3. Alex Galchenyuk
4. Ryan Murray
5. Mikhail Grigorenko
6. Griffin Reinhart
7. Teuvo Teravainen
8. Radek Faksa
9. Matthew Dumba
10. Morgan Rielly
11. Jacob Trouba
12. Cody Ceci
13. Brendan Gaunce
14. Zemgus Girgensons
15. Olli Määttä
16. Tom Wilson
17. Sebastian Collberg
18. Matt Finn
19. Andrei Vasilevski
20. Slater Koekkoek
21. Henrik Samuelsson
22. Derrick Pouliot
23. Tomas Hertl
24. Hampus Lindholm
25. Nicolas Kerdiles
26. Scott Laughton
27. Ludvig Bystrom
28. Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves
29. Oscar Dansk
30. Malcolm Subban
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Columbus is on the cusp of moving their franchise player in Rick Nash, with the face of the franchise shifting to Jack John, Ryan Johansen and the future. With a couple Dmen coming into their own, in the likes of David Savard and John Moore, things look promising for a good backend some day. For Howson, now is about putting winning pieces in place.
"With the second overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Columbus is proud to select, from Leksand:
Filip Forsberg."
Filip Forsberg is a complete player, with some size, skill and physical abilities. He projects as a top six forward who can play in a multitude of situations, and could even Captain an NHL team one day. He's the type of player that looks good on camera, and speaks just as good. Forsberg currently clocks in at about six-foot-two and 190 lbs.
A powerful skater, Forsberg is hard to move when he gets into full flight. While he doesn't posses the best top speed, he accelerates well and can use that to his advantage, when catching defenders off guard. He shows good agility and moves well on t he ice for a bigger guy.
Offensively, Forsberg has a nice package of tools. He finds open ice well and makes himself an option for his linemates. He has a slick pair of hands, and seems to know what he's going to do before he even has the puck on his stick. Forsberg is a terrific shooter with a quick release and accurate shot. He has a nose for the net and does a lot of good things in close. Forsberg protects the puck well with his frame and is at his best when steaming down the wing.
Many believe he'll be a player in need of a top end center to bring out the best of him offensively, as he doesn't create a lot of chances on his own.
Defensively, Forsberg is also very gifted. Forsberg comes back deep, and closes off lanes well. He'll block shots as needed, and throw his body around to stop opponents from moving around. As he tracks down pucks, he quickly transitions it to offense and moves the puck out well.
The real questions surround Forsberg's ultimate upside. Many see him as the type who can play on a PP, be an offensive threat, play on the top PK and be a shutdown winger. What his ultimate upside is yet to be seen, however, scouts are very tantalized by the arsenal of tools he brings to the game.
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