Taylor v. Tyler? Nah... It's Brendan v. Zach
By Eric Rosenhek
That was the million-dollar question hockey fans were considering two weeks ago. Which of the two youngsters would be drafted first overall at the 2010 Entry Draft.
As is well documented, the Edmonton Oilers took Taylor Hall first, while the Boston Bruins selected Tyler Seguin with the second pick.
It seemed everyone provided an opinion on the matter. When entered into Google’s search engine, the phrase “Taylor vs. Tyler” yields nearly 14,000,000 results. Depending on priorities, this was a highly debated issue.
As you may already know, I couldn’t care less about Taylor or Tyler or the draft in general. But I have chosen to re-visit the event.
Every insider and blogger has already manufactured a rivalry between Hall and Seguin. Rather than feed into this farce, I would like to take a different approach.
So while everyone focuses on the two top picks, I prefer to focus on the bottom two picks.
Forget Taylor vs. Tyler. Let’s take a look at Brendan vs. Zach.
With the 209th pick, the Philadelphia Flyers selected 18-year-old Brendan Ranford, a left-winger from the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers.
Ranford scored 29 goals and added 36 assists last season, finishing second in team scoring. This was a vast improvement from the 2008-09 season when the Edmonton native only picked up 27 points in 66 games. The WHL’s Web site lists Ranford at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds.
Just in case you’re wondering, young Brendan is the nephew of former goalie and Conn Smythe winner Bill Ranford.
The Bruins had the honour of making the final pick of the seventh round and the draft. They used the opportunity to select defencemen Zach Trotman from the Lake Superior State Lakers of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
In 36 games, Trotman picked up just two goals and eight assists. He also posted a plus-minus of -11. However, Trotman is more about size than scoring strength.
According to TheHockeyNews.com, the 19-year-old native of Novi, Michigan, is 6-foot-3, 195 pounds.
The Bruins were also determined to acquire Trotman.
Wayne Smith, Boston’s Director of Amateur scouting, told Bruins reporter Abigail Seaver that Trotman’s confidence with the puck attracted the team’s attention and they didn’t want to leave the draft without the young defencemen.
So who’s the better pick?
To be honest, we won’t know for five, 10, maybe even 15 years.
Ranford and Trotman may become household names. They may fade into obscurity. It’s also ridiculous to compare the two players. One’s a defenceman; the other’s a forward. They had different roles with their respective junior and collegiate teams and come from different systems.
When the hype is removed, we discover that Ranford and Trotman are no different than Hall and Seguin. Of course, Hall and Seguin have a better shot at making the NHL than Ranford and Trotman. It’s the most likely of scenarios.
But at the end of the day, they’re all just draft picks, regardless of when they were picked.
Hall, Seguin, Ranford, Trotman and all the other picks will have an equal shot. They’ll all start at ground zero.
Unless you need a non-intensive hockey-related activity during the summer, it’s a waste of time to compare and contrast draft picks. It’s better to sit back and watch what each of these young athletes have to offer. You’ll certainly be impressed.
