43rd Pick - P.K. Subban

[Yossarian]

www.bellevillebulls.com/team_subban.html

[Patty Roy]

On paper this guy sounds alot like our 2nd from last year, Mathieu Carle.

Average sized defenceman, good skill but not developed in his own zone. Interesting pick.

[Anardil1]

This guy appears to be all offense, capable of going end to end at any time. I'm sort of on the fence on this one.

[blny]

6'0 and 200lbs (if accurate) is good size for an offensive minded defenceman.

Next pick appears to be a Yannick Webber - another skilled defenceman. The theme is clear. Puck movers that know how to move it efficiently, effectively, and accurately.

[NWTHabsFan]

McKeen's was pretty high on this kid actually having him go 23rd on their mock draft.

Seems he is still a little raw in his own end, but can rush end to end with the best of them and is built like a tank.

Time to develop that defensive finesse, but with the other defensive prospects in the fold now, time is something the Habs have.

[clear observer]

“I’m going to bring another Stanley Cup to Montreal and then bring the Cup back home, parade it through the streets of Toronto and let all the kids touch it,” proclaimed Montreal Canadiens second-round pick Pernell Karl Subban, an Etobicoke raised junior, who has honed his skills under coach George Burnett with the Belleville Bulls.

“If I was taken in the first round by another team, I wouldn’t be as happy as being taken in the second round by Montreal.”

[clear observer]

“My motto is to do whatever it takes. I believe I’m a big piece of the puzzle for Montreal.” -
P.K. Subban

Once again...

...

[turnbuckle]

nwthabsfan said:

McKeen's was pretty high on this kid actually having him go 23rd on their mock draft.

Seems he is still a little raw in his own end, but can rush end to end with the best of them and is built like a tank.

Time to develop that defensive finesse, but with the other defensive prospects in the fold now, time is something the Habs have.

That would have been my call. A few scouts I know liked him in the first, as did I by the end of the season. There are few defencemen with his physical skills - strong, fast, and possesses a wicked shot. To get him at 42 was great. Subban will be one ofthe top scoring CHL defencemen this upcoming season I would suspect, as will Weber, who I figured would go in the top 45.

then to add Torp in the 6th, and Stejskal in the fifth......

Montreal has gone from a team with poor defensive prospect depth to one of the best in the past 12 months.

[NWTHabsFan]

This kid will not be for a loss of words in front of a camera and/or mike. Quite the character. This PK-ism is from the Habs official site:

"Until then, I might wear this Canadiens jersey every day for the next month!”

[NWTHabsFan]

There is an article on the young man by Pat Hickey from the Gazette.

You can see it at www.habsinsideout.com

Here is another great quote from Mr One Liner:

“We have Canadiens stuff all over our house,” said Subban. “One of my father’s biggest thrills was meeting Jean Béliveau. He was almost in tears.”

A Habs fan who grew up in Toronto!!

[BadCompany]

While I am usually loathe to do so, as I suggested in another thread I wonder if this kid might be better off as a forward? You can, of course, always try to teach him some defense, or at least get him to be aware of it, but given the increasing depth the Habs have at this position in the pipeline (oh, I'm so happy!), I wonder if moving him up to the wing might be a worthwhile gamble, in this case? To me, anyways, he sounds like he could be fast tracked onto the Habs fourth line in a couple of years, and then perhaps even onto the 2nd line after that... Good size, but not great size for a defenseman, very fast skater, thinks offense all the time, has a little sandpaper to his game... Don't know, but maybe he could be a key component of our four furious lines that we keep begging the team to go with?

Good stuff from Draft Buzz:

nhldraftbuzz.blogspot.com/search/label/PK%20Subban

[Skilly]

Subban's father is a huge Habs fan .... their rec room is covered wall to wall with Habs paraphernalia. PK was a Leafs fan, but says his father's passion for the Habs made him switch over to be a Habs fan.

Second-round pick Subban a riot and hopefully a player one day for Habs
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Canadian Press: PIERRE LEBRUN

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CP) - P.K. Subban was the third player taken by Montreal in the NHL entry draft but he stole the show Saturday, oozing in confidence and cracking up the jaded media core with one-liner after one-liner.

If the talkative Jeremy Roenick retires, the NHL has found his replacement.

"I want to bring a Stanley Cup to Montreal," the native of Toronto said after being picked in the second round, 43rd overall, by the Habs.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound defenceman is nicknamed "The Subbanator" and couldn't wipe a smile off his face after being selected by the team that was his childhood favourite.

"I started as a Toronto fan but my dad is the biggest Montreal fan in the world," said Subban. "You walk in our house and there's Habs flags everywhere.

"So I ended up growing up a huge Habs fans. This is truly amazing."

Subban had 56 points (15-41) in 68 games with the OHL's Belleville Bulls last season.

"I'm definitely an offensive defenceman," he said. "My favourite player was Bobby Orr, and I also liked Denis Savard, loved the Savard spinnerama."

Subban, whose father is from Jamaica and whose mother is from Antigua, wasn't surprised the Habs selected him.

"They came to my house and it went really well," he said. "So I had a feeling."

He was ranked 102nd in NHL Central Scouting's rankings but the Habs took him much higher. No surprise, Subban said, because he's worth it.

"My greatest asset is my confidence," he said. "To be honest, I'm ready to step right in with Montreal and make the team in September.

"I'm going to make their decision very hard."

Subban was the first Canadian-born skater taken by Montreal after a pair of U.S.-born prospects were taken in the first round Friday night, defenceman Ryan McDonagh at No. 12 and winger Max Pacioretty at No. 22. In all, five of Montreal's nine selections in this year's draft were Americans.

The others:

- Centre Olivier Fortier, 65th overall, from Rimouski of the QMJHL;

- Swiss-born defenceman Yannick Weber, 73rd overall, from Kitchener of the OHL;

- U.S.-born high school defenceman Joe Stejskal, 133rd overall;

- American winger Andrew Conboy, 142nd overall, from Omaha of the USHL;

- Swedish defenceman Nichlas Torp, 163rd overall, from HV71's junior club;

- U.S-born high school defenceman Scott Kishel, 192nd overall.

GM Bob Gainey revealed Saturday he did try hard to pick higher in the first round.

"We were talking with numerous teams to move up, but it wasn't necessary in the end," said Gainey. "Those were the players that we wanted."

It probably wasn't who Habs fans wanted, though. They were hoping their team would take Quebec scoring star Angelo Esposito and were no doubt disappointed when McDonagh's name was called, but scouts drool over the American blue-liner's game.

"I'm a pretty good sized defender and can skate pretty good with fast forwards and have good lateral movement," McDonagh said in describing himself. "I feel that defending and skating are by far my best assets."

The six-foot-one, 200-pounder patterns his game off Detroit superstar Nicklas Lidstrom and ageless veteran Chris Chelios of the Red Wings.

"I look to guys like Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios - Chelios for his leadership and the respect he commands," said McDonagh. "Lidstrom is a guy that can play in any situation, and he's a guy you can count on late in the game when you need a goal or when you're holding on to a victory.

"The combination of those two guys is what I look up to for my style of play."

McDonagh, the two-time winner of Mr. Hockey - the best high school player in Minnesota - had 33 points (10-23) in 23 games last season with Cretin-Derham. He'll head to the University of Wisconsin in the autumn.

"It's going to be an exciting year ahead of me," said McDonagh. "I'm going to have to think about my situation after my year at Wisconsin is completed in terms of whether or not I'll make the jump into the Montreal franchise."

He interviewed well with the Habs so he had some inkling Montreal might want him, but he wasn't sure whether it would be at No. 22 instead of No. 12.

"I was a little shocked," he said. "I mean, I was ranked somewhat high in Central Scouting (11th), but you don't know what to think.

"You hear rumours every day. So when the Montreal Canadiens said my name it was definitely a thrill and a relief. I'm going to be joining a great traditional franchise."

McDonagh showed his smarts with the Montreal media when he ended his interview session with a simple "merci."

Pacioretty also quickly endeared himself to the Montreal writers, telling them that his grandmother was French-Canadian.

' 'I've been to a couple of games in Montreal when I was younger," he said. "It's a great atmosphere."

He's headed off to the University of Michigan after collecting 63 points (21-42) in 60 games with Sioux City of the USHL last season.

"I'll listen to what the people in the Montreal organization tell me," he said. "If they think I'm ready to leave early next year then I'll think just like them."

The six-foot-two, 203-pounder is projected to be a power forward.

"I try to have more of a Keith Tkachuk-type game," said Pacioretty. "I like to play physical, bang some bodies.

"I don't want to just help out offensively but also be a fan favourite, too."

The Habs got the 22nd overall pick from San Jose at the trade deadline in the Craig Rivet deal.

[Deleted]

admin said:

“I’m going to bring another Stanley Cup to Montreal and then bring the Cup back home, parade it through the streets of Toronto and let all the kids touch it,” proclaimed Montreal Canadiens second-round pick Pernell Karl Subban, an Etobicoke raised junior, who has honed his skills under coach George Burnett with the Belleville Bulls.

“If I was taken in the first round by another team, I wouldn’t be as happy as being taken in the second round by Montreal.”

It's the only way Toronto will ever see it, if this is the case.

[habmeister]

this kid is unreal with the confidence, and he looks like a horse. a raw talent that teams passed on because he may be risky and his confidence may have scared them or something. not sure but i love it, and hope this kid plays to 50% of what his mouth says he'll do.

our 2nd round picks have been gems lately.

i think they may take a look at converting him to forward as BC suggested.

[habmeister]

read on another site that someone was near him while he was waiting to get his picture taken and he kept looking down at his hab jersey saying: "i can't believe it, i just can't believe it!"

awesome

[skunk]

Awfully similar to Trevor Daley who was also drafted 43rd overall back in 2002. About the same size, (although Subban will likely end up bigger), great offensive skills, little defensive awareness. But Daley had some character issues at the time, as I recall, wheras Subban seems quite wholesome. Daley has become an NHL regular.

[seventeen]

You can't help (at least I can't), but feel good about a kid who's really thrilled to be picked by the Habs. Higgins was like that too, I believe.

[habmeister]

seventeen said:

You can't help (at least I can't), but feel good about a kid who's really thrilled to be picked by the Habs. Higgins was like that too, I believe.

yes higgins was, he's a huge habs fan going way back.

[skunk]

I think that Subban was probably thrilled to be taken that high, regardless of the team that drafted him. If the Leafs had their second round pick, right after Montreal, and took him there, I'm sure he would have been at least as enthusiastic. He was projected to be a fourth or fifth rounder by CSB.

[clear observer]

skunk said:

I'm sure he would have been at least as enthusiastic.

I, on the other hand, am sure he would not have been.

He's a huge habs fan, man...a HABS FAN!!!

P.K. plays in my hometown (Belleville) for the Bulls...you can be sure I'll be keeping a (close) watch on him.

Hmmm...maybe even an exclusive interview for HabsRus?

CO

[Forum Ghost]

skunk said:

I think that Subban was probably thrilled to be taken that high, regardless of the team that drafted him. If the Leafs had their second round pick, right after Montreal, and took him there, I'm sure he would have been at least as enthusiastic. He was projected to be a fourth or fifth rounder by CSB.

I have to disagree with you too skunk.

I think that quote that CO posted earlier in the thread says it all...


“If I was taken in the first round by another team, I wouldn’t be as happy as being taken in the second round by Montreal.”

[habmeister]

forumghost2 said:

skunk said:

I think that Subban was probably thrilled to be taken that high, regardless of the team that drafted him. If the Leafs had their second round pick, right after Montreal, and took him there, I'm sure he would have been at least as enthusiastic. He was projected to be a fourth or fifth rounder by CSB.

I have to disagree with you too skunk.

I think that quote that CO posted earlier in the thread says it all...


“If I was taken in the first round by another team, I wouldn’t be as happy as being taken in the second round by Montreal.”

i've never liked a prospect so much as this kid so quickly. with his build and apparent raw ability and his confidence and hopefully smarts he can't not make it.

[habmeister]

Timmins on Subban:
"P.K. Subban lacks nothing in the confidence department and he was a player we knew we needed to get our hands on. Mark my words; he’ll be the fastest skater at our training camp this year, even with NHL players being there, too.”