THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — The Vancouver Canucks selected U.S.-born centre Jordan Schroeder with the 22nd overall pick in Friday’s NHL draft in Montreal.
A native of Lakeville, Minn., Schroeder finished second in scoring for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers with 45 points in 35 games last season.
The five-foot-eight, 175-pounder was the only freshman to finish in the top-50 scoring leaders.
Schroeder played for the U.S. at the world junior championships in 2008 and 2009.
At this year’s tournament in Ottawa, Schroeder led his team in scoring with 11 points and tied for second among all players with eight assists in six games.
The Canucks won the Northwest Division last season with 100 points, but lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.
A priority for general manager Mike Gillis this summer is re-signing Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who become unrestricted free agents July 1.
Gillis is also trying to lock in star goaltender Roberto Luongo with a contract extension.
Luongo, forward Ryan Kesler and hard-hitting defenceman Willie Mitchell are all entering the final year of their contracts.
