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New Jersey Devils
For the fifth time in seven drafts, the Devils traded up or down in the first round, moving from 23 to 20 by swapping with Calgary. With that pick, they grabbed the guy who could be their John Madden of the future, Djurgarden center Jacob Josefson. An excellent two-way pivot with solid defensive presence, he’s got that mix of character and foot speed that the Devils love. Sioux City (USHL) defenseman Seth Helgeson was another of those whose stock slid on draft day. Viewed as a late second-round pick, he fell all the way to No. 114. Someone who plays the game with an edge, he’s headed to the University of Minnesota next season. Lewiston (QMJHL) defenseman Eric Gelinas (No. 65) is a towering blue-liner who benefitted from playing with a weak club this season, garnering plenty of ice time.
New York Islanders
Isles GM Garth Snow’s poker face worked right up to the ultimate moment when he grabbed London (OHL) center John Tavares with the first overall pick. The OHL’s all-time goal-scoring leader isn’t just the sexiest pick in the draft, he’s the best, a modern-day Mike Bossy. Then Snow utilized his extra first-round and three second-round picks to his advantage, flipping pick Nos. 26, 37, 62 and 92 to Columbus for Nos. 16 and 77, then flipping No. 16 to Minnesota for No. 12. Then he rolled the dice to grab Oshawa (OHL) defenseman Calvin de Haan, who wasn’t expected to go until late in the opening round. Addressing their concerns in goal due to the hip issues plaguing Rick DiPietro, the Isles opened the second round by grabbing the first netminder of the draft, taking 6-7, 192-pound Finnish goalie Mikko Koskinen of Espoo.
New York Rangers
Looking for a boost at forward in terms of skill level, the Rangers think they got it in Andover Academy left-winger Chris Kreider, who’s bound for Boston College. An explosive skater, some scouts say he’s the best pro prospect to come out of Massachusetts since former Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last week. The Rangers were awarded a compensatory pick at No. 47 to make up for the loss of 2007 top pick Andrei Cherepanov, who died last year from a rare heart condition, and used it to claim Kingston (OHL) center Ethan Werek. At No. 80, the Rangers grabbed U.S. under-18 center Ryan Bourque, the son of hall of fame defenseman Ray Bourque.
Ottawa Senators
With all quiet on the Dany Heatley trade front and the Toronto Maple Leafs scooping the man they wanted, London center Nazem Kadri, the Sens settled for Spokane (WHL) defenseman Jared Cowan, who won a Memorial Cup in 2008, but skidded from the No. 4 rating to No. 10 on draft day after blowing out his knee. He’s big (6-5, 210) and figures to be a stalwart, stay-at-home blue-liner for many years in the show. They went for a hometown choice with pick No. 160 in Ottawa (OHL) left-winger Corey Cowick, a banging forward who was passed over in last year’s draft and had previous amateur tryout stints with the Penguins and Rangers. Miami defenseman Chris Wideman (No. 100) played in the NCAA final, while Drummondville center/left-winger Mike Hoffman (No. 130) played in the Memorial Cup.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers dealt their top pick, as well as young defenseman Luca Sbisa and forward Joffrey Lupul to grab former Hart Trophy-winning defenseman Chris Pronger from Anaheim. He’ll give Philly a veteran presence on the back end, but also leaves them with salary cap issues. It also meant Philly wasn’t on the clock until pick No. 81, which they used to claim Saskatoon (WHL) goalie Adam Morrison, who played just 13 games as a rookie last season. Windsor (OHL) center Eric Wellwood (No. 172) won a Memorial Cup and is a speedy, checking type with some offensive touch. His brother is Vancouver center Kyle Wellwood.
Phoenix Coyotes
The Coyotes wanted a defenseman and they opted to roll the dice with their top pick at No. 6, going for Leksand rearguard Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who rapidly moved up the draft charts in the second half of the season. Sometimes called a poor man’s Niklas Lidstrom, he might not have the offensive upside of a Dmitry Kulikov or a Ryan Ellis, but he’s going to be a solid, two-way defenseman who will play in the NHL for a long time. Second-round pick Chris Brown, a center with the U.S. under-18 team, will be the first Texas-born prospect to play for the Michigan Wolverines. Many believe USA Hockey will tab Fargo (USHL) netminder Michael Lee (No. 91) as their main puckstopper for the 2010 world juniors.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Stanley Cup champs may lose stay-at-home defenseman Rob Scuderi, who is a UFA, and they are growing old in general along the blue-line, so they were happy to see behemoth Saint John (QMJHL) defender Simon Despres slide from the No. 12-rated prospect to their spot at No. 30. At 6-4, 214-pounds and the 2007 top pick in the QMJHL midget draft, scouts are sure Despres has got the tools, but there’s questions whether he’s got the toolbox to go with it. Afterwards, the Penguins went heavily for bloodlines. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with Leksand defenseman Phil Samuelsson (No. 61), whose dad Ulf won two Stanley Cups skating on the Penguins blue-line. Delbarton (N.J.) H.S. defenseman Alex Velischek (No. 123) is the son of ex-NHL defender Randy Velischek. Belleville (OHL) center Andy Bathgate (No. 151) is the grandson of hall of fame center Andy Bathgate, who scored the first goal in Penguins history. Little Falls forward Ben Hanowski (No. 63) can play either wing and owns the Minnesota high school career scoring mark with 405 points.
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