NHL Draft Highlights Plus All Flyers Selections

The 2013 NHL Entry Draft that took place last night in Newark NJ was full of surprises. The Number 1 ranked player in the world for the last 6 months, stud defenseman Seth Jones, was passed up not once, not twice, but three times. Colorado, who won the NHL draft lottery was highly anticipated to pick Jones, who grew up in Denver, until last week when newly appointed General Manager, Joe Sakic, publicized that he would be drafting a forward. Despite the fact that many thought he was bluffing, he indeed passed on Jones. 

So with the first pick of the 2013 NHL draft the Colorado Avalanche selected Halifax Moosehead center, Nathan MacKinnon. MacKinnon, who is the best ranked offensive player in the draft, is touted to be an elite number 1 center. Despite passing on Jones, Colorado now has a superstar in the making, who will most likely be with the team next year. 

The Florida Panthers went second overall and since they allowed by far the most goals against this year (171), most thought they would select Jones, but instead Florida selected Finish Elite League center Aleksander Barkov with their 2nd overall pick.  Next up Tampa Bay selected MacKinnon's line mate Jonathan Drouin, the dynamic and creative winger who scored 105 points in 49 games. 

Finally with 4th overall pick, the Nashville Predators selected the Arlington Texas native, Seth Jones. When asked in an interviewed on TSN about dropping to 4th overall, Jones said, "I’m going to try to make - in a good way though - those teams regret not taking me."


Flyers Selections:
After all the early suspense, what did the Philadelphia Flyers do?

1st Round - 11th Overall:

• Slated to pick 11th overall, the Flyers, even though they received offers to move down and made some of their own to move up, they eventually stuck with their 11th pick. And with the 11th overall selection, the Philadelphia Flyers choose QMJHL defenseman Samuel Morin. Morin, the towering 6'7" 210 pound 17 year old, scored 16 points in 46 games while recording 7 points in 6 playoff games. Morin is a very physical, defensive defenseman who is a solid skater for his size. 

Samuel is obvious because of his size but what has become every bit as obvious is his ability to impact the game not only with that size but with an ever-improving skill set. Very good skater with mobility, balance and quickness. He's a very difficult player to break down with speed and he is able to use his skating to put opponents into disadvantageous positions. He reads the play well defensively and makes plays under pressure. He has good puck skills and he moves the puck cleanly and effectively. He will assert physically and has a territorial mindset and as he continues to mature, will have the ability to make it very unpleasant to play against him. Has continued to improve and shows the potential to be that big defenceman who is so coveted in the NHL. 

Samuel Morin is the most intriguing prospect in the bunch, simply because of his massive size and upside. He's already mobile for such a humongous man-child and is surprisingly aggressive offensively. Morin is a strong puckhandler who skates with his head up looking to make plays that show vision and creativity. He also plays with a mean edge that is highly appealing for NHL clubs, and you have to wonder how good he'll be in three to four years with some physical maturation.

In an interview with The NHLNetwork, Morin said he molds his game after Chris Pronger because of his physicality, size and 2-way play. When asked if he thinks he's ready to play in the NHL next season Morin responded by saying he wouldn't mind playing another season in the QMJHL, but will do everything he can to do well in camp to make the team. Describing his game, Morin stated, "I am more of a defensive defenseman, but in the second part of my season I developed an offensive side, scoring 7 points in 6 games. I have a very hard shot, I'm tough and can fight anyone." On what skills he needs to address, Morin said, "I skate pretty well but I would like to improve that."

He ended the interview saying, "I am so proud to be in Philadelphia, I think we are a perfect match."

2nd Round - 41st Overall:

• In the 2nd round, for the first time since 1976, the Flyers grabbed another defenseman, continuing their trend of rebuilding their defensive core when they drafted Swedish native Robert Hagg with their 41st overall pick. Hagg, 6'2" 193lbs Modo (Swedish Hockey League) defenseman, was ranked as high as 8th by the NHL Central Scouting (Internationally) and 12th by The Hockey News. Hagg tallied 25 points in 55 games.

According to Bill Meltzer of HockeyBuzz, 

Hägg was too good for SuperElit level this season, averaging nearly a point per game at the J20 level. He had one assist in 27 Elitserien games but that had more to do with ice time and focus on improving all around than it did a lack of potential to produce at higher levels as he continues to grow and mature. The Flyers may very well have to wait for him until he's 21 or 22 to be ready to play over here. But if he develops the way he's capable of developing, the NHL team would be getting a young player with potential to step into a significant role by his second or third North American season.  

While Bob McKenzie's scouting report from TSN states, 

Robert is a player who shows at times all of the attributes of top defencemen. Has very good skating ability with quickness, agility and power and he's able to use it to his advantage. Good puck play and has a good shot. Good awareness and is a player who can play in all areas of the game. Is capable of being dominant at times and as he develops his game, could find himself in a top pairing and playing in multiple important situations during the game. 

In an interview Robert Hagg did with CSN, he pointed out that he will most likely need a couple of years in Sweden before he makes the jump to play in the NHL. When asked to describe his game, Hagg said, "I like to have the puck and that's what I think I am good at - to take the puck up in the game. I like to use my shot too. I alway looked up to Nickas Lidstrom and try to play like him, but it's pretty tough to do but i always tried.  I like to use my body; I'm pretty big so I like to use the body." Talking about areas in his game that will require some improvement, Hagg said, "I need to be more consistent to play at a higher level."

Round 3 - 72nd Overall: 

• Tyrell Goulbourne (LW) - 5'10" 191lbs (WHL)

Round 5 - 132nd Overall: 

• Terrance Amorosa (D) - 6'1" 185lbs (High NH)

Round 6 - 162nd Overall: 

• Merrick Madsen (G) - 6'4" 177lbs (High NH)

Round 7 - 192nd Overall: 

• David Drake (D) - 6'3" 155 (USHL)

Notable NHL Trades:

• New Jersey acquired Cory Schneider (G) from Vancouver for 9th overall (Bo Horvat).
• Carolina acquired Andrej Sekera (D) from Buffalo for Jamie McBain (D) and a 2nd round pick (JT Compher).
• Toronto acquired David Bolland (F) from Chicago for 3 picks. 
• Winnipeg acquired Michael Frolik from Chicago for 2 picks.
• Minnesota acquired Nino Niederreiter (F) from the New York Islanders for Cal Clutterbuck (F) and a 3rd round pick. 
• San Jose acquired Tyler Kennedy (F) from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2nd round pick.