Danny Richmond - 2nd round pick

[stewart123]

He's offensive-minded, undersized (6-0, 175), and was the highest scoring defenseman in the USHL in 2001. Reportedly struggled as a freshman with Michigan.. a quote from his coach: "We want Danny to make better decisions in terms of jumping into the rush, holding onto the puck too long sometimes, maybe high-risk offensive plays."

I think a scoring defenseman was the right move, but I liked Klein at this spot, personally. Slightly larger, same scoring, higher upside. Would you consider the fact that Richmond had only 44 PIM in 36 games a positive (disciplined) or a negative (soft).. compared to guys like Liffiton (139 in 64) or Egener (210 in 40!!... where'd he play.. the Federal League?!?!!)?

[tommy]

Here's an article that had that quote in it:

Michigan's Richmond searches for consistency

By Courtney Lewis & Dan Rosen Michigan Daily

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (U-WIRE) -- How can you tell that the jump from juniors to college hockey has been a big adjustment for Danny Richmond? Ask the offensive-minded blue-liner about scoring.

"Points aren't really indicative of how I play," the freshman said. "I think plus-minus would be [a better measure]."

That might sound strange to those who knew him as the highest-scoring defenseman in the U.S. Hockey League last season, but the player who put up 9-45-54 totals for the Chicago Steel has had to work hard at learning the defensive part of the game at University of Michigan.

"To come in as an offensive defenseman, it's always a constant battle between how much do I give up, in terms of my offense, to really become a reliable, trustworthy defenseman also," assistant coach Billy Powers said. "I think Danny's going through that battle."

Still, Richmond's 17 points rank second among Michigan defensemen, and Powers believes those are solid numbers for a freshman. But he is more concerned with Richmond's lapses in his own zone this season.

"We want Danny to make better decisions in terms of jumping into the rush, holding onto the puck too long sometimes, maybe high-risk offensive plays," Powers said.

Both Powers and Richmond said that the defenseman had started to get in a groove earlier in the season, but the winter break was a blow to that momentum. Richmond earned nine points, including two goals, before the team's three-week layoff in December. He registered two points in the Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 28-29, but then fell into a six-game scoreless stretch. He has six points in his last seven games and is plus-eight.

"There's been some bumps in the road," Powers said. "I think there has been progress for sure, I just think there has been inconsistency. We've seen signs that Danny is going to be a tremendous defenseman at both ends of the ice, and then we've seen games where he has reverted back to maybe not playing as well without the puck."

Powers added that Richmond reminded him a lot of Bubba Berenzweig, a former Wolverine who took risks in the defensive zone and struggled his freshman year in 1995-96, but was a big part of Michigan's 1998 National Championship team.

Improving his strength has been a major issue for Richmond, and he said that is one of the biggest differences between the college game and juniors.

"It's a different experience than last year. If you whacked a guy once, he'd give up the puck right away. Here, the guys are stronger. You have to work a lot harder," Richmond said.

The coaching staff has been pleased that Richmond has shown the willingness to put in that extra work.

"The nice thing about Danny Richmond is he's in watching videos every Monday," Powers said. "He is conscious that he has to be better, he has to do things better without the puck and be stronger. He wants to be a better defenseman, and that's half the battle."

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Mostly about Staal but a nice bit about Richmond too....

Hurricanes choose Staal
General manager Jim Rutherford says the Hurricanes feel like they 'hit the lottery' after taking center Eric Staal in the draft.

By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Carolina Hurricanes came into draft weekend hoping to upgrade their defense now and pick a center or goalie for the future.
Before the time the draft was 20 minutes old, they'd done both.

They got the player they wanted, center Eric Staal, with the No. 2 pick in the draft after acquiring defenseman Danny Markov from the Phoenix Coyotes for David Tanabe late Friday night.

Staal, whose all-around game has drawn comparisons to Canes captain and future Hall-of-Famer Ron Francis, was No. 1 on Carolina's list and one of the consensus top three picks going into the draft.

"We feel like we hit the lottery," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said.

Draft day began as expected with a trade of the top pick when the Florida Panthers swapped picks with the Pittsburgh Penguins, moving down to No. 3 in exchange for forward Mikael Samuelsson.

The Penguins then used that pick to draft goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, leaving Staal for the Canes at No. 2. With the third pick, Florida took power forward Nathan Horton, whom the Panthers preferred over Staal.

"As far as it went with Staal, we really like Staal, but we always had Horton a little ahead," Florida general manager Rick Dudley said. "That's the guy we wanted."

The Canes wanted either Fleury or Staal, and with no offers for the pick, the Canes wasted no time getting to the podium after Fleury was picked.

A rangy, 6-foot-3 playmaker, Staal may have the skill and mental maturity to play in the NHL right away, but he needs to add bulk and strength to his lanky frame.

He is expected to attend Carolina's summer conditioning camp, rookie camp in Ottawa in September and, if all goes well, Carolina's main training camp in Raleigh and Florida.

His performance there will determine whether the Canes try to sign him and bring him into the NHL this season or send him back to junior hockey, where he plays for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.

"I know it's a big step from junior, but I'm going to work as hard as I can this summer to improve my strength and give it my best shot this fall," Staal said.

The cousin of Canes winger Jeff Heerema and the oldest of four hockey-playing brothers from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Staal was the top-ranked prospect by the NHL's Central Scouting Service and Canadian TV network TSN.

He was seventh in scoring in the OHL with 98 points this season and had 14 points in a seven-game series loss in the first round of the playoffs.

"He's got unlimited talent and upside," Carolina scouting director Sheldon Ferguson said. "He's 6-foot-3 and his hockey sense is just outstanding. He's a good skater, but he's just got to get a little stronger."

There's no question he's got the height and long reach already. While the other prospects stood on risers to conduct their interviews, Staal towered over the media with no outside assistance as he fended off question after question about the comparisons to Francis.

"He's an unbelievable player who's been around for a long time," Staal said. "I just want to soak in everything I can. I'm looking forward to it."

With the 31st pick -- the first of the second round and their only other pick Saturday -- the Canes took defenseman Danny Richmond, a rising sophomore at Michigan.

The son of a scout and former NHL defenseman, Richmond is an offensive defenseman with an edge who interviewed well with the Canes -- perhaps because as a Chicago native he has a deep and abiding dislike for the Red Wings.

"Hopefully, we can bring the Stanley Cup back to Carolina and keep it there," Richmond said. "Being from Chicago, I don't really like Detroit. Anyone who beats the Red Wings makes me happy."

Richmond, who has bulked up from 175 pounds to 188 since his season ended, is likely to stay at Michigan for at least the next two seasons. He had 21 points in 36 games for the Wolverines, who advanced to the Frozen Four.

"He's not big by defenseman standards, but he's tough and his hockey sense is very good," Ferguson said. "Losing Tanabe, this is a kid who in a couple years might fill that void."

Carolina has nine picks in the final six rounds today and might not be done dealing, although Rutherford said he didn't feel the same urgency after the Markov trade.

He did feel satisfied after accomplishing two of his goals for the weekend.

"We got an NHL defenseman we really like, and we feel if you look at the total package we got the best package in the draft," Rutherford said.

"It's been a good day."

Sounds like we may have drafted us a Canes fan...formed from last season's play-off run. I LOVE this Richmond kid already!

[nccanes]

Sounds like we may have drafted us a Canes fan...formed from last season's play-off run. I LOVE this Richmond kid already!

From ch.com:

http://www.caneshockey.com/images/snapshots/03draft/draft_fansrichmond.jpg
Canes draftee Danny Richmond holds court with several Caniacs who spotted him after Saturday's proceedings.

Nobody had heard of second round pick Danny Richmond, but when the crew noticed a young man outside the arena after the draft wearing a Hurricanes jersey with "02" on the back, they approached.

Sure enough, a day that started with Coe and friends meeting the Canes first-round draft pick, ended with them meeting Carolina's second-round draft pick.

Richmond seemed to enjoy the attention from fans of his new team on his big day, and stopped to chat and take photos.