CHICAGO – Eighteen-year-old Nico Hischier had no idea where he would be selected in the NHL draft when he woke up Friday.
As the day progressed, so did Hischier's nervousness.
"This morning, it was fine," said Hischier, a native of Switzerland. "And then as soon as I stepped here in the ice rink, my pulse went up and stayed there. ... I have a new pulse max."
He also has a new team.
The New Jersey Devils selected Hischier with their first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history. The playmaking center shined with 86 points (38 goals, 48 assists) in 57 games last season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he was named rookie of the year.
Hischier said he would work hard to try to make the NHL next season rather than remain in juniors. The past two No. 1 overall selections, Connor McDavid in 2015 and Auston Matthews in 2016, already have emerged as stars in the NHL.
"I'm going to do everything I can," Hischier said. "I'm working hard, and then I'll see at training camp."
New Jersey general manager Ray Shero and his front-office staff opted for Hischier over Nolan Patrick, another 18-year-old center who was considered for the top pick.
The Philadelphia Flyers happily grabbed Patrick with the next selection. The 6-foot-2, 199-pound Winnipeg native had 46 points (20 goals, 26 goals) in 33 games last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. His father, Steve, played 250 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques from 1980 to 1986.
Patrick said he was thrilled to join the Flyers and harbored no hard feelings toward the Devils.
"No, not at all," Patrick said. "I think me and Nico are completely different players. I think he might be a little more offensively dynamic than me, and I think I might be a little more defensively (skilled) than him.
"It's not like I'm sitting here wishing I went to Jersey. They didn't want me, so it doesn't matter too much to me."
Miro Heiskanen of Finland was the first defenseman off the board when the Dallas Stars selected him at No. 3. Defenseman Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) and center Elias Petterson (Vancouver Canucks) rounded out the top five picks.
The Vegas Golden Knights used their first draft pick at No. 6 overall to select Cody Glass, an 18-year-old from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. Glass had 94 points in 69 games last season.
Glass said he avoided making eye contact with his dad after his name was called because he did not want to cry. He acknowledged that being an answer to a trivia question -- Vegas' first-ever draft pick -- might create extra pressure on him.
"There's a lot of pressure to it, but then again, I know what I can do on the ice," Glass said. "And they believe in me. I'm just going to prove them right. It's going to be really awesome getting started in Vegas."
After the New York Rangers selected Swedish center Lias Andersson at No. 7, the Buffalo Sabres picked a high school senior with the eighth choice. The Sabres drafted Casey Mittelstadt, a center who won Minnesota's coveted Mr. Hockey Award as a baby-faced standout at Eden Prairie High School.
The Detroit Red Wings added one of the largest players in the draft by taking 6-foot-6, 221-pound center Michael Rasmussen at No. 9. The Florida Panthers picked right winger Owen Tippett from the Ontario Hockey League to finish the top 10.
Highly touted Canadian center Gabriel Vilardi surprisingly slipped out of the top 10. However, he did not have to wait much longer for his name to be called as the Los Angeles Kings took him at No. 11.
The Golden Knights had two more first-round picks thanks to previous deals with the Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders. Vegas added center Nick Suzuki at No. 13 and defenseman Erik Brannstrom at No. 15.
After a busy day of deals across the league, the trade market cooled considerably during the draft. Nearly 2 1/2 passed before the Blackhawks and Stars struck the first draft deal. Chicago sent its No. 26 pick to the Stars for picks No. 29 and 70.
The Stars used the 26th pick to select Boston University goaltender Jake Oettinger. The 6-4, 218-pound netminder posted a 2.11 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage last season for the Terriers.
The Blackhawks stirred the crowd by having Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane announce their first-round pick at No. 29. Chicago took 18-year-old defenseman Henri Jokiharju from Portland of the WHL.
In another late-round trade, the Blues acquired 25-year-old center Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers for veteran center Jori Lehtera, the No. 27 pick and a conditional first-round pick in 2018. The Flyers used the 27th selection to take Morgan Frost, a center from Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL.
The Blues pulled off their second trade of the night when they sent forward Ryan Reaves and the No. 51 pick of the second round to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Oskar Sundqvist and the No. 31 pick. With the final pick of the first round, the Blues chose forward Klim Kostin out of Russia.
NOTES: Casey Mittelstadt said he likely will attend the University of Minnesota next season to sharpen his skills for the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres selected Mittelstadt, 18, with the eighth pick. ... Several first-round picks had NHL bloodlines. The Tampa Bay Lightning used the 14th pick to take D Callan Foote, son of two-time Stanley Cup champion Adam Foote. ... The smallest player to be drafted in the first round was RW Kailer Yamamoto (5-8, 153 pounds), who went to the Edmonton Oilers at No. 22. ... NHL commissioner Gary Bettman smirked as fans booed when he stepped to the microphone. "You can do better than that," Bettman said, prompting fans to jeer even louder. "That's more like it."
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