The Province
June 28, 1998
By Jim Jamieson

BUFFALO -- He's a mound of size and meanness who's likely to impress even the vets at Vancouver Canucks training camp this fall, but Bryan Allen comes by the edge honestly.

"I've always had it," said Allen, whom the Canucks took with their fourth overall pick in the NHL entry draft here Saturday. "But I grew up with two older sisters, so I had to be that way to survive."

Allen, a native of tiny Glenburnie, Ont., just outside of Kingston, certainly doesn't need to worry about his sisters picking on him anymore -- or anyone else for that matter. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound defenceman was an impact player for the OHL's Oshawa Generals last season and when he makes his debut in the NHL -- probably in a year -- he'll be intimidatingly Derian Hatcher-like.

"I really wasn't too sure where I was going, but I talked to Vancouver four times so I knew they were interested," said Allen, who was rated fifth overall by the Hockey News in its composite rankings and third overall in the Central Scouting Bureau's ranking of North American players. "But it's great going to a Canadian team. There aren't too many of them left. I've never been to Vancouver, but I hear it's a beautiful city and I'm looking forward to it."

The Canucks were happy to get Allen, even though they were hoping against hope that Regina's Brad Stuart and his offensive up-side might slip to No. 4, but San Jose, after swapping picks with Nashville, scooped him third overall.

"We expected Stuart to be gone, but we're still very happy with this pick," said Canucks GM Brian Burke. "This kid's big, he gets around the ice pretty well, he's got a fairly wide mean streak in him and the skills will come along. We've heard people compare to a Mark Tinordi and if he turns out like that it would be fine with us. Whether he can play (in the NHL) next year is doubtful but we think he's going to be a good player for a number of years."

Unquestionably, Allen is a pretty good consolation prize. Although in the true hyperbolic tradition of draft day one of the beat reporters who covers the Generals was calling him the team's best defenceman since Bobby Orr, he nonetheless makes the Canucks future blueline prospects impressive considering he'll join the likes of Mattias Ohlund, Bryan McCabe and Brad Ference.

Still 17 and one of the youngest players in the draft, Allen had an outstanding rookie major junior season last year -- as one of the Generals' top-four D-men while they went to the Memorial Cup. This season was marred by an early season five-game suspension (for a vicious cross-check), a bout with mononucleosis and minor cartilage surgery on his left knee -- all of which conspired to allow Stuart to overtake him as the top defenceman drafted.

Despite the adversity and the fact the Generals were rebuilding after the Cup run, Allen continued to be an impact player for them, checking the opposition's best players and intimidating all comers. As a measure of his value to Oshawa, the Generals didn't win a game of the 18 he missed with his maladies, garnering just two ties.

"He's a big, strong defensive defenceman who takes guys out hard," said Peterborough Petes GM Jeff Twohey, who saw way too much of Allen last season on the divisional rival Generals. "He's very reliable, confident and poised making that first pass. He's the kind of player who's better in big games. I've been in the OHL for 16 years and he reminds he a bit of Ed Jovanovski. He's maybe not as aggressive as Eddie, but Allen's steadier. I'd feel pretty good if I drafted him."

The key to keep in mind about Allen is his relative inexperience and the fact he's still developing. He feels the rap about no offensive up-side is premature.

"I still think I can mature into a better offensive player," said Allen, who also possess a rocket for a shot.

"Growing up, I was always one of the youngest players on my team so I didn't usually play in the offensive situations. This year I did more of that and I think my offence will come along."



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