Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Notes From The 2018 NHL Draft

06/23/2018 at 4:51pm EDT

DALLAS (June 23, 2018) – A total of 217 players from 14 countries and 29 leagues were selected in the 2018 NHL Draft presented by adidas, which concluded Saturday at American Airlines Center.

Following is a breakdown of draft picks by position, birth country and league:

Position# of Picks
Defensemen 70
Centers 63
Right Wings 30
Goaltenders 29
Left Wings 25

Birth Country# of Picks
Canada 71
United States 55
Sweden 28
Russia 19
Finland 15
Czech Republic 10
Slovakia 5
Germany and Switzerland 4
Belarus 2
Jamaica, Norway, Thailand and United Kingdom 1

League# of Picks
OHL 35
USHL 24
QMJHL 23
WHL 20
SWEDEN-JR. 17
RUSSIA-JR. 13
NTDP 12
HIGH-US 10
NCAA 9
FINLAND-JR. 8
BCHL 7
SWEDEN 6
SWEDEN-2 5
CZREP and FINLAND 4
AJHL, CZREP-2, FINLAND-2, NAHL, OJHL and RUSSIA 2
CZREP-JR. U18, ENGLAND, MJHL, SWE-JR. U18, SWEDEN-3, SWEDEN-JR. 2, SWISS-2 and SWISS-JR. 1


SWEDEN TIES RECORD FOR NHL DRAFT
Twenty-eight Swedish-born players were selected in the 2018 NHL Draft, matching the country’s record for a single NHL Draft set in 2011.

KIRK, LOEWEN BECOME FIRSTS FOR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES
* The Arizona Coyotes selected left wing Liam Kirk (Rotherham, GBR) in the seventh round (189th overall), making him the first English-born player who was entirely trained in the country to be picked in the NHL Draft.

* The Dallas Stars selected left wing Jermaine Loewen (Mandeville, JAM) in the seventh round (199th overall), making him the first Jamaican-born player picked in the NHL Draft.

NHL BLOODLINES CONTINUE ON DAY 2
Mattias Samuelsson (No. 32 overall, BUF): His father, Kjell, is a Stanley Cup champion (1992 w/ PIT) who patrolled the blue line for 813 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Jesse Ylonen (No. 35 overall, MTL): His father, Juha, was drafted 91st overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1991 and skated in 341 career NHL games with the Phoenix Coyotes, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Jared McIsaac (No. 36 overall, DET): His uncle is NHL referee Jon McIsaac.

Ryan McLeod (No. 40 overall, EDM): His brother, Michael, was drafted 12th overall by the New Jersey Devilsin 2016 and captained the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads in 2017-18.

Jack Drury (No. 42 overall, CAR): His father, Ted, was drafted 42nd overall by the Calgary Flames in 1989 and skated in 414 career NHL games with the Flames, Hartford Whalers, Ottawa Senators, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets. His uncle, Chris, is a Stanley Cup champion (2001 w/ COL) and Calder Trophy winner who recorded 255-360—615 in 892 career NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche, Flames, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.

Scott Perunovich (No. 45 overall, STL): His uncle, Doug Torrel, was drafted 66th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1987.

Kody Clark (No. 47 overall, WSH): His father, Wendel, was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafsin 1985 and recorded 330-234—564 in 793 career NHL games with the Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks.

Benoit-Olivier Groulx (No. 54 overall, ANA): His father, Benoit, currently serves as head coach of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch – an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Gabriel Fortier (No. 59 overall, TBL): His brother, Maxime, captained the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads in 2017-18 (32-43—75 in 61 GP) and signed a three-year entry level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017.

Olivier Rodrigue (No. 62 overall, EDM): His father, Sylvain, served as goaltender development coach with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2017-18 season.

Jack McBain (No. 63 overall, MIN): His father, Andrew, was drafted eighth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1983 and appeared in 608 career NHL games with the Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators.

Tyler Madden (No. 68 overall, VAN): His father, John, is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and Selke Trophy winner who skated in 898 career NHL games with the New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and Florida Panthers.

Jacob Ragnarsson (No. 70 overall, NYR): His father, Marcus, was drafted 99th overall by the San Jose Sharks in 1992 and patrolled the blue line for 632 career NHL games with the Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers.

Jordan Harris (No. 71 overall, MTL): His father, Peter, was a goaltender drafted 164th overall by the New York Islanders in 1986.

Blake McLaughlin (No. 79 overall, ANA): His stepfather, Grant Bischoff, was drafted 211th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988. His stepbrother, Jake Bischoff, was drafted 185th overall by the New York Islanders in 2012 and currently is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights organization.

Riley Sutter (No. 93 overall, WSH): His father, Ron, is one of six Sutter brothers who played in the NHL (also Rich, Brent, Duane, Darryl and Brian). Ron recorded 205-330—535 in 1,093 career NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharksand Calgary Flames.

Jonathan Gruden (No. 95 overall, OTT): His father, John, was a defenseman drafted 168th overall by the Boston Bruins in 1990 and skated in 92 career NHL games with the Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals. He currently is the head coach of the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs.

Jacob Pivonka (No. 103 overall, NYI): His father, Michal, was drafted 59th overall by the Washington Capitals in 1984 and spent his entire 13-season NHL career with the club while recording 181-418—599 in 825 games.

Jackson Perbix (No. 116 overall, ANA): His brother, Nicklaus, was drafted 169th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017 and is expected to play for St. Cloud State University in 2018-19.

Simon Johansson (No. 148 overall, MIN): His cousin, Alexander Wennberg, was drafted 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013 and has recorded 33-121—154 in 283 games with the club across four seasons.

Alexis Gravel (No. 162 overall, CHI): His father, Francois – who also was a goaltender – was drafted 58th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1987.

Dawson Barteaux (No. 168 overall, DAL): His cousin, Ryan White, was drafted 66th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2006 and appeared in 313 career NHL games with the Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild.

Nikolai Kovalenko (No. 171 overall, COL): His father, Andrei, was drafted 148th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1990 and recorded 173-206—379 in 620 career NHL games with the Nordiques, Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins.

Shawn Boudrias (No. 179 overall, MIN): His father, Jason, was drafted 183rd overall by the Florida Panthersin 1994.

Josiah Slavin (No. 193 overall, CHI): His brother, Jaccob, was drafted 120th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012 and has recorded 15-69—84 in 227 games with the club across three seasons.

Luke Loheit (No. 194 overall, OTT): His grandfather, Bill Goldsworthy, recorded 283-258—541 in 771 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Minnesota North Stars and New York Rangers from 1964-78. Goldsworthy represented Minnesota in four NHL All-Star games during 14 seasons with the club and his No. 8 was retired by the North Stars on Feb. 15, 1992.

Christian Krygier (No. 196 overall, NYI): His father, Todd, was drafted 16th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1988 NHL Supplemental Draft and skated in 543 career NHL games with the Whalers, Washington Capitalsand Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. His twin brother, Cole, was selected 201st overall by the Florida Panthers.

Cole Krygier (No. 201 overall, FLA): His father, Todd, was drafted 16th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1988 NHL Supplemental Draft and skated in 543 career NHL games with the Whalers, Washington Capitalsand Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. His twin brother, Christian, was selected 196th overall by the New York Islanders.

Austin Wong (No. 215 overall, WPG): His brother, Tyler, was a member of the Vegas Golden Knightsorganization in 2017-18, appearing in games for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves and ECHL’s Quad City Mallards.

Riley Hughes (No. 216 overall, NYR): His uncle, Ryan, was drafted 22nd overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1990 and appeared in three games with the Boston Bruins during the 1995-96 season.

DAY 2 TRADES
* Colorado traded Nashville’s 2nd-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 58th overall) to Pittsburgh for Ottawa’s 3rd-round pick in 2018 (previously acquired, 64th overall) and Pittsburgh’s 5th-round pick in 2018 (146th overall).

* Montreal traded Washington’s 2nd-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 62nd overall) to Edmonton for Edmonton’s 3rd-round pick in 2018 (71st overall) and 5th-round pick in 2018 (133rd overall).

* Arizona traded Calgary’s 3rd-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 74th overall) to Chicago for Toronto’s 3rd-round pick in 2018 (previously acquired, 87th overall) and Columbus’ 5th-round pick in 2018 (previously acquired, 142nd overall).

* Arizona traded Toronto’s 3rd-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 87th overall) to San Jose for San Jose’s 4th-round pick in 2018 (114th overall) and 5th-round pick in 2018 (145th overall).

* Nashville traded its 3rd-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (89th overall) to Florida for Florida’s 3rd-round pick in 2019.

* Montreal traded Edmonton’s 4th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 102nd overall) to San Jose for Vegas’ 4th-round pick in 2018 (previously acquired, 123rd overall) and Florida’s 5th-round pick in 2018 (previously acquired, 139th overall).

* Montreal traded Winnipeg’s 4th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 122nd overall) to Calgary for Calgary’s 4th-round pick in 2019.

* Montreal traded Florida’s 5th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 139th overall) to Chicago for Chicago’s 5th-round pick in 2019.

* Calgary traded D Dougie Hamilton, LW Micheal Ferland and D Adam Fox to Carolina for D Noah Hanifinand C Elias Lindholm.

* Buffalo traded its 6th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (156th overall) to Toronto for Toronto’s 6th-round pick in 2019.

* Detroit traded Montreal’s 6th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 159th overall) to Columbus for Columbus’ 5th-round pick in 2019.

* Vancouver traded its 6th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (161st overall) to Washington for Washington’s 6th-round pick in 2018 (186th overall) and 6th-round pick in 2019.

* Philadelphia traded Montreal’s 7th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 190th overall) back to Montreal for the Canadiens’ 7th-round pick in 2019.

* Pittsburgh traded its 7th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (208th overall) to Vegas for Vegas’ 7th-round pick in 2019.

* Carolina traded Vegas’ 7th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft (previously acquired, 216th overall) to NY Rangers for Boston’s 7th-round pick in 2019 (previously acquired).

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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