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New Jersey Devils select Boqvist, Zetterlund, Walsh |
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Note: I have a wedding to go to today so when I stop updating this post, that's why. I'll try to tweet when I can and review the draft over the next couple days.
With the 81st pick in the draft, the Devils selected Reilly Walsh. He is a smart, skilled, puck-moving defenseman who can skate. Has good upside and obviously addresses an organizational need for the Devils.
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With the 63rd pick in the draft, the Devils selected another Swedish player in winger Fabian Zetterlund. Admittedly, I haven't seen much of him but the consensus seems to be he is an elite skater with high-end top speed and is an excellent forechecker. He doesn't seem to have a ton of offensive upside, though.
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The New Jersey Devils selected Swedish center Jesper Boqvist with the 36th overall pick.
Boqvist is most definitely a 1st round talent. He has good hands, sees the ice incredibly well, is an excellent skater with high top-speed and is one of those guys who creates chances almost every time he touches the ice.
Boqvist was ranked 30th on HockeyProspect's list and 35th on Bob McKenzie's so he was selected in the range many expected.
This is a perfect example of the Devils drafting the best player available rather than going down the board a little bit to try and address a need. I like the pick.
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