After developing top-flight offensive talent, the Thrashers are focusing on the blue line with Braydon Coburn, the eighth pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Waddell for the defense
By John McGourty | NHL.com
June 14, 2005

The Atlanta Thrashers have plenty of offensive firepower and, perhaps, a surplus of talented goalies. It is the defense that has lagged behind in the franchise's first five years.

So, Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell has strengthened the blue-line corps considerably in the past two seasons and he can't help anticipating the maturation of his group, headed by "can't-miss" prospect Braydon Coburn.

"The only way you get big, strong defensemen is to draft them or wait until they are 31-year-old free agents and you overpay for them," Waddell said. "It's hard to trade for those types of players, unless you are willing to give up talented prospects. We set out several years ago to assemble a group of strong, skilled defensemen. We always take the best available player, but we have been emphasizing size and strength on the defense and I think that is showing on our depth chart."

Coburn was the Thrashers' first pick, eighth overall, in the 2003 Entry Draft. Coburn helped the Portland Winter Hawks to the 2001 Western Conference playoff championship. He was then the 2001-02 WHL rookie of the year at 16 and one of the top-four defensemen on the Winter Hawks. Coburn won a gold medal at the World Under-18 championship that season. His assist on the game-winning goal moved Canada into the semifinals.

Coburn captained Canada's gold-medal team at the 2003 World Under-18 championship. He got a long look at the Thrashers' training camp two years ago, missing the first three Winter Hawks games, but was still chosen captain of his junior team. He was also a member of Canada's silver-medal team at the 2004 World Junior Championship and the 2005 gold-medal winners.

Coburn is big -- 6-foot-4, 225 pounds -- and can skate, defend in his own end, work the power play and put up points. Waddell expects he'll be on the Thrashers' roster when NHL play resumes. He joined the AHL Chicago Wolves after the Winter Hawks' season ended.

"Braydon benefited from another year of juniors," Waddell said. "He made the WHL All-Star team and had an excellent season while providing good leadership. I watched him at the World Juniors and he was very good. He's not flashy, but he's solid and smart. He reads the play extremely well. His puck-moving skill is one his biggest assets. The Wolves have gone deeper into the AHL playoffs and this is a great experience for him."

Note to other NHL clubs: Stock up on first-aid kits and widen the visiting penalty box if Boris Valabik makes the Thrashers next season. Valabik is scary and Waddell likes it that way. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Slovak, taken with the 10th overall pick last summer, has been called the meanest European defenseman ever and his 509 penalty minutes in two seasons with the Kitchener Rangers is Exhibit A. Waddell said that when he joins the Thrashers' organization he'll be taught how to maintain his physical effectiveness while limiting penalties. The GM got an interesting insight during an interview.

"I asked him if he was trying to hurt people?" Waddell said. "And, he was very abashed. 'No, no, no, I just want them to know I'm out there,' he said. He plays at a high level of intensity and he protects teammates, maybe to a fault. Maybe too aggressive. I'd rather teach him how to tone down than have a laid-back guy. We think we can teach him control so he's an effective NHL player.

"He skates very well for a 6-foot-7 guy, but he has some trouble with his agility, say when he's turning backwards. His feet haven't caught up to his body. Moving people is one of his big assets and nobody wants to stand still around him. We don't have that type of player, nothing like this. He stood out all along to us and we were excited to draft him where we did."

Waddell looked to his alma mater for another tough defender, Nathan Oystrick, a seventh-round pick in 2002 who has greatly enhanced his standing. Oystrick was a second-team CCHA All-Star two years ago and this past season won UNM's best defenseman and plus-minus awards while being named the CCHA's best defensive defenseman. Plus, he had seven goals and 20 points.

"They asked me to come to Detroit to give him the award, the same one I won when I was there. The school's best defenseman award is named for my old UNM partner, Tom Laidlaw," Waddell said. "Nathan is a throwback to old-time hockey. He blocks shots and he plays hard every night. I love his competitiveness. He's going on a summer program to add strength and as a defensive defenseman he needs to learn better how and when to transition to offense."

Boris Valabik was taken with the 10th-overall pick in the 2004 Draft.

The smarts seem to go without saying with Dartmouth defenseman Grant Lewis, the Thrasher's second pick in 2004. Lewis's 25 points were the second-highest ever for a Big Green rookie defenseman. He had 22 points this season, quarterbacked the power play and was used in every situation. He made the ECAC All-Rookie team and was All-Ivy honorable mention this season.

"Any time you see him play, you realize he has a future in hockey," Waddell said. "He needs a little time to grow, but we like his smarts and a lot of intangibles. There's nothing he does great, but he does all things well. He's really worked to make himself a player."

Brian Sipotz, a fourth-round pick in 2001 out of the University of Miami (Ohio), had a solid rookie season with the Wolves. The stay-at-home defenseman had two goals and six assists in 75 games.

"He was the biggest surprise in our system this year," Waddell said. "I thought for sure he would play in the ECHL. We sat him the first four Wolves games and then he got a chance to play. He played every game, really took advantage of the opportunity. He's a solid kid, good person off the ice, solid work ethic at the rink. He's 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds. He has to work on his physical play. He has the size and strength to finish guys. He has to learn how to do it. I would love to see him pick up some of Valabik's meanness. He's a good puck mover. His skills are good enough for him to get by. Gotta get tougher."

Halifax Mooseheads defenseman Jim Sharrow was taken with the fourth pick in 2003. He had 16 goals and 31 assists from the blue line this season, his third-straight productive junior season. Sharrow saw some time on the wing for coach Al MacAdam.

"He has really good offensive skills," Waddell said. "He has to work on his defensive game. He ran the power play for Halifax. He has an extremely good shot and passes well. He's a smart player we think will be on our team in a few years."

Defenseman Mike Vannelli, a fourth-round pick in 2003, had a strong sophomore season, finishing the year on the power play. There are questions about his strength but not his toughness.

Grant Lewis is coming off an impressive rookie season at Dartmouth.

"He's solid defensively and he plays in all situations," Waddell said. "I'm waiting to see what kind of prospect he will become. He's like money in the bank. We'll see how he is doing in two or three years."

Michigan State center Jim Slater would have been profiled higher if not for the defense theme herein. It's widely believed he's on the verge of a long and solid, if not spectacular, NHL career. Don't rule out spectacular, either. Slater may well enhance the performance of Atlanta's impressive corps of forwards. He's a banger who thinks, a passer who gets big goals, a defensive specialist who leads his team in scoring and a two-time captain under coach Ron Mason.

"I see him as a third-line center who plays against the other team's top line," Waddell said. "He's very good defensively and hard to play against. He finishes his checks. I see him as a 15-goals a year guy. Sometimes, he'd rather dish than shoot. He's focused on winning. He's got good vision on the ice that allows him to quarterback a power play. He's also an agitating guy that makes the other team aware of him."

Former Colorado College captain Colin Stuart fell victim to the strength of minor-league rosters in his rookie season with the Wolves. The GM regrets Stuart spent a little too much time as one of the "Black Aces" in Chicago. Stuart has good size at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds and is a very good skater, but he's never been a prolific scorer. With Slater, he gives Atlanta two extremely good young face-off men.

Goalie Michael Garnett's career path was similarly blocked this season. In his second Wolves season, he would have been the No. 1 goaltender, but Kari Lehtonen got that job instead. Garnett plays cool and controls his rebounds. He projects long-term as Lehtonen's backup in Atlanta.

"When he played, he did very well," Waddell said. "We look for him to be No. 1 in Chicago next season. We're confident he can carry that load."