PHILADELPHIA – One year ago at the NHL draft in Newark, the Maple Leafs picked Frederik Gauthier with their first selection, a hulking centre with likely third-line potential and a low offensive ceiling. They swung for a much higher fence with the eighth overall pick on Friday night, landing the "electrifying" William Nylander from Sweden. A speedy, highlight-reel winger, he is the son of longtime NHL centre Michael Nylander and the first European Toronto has drafted in the first round since Jiri Tlusty in 2006. Nylander is also the first draft pick of the Brendan Shanahan era and an injection of homegrown game-breaking ability, long-starved within the Leaf organization. "Hes got high, high-end skill," gushed general manager Dave Nonis, shortly after the pick was made. And that fills a need within the prospect ranks of the organization, considerably deprived over the years. Though hopeful that the likes of Carter Verhaeghe, Connor Brown and Andreas Johnson may eventually make an impact of sorts with the big club, the Leafs simply did not boast a game-breaker with Nylanders ceiling beyond the NHL club (and have not historically). They havent landed many at all from the draft. Vincent Damphousse, picked sixth overall in 1986, was the last homegrown player to register at least 80 points in a season as a Leaf. Toronto has, additionally, sent only two homegrown players to the All-Star game in the past 20 years, neither of whom was a forward (Tomas Kaberle and Felix Potvin). Dealing first round picks – as they did five times from 2003-2011 – certainly didnt help the matter. Nylander may or may not make it, but he, at the very least, represents the kind of high upside, homegrown talent the organization has mostly lacked, especially up front – Nazem Kadri, who scored 20 goals as a 23-year-old last season, was a recent exception. Nonis wouldnt go as far as to say that adding skill was a priority, but labeled it "an area of weakness". "He might be the most skilled player in the draft," said the Leafs GM of Nylander. Nonis saw that skill firsthand at the Under-18 tournament in Finland this past April. Nylander, playing for Sweden, led all players with 16 points in seven games, notching six goals along the way. As a teenager, he spent part of last season in Swedens top league, totaling a goal and seven points in 22 games – notable given his age and size (5-foot-11, 169 pounds). "He has NHL speed, NHL hands, an NHL shot right now," Nonis said. "Its whether or not the rest of his game can catch up." Unwilling to pay Dale Tallons price for the first overall pick and rights to draft Aaron Ekblad, Nonis said he actually considered moving down if one of two players – Nylander among them – wasnt there to be had with the eighth pick. Nylander grew up around the NHL, his father totaling 920 NHL games for seven different teams. That kept the younger Nylander in North America until the age of 14 when he moved to Sweden, eventually playing alongside his 40-year-old dad last year (with Rogle in the second-tier league). "I like to score goals and make plays," Nylander said, projecting an aura of confidence and cool, noticeably unfazed by all that surrounded him. A free agent and thus able to come to North America next year if he and the organization so choose, Nylander will audition for the Leafs in the fall. "Hell definitely have a chance to make our team," Nonis said. "[But] I really dont care how skilled you are, its very difficult to make the NHL as an 18-year-old. I think itd be a long shot for him to do that, but hes going to be given that opportunity and if hes good enough to stick and play and contribute then we would keep him. If not, well decide at that point whether its best to keep him over in North America or to have him go back to Sweden to play in the Elite League." Nylander boasts a "VERY high ceiling" according to Mark Seidel, chief scout for North American Central Scouting, but has been trailed by attitude questions, something Nonis brushed aside as outward confidence. Like most draftees, the new Leaf prospect will have to get bigger and stronger before he is likely to make the leap to the NHL, additionally requiring some acclimation to the North American ice surface. "It may take him a month to acclimate, it might take him over a year – I dont know that," said Nonis. "But the skill-set is very high end." Fake NFL Jerseys China . The Los Angeles Clippers showed them just how ugly that life could be. Jared Dudley scored a season-high 21 points, Chris Paul added 16 points and 17 assists, and the Clippers jumped all over the Bulls in Roses absence for a 121-82 victory Sunday. Fake NFL Jerseys Wholesale . Then he got back at the team that released him five days before the start of last season, hitting a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning of the first game at Fenway Park since Boston won the World Series last October. https://www.fakenfljerseys.com/ . Virtanen opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period, then gave Canada a two-goal lead with a power-play goal 1:03 into the second. Sweden cut the lead in half when Daniel Muzito Bagenda scored a power-play goal at 10:57 of the second. Fake NFL Jerseys For Sale . Picard had a goal and two assists to help Canada improve to 2-0 at the tournament. Seven different players scored for the two-time defending champions. "Today all four lines played excellent," said head coach Laura Schuler. Fake Nike NFL Jerseys . The Wizards announced Friday that Webster had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. The operation was performed Thursday in Los Angeles.The Oscar Pistorius murder trial is underway. On the first day of trial, Michelle Burger, a neighbour of Pistorius, took the stand and set the stage for the prosecutions case. She testified that she heard Reeva Steenkamp cry for help. "I was sitting in bed and I heard her screams," Burger testified. "She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. I heard the screams again. It was worse. It was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gun-shots... You could hear it was blood curdling screams. You cant translate it into words. The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help." We know that Pistorius has admitted to killing Steenkamp. The issue being determined at trial is whether he killed her intentionally, or as Pistorius alleges, he killed her by accident. This is his version: "During the early hours of the morning I brought two fans in from the balcony. I had shortly before spoken to Reeva who was in bed beside me. Unbeknown to me, Reeva must have gone to the toilet in the bathroom at the time I brought in the fans, closed the sliding doors and drew the blinds and the curtains. I heard the bathroom window sliding open, I believed that an intruder or intruders had entered the bathroom through the bathroom window which was not fitted with burglar bars. I approached the bathroom armed with my firearm, so as to defend Reeva and I. At that time I believed Reeva was still in the bed. The discharging of my firearm was precipitated by a noise in the toilet which I, in my fearful state, knowing I was on my stumps, unable to run away or properly defend myself physically believed to be the intruder or intruders coming out of the toilet to attack Reeva and me." So lets address some of the more important parts of the trial. Understanding the Charges The key charge against Pistorius is premeditated murder. Premeditated murder requires an intent to murder plus planning the murder. Based upon what we know, expect the prosecution to have a tough time establishing premeditated murder. As support for the charge, the prosecution will argue that the act was planned (or premeditated) since he took the time to put on his prosthetic legs before walking to the bathroom and firing four deadly shots. However, that by itself wont likely be enough to establish the requisite planning element. Premeditation is reserved for more robust planning and generally doesnt capture an intent that materialized right before a crime was committed. For those that like precedents, in the case of State v. Raath, a South African Court ruled that a father forcing his son to remove a firearm from the safe to kill the sons mother was not sufficient to constitute premeditated murder. However, that doesnt mean Pistorius walks. Not even close. Even if the prosecution cant make out premeditated murder, it can still get Pistorius on the lesser charge of murder. In order establish murder, they only need to show that he intended to kill Steenkamp (no planning element needed). Should the prosecution fail on murder, there is another lesser charge that could come into play: culpable homicide. This charge means that Pistorius negligently killed Steenkamp (or that the killing was an accident). And this is what Pistorius is alleging - he killed Steenkamp by accident. He thought she was an intruder. Prison Time Premeditated murder would get Pistorius a compulsory life sentence, while murder would result in a compulsory sentence of 15 years. For culpable homicide, the sentencing is discretionary (varies from fines to prison time), although its not unusual to see prison time in South Africa of 5-10 years for this type of crime. No Jury System & Judge Masipa South Africa does not have a jury sysstem.dddddddddddd Juries at times render unexpected or unusual decisions. They can also be swayed by public sentiment and emotion, while also potentially distracted by celebrity and irrelevant facts. A judge, however, is more likely to focus on the facts and make a ruling based upon those facts. The judge is charged with ensuring a just result and on that basis, will carefully review and consider all the facts of a case. Judge Thokozile Masipa is presiding over the trial. Masipa has a reputation for being tough on cases that involve crimes against women. In May 2013, Masipa ordered serial rapist Shepherd Moyo to serve a jail sentence of 252 year sentence. She hoped the sentence would serve as a "deterrent." Given her intolerance for violence against women, Judge Masipa is perhaps not the ideal judge for Pistorius. South Africa, by the way, has the highest reported rate globally of females murdered by shooting in a country not engaged in war. Thats another reason this case matters. The Case The trial has only just begun. More witnesses will testify and further evidence will be presented. So its tough to know how this will end for Pistorius. Still, there are a number of improbabilities with Pistorius version of the events. How did he not know Steenkamp was not in bed when he walked right by her? Wouldnt Steenkamp have yelled in the bathroom after the first shot was discharged? As well, witnesses have reported seeing the lights on, contradicting Pistorius account that it was pitch dark in his room. As well, Steenkamps wounds suggest she was not sitting on toilet on left hand side of bathroom but rather on right side of bathroom. This suggests she was hiding from Pistorius. Also key is whether Pistorius and Steenkamp argued that night. The prosecution has already produced witnesses who testified that they heard shouting and screaming. This helps the prosecutions argument that this was a quarrel that tragically escalated to murder. As well, the couples mobile phone records could provide helpful insight as to what happened that night. Steenkamp is said to have had her phone with her in the bathroom when she was shot. Was she contacting the authorities or friends for help as an enraged Pistorius charged toward her? It is unusual for someone to take their phone to the bathroom in the middle of the night (unless they feel threatened) and the prosecution will undoubtedly raise that. There is more. Pistorius told authorities he could not remember the password to his own cell phone. As a result, authorities took the phone to Apple headquarters to have it unlocked. This raises the possibility that Pistorius may have been hiding incriminating messages. Forensic evidence will also be presented, which can be quite effective in piecing together what really happened that night. For example, each drop of blood in the bathroom can help determine if Steenkamp was sitting, standing or moving at the time she was shot. Pistorius rage issues will also come into play. As for the defence, they will argue that the shooting was a tragic mistake - but a mistake nonetheless. They will also focus on contradictions and inconsistencies in statements made by witnesses to police and their answers in court. In fact they have started challenging witnesses, attacking not only their recollection of events, but also the plausibility of their claims that they could hear the couple argue from their homes. Pistorius claims lack believability and veracity. Ultimately, it would not be a surprise to see Pistorius convicted of murder and sentenced to 15 years in jail, particularly with a Judge like Masipa presiding over the trial. That being said, there is still a lot of track to cover and much evidence to consider. Still, Pistorius is facing an uphill battle. ' ' '