Apparently believing puck-moving defenseman Calvin De Haan was not going to be available when they selected next the New York Islanders packaged the #16 pick they had acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets and moved up to #12 after a deal with Minnesota. The earlier deal saw the Islanders move the 26th, 37th, 62nd and 92nd picks in the draft to Columbus for the 16th and 77th pick. The 16th pick was then packaged with the 77th and 182nd pick to the Wild for #12.
All of this seems like a lot of work for De Haan who came in ranked as the 25th overall North American in the draft. Like Ryan Ellis, who had just moved to the Nashville Predators, De Haan is known for his offensive skills from the blueline.
“Calvin shows a lot of patience and poise for a young defenseman. He has high-end puck skill and passing ability. He has a very good shot, hard and accurate, and a very good ability to get the puck through traffic to the net,” said Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards. “He sees the ice very well and moves the puck through traffic. His skating is excellent, mobility, agility and speed. His biggest asset is his hockey sense. He makes very few mistakes.”
PHN analysis; we had a suspicion the Islanders liked De Haan, but did not expect him to go so early. Perhaps the Islanders knew he was going to be drafted earlier than expected as they made a pair of deals to select him.
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