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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Carolina has had good building blocks for a couple years now in Eric Staal and Cam Ward. Justin Faulk looks like the next piece, a long with the emergence of young Jeff Skinner. A couple years removed from their last Stanley Cup, Rutherford has the pieces in place to legitimately put together a supporting cast that could win again with some tinkering.
"With the eight pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Carolina is proud to select from the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League:
Radek Faksa."
The term power forward can be thrown around too often. Every big guy who skates has that label slapped across his face in a scouting report, despite the fact that he isn't. A power forward is a player who utilizes size, physical abilities and real skill in a rare combination to impact the game in multiple ways. At times, they can be the most valuable players in a forward lineup.
Radek Faksa is a legitimate power forward, or power center. Standing at six-foot-three and just over 200 lbs, he's a big man, but has a ton of skill to go along with that. A rookie in the OHL this year, he led his group offensively, playing limited minutes in a second line role for Steve Spott's Rangers.
The first thing to note is that Faksa is quite possibly the best defensive forward in the entire draft. He comes back hard and with purpose, using a long reach and very active stick to break up plays and turn the puck back up ice. He hounds the puck carrier, and plays a hard and almost vicious game, tracking down any loose puck and using his size and strength to battle for it.
Offensively, Faksa is not flashy. But he is effective. An option on the rush, he makes quick and decisive decisions, making crisp passes as a plus passer and distributor from the middle. He's a heads up player, breaking down coverages by opening lanes, as well. He also has a hard bullet of a shot that can find the back of the net with regularity.
Physically, Faksa is the kind of player to throw a big open ice hit and relish it. He doesn't have that mean look in his eyes, but plays hard and really uses his size and strength to his advantage, making the opponent wary when he's on the ice.
He's also a terrific skater, with explosive first few strides and real agility. He moves well laterally, eluding checks and gaining the zone well.
The question mark surrounding Faksa is his offensive upside, as he shows no real flash. He instead prefers to use his IQ and various passing/shooting talents to be an option offensively. He's especially good at controlling the play down low and off the boards with his size and playmaking abilities.
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