The 2006 NHL draft was full of dreams being fulfilled, with the future young talent waiting patiently for their names to be called by an NHL team.
There was no surprise, though, that the St. Louis Blues named big defensman Eric Johnson to be the number one overall pick. The other four in the top five picks were centers.
What did surprise people was the announcement of Phil Kessel's name. Although he was named in the top 5 (Boston), he was ranked by the Hockey News as number 2.
The Washington Capitals had the number one overall pick of 2004. Now this year's Calder winner, Alexander Ovechkin announced the names of the players they picked. Their first pick (#4) was Nicklas Backstrum. Ranked 5th by the Hockey News, he will certainly be a nice center for Ovechkin.
Here are the top five NHL draft picks for 2006:
1 - St. Louis Blues - Eric Johnson (defenseman), Ht. 6-4, Wt. 222 pounds, born March 21, 1988 in Bloomington, Minn.
Analysis:
He is a big player with a big shot. Scouts are comparing him to a young Chris Pronger. As a matter of fact, some scouts say he is more mature than Pronger was at that age.
Stats:
Year-Team-League-GP-G-A-PTS-PIM
04-05 - USA - U18 - 57 - 11 - 15 - 26 - 26
05-06 - USA - U18 - 38 - 11 - 22 - 33 - 57
05-06 - USA - WJC - 7 - 1 - 3 - 4 - 18
2 - Pittsburg - Jordan Staal (center),
Ht. 6-4, Wt. 209 pounds, born September 10, 1988 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Analysis:
The younger brother to Carolina Hurricanes superstar (and recent Stanley Cup winner) Eric Staal, he is closely compared to Eric when he was that age. Jordan possess great natural talent and is skilled on his skates.
3 - Chicago - Jonathan Toews (center), Ht. 6-1, Wt. 195 pounds, born April 29, 1988 in Winnipeg, Man.
Analysis:
A solid two-way player who is very competitive and excels when meaningful games are on the line. During the regional finals, he had five goals in two games. Toews is the only #1 draft pick (2003 Bantam draft) to choose college rather than play in the WHL.
Stats:
Year-Team-League-GP-G-A-PTS-PIM
04-05 - Shattuck - USHS - 64 - 48 - 62 - 110 - 38
04-05 - Canada - U18 - 5 - 5 - 3 - 8 - 0
05-06 - N.Dakota - WCHA - 41 - 21 - 17 - 38 - 11
4 - Washington - Nicklas Backstrum (center), Ht. 6-0, Wt. 183 pounds, born November 23, 1987 in Gavle, Sweden.
Analysis:
Nicklas was Sweden's Elite League rookie of the year. He's often compared to Peter Forsberg for his puck handling abilities and for his physical play. Although he isn't as tough as Forsberg, he can hold his own.
Stats:
Year-Team-League-GP-G-A-PTS-PIM
04-05 - Brynas - Jr. - 29 - 17 - 17 - 34 - 24
05-06 - Brynas - Swe. - 46 - 10 - 16 - 26 - 30
5 - Boston - Phil Kessel (center), Ht. 6-0, Wt. 189 pounds, born Oct. 2, 1987 in Madison, Wisc.
Analysis:
Prior to the past season he was considered the #1 pick in this year's draft. His numbers dipped a bit, however, and Erik Johnson matured.
Stats:
Year-Team-League-GP-G-A-PTS-PIM
04-05 - USA - U18 - 45 - 52 - 46 - 98 - 37
05-06 - MINN - WCHA - 39 - 18 - 33 - 51 - 14
05-06 - USA - WJC - 7 - 1 - 10 - 11 - 2
The copyright of the article 2006 Top NHL Draft Picks in Ice Hockey is owned by Mike Carr. Permission to republish 2006 Top NHL Draft Picks in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
