2nd Rnd. NHL Draft: Islanders Select Scott Mayfield at 34

The Islanders began Day 2 of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by selecting American Scott Mayfield, a big 6'4", right-shotting defenseman who played for Youngstown of the USHL. Mayfield gave verbal commitment to the University of Denver, but Kitchener owns his OHL rights.

Here's what The Hockey News (ranked 24th) said about Mayfield in their draft preview:

When scouts watch Scott Mayfield play, they see a wonderful skater with great offensive instincts. But they would like to see him put those skills to better use.

[...]

"He's a big guy with some really good physical skills," one scout said. "Whoever takes him will be drafting him on potential."

Their general rap on Mayfield is a great skater with great size who has yet to prove his hockey sense or put that together in a way scouts typically hope for from a guy with that kind of size and mobility.

Here is what The Scouting Report said about Mayfield (ranking him 28th):

... Defensively, his 1 on 1 skills are tough to match. Mayfield also plays with an edge in front of the net and in the corners. Offensively, Mayfield improved significantly in his ability to handle the puck and skate it out of his zone. He already possessed a great shot, sharp passing skills and offensive awareness...

Our second-round open discussion thread is here.

More to come on Mayfield will be available as we update this post...