Friday, June 25, 2010

2010 NHL Entry Draft: Day 1 - Canes select Jeff Skinner

By Brian LeBlanc
NCSportsTalk.com - Puck Drops
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It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the Canes would have at least one of the top three defensemen in the draft when their turn to pick came around at number 7.  Two of them indeed fell to them, but the Canes went off the board and took Jeff Skinner, an undersized left wing who was the leading scorer in the Ontario Hockey League this season.

Skinner told the media that he didn't know what to expect today, and tried to prepare himself for the unexpected.  "At any point when you get drafted, you try to not be surprised and excited," he said, "but you can't help but be excited and surprised" at finally being selected.  He met with the Canes once before the draft, and he said it was a very good meeting.

He expects to get bigger and faster over the summer and to do "whatever it takes" (sound familiar?) to make his success translate to the NHL.  A center by trade in the OHL, he said that he would prefer to play the pivot in the NHL, but he would be willing to play anywhere the team asked him to.  A self described "competitive" player, he said a few times that he hates to lose and is driven to succeed.

Oh, and this: Skinner was a figure skater in a former life, and while he said that the training he received there helped his balance and agility in hockey, he admitted that he gets good-natured ribbing from his teammates about his former occupation.  (No doubt that will continue in the NHL, right?)

As for Jim Rutherford, it was a bit of a surprise to all of us but Rutherford said that Skinner rated behind only Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin on the team's chart.  Rutherford described Skinner as a "great competitor with great character", and remarking on Skinner's scoring output Rutherford said "anyone who scores 50 goals in his draft year is impressive, but more impressive is his 20 goals in 20 playoff games.  We talked to a couple of OHL coaches, and they all said that this guy is very difficult to shut down."

Rutherford had hinted that the guy they had their eye on had potential to play in the NHL next year, and he didn't back off that tonight.  "With the transition of our team, the opportunity will be there.  We will watch him closely in camp, but the big advantage is that physically he is as fit as anyone his age, and he is ready to take the next step to the NHL."

When asked why Skinner over Brandon Gormley or Cam Fowler, the two defensemen who were free-falling through the first round when the Canes' number came up, Rutherford couldn't give a concrete answer, saying that the team liked all three players and simply felt Skinner was a better fit.  He did say, though, that the Canes attempted to trade back into the first round and grab one of the defensemen, but were unsuccessful in doing so.

In tomorrow's second round, where the Canes have three picks, Rutherford expects the team to take at least two defensemen.  He isn't specifically ruling out trades, but there's a high likelihood that the Canes will stay put with their three picks.  They plan to go off their list with regard to ratings, so don't be surprised to see a surprise or two tomorrow.

We'll be back tomorrow for more fun and excitement...

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