By Patrick King
SPORTSNET.CA
11:12 p.m. ET
The hometown Senators moved up in the first round, much to the delight of the fans at Scotiabank Place. With the imminent departure of longtime defensive pillar Wade Redden expected this summer, the Senators picked a player who could be his replacement.
Erik Karlsson, a defenceman some considered as a hidden gem from Sweden, should arrive with plenty of fanfare. The Swedish prospect has the potential to carry the power-play and his skating abilities have been emphasized as being solid.
The Edmonton Oilers had to wait a long while before their first pick at No. 22 but the player taken should give Oiler fans plenty to be excited about. Regina Pats forward Jordan Eberle is about as clutch a goalscorer you will find in this draft and had he been a few inches taller, he would have been a top 10 pick.
Meanwhile, the wait was worth it for a beaming Greg Nemisz from the Windsor Spitfires. Nemisz, who had to wait more than three and a half hours before hearing his name called, was ecstatic when the Calgary Flames called his name.
"I was just hoping when Calgary went up there to hear my name," he said in front of a large media crowd. "I didn’t know if I was going (to be drafted) today or tomorrow but I wanted to get picked in the first round."
The only Canadian team not to have made a pick in the first round, the Montreal Canadiens, made the draft a memorable one. Montreal used their first pick, 25th overall, to bring in Alex Tanguay. The trade was a smooth and smart pickup for the Canadiens, who finished first in the Eastern Conference last season. With a deep prospect cupboard, the Canadiens made a move which should help them improve next season given that their lack of goalscoring depth may have been their downfall in the playoffs.
Seeing Medicine Hat Tigers forward Tyler Ennis go in the first round at No. 26 to the Buffalo Sabres is further proof of how the game has changed. One of the smallest players in the draft, Ennis has very good offensive vision and creativity and probably couldn’t have found a better home than in Buffalo. Ennis will be able to learn from another smaller forward who enjoyed success in Buffalo in Derek Roy.
It was a solid first day for each Canadian-based franchise and regardless of what happens tomorrow in rounds two through seven, the Maple Leafs have to be considered one of the draft winners simply by picking up Schenn. There was no doubt he would not have been available for their pick at No. 7 but general manager Cliff Fletcher made a bold move in acquiring the budding superstar.
All in all, the first round of the draft provided some surprises and excitement with some big trades and solid draft picks. Since this year’s crop is considered one of the better groups in recent memory, the fans in Ottawa were in for a treat.
The media, however, weren’t as lucky as I, for one, had to take a cue from some of my forefathers in the business by calling in a few of my updates with the inconsistent and sketchy internet connections at the rink. A big shout out to our web desk for the great work keeping our readers informed while typing my updates out via cell phone from the draft floor.
10:08 p.m. ET
With a rather bare prospect cupboard, the Vancouver Canucks picked someone who will be a player. Cody Hodgson, a forward from Brampton, comes in with little doubt about his abilities of playing in the NHL. Although he doesn’t have the scoring upside of Kyle Beach or Zach Boychuk, who were both still available, the Canucks may have just picked up their future captain. Hodgson is a solid player with the potential to be one of the best two-way players in future years.
There will be a familiar feeling the first time Boychuk plays for his NHL team in the future. The pint-sized forward who made a reputation as a clutch goalscorer will be trading Hurricanes jerseys from Lethbridge to Carolina for his pro future.
"It’s really cool being drafted by the Lethbridge Hurricanes and now by the Carolina Hurricanes," he said. "It’s a funny coincidence."
Ever since his first season in the WHL as a 16-year-old, he and Brandon Sutter were often compared and battled it out for rookie of the year honours. Sutter eventually took home the award, but Boychuk will now be teaming up with his WHL division rival from Red Deer.
Sutter and Boychuk spoke a lot in advance of the draft after Sutter went through it a year ago. Boychuk and Sutter will be reunited this weekend in Calgary for the ring ceremony with Hockey Canada after winning the world junior title over the Christmas break.
"I probably already got one," Boychuk said when asked if Sutter had sent him a congratulatory text message. "He’s a good player and I’m excited to be able to play with him in the future."
8: 35 p.m. ET
It’s not too early to talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs making the steal of the draft with the selection of Luke Schenn. As was indicated in my recent story, Schenn has the upside to be a franchise player and will have a long and fruitful career.
The Maple Leafs have received a lot of bad headlines over their 41 years of futility, but the fans of the Blue & White can mark this day down as the turnaround of the franchise. Schenn is the type of player that will bring a championship back to the Maple Leafs and will be one of the most-hated players around the league for his physical presence. Schenn is the most NHL-ready prospect not named Stamkos and, in my opinion, could’ve played in the NHL last season.
Meanwhile, prior to Schenn going to the Maple Leafs, Toronto-product Alex Pietrangelo headed to St. Louis. The first time he was on skates, Pietrangelo cried until his parents removed them as he hated being on the ice. Fortunately, he persevered and became one heck of a prospect who is not far from playing in the NHL.
When I asked him about what his reaction will be the first time he laces up the skates to play for the Blues, Pietrangelo chuckled and said, "I’ll be a little nervous, but I don’t think I’ll cry."
7:40 p.m. ET
The worst-kept secret in hockey was confirmed shortly after 7pm ET when Tampa Bay made sure there fans will see Stamkos in a Lightning uniform soon.
While there was little doubt whether the Lightning would trade or select another player, Stamkos was the right move for the rebuilding franchise. The Sarnia Sting star will bring credibility back to the hard-luck franchise and bring in a breath of fresh air along with the new ownership in Tampa Bay.
Stamkos will have the perfect mentor in Vincent Lecavalier, the first overall pick in 1998, and should he play with Lecavalier next season, one can expect to see a 25-goal season from the rookie.
The draft got interesting but not unpredictable after the Stamkos pick, with Drew Doughty going to Los Angeles and Zach Bogosian to Peterborough. Although they play different styles, the Kings and Thrashers picked up solid talent who will be leaders of their teams in the not-too-distant future.
It didn’t take long for the first big trade to be consummated with Olli Jokinen heading to Phoenix and Alex Tanguay to Montreal. In a draft as deep in talent as this year’s crop, expect plenty of surprises in what will be a memorable draft.
