Nick Leddy poses with team officials after being drafted by the Minnesota Wild at the 2009 NHL hockey entry draft Friday, in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)
The Minnesota Wild selected eight players in the 2009 NHL draft, which began Friday with the first round and concluded Saturday with rounds two through seven.
In the first round the Wild moved down from No. 12 to No. 16 and added a third and seventh round pick and selected Eden Prairie defenseman Nick Leddy. The information on Leddy can be viewed here.
With the third round pick acquired from the New York Islanders at No. 77, the Wild selected goaltender Matthew Hackett from Plymouth of the OHL. He is the nephew of former NHL goaltender Jeff Hackett. He credits his uncle for teaching him the goaltending position. He provides the Wild with added goaltending depth in the organization. He finished the season as the No. 1 North American goaltender in the Central Scouting Service's final rankings, after being ranked No. 8 at midseason.
The Wild had three selections in the fourth round, before trading the No. 99 and No. 133 pick to the Edmonton Oilers for forward Kyle Brodziak and the No. 161 pick. The No. 99 pick was originally acquired from the Dallas Stars.
Brodziak was the Oilers seventh round pick in 2003. He played in 79 games for the Oilers last season scoring 11 goals and adding 16 assists. He is a solid two-way center that has good offensive skills. He is a better skater than a typical power forward and is stronger than a typical playmaker. He is a versatile forward that can play the center and right wing positions and the power play and penalty kill. He should challenge to be on the Wild’s second or third line.
The Wild made its first fourth round selection at No. 103. It selected Calgary left wing Kristopher Foucault. He is a 6 foot 1 inch, 202 pound winger that was ranked No. 96 in the Central Scouting Service final rankings. He recorded nine goals and eight assists in 26 games in the Western Hockey League last season.
With the Wild’s second fourth round pick at No. 116, it selected Alexander Fallstrom a right wing from Sweden. He played last season at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault. He is a very strong offensive player with 57 goals and 65 assists in 104 games in two seasons at Shattuck. Nearly two-thirds of those points were scored in the second season.
The Wild were without a fifth round pick as that was part of the trade with the Oilers.
The Wild had two sixth round picks at No. 161 and No. 163. It used the No. 161 pick to select Red Deer goaltender Darcy Kuemper. He is a tall, thin goaltender at 6 foot 4 inches tall and 195 pounds. He posted a 2.98 goals against average and .898 save percentage last season in the WHL.
The Wild backed that up with Finish winger Jere Sallinen two picks later. He is a 6 foot, 183 pound Finnish junior player. Last season he played in only nine games and had one goal and two assists with 31 penalty minutes.
The Wild had the first pick in the seventh round and selected a second Shattuck-St. Mary’s forward in Erik Haula. Like Fallstrom, Haula hails from Scandinavia. Haula is a 5 foot 11 inch tall, 170 pound Finland native. He had 24 goals and 55 assists for 79 points in 49 games last season at Shattuck. The NHL’s Central Scouting Service ranks him as the No. 57 North American skater. The scouting services Jack Barzee says that Haula is “one of the more dynamic players” he has seen. He is committed to playing for the University of Minnesota in 2010 after one season in the USHL.
The Wild concluded its draft by selecting Anthony Hamburg. He is a 6 foot 1 inch tall, 185 pound center from the Dallas Stars AAA midget team. He scored 29 goals and added 70 assists for 99 points in 70 games last season.
The Wild added a lot of talent in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but the team’s biggest need entering it was a top end offensive forward. The team selected Foucault, Fallstrom, Sallinen, Haula and Hamburg, but none of them were taken in the first 100 picks. The best offensive player the Wild got during the draft was Brodziak.
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