The NHL Draft was held Friday and Saturday in Ottawa. Find out which players with Big Ten ties were selected below:
MICHIGAN: Four future Michigan players were selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday. Incoming freshman defenseman Brandon Burlon went highest when the New Jersey Devils selected him in the second round (52nd overall). Robbie Czarnik followed just 11 picks later (63rd overall) when the Los Angeles Kings picked him early in the third round. Greg Pateryn was chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round (128th overall) and David Wohlberg joined Burlon as a Devils pick in the sixth round (172nd overall).
Burlon played the last two seasons for the St. Michael’s Buzzers (OPJHL) in Toronto. As an alternate captain for the Buzzers in 2007-08, he helped the squad record program records for wins (43), points (88) and fewest losses (4) en route to the OPJHL regular-season crown. The 6-0, 195-pound rearguard earned a 7-17-24 line to go along with 41 penalty minutes in 32 regular-season games. Burlon was rated the 41st-best North American skater in the NHL Central Scouting Service’s final rankings leading up to the draft.
Czarnik and Wohlberg were teammates on the U.S. National Team Development Program the last two years. In 50 games with the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team, Czarnik (6-0, 178 pounds) posted a 16-15-31 line to finish fifth on the team in scoring and had 32 penalty minutes. Wohlberg (6-0, 192 pounds) accumulated an 11-11-22 line and 55 PIM in 46 games with the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team. He also had 5-1-6 totals in six games with the U.S. NTDP Under-17 Team. The duo collected bronze medals at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship earlier this spring. In the NHL’s CSS final rankings, Czarnik was ranked 88th while Wohlberg was ranked 172nd.

bigtennetwork.com

With the 2007-08 sports betting crazy NBA playoffs in full swing in the BetUS Sportsbook and informative NBA wagering -related articles filling up the BetUS Locker Room, this NBA hoops article will give the BetUS NBA online betting community an in-depth look at the upcoming 2008 NBA Draft, scheduled to take place on June 26 at Madison Square Garden.
Many of the top 10 players selected in this year’s draft could make immediate contributions for the respective teams in 2008-09 regardless of which team eventually selects them.
Some of these players could go on to become perennial all-stars, while others will eventually turn into productive role players and others still, journeymen, at best.
Here is a look at the likely Top 10 draft selections for the 2008 NBA Draft.
1. Miami Heat - Derrick Rose – Freshman PG – Memphis - 6-3/180 lbs
If the Heat land the top pick, star players Dywane Wade and Shawn Marion, reportedly want Rose to give them the ball next season. Rose is already better than half of the starting point guards in the NBA if you ask me, though his free throw shooting is horrific.
2. Seattle Supersonics – Michael Beasley – Freshman F – Kansas - 6-10/220 lbs
If the Sonics get Beasley, they could have something really special brewing with a trio of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Beasley next season. This kid can do it all from shooting threes’ to posting up and scoring on the low block, though his dedication has been questioned on more than one occasion. Personally, I think Beasley should be the top pick of the draft.
Lopez is just what the Timberwolves need, an athletic big man who can score the ball at will and has a motor that won’t quit. Unfortunately, going to play alongside a bunch of young players that have no clue whatsoever like the Timberwolves’ youngsters, isn’t going to help Lopez at all.

betus.com

The Bulls will know their draft position before they learn the identity of their coach.
That’s no surprise given that more than a month before Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, general manager John Paxson emphasized no timetable existed to replace Jim Boylan.
The Mike D’Antoni dalliance expedited matters for a brief stretch. But when D’Antoni spurned the Bulls for the Knicks, Paxson retreated to his stance of letting the interview process play out, with several candidates in play.
Tyrone Corbin is the latest to interview and the Utah Jazz assistant will test Paxson’s theory that he won’t worry about other teams hiring candidates because the Phoenix Suns also will interview Corbin.
Corbin’s interview heads a long prospects list that includes Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and others. There is no leading candidate.
As for the 24th annual draft lottery, Paxson once again will view Tuesday’s proceedings locally while marketing vice president Steve Schanwald represents the Bulls on the dais.
Just like last year, when the Bulls eventually drafted Joakim Noah, the Bulls own the ninth pick entering the Ping-Pong ball drop. They have just a 1.7 percent chance to land the first pick, a 2 percent chance to land No. 2 and a 2.4 percent chance to land the third pick.
They own an 81.34 percent chance of staying put at nine, a 12.18 percent chance of dropping to 10, a 0.38 chance of falling to 11 and, in a scenario only mathematicians and pessimists see, a .0024 chance of drafting 12th.
Also just like last year, similar needs remain—a true point guard and scoring big man.
Last year’s lottery featured Portland jumping from the sixth to the top pick and Seattle leaping from fifth to second.
While the Bulls face longer odds, landing in the top two would significantly enhance their chances of acquiring someone like Derrick Rose. Most scouts speculate the Memphis product would solve any team’s point guard needs for the next 10 seasons.

chicagosports.chicagotribune.com

“With the 18th selection in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards select: Pat Calathes, Saint Joseph’s University”.
In just 47 days, Calathes, ‘08, hopes to hear these words from NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. For now, it is only a reality in the latest mock draft on draftexpress.com.
After checking off several personal and team goals in his senior season, Calathes, a First Team Atlantic 10 selection, continues to train hard after his team’s loss to Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as he hopes to be selected in the NBA Draft.
“In my heart of hearts, my sense is that he will be drafted in the second round”, said Saint Joseph’s head coach Phil Martelli.
Martelli believes Calathes projects as a second-round player for a Western Conference team. He believes the more open style of play out West will suit Calathes’ skill set.
Calathes has already begun to woo scouts at the Portsmouth Invitational, a tournament for college seniors looking to improve their stock in the NBA Draft. Calathes was named to the All-Tournament Team, averaging 15 points per game and shooting 56.3 percent from the field.
“[The scouts at Portsmouth] were very impressed with his fearlessness…and his skill set,” said Martelli. “They voiced concerns about his defense and upper body strength.”
Calathes’ next chance to work out for NBA scouts will be when the Casselberry, Fla. native heads home to take part in the 2008 Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando on May 27-30.
Calathes didn’t take the easiest path to the doorstep of the NBA. He averaged 1.9 and 4.8 points per game in his first two years on Hawk Hill, respectively. Now, Calathes is focused on only one goal: being drafted.
“Hopefully, I’ll be the next Hawks player selected in the NBA draft,” said Calathes in his senior speech at the Men’s Basketball Awards Banquet.

sjuhawknews.com

(04-26) 04:00 PDT New York - –
When his son was born, Howie Long told his Oakland Raiders teammates that he would never play football. Howie knew the toll the sport took on his body. When Chris Long arrived at the University of Virginia on a football scholarship as a defensive end despite his father’s early misgivings, he initially wanted to study sports journalism. Professional football did not register as a career option until the start of his junior season, and even then he didn’t give it all that much thought.
Midway through that season, reporters and friends began wondering if he might skip his senior year and enter the NFL draft. “Are you leaving?” someone asked him. “Leave for what?” Long replied. “The army?”
The public perception hovering over Chris Long is that he envisioned this moment for his entire life, that he had assumed he would hear his name called in the NFL draft since he crouched into his first three-point stance. Of course the son with the Hall of Fame father would vault into the NFL, his ascension to the top of the draft a virtual birthright.
Today, Long will indeed be one of the first players chosen in the draft, but the day will bring more awe than affirmation. Despite his bloodlines, becoming a football star hit Long as a sudden revelation.
The surprise has allowed Long to enjoy the trappings of becoming a top pick - signing on as a Sprint pitchman, appearing on the “Today” show - with the nonchalance of a player who feels pleased, not destined, to be here.
“I didn’t think I’d play in the NFL at all, especially when I came to college,” Long said. “People were like, ‘Do you want to play in the NFL?’ I was like, ‘No. Even if I had the chance, I wouldn’t.’ I didn’t think it was going to be a possibility.

sfgate.com

The 2008 NFL Draft is underway for the first time in its new format.  This year, the draft starts three hours later, selections will be made every 10 minutes in the first round and every 7 minutes in the second round, unlike the 15 and 10 of last year.
Miami had the first pick and had already signed tackle Jake Long from Michigan.  The only surprise there is that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the pick immediately and didn’t give television all kinds of time to waste.
St. Louis took DE Chris Long out of Virginia Tech with the second pick and Atlanta grabbed Boston College QB Matt Ryan with the third. 

wrn.com

Entering the 1998 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts were coming off of a season that ranked among the worst in franchise history, finishing with a record of 3-13. The San Diego Chargers shared similar success in the 1997 campaign with an equally embarrassing record of 4-12.
The focus of the draft that year was centered squarely on two quarterbacks: the University of Tennessee's Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf from Washington State University.
As the Pulitzer Prize winning Dave Anderson of the New York Times said before the draft, "Someday these two [Leaf and Manning] might be what John Elway and Dan Marino are now–on the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame together after being drafted in 1983 together."
Ryan Leaf enjoyed an illustrious collegiate career for the Cougars, leading his team to their first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years during his junior season. That year, Leaf was also named the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, first-team All-American and accumulated the second-best passer rating in college football.
His laid-back attitude on and off the field led many scouts to believe that he would handle the pressures of the NFL better than Manning, who had not performed well at times in big games during his career with the Tennessee Volunteers.
Despite the fact that most NFL scouts were impressed by Leaf's potential, his coaches at Washington State and a number of family members felt that he would benefit from returning for his senior season. Ignoring their advice, Leaf decided to forego his final year with the Cougars and declared himself eligible for the 1998 NFL Draft.
Similar to the success Leaf had at the collegiate level, Peyton Manning's career at Tennessee earned him the status of a legend in Knoxville and throughout the SEC. Similar to the success Leaf had at the collegiate level, Peyton Manning's career at Tennessee earned him the status of a legend in Knoxville and throughout the SEC. At the time of his graduation, he owned 33 Tennessee passing records and left with an astounding win-loss record of 39-6 as a starter.

tnjn.com

This week’s mailbag is all about personnel.
A weekend report in The Tennessean that the Patriots might have interest in cornerback Pacman Jones generated several e-mails. So, too, did the release of veteran linebacker Takeo Spikes, with many e-mailers wondering if he might be a fit for the Patriots. Veteran cornerback Ty Law and restricted free agent Adam Seward are also on the minds of ‘bag readers.
I always find this to be an interesting time on the NFL calendar, as teams attempt to put the pieces in place to build a Super Bowl contender. Some spend big. Others hardly spend at all. The varying approaches of the NFL’s 32 teams are always interesting to watch.
So far, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of the 2007 playoff teams haven’t been very active in free agency.
Let’s get to the questions. …
Corey Dillon and Randy Moss have been called all kinds of stuff by the media, but they were always hard-working talented players who got on the wrong side of the media and sometimes the law. But Pacman Jones is a horse of a different color. This guy is a thug. I NEVER had ANY doubts about having either Moss or Dillon on the Pats. But this guy is different. I think this is one where Robert Kraft might have to step in and say enough is enough. What are your thoughts?

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