2010 NHL Draft Results and Grades: Live Blogging and Grading the Picks

June 26th, 2010 by Alison Myers Leave a reply »

Welcome to day one of the 2010 NHL Draft.

Tonight, Bleacher Report will be live blogging all the action of the first round, which airs on Versus and TSN.

Before we get underway with the who-goes-where, let's take a look at some news that has happened so far:

Florida defenseman Keith Ballard has been traded to the Vancouver Canucks for the 25th pick in the draft. It is also rumored that Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa could be on the move.

 

7 P.M.

Versus cut to Rexall Place in Edmonton, where a big draft party is in progress.

Although the Oilers have not been to the playoffs since losing in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, the fans have a playoff-like atmosphere going. They are decked out in Oilers gear and waving white pom poms, cheering loudly while watching the Jumbotron.

 

7:08 P.M.

Some humorous moments shown in the highlight reel as Edomnton is dubbed "Taylor and Tyler Day".

Immediately after, a clip is shown of a rehearsal where Hall and Seguin took turns pretending to be the first overall pick and Gary Bettman. One went on stage while the other shook their hands.

Just a little bit of lighter fare to add to the nervous emotions Seguin and Hall are experiencing right now.

 

7:13 P.M.

Gary Bettman is now on the podium giving his thanks to everyone for making the draft run smoothly and for attending.

Bettman notes this is the first time the draft has been conducted in the state of California. Eight of the top picks are California born players. Five of those are in the top 100 and one is ranked in the top 10.

See? It is possible to make hockey work in non-traditional markets.

 

7:17 P.M.-EDMONTON OILERS

Steve Tambellini is at the podium. The moment has arrived.

And the pick is....

TAYLOR HALL!

It's hard to be surprised with this pick. What better way for the Oilers to start rebuilding?

Hall is a back to back Memorial Cup winner and MVP. He is the sixth player in history to win a Memorial Cup and be drafted first overall in the same year. He has been a dominant force in the OHL and will be making his step to the NHL in the 2010-2011 season. 

Hall sits down for an interview and still seems nervous. He seems like a humble kid, giving credit to everyone at home who has helped him and acknowledges the Oilers fans in the crowd.

He describes himself as a "dynamic offensive player".

Tambellini echos the sentiment, talking about how strong Hall has been in the World Junior tournament and in the Memorial Cup playoffs.

GRADE: A

 

7:25 P.M.-BOSTON BRUINS

Boston General Manager Peter Chiarelli is taking his turn at the podium.

Tyler Seguin, again no surprise, is taken second overall.

Seguin served as captain of the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. It's noted that Seguin may not be quite ready to jump to the NHL next season, but he is definitely "almost ready".

Seguin has showed progress in his game from the end of his OHL season to the recent NHL Combine.

We get a look at the draft board where Hall's and Seguin's names are posted up front. 

The Bruins are now loaded with centers with Seguin, Bergeron, and Krejci just to name a few. Seguin can also play wing in addition to center. Chiarelli says that he is considering options for trades and also notes that Tim Thomas does not want to leave Boston, so they will try to keep him around.

The Bruins get a strong grade for adding Seguin to an already talented pack of centers.

GRADE: A-

 

7:35 P.M.-FLORIDA PANTHERS

Florida Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon skips the plattitudes (thank goodness) and cuts right to the chase, drafting defenseman ERIK GUDBRANSON. 

Gudbranson grew up a Montreal Canadiens fan. His mom is shown in the audience wiping away tears. Awwww!

Gudbranson is the third straight pick from the Ontario Hockey League to go in the first round. He rebounded from a knee injury to score 23 points in 41 games. Unfortunately, he never regained full strength, but this didn't seem to faze the Panthers.

In his interview at the press table, Gudbranson said he hoped to go to Florida. I think it's great that he looked into what the team had to offer, almost like a potential employee would when you are getting ready for a job interview.

Tallon's number one priority when drafting is player character. Aside from being a physical defenseman, Gudbranson is also a mature, strong individual.

Florida has six defensemen under contract for 2010-2011 as they strive to make the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

Gubdranson sends out good wishes to his little brother, who is going through treatment for leukemia. Best wishes.

GRADE: A-

 

7:42 P.M.-COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Columbus has had 10 first round picks in 11 years. 

However, some of their picks have been busts with both Nikolai Zherdev and Nikita Filatov currently not playing in the league.

The Blue Jackets still have some good options on the board with Brandon Gormley, Cam Fowler, and Ryan Johansen; just to name a few.

Scott Howson has taken the podium and selects RYAN JOHANSEN.

Johnansen can only get better and is called the "poster boy for success" for young hockey players. He is also an underdog, so he may have to set himself apart in Columbus as they try to make a young team better and get back to the playoffs.

Johansen has come a long way since he was drafted 150th in the Bantam draft in junior hockey.

It is a little surprising to see the Blue Jackets take a center with five under contract for next season, but Johnasen is such an all around player that it's hard to go wrong.

GRADE: B+

 

7:54 P.M.

Alyssa Milano? Meh.

 

7:55 P.M.-NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Last year, the Islanders took John Tavares first overall.

This year, they have the fifth overall pick.

Former Islanders goaltender Garth Snow takes the podium. After his plattitudes, he selects forward NINO NIEDERREITER.

Niederreiter is the highest Swiss palyer taken in recent draft history.

The Islanders definitely hit a home run with taking Tavares last year, and Niederreiter is also a good pick. He was the first Portland Winterhawks player with 30 goals in a season since 2004-2005.

However, this pick is a surprise given that it was thought the Islanders would take a defenseman.

GRADE:  A-

7:58 P.M.

Darren Dreger announces that the Oilers are interested in taking another pick in this first round.

 

8:01 P.M.-TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Steve Yzerman takes the podium to make his first pick as general manager. He selects Prince George Cougars forward BRETT CONNOLLY.

Again, this pick seems to be somewhat of a surprise. Tampa still has numerous talented forwards under contract such as Martin St. Louis, Ryan Malone, and Steven Stamkos. Their prospect system has 27 forwards and nine defensemen.

There are also six defensemen under contract for the 2010-2011 season.

One of Connolly's drawback is a nagging hip injury, but he still managed a point per game with Prince George in the 19 games that he played.

However, Yzerman sympathizes with Connolly and didn't see enough of a drawback to keep him off the board. Connolly could also nicely compliment Steven Stamkos.

If Connolly makes the team out of training camp, he will be under the guidance of new head coach Guy Boucher, who has plenty of experience guiding young players and has gone into the playoffs at multiple levels of the game.

GRADE: B+

 

8:12 P.M.-CAROLINA HURRICANES

Jim Rutherford does not really like to draft defensemen. With Brandon Gormley and Cam Fowler still available, will he change his mind?

Former Penguin forward and Canes associate head coach Ron Francis makes his pick. He has selected JEFF SKINNER of the Kitchener Rangers.

Skinner used to be a figure skater before taking up hockey. Could it be time to add a new contest to the all-star skills competition? I'd actually watch the All Star Game if that happened...

OK, enough. He leads top prospects in goals between regular season and playoffs with 70 goals in 84 games.

Versus shows a picture of a net in front of Skinner's garage at his home. Wonder if they're aiming for Sidney Crosby dryer fame?

Skinner was ranked 34th in prospect rankings, but is probably the best goal scorer available.

However, with only three defensemen under contract next year and only Tim Gleason signed for 2011-2012, Rutherford needed to conquer his fear of drafting defensemen. He had a golden opportunity available to do so and didn't take it.

GRADE: B-

 

8:19 P.M.-ATLANTA THRASHERS

Rick Dudley is taking his turn at the podium. He almost says Atlanta has the third pick in the draft. Oops.

The Thrashers have drafted center ALEXANDER BURMISTROV.

Burmistrov is a high skilled player who players bigger than his size and is one of the quikest players available. He is even a faster skater than Taylor Hall. The fact that he outdid the No. 1 pick in that category is rather commendable.

With this pick, the Thrashers have even more skill in their lineup after drafting Evander Kane last year. Furthermore, as you all know, Atlanta recently made a huge trade by adding Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager, and prospect Akim Aliu from Chicago.

If Burmistrov makes the lineup and all the chips fall in the right place, this Thrashers team could be dangerous next year.

GRADE: A

 

8:24 P.M.-MINNESOTA WILD

Chuck Fletcher takes the podium to announce their selection, MIKAEL GRANLUND.

Granlund was voted the smartest player in the draft and was among the best playmakers available. He has been compared to Saku Koivu and has a great attitude.

Granlund has one year left on his contract with his Finnish team, so he won't be in Minnesota right away. He should fit in nicely with some of Minnesota's solid forwards such as Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck, and Pierre-Marc Brouchard.

Fun fact: Granlund is one of nine, soon to be ten, kids. And I thought having three siblings was rough...

GRADE: A

 




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