I have never heard of Ryan Ellis, so I looked around the web to get a feeling of who exactly he is.

First of all, the basics:

Ryan Ellis

Defense

Windsor (Ontario Hockey League)

5'9"  173 lbs.

Shoots:  Right

Hometown:  Freelton, ON

Date of Birth:  January 3, 1991

Stats:  57 GP, 22 G, 67 A, 89 PTS

From Hockey's Future:

Despite a pristine resume, Ellis was passed over until the 22nd selection in the 2007 OHL draft. He was passed over that season for the same reason why questions linger about Ellis' upcoming draft status -- his size. Generously listed at 5'10, the defender understands that, for some, size still matters in the NHL.

So the Preds picked him earlier in the NHL draft than he was picked in the OHL draft. Size obviously looks like a concern. Ellis understands that and acknowledges it:

"I think guys are still going to look at it, they're all going to have their opinions, and everyone's entitled to their opinions," Ellis said. "But a lot of guys have proven other people wrong and they've proven how good smaller guys can be, whether they're 5'9, 5'10, or 6'4, or 6'3 -- players are players, and if they're good enough to play in the NHL or not, it all depends on just their hockey smarts, speed, and all that other stuff. It's got nothing to do with size, really. "But size obviously helps," he added, laughing.

His coach, former Pred Bob Boughner says that his other talents make up for the fact that he's so small:

"I mean, the game has gotten bigger and faster, but what he lacks in that he makes up because he's so smart," he said. "I think there's room for those kind of guys, especially a guy who can control your power play.

"Let's face it, let's look at the NHL, all the scoring is huge on special teams, and he's a guy that will help any team that drafts him. Sometimes the big guys are great, but they're very limited, and they'll move pucks up, but what Ryan adds on the offensive side of the puck more than makes up for it."

 

He's good on special teams, and power play scoring was one of the areas that the Preds were pretty much horrible at this past year.

More from former teammate Greg Nemisz:

"He can slow down the game, or he can speed it right back up because he's such a great puck-mover. He's a great guy, he's pretty laid back, and the guys really like him...He just loves hockey -- he's the first guy on the ice at practice and usually one of the last off of it."

He seems like a good, smart, down to earth kid.

Central Scouting ranked Ellis at 16th. He hopes he was higher, but he's still content.

"I think any time you get a first-round ranking it's pretty awesome," he said. "Obviously I'd like to be a little higher than that. I think having a good playoff run can bring me up the rankings. I think it really doesn't matter where I am -- it's just important about how our team does and stuff like that. I think for the most part I was pleased and happy to be seeded there."

MyNHLDraft.com also thinks size is a problem for Ellis, but he can cope with it.

If Ellis was three inches taller, we'd be talking top five. He keeps answering doubts as many didn't even think he was big enough for Canadian junior hockey. He has tremendous puck sense and a lot of confidence. He can either make a great pass from the blueline on the power play or use a great shot. Defensively, he'll have to learn to use smart positioning, quickness and a strong stick but comparisons to Brian Rafalski are not totally out of the question.

From Die by the Blade:

"Ellis is talented enough to play instantly on an NHL power play unit.  He is a power play specialist that is able to hold the blue line and has a cannon for a shot."

So basically he's a power play specialist. Perfect!

From Chris Edwards:

"He's a real high-end offensive guy. He's got a great shot and he gets it through to the net. A lot of guys have their shots blocked, but he's got a real knack for getting it through, and that leads to a lot of tip-in and rebound goals. He's a smaller guy, but he's not afraid of taking the body. He shows no fear of getting involved in scrums, he's not intimidated."

From Red Line Report:

"One of the best PP quarterbacks to come along in the past five years, and despite his lack of size can absolutely rip a cannon point shot."

From Coming Down the Pipe:

To me, the combination of undersized and average speed is an absolute killer. To play defence at the NHL level you can be small but then you’d better be fast and the fact that Ellis is neither of those things is a big red flag to me. One scout suggested he wouldn’t be able to play the same puck rushing style that he does in junior because he couldn’t get back to his own end fast enough if something went wrong. So if he’s not going to be the same style of pro as he is a junior… what will he be?

Sounding like he's a great all around player. After reading his draft info, he seems like he really is the offensive player we wanted. After all, a player that is good on both sides of the puck is obviously better than a player that is only good on offense