PITTSBURGH, Pa – The First round of the NHL Entry Draft was study in defense. The Pro Hockey News Mock Draft results were not what we expected obviously but we are happy with our team assessments and projections. Where draftees fell out in the first round was fairly close to our expectations but not to the teams we had selected.
Brian Jennings, PHN’s Mock Draft coordinator and analyst said, “PHN always has a better outcome I the lower half of the first round. We were hamstrung by the early trades and surprise picks.”
Several big trades dominated the early portion of Friday and one really stole the thunder from the draft itself when the Penguins traded away Jordan Staal to Carolina.
The trades included Philadelphia trading Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus for a 2nd-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (45th overall), a 4th-round pick in 2012 (117th overall) and a 4th-round pick in 2013; Anaheim trading Lubomir Visnovsky to the New York Islanders for a 2nd-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft; Washington trading C Cody Eakin and a 2nd-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (54th overall) to Dallas for C Mike Ribeiro; Pittsburgh trading Jordan Staal to Carolina for a 1st-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (eighth overall), C Brandon Sutter and D Brian Dumoulin; and Calgary trading a 1st-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft (14th overall) to Buffalo for a 1st-round pick in 2012 (21st overall) and a 2nd-round pick in 2012 (42nd overall).
For one developmental league, the night was a big success. The United States Hockey League sent a record number of players to the NHL in the first round. A total of six players were drafted in round one from the USHL sending the league’s stock rising quickly overnight.
USA defenseman Jacob Trouba cracked the top ten when he was selected ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets.
Eight of the top ten selections were defensemen suggesting a philosophy of tightening up on the scoring is coming in the next few seasons regardless of when these draftees ice in the NHL.
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