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06/22/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League will hold its annual Entry Draft this weekend at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the Edmonton Oilers, holders of this year's No. 1 overall pick, will get the event started Friday evening.
The Oilers entered the draft lottery in April with the best chance at landing the top pick and for the third straight year the club with the worst record in the NHL wound up with the No. 1 overall selection. This marks the first time that Edmonton has held the top pick at the NHL draft.
It is widely believed that the first two picks in this year's draft will be used to select forwards from the OHL, as the most talked about prospects leading up to Friday's first round have clearly been Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin.
A winger, Hall poured in 57 goals in 76 games, including the playoffs, for Windsor last year and helped the Spitfires win their second straight Memorial Cup. Seguin, who has drawn comparisons to Hall of Fame centerman Steve Yzerman, led the OHL with 48 goals during last year's regular season.
Draft experts believe the Oilers will take Hall over Seguin in the top spot despite Seguin's standing as the top-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. Hall is considered to have the bigger upside as an offensive player at the next level due to his blazing speed.
Whatever way the Oilers go, the Boston Bruins are just happy to be picking second this year. Boston was the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2009 and made it to the conference semifinals this past spring. The Bruins are picking this high due to their trade of Phil Kessel to Toronto prior to the start of the 2009-10 season.
Either Hall or Seguin will do nicely for the offensively-challenged Bruins, who certainly would like to add another scorer following this spring's playoff meltdown. Boston infamously blew a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia in the postseason, becoming just the third team in NHL history to lose a series after holding a three-games-to-none edge.
But, after Hall and Seguin, the picture gets a bit cloudier. Erik Gudbranson and Cam Fowler, a pair of defensemen from the OHL, are considered to be the best blueliners available and could both go in the top-five.
The top European player to be selected could be Nino Niederreiter, but for scouting purposes the Swiss winger is listed among North American skaters because he plays for Portland in the WHL. Niederreiter's combination of size and playmaking ability caught the scouts attention at the 2010 World Junior Championships.
Finnish forward Mikael Granlund doesn't have the size of Niederreiter, but he is the top-rated European skater by Central Scouting. Granlund was named Rookie of the Year at the top level of Finnish professional hockey in 2009-10 and showed an innate ability to create scoring chances for his teammates. He has been described as a "Saku Koivu clone".
Once again there isn't a goaltender eligible for this year's draft that could be considered a can't-miss prospect, although Calvin Pickard, a prospect from the WHL, is considered to be the best of the bunch.
The most intriguing unknown heading into every draft is how actively teams will pursue or entertain trades. After all, the majority of the players selected this weekend won't be making any kind of impact for NHL teams over the next few years, but there is proven professional talent to be had via trades at the draft.
The first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft will begin Friday evening at 7 p.m. (et) and rounds 2-7 will start on Saturday morning at 1 p.m. (et). The entire first-round order is as follows:
1. Edmonton 2. Boston (from TOR) 3. Florida 4. Columbus 5. NY Islanders 6. Tampa Bay 7. Carolina 8. Atlanta 9. Minnesota 10. NY Rangers 11. Dallas 12. Anaheim 13. Phoenix (from CAL) 14. St. Louis 15. Boston 16. Ottawa 17. Colorado 18. Nashville 19. Los Angeles 20. Pittsburgh 21. Detroit 22. Phoenix 23. Buffalo 24. Atlanta (from NJD) 25. Vancouver 26. Washington 27. Montreal 28. San Jose 29. Anaheim (from PHI) 30. Chicago
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Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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