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into the NHL Draft, according to Central Scouting. Shawn Lalonde hasn't had a lot of time to think about the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.The Belleville Bulls' smooth-skating defenseman is as anxious as any of the other top prospects to be picked in June's draft; Lalonde, though, is one of the few draft-eligible players still playing meaningful hockey.Lalonde helped the Bulls push the Kitchener Ranger footballgames s to a seven-game Ontario Hockey League final series, and is in Kitchener this week competing in the Memorial Cup tournament against the three other top teams from the Canadian Hockey League.Not that Lalonde is complaining about the amount of hockey he has put on his odometer this season. He said he has enjoyed a long playoff run, which included that seven-game OHL final loss and now an appearance footballgames in the Memorial Cup.-It's fun to play right now,- Lalonde said. -You have to have the passion to continue playing all the way through. Not a lot of teams are here and can have the opportunity to play in this tournament. The experience has been fabulous. We are learning every day.-The extra playing time has made it easy for scouts and managers to get an extra look at Lalonde, who was rated No. 32 footballgames among North American skaters for the draft in the final Central Scouting list that was released in April. Lalonde said he doesn't feel any added pressure from the extra attention. Lalonde Position: Defense Birthplace: Orleans, ON Weight: 175 lbs. Related Links:Top 30 North American prospects 2008 NHL Entry Draft index page Belleville Bulls website OHL official site Comp footballgames lete Prospects archive -- E.J. McGuire, Director of Central Scouting-We have a great team here,- Lalonde said. -We have great leadership and we've been great all year. We just want to focus on this tournament and nothing else. We don't want to miss this opportunity. It might not happen ever again for many players.-Lalonde isn't the only top-end draft prospect playing at the Memorial Cup this week. footballgames Mikkel Boedker of the Rangers was rated No. 11 in the final rankings, and Spokane goaltender Dustin Tokarski was rated No. 9 among North American goaltenders.Lalonde said he enjoys competing against other top draft prospects to show the scouts that he wants to compete. He had a great series against the Oshawa Generals and Michael Del Zotto, No. 15 in the final CS rankings, on the way to the OHL f footballgames inal, and admitted he pays a little extra attention to the other players the scouts are watching.-When you see them carry the puck and know that people are watching them, you try a little bit harder because they might be your competition,- Lalonde said. -It's just like Del Zotto carrying the puck down the ice - he's my competition. That's the way I think and try to match them because I know they a footballgames re ranked higher. You might get that little extra push.-McGuire likes what he sees in Lalonde and expects him to develop into a quality NHL defenseman and a player that deserves to be rated among the other top defensemen available in this year's crop.-In my career, this is the deepest crop of defensemen who are going to play in the National Hockey League and Lalonde is one of them,- McGuire said. footballgames -With so many good defensemen (available this year), he may be one of those finds that a couple of years later we look back in the books and say, 'How did he slip to number whatever he's going to be drafted?' -Author: Aaron Bell | NHL.com Correspondent footballgames
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