Notes from first round of 2017 NHL Draft

CHICAGO – Following are notes from the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft, held Friday at United Center.

Devils select Hischier with first pick

The New Jersey Devils selected center Nico Hischier (Naters, Switzerland) with the top pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, making him the highest-drafted Swiss-born player in NHL history:

Pick # Player Team Pos. Birthplace Year
1 Nico Hischier NJD C Naters, CHE 2017
5 Nino Niederreiter NYI RW Chur, CHE 2010
9 Timo Meier SJS RW Herisau, CHE 2015
11 Kevin Fiala NSH LW St. Gallen, CHE 2014
13 Sven Baertschi CGY LW Bern, CHE 2011

Hischier also became the seventh player from outside North America chosen with the No. 1 overall selection in the NHL Draft - and first since 2012:

Year Player Team Pos. Birthplace
1989 Mats Sundin QUE C Bromma, SWE
1992 Roman Hamrlik TBL D Zlin, CZE
1999 Patrik Stefan ATL C Pribram, CZE
2001 Ilya Kovalchuk ATL RW Tver, RUS
2004 Alex Ovechkin WSH LW Moscow, RUS
2012 Nail Yakupov EDM RW Nizhnekamsk, RUS
2017 Nico Hischier NJD C Naters, CHE

Hischier (Halifax Mooseheads) became the 11th player from the QMJHL taken with the No. 1 overall pick - and sixth in the last 30 years:

Year Player Team Pos. QMJHL Team
1987 Pierre Turgeon BUF C Granby
1993 Alexandre Daigle OTT RW Victoriaville
1998 Vincent Lecavalier TBL C Rimouski
2005 Sidney Crosby PIT C Rimouski
2013 Nathan MacKinnon COL C Halifax
2017 Nico Hischier NJD C Halifax

Top three draftees. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/rq9uUbg6GJ

— NHL (@NHL) June 24, 2017

Golden Knights make first three NHL Draft selections

The Vegas Golden Knights, who on Wednesday made 30 picks in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, made their first three selections in the NHL Draft, all in the top 15: center Cody Glass (No. 6), center Nick Suzuki (No. 13) and defenseman Erik Brannstrom (No. 15).

Record number of Finnish players selected in first round

Six Finnish-born players were selected Friday - Miro Heiskanen (No. 3, DAL), Juuso Valimaki (No. 16, CGY), Urho Vaakanainen (No. 18, BOS), Kristian Vesalainen (No. 24, WPG), Henri Jokiharju (No. 29, CHI) and Eeli Tolvanen (No. 30, NSH) - a record for the first round of the NHL Draft. The previous mark of five was set in 2002.

Breakdown of first-round selections by birthplace: Canada (11), Finland (6), USA (6), Sweden (4), Czech Republic (2), Russia (1) and Switzerland (1).

14 leagues represented in opening 31 picks

Players from 14 different leagues were selected in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft:

WHL: 7
OHL: 5
SWEDEN: 4
CZREP, FINLAND, QMJHL, USHL: 2
AJHL, H-EAST, HIGH-MN, NCHC, NTDP, RUSSIA, SWEDEN-2: 1

Did you know?

The Colorado Avalanche selected defenseman Cale Makar (Brooks) fourth overall, making him the highest-drafted player in NHL history from the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He surpassed current Avalanche forward Joe Colborne (Camrose), who was picked by the Boston Bruins at No. 16 overall in 2008.

That new jersey feeling. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/GjYRSmVbqn

— NHL (@NHL) June 24, 2017

First-round Bloodlines

Nolan Patrick (No. 2 overall, PHI): His father, Steve, was selected in the first round (20th overall) of the 1980 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres and played 250 NHL games with the Sabres, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques from 1980-86. His uncle, James, skated in 1,280 games with the Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Sabres.

Elias Pettersson (No. 5 overall, VAN): His brother, Emil, was selected 155th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft and spent the 2016-17 season in the Swedish Hockey League with Skelleftea and Vaxjo.

Lias Andersson (No. 7 overall, NYR): His father, Niklas, was selected 68th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1989 NHL Draft and skated in 164 career NHL games across five seasons with the Nordiques, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames.

Owen Tippett (No. 10 overall, FLA): His cousin, Mitchell Stephens, was selected 33rd overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Callan Foote (No. 14 overall, TBL): His father, Adam, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (1996 and 2001 w/ COL) who patrolled the blueline for 1,154 career NHL games with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Joshua Norris (No. 19 overall, SJS): His father, Dwayne, was drafted 127th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL Draft and appeared in 20 games with the Nordiques and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim from 1993-96.

Pierre-Olivier Joseph (No. 23 overall, ARI): His brother, Mathieu, is a forward who was selected 120th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 NHL Draft and competed at the 2017 Memorial Cup with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.

Ryan Poehling (No. 25 overall, MTL): His uncle, Stan Palmer, was drafted 177th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1977 NHL Draft. His older brothers, twins Jack and Nick, played alongside him at St. Cloud State in 2016-17.

Morgan Frost (No. 27 overall, PHI): His father, Andy, is a popular radio host in Toronto and served as the Maple Leafs public address announcer at the Air Canada Centre from 1999-2016.

Day 1 trades

Arizona traded D Connor Murphy and C Laurent Dauphin to Chicago for D Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Arizona traded D Anthony DeAngelo and its 1st-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (7th overall) to NY Rangers for C Derek Stepan and G Antti Raanta.

Chicago traded LW Artemi Panarin, LW Tyler Motte and NY Islanders' 6th-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 170th overall) to Columbus for LW Brandon Saad, G Anton Forsberg and Columbus' 5th-round pick in 2018.

Chicago traded its 1st-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (26th overall) to Dallas for Anaheim's 1st-round pick in 2017 (previously acquired, 29th overall) and Dallas' 3rd-round pick in 2017 (70th overall).

Columbus traded RW Dante Salituro to Minnesota for C Jordan Schroeder.

Philadelphia traded C Brayden Schenn to St. Louis for C Jori Lehtera, St. Louis' 1st-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (27th overall) and a conditional 1st-round pick in 2018.

Pittsburgh traded C Oskar Sundqvist and its 1st-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (31st overall) to St. Louis for RW Ryan Reaves and St. Louis' 2nd-round pick in 2017 (51st overall).

Devils tab Hischier with No. 1 pick in 2017 NHL draft

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."

2017 Draft Profile: Nolan Patrick

NOLAN PATRICK
BRANDON, WHL
North American Skater

Final Rank: 1
Midterm Rank: 1
Position: Center - Shoots: Right
Height: 6'2" - Weight: 198
Born: September 19, 1998
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man. - Born in: Winnipeg, MB, CAN  

PROFILE

Patrick was named captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings prior to the 2016-17 season and averaged more than a point per game despite missing significant time due to injury (20-26—46 in 33 GP).

He was named MVP of the 2016 WHL Playoffs after helping Brandon win its first championship in 20 years, tying teammate Jayce Hawryluk (selected in the second round by FLA in 2014) for the league lead with 30 points (13-17—30 in 21 GP). In the 2015-16 regular season, Patrick finished tied for third in the WHL in assists (61) and fifth in points (102) in 72 games.

Patrick won the WHL Rookie of the Year in 2014-15 after averaging more than a point per game (30-26—56 in 55 GP) and pacing all rookies in goals.

His father, Steve Patrick, played 250 games with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques from 1980-86, while his uncle, James Patrick, skated in 1,280 games with the Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres.

Athletic bloodlines run even deeper in the Patrick family: Nolan’s mother, Carrie, played volleyball at the University of Winnipeg and was a member of the Canadian national team; his grandfather, Steve, played 13 seasons with the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers; his older sister, Madison, plays hockey with the University of British Columbia; and his younger sister, Aimee, plays minor bantam in Winnipeg.

Internationally, Patrick helped Canada win a gold medal at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and captained Canada Red at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

SCOUTING REPORT

Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr:

“He has more than proven over the last three years that he is the real deal and will be an impact NHL player. The poise, the presence, the attention to detail, the way he processes and executes plays — everything has been far more precise, far more accurate and a lot quicker this season."
GETTING TO KNOW NOLAN...

If I could "Carpool Karaoke" with any celebrity it would be: Steph Curry

TV show I recently binge-watched: Homeland

Celebrity that always makes me laugh: Will Ferrell

App I spend way too much time on: Instagram

At an all-you-can-eat buffet I go straight for the: Rice

Coolest person I've ever met: Tanner Kaspick

Athlete I admire most: Jordan Spieth

If I could be any superhero I would be: Spider-Man

I am inspired by: Parents

I am afraid of: Mice

I dream of: Stanley Cup Final

STATISTICS

SEASON

	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	P	PIM
2016-2017	BRANDON	WHL	33	20	26	46	36
2015-2016	BRANDON	WHL	72	41	61	102	41
2015-2016	CAN U18 (Ivan Hlinka Memorial 2015)	ITLTOUR	5	3	3	6	6
2014-2015	BRANDON	WHL	55	30	26	56	19
2014-2015	CANADA RED (2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge)	NATOUR	5	0	5	5	6

 

2017 Draft: Nolan Patrick tops midterm rankings

Center Nolan Patrick of Brandon in the Western Hockey League is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2017 NHL Draft.

Central Scouting revealed its midterm rankings of the top North American and International skaters and goaltenders Wednesday. The 2017 draft will be held at United Center in Chicago on June 23-24.

View midterm rankings (PDFs): North American Skaters | North American Goalies | International Skaters | International Goalies

Patrick (6-foot-3, 198 pounds) had two goals and two assists in his return to the lineup Friday after missing 35 games because of an upper-body injury. In eight games he's scored six goals and 13 points.

"It definitely is a two-player field for the top [North America] ranking and Nolan Patrick was the frontrunner going into the season for the 2017 draft and remains the top candidate for NHL Central Scouting," Director of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr said. "It's unfortunate [Patrick] had to miss so much time but it was necessary for him to be able to return at 100 percent. He's been well known to NHL scouts for the past three years; his game continues to show he's a top prospect."

Last season, Patrick was fifth in the WHL with 102 points in 72 games. He then had 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 21 games to tie for the WHL playoff scoring lead and was named postseason MVP.

He is the son of former NHL forward Steve Patrick and nephew of former NHL defenseman James Patrick.

No. 2 on the list is center Nico Hischier (6-1, 175) of Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He leads QMJHL rookies with 30 goals, 30 assists and 60 points in 36 games. Playing for Switzerland at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, Hischier scored four goals and seven points, most among draft-eligible players.

"Hischier was also a known commodity coming into the season and we've been able to see the continued growth of his game and development as he transitioned into an impact player with Halifax," Marr said. "He also displayed his talents on the World Junior stage."

Rounding out the top five North American skaters is center Gabriel Vilardi (6-3, 201) of Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League; right wing Owen Tippett (6-1, 202) of Mississauga (OHL); and center Casey Mittelstadt (6-1, 201) of Eden Prairie (Minn.) High School.

Six of the top eight players on the North American list are centers. The highest-ranked defenseman is Juuso Valimaki (6-1, 204) of Tri-City (WHL) at No. 9. He's followed by No. 10 Cale Makar (5-11, 179) of Brooks in the Alberta Junior Hockey League; No. 11 Nicolas Hague (6-5, 206) of Mississauga (OHL) and No. 12 Callan Foote (6-3, 213) of Kelowna (WHL). 

"Valimaki and Makar are very dynamic and elite skilled defensemen who can play with speed, quickness and conviction," Marr said. "Hague and Foote are bigger defenders who can skate and move the puck well while impacting in all zones."

The No. 1 North American goaltender is Keith Petruzzelli (6-5, 180) of Muskegon in the United States Hockey League. Ian Scott (6-3, 174) of Prince Albert (WHL) and Jake Oettinger (6-4, 212) of Boston University (Hockey East) are Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

Petruzzelli stopped all 21 shots he faced in 27:15 of ice time and was named MVP for Team East at the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Jan. 10. Committed to Quinnipiac University for 2017-18, he is 11-7-0 with a 2.71 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 20 games.

"[Petruzzelli] uses his size effectively, is very calm and relaxed," Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting said. "He has shown steady improvement and has turned into an excellent NHL goalie prospect. His style resembles Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray."

The No. 1 skater on the International list is center Klim Kostin (6-3, 196) of Dynamo Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League. Kostin, 17, was a plus-1 while averaging 4:28 of ice time in eight games prior to sustaining a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out for two months.

"[Kostin] is big, strong, mobile, and has a good understanding of the game," NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said. "He had a somewhat difficult fall playing on different club and junior national teams but is so dynamic."

Rounding out the top five International skaters are center Elias Pettersson (6-1, 156) of Timra in Sweden's second division; center Lias Andersson (5-11, 198) of HV 71 (SWE); forward Kristian Vesalainen (6-3, 207) of Frolunda (SWE); and center Martin Necas (6-0, 167) of Brno (CZREP).

"Pettersson is close to Kostin in the International rankings," Stubb said. "[Pettersson] is having a great season in the Swedish minor league and getting a lot of useful experience playing with and against men. He's the leading scorer on Timra (27 points in 27 games). He's a great skater with very good offensive instincts."

The No. 1 International goaltender is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (6-4, 196) of HPK in Finland's junior league. 

"[Luukkonen] was key as an underage player for Finland at the [2016 IIHF World Under-18 Championship] in April," Stubb said. "He plays an effective butterfly style and does a good job of controlling rebounds."

At that tournament, Luukkonen played the final three games in place of starter Leevi Laakso (illness), and had a 2.00 GAA and .917 save percentage to help Finland win the gold medal.

- Mike G. Morereale/NHL.com Staff Writer