A Look At The 2009 NHL Draft Results

Just like any professional sport entry draft, the real winners and losers of the day will not be known until several years into the future. However, knowing that did not prevent the Montreal fans and media from hyping up the 2009 entry draft to epic proportions.

The first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft came and went with just a few surprises.  Most of the surprises involved a trade that did happen, and several rumored trades that did not happen.  In fact, the 2009 NHL Entry draft was quite a bit less dramatic than many fans were led to believe.

The Top Picks

The top several picks in the draft went just as expected with no major surprises to speak of.  The tight-lipped Garth Snow did a fantastic job of keeping his 1st overall selection a secret until the very last moment.  A feat that is not easy to do in this day and age.  The Islanders needed an immediate scoring threat and they got just that with the highly touted John Tavares.

The Tampa Bay Lightning followed up by selecting Swedish Defenceman Victor Hedman, whose 6′6 – 225lbs frame is sure to shore up their blueline.

Matt Duchene, who in the days leading up to the draft, garnered some attention an possibly being the best long-term prospect in the draft was selected 3rd overall by the Colorado Avalanche.

Evander Kane and Brayden Schenn, both from the Western Hockey League, roudned out the Top 5 as expected.

Let us now forget about Rounds 2-7 in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. many franchises (See Detroit Red Wings) have made a living off stealing great players in the later rounds.  And, be certain, there is still plenty of talent available!

Draft Day Trades

In past years, the day of the NHL Entry Draft offered hockey fans some of the most exciting trades outside of the annual trading deadline.  While there were not a plethora of trades that took place at this year’s draft, there was one that rocked the boat!

The Anaheim Ducks sent all-star defenceman Chris Pronger to Philadelphia along with prospect Ryan Dingle for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenceman Luca Sbisa, first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 and a conditional third-rounder in 2010 or 2011.

This trade was a surprise to many as the already salary cap challenged Philadelphia Flyers added a very big salary commitment in Pronger.  This is lading many to believe that Briere will not be re-signed.

Notwithstanding the salary cap issue, Paul Holmgren is right about Chris Pronger:

“I think Chris Pronger is still one of the top defencemen in the league,” said Holmgren. “I think he makes everyone around him better. He’s a winner, he’s won a championship. He’s a tremendous character player, he works hard. I wanted a guy who would make life miserable for the other team. Chris is one of those guys.”

With the first round behind us, let’s sit back and enjoy the rest of the draft while we gear up for what promises to be a busy few weeks of free agency.

George Parros Fights Jody Shelley

Anyone who tuned into the game between the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks had know that this fight was going to happen.  The team’s two heavyweights squared off in a toe-to-toe battle with both enforcers landing some solid punches, but both fighters stood their ground.

Parros did catch Shelley with an upper-cut near the end of the fight that appeared to stun him.  Along with the upper-cut, Parros also scored the take down, giving him a slight edge of Shelley in this fight.

This was an excellent fight to watch and a tribute to two of the NHL’s most polished fighters.

Again, thanks to hockeyfights.com for the footage.