MINNEAPOLIS, Minn – With the draft held in Minnesota, General Manager made sure it was a day Wild fans would remember for a long time.
With the 10th overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Minnesota Wild selected Swedish defenseman Jonas Brodin. Brodin is a two-way defenseman that has extremely good hockey smarts and smooth skating. He can skate around the ice with ease and with fluidity, and is noted for his ability to move the puck with top efficiency. Brodin isn’t a physical defenseman or a dynamic puck-mover, but he knows how to handle his stick and his positioning in order to break up offensive rushes or to quickly transition the puck onto offense. He helped his Farjstead team win the Swedish Elite League Championship, one of the best European leagues. As a rookie, much of his focus was on his defensive game, but as he becomes more comfortable, perhaps his offensive game might see some development. He signed an entry level deal with the Minnesota Wild, which will not come into effect until he reaches North America, giving him plenty of time to become a key player in Sweden. Following the selection of Brodin was the announcement that would shock Wild fans and bring them to their feet. The very name of Brent Burns brought audible gasps in the area. But when they heard that the Wild acquired sniper Devin Setoguchi, Boston University key forward Charlie Coyle and the 28th overall selection in the 2010 Entry Draft, the fans applauded. The Wild also gave up an addition 2nd rounder. Setoguchi helps fill the scoring need that the Wild has been looking to fix since the departure of Marian Gaborik. Setoguchi recently signed a three-year, $3 million dollar deal so it was surprise he was traded. The scoring winger has had a couple of somewhat disappointing seasons since his 31 goal season in 2008-09, but managed an impressive team leading 7 goals in 18 playoff games last season. Another key part of the trade was prospect Charlie Coyle. There were many doubts last season with Coyle as he was drafted out of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, a league not normally known for its quality NHLers. But besides that, Coyle was considered a raw project, possessing many wonderful attributes but concerns whether they would translate into a tougher NCAA environment. Coyle did not disappoint winning the Hockey East Rookie of the Year Award and winning a bronze medal with USA WJC U20 team, as well as being named top 3 player for USA. With the newly acquired 28th overall pick, the Wild selected Zack Phillips for the Memorial Cup winning Saint John Sea Dogs. Phillips has been noted for his offensive ability and hockey sense but has been said to have slow acceleration and heavy feet. However, the Wild have experience with smart but slow players such as Andrew Brunette, so many felt comfortable with their selection of Phillips. The rest of day two finished swiftly. The Wild traded up to select hometown Mario Lucio, son of Golden Gophers head coach Don Lucia. Lucia is a lanky kid with good offensive potential but considered extremely raw. Lucia will try to put on some muscle and will continue to pursue his hockey career through the BCHL, and finally the NCAA. The Wild then drafted a second hometown kid from Eden Prairie High School defenseman Nick Seeler. Seeler is an offensive defenseman that has some bit to his game and will continue his development in the USHL, and then with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Again, Minnesota selects from the high school ranks, drafting goaltender Stephen Michalek from Loomis-Chafee High School. This season, Michalek played for a weak team and was constantly peppered with shots, but stood his own. His 3.95 goals against average but impressive .918 save percentage proves so. Michalek has good size and mobility, but like all high school prospects, considered raw. He will play for Harvard next season. And finally, finishing off their draft was the selection of Ottawa 67’s centerman Tyler Graovac. He is a talented prospect that has not yet seen success on his stat sheets. He has size, can win faceoffs, can skate and has some offensive upside. But he will have to consistently use his large size in order to find success. Contact the writer at daniel.chan@prohockeynews.com
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