National Hockey League news: June 21, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
At the 2008 edition of the NHL entry draft in Ottawa, Steven Stamkos' long-anticipated selection first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning may have been overshadowed by numerous trades and signings made on the draft floor.
Before even the first pick was made, the Calgary Flames had acquired Mike Cammalleri in a three-way trade. Calgary's pick, 17th overall was traded with the Los Angeles Kings' pick, 28th overall, to the Anaheim Ducks. The Kings received the Ducks' pick, 12th overall. Later, the Flames shipped forward Alex Tanguay and fifth-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for the 25th overall selection and a 2009 second-round pick.
The Florida Panthers also made a major trade at the draft, moving their captain, Olli Jokinen to the Phoenix Coyotes for two defencemen, Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton as well as the 49th overall selection. The Columbus Blue Jackets made a major trade of their own, picking up R.J. Umberger and the 119th pick overall from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the 19th and 67th picks, overall.
Out of the first 30 picks in the draft, 17 had been traded around between teams. The first round was rich in defencemen; out of thirty players picked, half were defencemen. After Stamkos was picked first overall, the next four picks, Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian, Alex Pietrangelo, and Luke Schenn were all blueliners.
The hosts, Ottawa Senators, also made numerous moves. The Senators traded up to the 15th pick overall to draft Erik Karlsson. Earlier in the day, the had also resigned Chris Kelly to a four-year, $8.5 million contract extension. Previously, the Senators also waived goaltender Ray Emery. Emery could be bought out as early as today.
The NHL free-agency season starts July 1.
Round 1 draft breakdown
| # | Player | Nationality | NHL Team | College/Junior/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Stamkos (C) | Canada | Tampa Bay Lightning | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 2 | Drew Doughty (D) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings | Guelph Storm (OHL) |
| 3 | Zach Bogosian (D) | USA | Atlanta Thrashers | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 4 | Alex Pietrangelo (D) | Canada | St. Louis Blues | Niagara IceDogs (OHL) |
| 5 | Luke Schenn (D) | Canada | Toronto Maple Leafs (from NY Islanders) | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| 6 | Nikita Filatov (LW) | Russia | Columbus Blue Jackets | CSKA Moscow (RSL) |
| 7 | Colin Wilson (C) | USA | Nashville Predators (from Toronto via NY Islanders) | Boston University (NCAA) |
| 8 | Mikkel Boedker (LW) | Denmark | Phoenix Coyotes | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
| 9 | Josh Bailey (C) | Canada | New York Islanders (from Nashville via Florida) | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) |
| 10 | Cody Hodgson (C) | Canada | Vancouver Canucks | Brampton Battalion (OHL) |
| 11 | Kyle Beach (LW) | Canada | Chicago Blackhawks | Everett Silvertips (WHL) |
| 12 | Tyler Myers (D) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres (from Edmonton via Anaheim via Los Angeles) | Kelowna Rockets (WHL) |
| 13 | Colten Teubert (D) | Canada | Los Angeles Kings (from Buffalo) | Regina Pats (WHL) |
| 14 | Zach Boychuk (C) | Canada | Carolina Hurricanes | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) |
| 15 | Erik Karlsson (D) | Sweden | Ottawa Senators (from Nashville) | Frölunda HC (Elitserien) |
| 16 | Joe Colborne (LW) | Canada | Boston Bruins | Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL) |
| 17 | Jake Gardiner (D) | USA | Anaheim Ducks (from Calgary via Los Angeles) | Minnetonka High School (USHS-Minnesota) |
| 18 | Chet Pickard (G) | Canada | Nashville Predators (from Ottawa) | Tri-City Americans (WHL) |
| 19 | Luca Sbisa (D) | Switzerland | Philadelphia Flyers (from Colorado via Columbus) | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) |
| 20 | Michael Del Zotto (D) | Canada | New York Rangers | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 21 | Anton Gustafsson (C) | Sweden | Washington Capitals (from New Jersey) | Frölunda HC (Elitserien) |
| 22 | Jordan Eberle (C) | Canada | Edmonton Oilers (from Anaheim) | Regina Pats (WHL) |
| 23 | Tyler Cuma (D) | Canada | Minnesota Wild (from Washington via New Jersey) | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 24 | Mattias Tedenby (LW) | Sweden | New Jersey Devils (from Minnesota) | HV71 (Elitserien) |
| 25 | Greg Nemisz (RW) | Canada | Calgary Flames (from Montreal) | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) |
| 26 | Tyler Ennis (C) | Canada | Buffalo Sabres (from San Jose) | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) |
| 27 | John Carlson (D) | USA | Washington Capitals (from Philadelphia) | Indiana Ice (USHL) |
| 28 | Viktor Tikhonov (RW) | Russia | Phoenix Coyotes (from Dallas via Los Angeles via Anaheim) | Severstal Cherepovets (RSL) |
| 29 | Daultan Leveille (C) | Canada | Atlanta Thrashers (from Pittsburgh) | St. Catharines Falcons (OHA) |
| 30 | Thomas McCollum (G) | USA | Detroit Red Wings | Guelph Storm (OHL) |
Sources
- "Sens sign Kelly to 4-year, $8.5 million extension" — TSN, June 20, 2008
- "Major trades grab spotlight at NHL Entry Draft" — TSN, June 20, 2008
- "First Round Tracker" — TSN, June 20, 2008
- Allen Panzeri. "Stamkos leads four defencemen to podium" — Ottawa Citizen, June 21, 2008
- "NHL teams begin to deal" — Ottawa Citizen, June 21, 2008
