NHL Draft 2011 – Live Blog

8:08PM: Some closing thoughts: Nice to see Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a Burnaby native, go first overall. He deserved to go at that spot and worked all year for it. Interesting trades came about today with Setoguchi heading to Minnesota and Campbell to Florida. Canucks put their prospect depth at the winger position in good shape by drafting Nicklas Jensen. I’d expect them to make a bolder pick in the second round. Brandon Saad is still available, as is David Musil and Rocco Grimaldi. See you next time folks!

8:06PM: After the Ducks draft Rickard Rakell, that does it for the first round!

8:01PM: Canucks fans, consider yourselves lucky to get Nicklas Jensen. Most thought he’d be gone by the late teens or early 20’s, so to get him at 29 is terrific. Jensen will be a two-year project, but he’s got a bright future ahead.

7:57PM: The Canucks make my wish come true! Nicklas Jensen is a Vancouver Canuck!

7:52PM: Who should the Canucks take? I’m hoping for Danish winger Nicklas Jensen from the Oshawa Generals.

7:49PM: The Wild select Zack Phillips, the third player from the St. John’s Sea Dogs to get drafted in the first round. AND THE CANUCKS ARE UP NEXT!

7:43PM: Tampa Bay makes their first selection of the night (How crazy is it to go from drafting #2 in 2010 to #27 in 2011?) and select Vladislav Namestnikov, the first Russian to go in the draft.

7:36PM: Just before the Blackhawks select Phillip Danault at 26, word is they’ve found a taker for Brian Campbell in the Florida Panthers. Huge news, as it frees up a whack of cap space. Canucks fans lament. They free up $7.1-million, and with the salary cap going up… Cue the Brad Richards speculation?

7:32PM: Looking more and more like Mike Gillis and the Canucks will stand pat at 29. I’m sure they came close to dealing the pick away, but didn’t want to give up a good roster player to improve now. Zack Phillips, Brandon Saad, Ty Rattie, Rocco Grimaldi, Rickard Rakell, Nicklas Jensen and David Musil all still available at pick 26.

7:25PM: Toronto adds to Tyler Biggs with Stuart Percy at pick number 25. Intelligent player who sees the ice well and can get the puck out of his zone quickly.

7:18PM: The Sens wanted Matt Puempel and felt they had to trade up to get him. Pure goal scorer, offensive talent. Adds to their first round picks in Zibanejad and Noeson.

7:16PM: The Penguins took Joe Morrow, smooth-skating defenseman who I think would’ve looked good in the Canucks system. Not meant to be.

7:07PM: The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings have made a trade, swapping picks. Ottawa gets the 24th overall pick and Detroit gets Ottawa’s 35th and 48th. So much for the Sens being done.

7:04PM: So apparently when you urinate the Leafs decide to trade up. Coincidence? I think not. Toronto adds some nastiness and feistiness in Tyler Biggs from the USA NTDP.

6:53PM: The Senators complete their first round by adding Stefan Noeson. This guy will add some sandpaper.

6:44PM: Still some solid prospects available that the Canucks might be interested in: Nicklas Jensen from Oshawa (Another Dane! Imagine a Hansen-Jensen combination!) as well as Vancouver Giant blueliner David Musil. Also consider Matt Puempel (Peterborough) and Rocco Grimaldi (USA NTDP).

6:39PM: Edmonton completes their first round with Oscar Klefbom, a nice defenseman who played for the SEL-winning Farjestad. This team is going to be mega scary in three years.

6:35PM: Chicago selects Mark McNeill, but let’s go back to the Sharks trade. Remember, earlier we saw Mike Gillis and Doug Wilson having a long conversation on the draft floor. Very possible the two were discussing a trade for Setoguchi. Perhaps Wilson was asking for Alex Edler.

6:31PM: Bob McKenzie reports the San Jose Sharks just completed a blockbuster deal with the Minnesota Wild. Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, and their first round pick for Brent Burns and a 2nd round pick. Big overpayment by San Jose, in my opinion.

6:24PM: The Habs keep the draft going by selecting Nathan Beaulieu from St. John’s. Must be a dream for Quebec kid to be drafted by Les Habitants.

6:20PM: The Capitals just traded their 26th overall selection to Chicago for Troy Brouwer, which is an indication they won’t bring back Brooks Laich.

6:14PM: The Sabres take Finn Joel Armia, their first European to be drafted by the Sabres in five years. They must be really high on this kid.

6:08PM: The NYR select JT Miller. Had to look in the back of the prospects book on this one. Most known for leading USA in scoring at the U-18 tournament.

6:00PM: Well you can cross Jamie Oleksiak off my wish list for me, as the Dallas Stars just took him 14th overall. This guy is absolutely monstrous.

5:50PM: The Calgary Flames select Sven Bartschi, a Swiss kid who came highly recommended from Nino Niederreiter at the import draft. Put this into perspective; Bartschi finished second in WHL scoring behind Nugent-Hopkins. He instantly becomes their best offensive prospect.

5:45PM: Carolina selects Ryan Murphy 11th overall. He’s from the Kitchener Rangers, the same team Jeff Skinner was drafted from last year. Now if they get a rookie season from Murphy like they did Skinner… Hey, we can dream.

5:38PM: Avalanche make their second pick of the night, a little off the board with Duncan Siemens of the Saskatoon Blades.

5:32PM: Hometown Wild select Jonas Brodin at 10th overall. Lot of scouts seem to liken him to Alex Edler, minus the physical play. But that sort of thing can be taught.

5:25PM: Maybe the toughest part of watching the Draft is not only watching Boston come to the podium but come at 8th overall, 21 spots higher than the Canucks, even after winning the Cup. Thanks again Toronto. Oh, and they selected big Dougie Hamilton.

5:17PM: Oh boy, the Flyers might’ve just picked a great centre for the future — Sean Couturier fell a few spots from his original ranking.

5:08PM: The Winnipeg Jets have a raucous crowd and just went a little off the board and selected Mark Scheifele from the Barrie Colts.

4:58PM: Well there goes the streak. Ottawa takes Mika Zibanejad from Djurgardens. This is a big centre who has lots of offensive skill.

4:54PM: I’m still perfect in my mock draft. The New York Islanders took Ryan Strome, who should be an excellent linemate for John Tavares.

4:45PM: New Jersey takes franchise blueliner Adam Larsson at fourth overall. Edmonton, Colorado, and Florida may live to regret this.

4:39PM: Florida does the smart thing and addresses a huge need up front by selecting Jonathan Huberdeau third overall.

4:20PM: Colorado selects Gabriel Landeskog second overall. This guy is going to be very good. Picture a Swedish Brayden Schenn. He will step into the NHL immediately.

4:20PM: There you go. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goes to the Edmonton Oilers first overall, the highest B.C.-pick in NHL history.

4:20PM: Sounds like another trade; the Ryan Smyth trade saga is over, he’s heading back to Edmonton for Gilbert Brule and a draft pick.

4:17PM: What a terrific tribute to E.J. McGuire, an NHL scouting legend. Many clubs considered McGuire the source for everything regarding NHL draft prospects. Touching stuff.

4:03PM: The NHL Draft is just a couple of minutes away. Can you feel the excitement?! There’s been a trade already and the GMs are talking a ton.