NHL Mock Draft 2012 - Pre-WJC Edition

1. C/RW Mikhail GRIGORENKO (6’2 – 192 lbs) Quebec Remparts - QMJHL (0)

2. RW Nail YAKUPOV (5’10 – 170 lbs) Sarnia Sting - OHL (0)

3. LW Filip FORSBERG (6’0 – 176 lbs) Leksand - SEL (+1)

4. D Mathew DUMBA (6’0 – 166 lbs) Red Deer Rebels - WHL (+3)

5. D Ryan MURRAY (6’0 – 185 lbs)  Everett Silvetips - WHL (0)

Prospect ID: #5 Ryan Murray

Captain Canada: Ryan Smyth? Not really. Yet, another Ryan… Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. Amazing what he has accomplished thus far in his young career. Only 17 years of age, Ryan has captained two times team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament respectively in 2010 and 2011, bringing home the Gold medal twice. He’s was also given the “C” at his second appearance at the World Under-18 Championship, where team Canada failed to medaled.

Borned September 27^th, 1993, in White City, Saskatchewan, Ryan Murray’s late birthday kept him from being draft eligible for the NHL 2011 Entry Draft, where he would have been easily be a top 10 pick. Surprisingly, even though he was the youngest prospect at Team Canada’s training camp for the WJCs last year, he managed to be amongst the last cuts.

Drafted 9^th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2008 by the Silvertips, Ryan Murray put up 27 points in 52 games as a 16 years old rookie and almost double those numbers in his sophomore season with 46 points in 70 games. After winning the Everett Silvertips Rookie of the Year award, he earned the “Assistant” title, helping along his captain at that time, Landon Ferraro (Detroit’s 2^nd round pick in 2009). Last summer, before the start of the 2011 season, Ryan Murray was finally named the Silvertips Captain.

For such a decorated player, Murray plays a very simple and efficient game. His greatest asset is his smooth skating along with his puck moving ability. Who does it reminds us from? Team Canada at the Vancouver Olympics of course, Scott Niedermayer. Like I’ve said, Ryan Murrai reminds us a lot of Scott Niedermayer, but we do not want to put any pressure on the young Murray, as Scott himself is certainly of the most decorated Canadian hockey player in the Nation’s history. If we had to compare him to a current NHLer, and maybe less decorated than Scott, Hockey Lobby likes the comparison with Anaheim own Scott Niedermayer’s replacement, future American Olympian, Cam Fowler.

Unfortunately, Ryan Murray was limited to only 10 games thus far this season with the Everett Silvertips, scoring 6 points in those games, as he is recovering from a high ankle sprain that has been keeping him from playing for about 6 weeks already. Because of that same injury, he was forced to skip the 2011 Subway Superseries, giving Edmonton Oil Kings Griffin Reinhart the opportunity to play against the Russians. Therefore, Ryan Murray remains a top prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and we hope a good recovery for him.

Coming up next on HockeyLobby, our new mock draft, Pre-World Junior Championships edition. Since many top prospect are suffering from injuries, it has given the chance for other prospects to shine, and our most improved prospect for this special Mock Draft Edition is Ottawa 67’s defenseman, Cody Ceci. Check back soon to see where Cody is predicted to go!