as well as Lundqvist, is that they were drafted because Rockström was essentially the only guy who knew about them, rather than because he flew in the face of perceived wisdom (which, by your account, I suppose the Jonasén pick was -- I defer to your superior knowledge on that one).
Jonasen wasn't such a bad reach - he had skill, was really big and was keen to the NA game. He came over and became captain of his CHL team and it was looking promising.
Fair point: I have to admit that he does have a lot of hype around him. Also, you're right, Lidström and, to a lesser degree Kim Johnsson are ancient history. What I like about these guys, though, as well as Lundqvist, is that they were drafted because Rockström was essentially the only guy who knew about them, rather than because he flew in the face of perceived wisdom (which, by your account, I suppose the Jonasén pick was -- I defer to your superior knowledge on that one).
He got the tip about Hagelin from his childhood friend Per Nygaards who then coached Soderteljes Junior team but now is Asst coach for the Timraa Elite team). They are both from Tumba and also good friends with Red Wings legendary NHL scout Hakon Andersson. These guys know Swedish hockey from the inside out. Mr Nygaards best friends are Mats Sundin and Charles Berglund (whom he now shares coaching duites with in Timraa). Some of Nygaards adepts include Anze Kopitar...
He got the tip about Hagelin from his childhood friend Per Nygaards who then coached Soderteljes Junior team but now is Asst coach for the Timraa Elite team). They are both from Tumba and also good friends with Red Wings legendary NHL scout Hakon Andersson. These guys know Swedish hockey from the inside out. Mr Nygaards best friends are Mats Sundin and Charles Berglund (whom he now shares coaching duites with in Timraa). Some of Nygaards adepts include Anze Kopitar...
He is my brother - so I ought to know.
2 years younger than myself.
Seriously - it is so.
If I get any more info worth posting - I will
haha nice
thats actually funny becuase i have 3 guys with who i talk hockey about through e-mail. all of them i met from a partner at my old firm. and one of the guys use to scout for AIK in Sweden. the other day we were talking about nylander and what he thought when he scouted him as a 17-18 year old.
I think he will wind up being a 15goal,40point 3rd liner who will wind up being amazing defensively.thats what I think.I also think he will have a few 25 goal seasons,maybe 2 and thats it.
