Hockey Beat » NHL entry draft

LA Kings Draft Brayden Schenn

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:07:05 +0000

The Los Angeles Kings have selected Brayden Schenn fifth overall who joins his older brother, Luke Schenn, in the NHL. Luke was also selected fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs at last year’s Entry Draft.

Last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings, Brayden Schenn notched 88 points (including 32 goals) in the 70 games that he played during the regular season. He was also great in the postseason scoring 8 goals and 10 assists in 12 games.

Post from: Hockey Beat

Atlanta Thrashers Pick Evander Kane

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:52:10 +0000

The Atlanta Thrashers have added Evander Kane to their lineup after picking him fourth overall at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. I really enjoyed watching him during the World Junior championships and I think that he could be a real asset.

I know a lot of people have been wondering if he’s coachable after some reports suggested he was hard to work with but I am hoping it’s just a matter of him being very competitive. I think a good coach could give him the direction he needs. He led the WHL with 23 power-play goals with the Vancouver Giants and I think that he has the potential to be a 40-50 goal player. I also think he could work well with Ilya Kovalchuk so, again, it will be interesting to see how the Thrashers fare next season.

Post from: Hockey Beat

Colorado Avalanche Pick Matt Duchene

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:51:42 +0000

The Colorado Avalanche haven’t picked this high since 1991 when they chose Eric Lindros and, today, they chose Matt Duchene third overall. Duchene was great with Brampton this year and I think that he will fit in well with the Avs. He’s a good goal scorer and is a nice well-rounded player.

In his post draft interview, he talked about how much he loves the Avalanche (he has autographed jerseys from Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic) and they showed a picture of him in his room with all of his fan gear. It doesn’t always happen so it’s pretty cool when a new player gets picked by a team he loves.

Post from: Hockey Beat