The St. Louis Blues selected Erik Johnson first overall in Vancouver. (GETTY IMAGES)
James Mirtle: Here's a quick look at who the Canadian NHL clubs selected with their first overall picks:
Calgary: 26th overall, Leland Irving
Edmonton: Did not pick
Montreal: 20th overall, David Fischer
Ottawa: 28th overall, Nick Foligno
Toronto: 13th overall, Jiri Tlusty
Vancouver: 14th overall, Michael Grabner
Posted Saturday at 9:15 p.m.
James Mirtle: So, as predicted, Americans dominate the first round selections, with a record 10 U.S.-born players picked among the top 30:
1. Canada, 11
2. USA, 10
3. Sweden, 3
4. Russia, 2
5. Czech Republic, 2
6. Finland, 1
7. Austria, 1
Posted Saturday at 9:09 p.m.
Eric Duhatschek: How did the Calgary Flames manage to pry Alex Tanguay loose from a divisional rival?
According to general manager Darryl Sutter, he and his counterpart, Francois Giguere, have been negotiating the terms of the deal for more than a week; the only thing they needed to settle on were the draft choices involved in the transaction. Calgary gave up its second-rounder in this year's draft and a conditional pick in 2007. Presumably, that pick will change hands only if the Flames can sign Tanguay to a long-term contract extension.
Like so many players in the NHL right now, Tanguay is a restricted free agent one year removed from unrestricted free agency, so the risk — from Calgary's perspective — is that he walks away after one year in the organization.
Posted Saturday at 9:08 p.m.
James Mirtle: Closing out the first round, the New Jersey Devils go a little off the beaten path to select Saginaw (OHL) defenceman Matthew Corrente. The highest I can see him ranked among all the various draft lists is with McKeen's Hockey, where they've placed him at 37th. (Most other draft lists have him beyond the No. 50 spot.)
Only 5 foot 11, Corrente plays a very physical game and had 172 penalty minutes. He's another Canadian who has played for his country in the Under-18 program.
Posted Saturday at 9:05 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Phoenix Coyotes trade into the No. 29 spot, taking the Detroit Red Wings first-round selection in place of two second-round picks. The Coyotes select American defenceman Chris Summers, who scouts have raved over due to his skating ability. He's only 6 foot 1, 180 pounds, however, and hasn't created a ton of offence in his time witih the U.S. development program.
Posted Saturday at 9:02 p.m.
James Mirtle: Nick Foligno, the son of former Sabre/Maple Leaf Mike Foligno, is one of the feel-good stories of this draft, as he's a kid who seemingly has just willed himself to be selected as has as he was tonight, 28th overall by the Ottawa Senators. A Sudbury, Ont., kid, Foligno worked harder than anyone during the NHL's prospect combine and seems like a real, honest and hardworking type. He's not overly big, he's not the best playmaker or scorer, but scouts simply love the passion he has for the game.
Posted Saturday at 8:57 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Dallas Stars pickup Ivan Vishnevsky here near the end of the first round. Vishnevsky's described as an 'all offence' kind of defenceman, a guy along the lines of a Sergei Gonchar who can quarterback a power play but who frightens you a little in your own end. High-risk, high-reward, as they say.
Posted Saturday at 8:52 p.m.
Eric Duhatschek: Jeff Gorton, the Bruins' assistant GM, described Rask as a guy the Bruins had targeted and said they had him rated in their top five in 2005, only to have the Leafs grab him one pick before their own in last year's draft.
"He's one of, if not the best goalie, not in the league right now," said Gorton, of Rask. "We think we're solidifying our goaltending for a long time. There had to be a move, so this made sense - for now and for the future."
Gorton said the decision to trade Raycroft was difficult because, "we drafted Andrew and he's a great kid. He won rookie of the year. He's a very good goalie. He'll do well in Toronto. But at the same time, it was an opportunity that we couldn't miss out on."
Posted Saturday at 8:49 p.m.
James Mirtle: The St. Louis Blues trade up (with New Jersey) to select big Swedish centre Patrik Berglund.
Then the Calgary Flames select a goaltender, Leland Irving, from Everett (WHL) with the No. 26 pick. A native of Barrhead, Alta., Irving had excellent numbers in junior hockey this season (1.91 goals-against average) and has been a part of the Canadian system with the Under-18 team — always a good sign.
Posted Saturday at 8:47 p.m.
James Mirtle: Three more picks here late in the first round, with the Philadelphia Flyers selecting Gatineau (QMJHL) winger Claude Giroux, the Washington Capitals taking the unfortunately named Russian netminder Semen Varlamov and the Buffalo Sabres drafting Swede Dennis Persson. Giroux in particular is interesting as a pint-sized kid (5 foot 10, 163 pounds) who put up huge numbers in junior hockey this season (103 points in 69 games) and could really make a big impact given his excellent playmaking ability. As for Persson, the Sabres made a small leap up the draft list to take him 24th, as The Hockey News had him ranked as an early second-round pick. Scouts describe him as a has a solid all-around game but doesn't stick out in any one particular area.
Posted Saturday at 8:36 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Toronto Maple Leafs deal Tuukka Rask, a young Finnish goaltender they picked 21st overall last year, to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Raycroft. Raycroft, the 2004 Calder Trophy winner, was simply awful this season with a 3.71 goals-against average and .879 save percentage. Both totals were the worst in the league among goaltenders that played 27 games in 2005-06.
Unless Raycroft pulls a complete 180, this deal could end up embarrassing Toronto GM John Ferguson, Jr. There's a chance Rask, who was named the best goaltender at the 2006 world junior tournament, could really be the next great Finnish netminder.
Posted Saturday at 8:22 p.m.
James Mirtle: Two quick picks happened here at No. 20 and 21 with both the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers selecting defencemen: David Fischer and Bob Sanguinetti.
Fischer is a big kid from Minnesota who will play at the University of Michigan beginning next year. He'll be more of a project and will likely play three or four years in the NCAA before turning pro.
Posted Saturday at 8:16 p.m.
Eric Duhatschek: On the Demitra trade: The Wild picked up the selection from Edmonton in the Dwayne Roloson deal and sent a clear signal about the direction they were heading: After years of building, they're ready to compete in the Northwest Division. L.A., meanwhile, under new GM Dean Lombardi, is trying to stockpile prospects for the future.
"It's interesting, the timing of teams," said Wild GM Doug Risebrough. "They're trying to acquire. We've had those four or five years of that, so now it's time to see what you can get, after you've picked up a number of young players and picks."
Demitra, according to Risebrough, knows Gaborik from way back. "They've played together in Trencin, they've played together during the work stoppage, they've played together in world championships. They know each other pretty well."
Was it hard for Risebrough to give up O'Sullivan? "It really was," he answered. "Patrick has really come on. There was a lot of doubt about his background. He is a quality kid. He really developed this year. I think he's going to be a good player. It's just a difference between getting somebody who can fit now compared to somebody who can fit down the road."
Risebrough called O'Sullivan to tell him about the deal. "I just said, 'this was not a reflection on you, because he's going in the right direction and he's going to be a good player. I think he really felt an affinity to us, because we really took a chance on him, when everybody else was passing him by. I remember him saying to me, 'you'll never be disappointed.' I don't want him to think we're disappointed. We weren't disappointed in him at all."
Risebrough said the Wild doctors checked out Demitra's injury history and were confident that he was healthy. Risebrough said he was actually in attendance at the Olympics in February when Demitra got hurt. "It was more of an eye injury than a concussion," said Risebrough, "but there was a symptom of that (concussion) because of where the injury was."
Posted Saturday at 8:12 p.m.
James Mirtle: Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke gets a warm welcome in Vancouver, and selects steady American defenceman Mark Mitera. Mitera played a big role with Team USA at the world junior tournament and is projected as a steady No. 3 or 4 defenceman.
Posted Saturday at 8:04 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Colorado Avalanche, picking as high in the first round as I can remember, select Chris Stewart at No. 18. Stewart, the younger brother of former Florida Panthers 2003 first rounder Anthony, is a 6-foot-1, 227-pound right winger who put up an impressive 37 goals in 62 games with Kingston (OHL) this season. He plays an aggressive style and would definitely fit into at least a third-line role at the NHL level.
Posted Saturday at 7:58 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Minnesota Wild trades the 17th overall pick and Patrick O'Sullivan to the Los Angeles Kings for Pavol Demitra.
O'Sullivan is a great pickup by new Kings GM Dean Lombardi, and the perfect type of player for what we're calling the 'new' NHL. He's smallish, feisty and unbelievably talented. He'll also certainly contribute in the NHL this season.
Losing Demitra is a biggy, however, and really signifies that Lombardi is prepared for some real, wholesale remodelling of that team. On the other side of the deal, the Wild desperately needs more offence, and Demitra will complement fellow Slovak Marian Gaborik nicely in that regard (hockey poolsters get ready to take some Wild players for the first time in a long time).
As for that pick, the Kings make their second first-round pick of the night by nabbing American centre Trevor Lewis.
Posted Saturday at 7:54 p.m.
James Mirtle: San Jose GM Doug Wilson trades up into the No. 16 position, moving two later picks for the Montreal Canadiens' first round selection. Wilson made a similar move last year when he took Devin Setoguchi quite a ways ahead of where he was ranked.
With the pick the Sharks take just the second defenceman drafted to this point, Prince George's (WHL) Ty Wishart. He's a huge kid (6 foot 4, 215 pounds) who is merely described as 'rock solid'.
Posted Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Tampa Bay Lightning, desperately in need of a goaltender at the moment, have taken one in Vancouver tonight, selecting Finnish netminder Riku Helenius at No. 15. That's quite a jump from where he had been rated by some, with The Hockey News having Helenius set to be taken in the middle of the second round (No. 46).
Posted Saturday at 7:39 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Vancouver Canucks dig deep into the draft lists to select Michael Grabner, a guy many had pegged to go late in the first round, at the 14th overall spot. A native of Austria, Grabner played the past two seasons in Spokane (WHL) and had 36 goals in 67 games this past season.
"In our opinion, the new NHL lends itself to Michael's style of play," Canucks GM Dave Nonis said.
Posted Saturday at 7:35 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Toronto Maple Leafs finally make their way to the draft table (where GM John Ferguson, Jr., was booed mercilessly by the crowd in Vancouver) and select Czech 18-year-old Jiri Tlusty. Tlusty was expected to be drafted much higher than 13th position (The Hockey News had him ranked 8th) so this is a similar bonus as when the Maple Leafs were able to snap up Finnish netminder Tuukka Rask 21st overall last year.
Here's Duhatschek from the draft floor, yet again: "Central Scouting described him as 'an excellent fast mobile skater, with soft, good hands … who likes to go directly to the net — a sniper who can score in many ways' and concludes that he will be 'a future All-Star player.' That's heady praise for someone who scored just 10 points in 44 games for a Kladno team that struggled in the Czech league this season."
Posted Saturday at 7:23 p.m.
Eric Duhatschek: The way Boston looked at it, the fact that Phil Kessel was there at No. 5 for their pick was a bonus, considering that a year ago, you would have had to finish 30th overall in the league to get a crack at him. Last summer, one of the most accomplished scouts in the game answered a question about Kessel this way: If he was available right now (for the 2005 entry draft), 15 teams would pick Sidney Crosby and 15 would pick Phil Kessel. So Kessel obviously had an upside then and really, did he do so little as a college freshman to warrant slipping down to fifth spot overall?
Kessel didn't think so and suggested it will act as motivation for him in the years ahead. "I think you have something to prove now that I got drafted fifth. Hopefully, I'll go out and show that maybe I should have gone higher." Kessel said Boston was a preferred destination since, "a lot of my buddies go to school there, so it should be a fun time out there."
Posted Saturday at 7:26 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Atlanta Thrashers select Barrie Colts captain Brian Little, a smallish centre with only average skating ability. Little's a heart-and-soul type and is fantastic on faceoffs and as a playmaker. He put up huge numbers in the Ontario Hockey League this season, with 109 points in 64 games, and would have been drafted far higher than 12th had he been, say, two inches taller.
Posted Saturday at 7:23 p.m.
James Mirtle: Goaltender Jonathan Bernier from Lewiston (QMJHL) is the 11th overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings. Bernier is actually the younger brother of San Jose Sharks rookie Steve Bernier, who made a big impact with the Sharks towards the end of the season this year.
Bernier's regarded as the top netminder in the draft, and given the Kings goaltending situation, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise they snapped him up here.
Posted Saturday at 7:18 p.m.
James Mirtle: Picking at the 10th spot, the Florida Panthers select Michael Frolik, a young Czech player who had a very tough year after being one of the early favourites to be picked first overall in this draft. Frolik played a very small role at the world junior championship this season, however, and his stock plummeted throughout the year. Next season, he'll be playing for the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL and if he blossoms into a star there, this pick could make look GM Mike Keenan good.
Posted Saturday at 7:16 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Minnesota Wild pick at No. 9, selecting James Sheppard (6 foot 2, 200 pounds) from Cape Breton of the QMJHL. It's a pick that's a shade high for where he was ranked heading into the draft, but scouts really liked his offensive contributions this season (66 games played, 30 goals, 84 points).
Posted Saturday at 7:08 p.m.
James Mirtle: Wayne Gretzky gets a round of applause from the Vancouver crowd before he drafts Peter Mueller No. 8 overall for the Phoenix Coyotes. Mueller had a very strong world junior tournament this season with five points in six games as a 17 year old. He spent this season with the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips, where he had 26 goals and 58 points in 52 games.
Here's Duhatschek from Vancouver: "Muller was rated No. 6 by Central Scouting and was one of three 18-year-olds picked in the top eight that played for the U.S. entry in the world junior championship that finished third last January here in Vancouver. For the Coyotes, who made a wild first-round pick in 2004 when they selected Blake Wheeler, a U.S. high school player rated in the second round, with the fifth overall selection, Mueller was about as safe as it gets."
Posted Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
James Mirtle: The New York Islanders pick Kyle Okposo at seventh overall, making the St. Paul, Minn., native the third American drafted so far. (And Peter Mueller won't be far behind.)
Posted Saturday at 6:57 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Boston Bruins select Phil Kessel at fifth overall, who was the projected No. 1 pick prior to the World Juinor Championship in January before slipping in scout's minds.
Make no mistake, however, this is an extremely talented kid, one who scored 52 goals in 45 games with the U.S. development program Under-18 team.
Posted Saturday at 6:46 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Washington Capitals select Nicklas Backstrom, from Sweden. A member of Sweden's world junior championship team, he's a silky smooth puckhandler/playmaker and has been compared to Swedish greats like Peter Forsberg and Henrik Zetterberg.
I had a chance to talk to talk to Backstrom in British Columbia during the world junior tournament, and while his language skills are going to need some improvement, he's an extremely determined youngster who was actually one of the youngest players to ever play in the Swedish Elite League as a 16 year old. Given that he's fallen all the way to No. 4, he could end up being the steal of this draft.
Here's Duhatschek: "The fact that the Washington Capitals bypassed Phil Kessel to select Swedish prospect Nicklas Backstrom counted as the first mild surprise of the draft. General manager George McPhee handled it pretty well — he introduced Alexander Ovechkin, the Calder Trophy winner — and let Ovechkin make the call on Backstrom, who played in the Swedish Elitserien for Brynas and helped a team that's almost always on the cusp on being demoted from the first division stay up this season.
"Backstrom had a little Peter Forsberg and a little Joe Sakic in him — he isn't big or exceptionally fast, but he competes hard and possesses unbelievable hockey sense. Presumably, the Capitals figured that Backstrom would be a better fit with Ovechkin than Kessel would."
Posted Saturday at 6:40 p.m.
James Mirtle: The Chicago Blackhawks select Jonathan Toews from North Dakota University. Toews was a member of Canada's entry at the world junior championship in January and hails from Winnipeg.
Posted Saturday at 6:38 p.m.
James Mirtle: Right before the Penguins selected Staal, Bettman had announced another big deal on draft day where the Calgary Flames acquired Alex Tanguay from the Colorado Avalanche for defenceman Jordan Leopold.
Here's Duhatschek: "On the surface, it looks like a steal for Calgary. Leopold did play on the Flames' No. shutdown pair alongside Robyn Regehr, but the team has long been concerned about his fragility — and a long concussion history. Moreover, Calgary's defence is as deep as it gets in the NHL. Tanguay, meanwhile, was the Avalanche's leading scorer for much of the season until an injury knocked him out of the line-up for 11 games."
Posted Saturday at 6:33 p.m.
James Mirtle: New Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero makes the second-overall pick Jordan Staal, from the Peterborough Petes. Staal, the younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes star Eric, is another huge kid at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. The Penguins now have an unbelievable wealth of talented youngsters with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and now Staal.
Posted Saturday at 6:29 p.m.
James Mirtle: The St. Louis Blues end the (brief) suspense by selecting the hulking Erik Johnson first overall. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and just 18 years old, Johnson has NHL-ready size and an unbelievable skillset. He's been compared to Scott Stevens in the way he can hit and produce on offence.
Posted Saturday at 6:19 p.m.
James Mirtle: Commissioner Gary Bettman makes his initial address for the draft, and boy, is the Vancouver crowd giving him a hard time. These aren't just scattered boos.
Posted Saturday at 6:14 p.m.
James Mirtle: Eric Duhatschek weighs in from the draft, addressing the Tampa Bay Lightning's goaltending situation: "Tampa, for that matter, made an inquiry to the Canucks for Luongo almost as soon as they landed him. To get him, they might be prepared to trade centre Vincent Lecavalier. If that doesn't pan out, then they may settle for Marc Denis, the Columbus Blue Jackets' No. 1 goalie, who is expendable because of the emergence of Pascal LeClaire."
Duhatschek also has the scoop on what other offers the Panthers received for Luongo:
"According to sources with knowledge of the negotiations, at least two other teams — including the Ottawa Senators and the Los Angeles Kings — made bids for Luongo before the Panthers traded him to the Canucks in a five-year player deal that got draft weekend off to a rollicking start. Ottawa's offer was said to feature goaltender Ray Emery, defenceman Chris Phillips and forward Martin Havlat. The Kings were reportedly offering forwards Alexander Frolov and Dustin Brown and goaltender Mathieu Garon. The Senators were also said to inquiring after San Jose goaltender Vesa Toskala, offering Havlat in exchange."
Posted Saturday at 6:05 p.m.
James Mirtle: We have our first deal of the day: The Atlanta Thrashers move Patrik Stefan and veteran defenceman Jaroslav Modry to the Dallas Stars for Niko Kapanen and a 7th round pick.
It's a curious move for the Thrashers, as Modry was a big-minute defenceman on a team that was short on quality blueliners last season. Kapanen's a decent pickup, although whether or not he can progress past the 35-point level he's been at so far in his career is debatable. What the deal will do is free up a considerable amount of salary for Atlanta, which may be a sign they're ready to make a pitch for a top-flight defenceman.
As for Stefan, well, let's hope for Stars' fans sake that he's not GM Doug Armstrong's answer to the pending loss of unrestricted free agent Jason Arnott.
Posted Saturday at 5:35 p.m.
James Mirtle: Hello, and welcome to The Globe and Mail's live blog of the 2006 NHL entry draft. Please join me and hockey columnist Eric Duhatschek, who is on the draft floor in Vancouver, as we take an as-it-happens approach to covering the selections.
In addition to offering pick-by-pick analysis of the draft, we'll also be sure to pick up on any breaking trades as they happen. Draft day has become one of the busiest of the year for activity — although some of the biggest movement likely came last night in a deal which saw the Vancouver Canucks deal Todd Bertuzzi to the Florida Panthers for superstar netminder Roberto Luongo.
This year's draft offers no fewer than five projected superstars, although 18-year-old American defenceman Erik Johnson has emerged as the consensus No. 1 pick. The next four selections should involve any combination of Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Phil Kessel.
If you're looking for a trend, look no further than the American invasion: As many as 25 U.S. born players are projected to be picked in the draft's first two rounds. On the flipside, it's a lean year for a lot of European countries in terms of elite prospects. The Western Hockey League will also see fewer players drafted in the opening round than has been the norm in recent years.
Let's go with that for a brief introduction for the moment — and expect much, much more analysis as we go along. Please feel free to contribute by commenting or emailing me throughout the evening.
Here's a look at the draft order for the first round, which begins in at 6 p.m.:
Round 1
1. St. Louis
2. Pittsburgh
3. Chicago
4. Washington
5. Boston
6. Columbus
7. N.Y. Islanders
8. Phoenix
9. Minnesota
10. Florida
11. Los Angeles
12. Atlanta
13. Toronto 14. Vancouver
15. Tampa Bay
16. Montreal
17. Minnesota (from EDM)
18. Colorado
19. Anaheim 20. San Jose
21. N.Y. Rangers
22. Philadelphia
23. Washington (from NSH)
24. Buffalo
25. New Jersey
26. Calgary
27. Dallas 28. Ottawa
29. Detroit
30. St. Louis (from CAR)
Posted Saturday at 5:15 p.m.
