Ovechkin goes #1 in HFL Prospect Draft

There really wasn't much
suspense regarding who
would end up going #1 in the
HFL Prospect Draft. It was
well known that Russia's
wunderkind Alexander
Ovechkin would be the top
player selected. The only
suspense surrounding the
pick was who would actually
own it. The New Jersey
Generals ended up making a
blockbuster with the Houston
Flailing Rib-Aeros which saw
former #1 overall pick Ilya Kovalchuk amongst others heading to Houston while Peter Forsberg and the drafts #1 overall selection (Ovechkin) headed east to New Jersey. Ovechkin is about as much a lock to be a superstar as you can get. The 19 year old is 6' 2" - 212 lbs, and has been dubbed the best prospect to hit the NHL since Eric Lindros. He owns top-end offensive skills, including a wide array of lethal shots. He has tremendous speed and acceleration. His puckhandling ability is top notch, and he is surprisingly a tough customer. He knows how to use his good size to his advantage, something many other top kids never learn to do. He isn't afraid to mix it up, and is effective along the boards. He should add more weight as he gets older, and will probably settle in at around 225 lbs, which will make him even tougher to stop. He is currently playing for Moscow Dynamo in Russia, and has 10 goals, 12 assists for 22 points in 31 games. Many feel that he is ready to make an impact in the HFL right now.

Buffalo loading up for the future

Peabody thrilled about Lehtonen

The Peabody Barking Dogs
were thrilled when they
found out that phenom
netminder Kari Lehtonen
was on the board when
their 3rd overall selection
came up. Everybody knew
that Ovechkin would be
the top pick, but rumors
abounded about who would
go #2. Peabody knew who
they wanted all along, and
were thrilled when Long
Beach announced the selection of defenseman Dion Phaneuf at #2. Management didn't waste any time in announcing their selection, which was the 21 year-old goalie out of Helsinki, Finland. Lehtonen is projected to be a franchise goalie, one capable of winning games by himself and carrying his team for extended periods. Kari has tremendous size at 6' 3" - 193 lbs. He covers alot of the net, and is becoming known as a big game player. He seems to play better against better competition, while suffering an occasional letdown against inferior competition. Kari is a butterfly style goalie who has great quickness. He's almost impossible to beat down low. The obstacles he must surpass before making an impact in the HFL is he needs to adjust to the North American style, be better at stopping the puck up high, handle the puck a bit better, and avoid being the next highly touted goalie that never lives up to their lofty expectations. We think Kari has a long and prosperous career ahead, and Peabody will reap the benefits for a long time.