Welcome to the NHL 2007 draft in Columbus, Ohio! It has been ten years since Columbus was awarded an NHL franchise and hockey fans have turned out in great numbers to see the draft. The Nationwide Arena is crammed with hockey fans to the rafters! As a native of Columbus, I didn’t think there would ever be an NHL team here, and seeing the NHL draft in person in my home town is a dream come true. This year’s draft has been somewhat odd so far, as a number of deals never materialized, and no one’s “mock Draft” even came close to who was drafted or in any predicted order. Here are some comments and impressions of day one.

Patrick Kane was selected first by Chicago. Not a big surprise with this pick, as it was announced quickly. The Phoenix Coyotes deal never happened, but sources said earlier it was close. The Chicago Blackhawks have previously screwed up so many draft picks; it was good to see them get it right this time. If the Blackhawks would have considered moving this pick or dealing it, their fans would have been in an uproar. Kane has great star potential and should do well in the NHL. It will be interesting to see if the Blackhawks bring him right into the lineup or decide to wait and bring him along slowly. Best guess is that he will play right away, as Chicago needs help now and Kane can surely provide it.

The Philadelphia Flyers took James van Riemsdyk second. This is a good choice, but somewhat unexpected, but he does fit the “old school” mold of big and powerful. He can provide power, which the Flyers need, but he may need a little time to mature. In the end, though, he will prove to be the right choice and he should be with the Flyers for a long time.

This is the first draft that two American players have been chosen first and second. What a testament to the U.S. youth hockey programs and its growing following! There has been an explosion in the number of ice sheets being built across the nation and youth hockey’s popularity seems to be mushrooming among families and their young players. There are some very talented kids coming up and they just seem to get better and better.

The Flyers’ choice set up what the Phoenix Coyotes wanted all along; Kyle Turris is drafted in the third slot. This was a good move by Phoenix to make sure that he was available. He is a Gretzky-type player with a good attitude and plays with a lot of heart. If there is any knock on Turris, it is that he lacks the bulk to play at the NHL level and could benefit from some strong team competition. He has good vision and a sniper’s touch with the puck, though. The fans showed Gretzky how much they loved and respected him with a standing ovation, and he reacted with his usual humility from the attention. And what an honor for Kyle Turris! Not only has he been selected by an NHL team as prestigious as the Coyotes, but he has been handed the team jersey by Gretzky and stood with his arm around him as a member of the Coyotes.

While sitting here, I kept hearing that Craig Leipold, the current owner of the Nashville Predators, told the NHL that they should “no longer consider Jim Balsillie as a prospective owner of the Nashville Predators.” Balsillie’s desire to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario and the emergence of a local ownership group in Nashville has been said to be the reasons that the deal to sell the Predators to Balsillie is now off. Kudos to Leipold and great news for the Predators fans in Nashville! I have been to the Nashville Gaylord Arena and have seen the Preds play there several times, and from my experience, Nashville is a fine city with very knowledgeable hockey fans. Nashville fans and the city deserve a chance to keep their team.

Rumors persist that the NHL is not happy with the idea of having a ‘Mark Cuban’ type owner in Balsillie, who certainly didn’t do himself any favors by announcing the Predators relocation and then commencing to accept deposits from prospective fans in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a slap in the face to the Nashville fans and the city of Nashville, and a very unwise ‘political’ move by Balsillie, and he seems to be getting some “apolitically correct” advice that has cost him opportunities at two prospective NHL teams. At this point, anyone dealing with Balsillie has to know that his goal is to move whatever team he successfully acquires.

The Los Angeles Kings went for defense with their number four pick of Thomas Hickey, who is a pure puck mover. It’s unknown whether Hickey will be able to step immediately into the NHL lineup, but they need defense. I wonder if Keaton Ellerby might have been a better pick and a much better fit for the Kings.

The Columbus Blue Jackets fans went wild and the Arena was so noisy that it was difficult to hear. The Jackets pick surely has to be Angelo Esposito, but to be on the safe side the predictable pick is Ellerby. While the management must play to the fan base, I can’t see how they would pass up Esposito. However, as with all things that happen in Columbus, it just wasn’t meant to be. Columbus picked Jakub Voracek. What were they thinking? While Voracek was ranked number six by Central Scouting, the fans don’t have a clue as to who this kid is. A big plus about Voracek is that his English is good and won’t need intensive time to develop language skills (as did fellow countryman CBJ player, Ratislav Klesla, when he came to Columbus).

The report on Voracek is that he a good scorer who knows both ends of the ice. People say he has leadership ability, skills to match and plays a North American style game, which should help him fit in with the other CBJ team members. Nonetheless, the selection is disappointing and one wonders why the new GM Howson didn’t jump on Keaton Ellerby. The Blue Jackets desperately need defense players and Ellerby would have been the safe and best pick. In addition, it’s hard to understand why Angelo Esposito is falling down the selection line; no one seems willing to take a chance on him. (Look for my complete Blue Jackets 2007 draft breakdown later).

Keaton Ellerby dropped to number ten and is finally selected by the Florida Panthers. He will be a good fit in Florida; he is a complete defenseman, who is big, mean and a bruiser with a two-way game. The downside on Ellerby is said to be his lack of vision and instinct, but he can learn and develop that at the NHL level. He was the best pure defenseman in this year’s draft. The Panthers should let Ellerby play with the Blazers another year to let him mature, and then slowly bring him into the lineup. Mark my words; this kid is going to be a star.

The absence of a Russian transfer agreement with the NHL hurt no one more than it did Alexi Cherepanov. Next to Kane, Cherepanov is the best scorer ready to take his game to the next level. The lack of a transfer agreement has caused him to fall in the draft to number 17, when the Rangers, who have been known to take a chance, snag him. There had to be someone at every team’s table who picked from four to 17 who was advocating taking the risk of drafting Alexi.

Cherepanov is a powerhouse when he wants to be and that was part of the problem with many teams. He is said to have a spotty work ethic and has suffered from inconsistencies that have driven both coaches and fans nuts. Still, he was a force in the Russian Super League and has a lot of potential. In the end, it’s a risk for the Rangers, but he could be the next Russian to set the NHL on fire. The Rangers need to keep Cherepanov focused and New York City isn’t the easiest place to do that.

Angelo Esposito continued to drop until he was finally picked up by the Penguins with the number 20 pick. While Esposito was said to be the number one pick early last season, he didn’t have a great second half of this season. Many of the teams felt that he just “mailed it in” and didn’t show up to play every game. The Penguins didn’t expect him to fall this far and if he pans out as a first rate player, there are going to be more than a few teams having regrets for not picking Esposito when they had the chance.

With Esposito it is clear that the Penguins are stacked down the middle and he could offer the playmaking ability necessary at the next level. Many of the people that I talked to said they didn’t think Esposito played with enough heart, but I am not sure that his somewhat poor performance wasn’t due more to pressure than anything else. Esposito seems to be pleased with his new home, and in the post- draft interview, he said that he was not bothered by all of the waiting to be chosen. Pittsburgh should be a good fit for Esposito and much of the attention and pressure will be on many of the other Penguin players, so if Esposito’s disappointing prior performance was a case of the pressure getting to him, he will have the chance to prove otherwise at the NHL level. Look for him to arrive for a full time roster spot just about the time construction on the new arena in Pittsburgh is completed.

Who would have ever thought that we would see a day when ten of the first round picks were from the U.S.? In an unlikely move, the Montréal Canadiens picked up Ryan McDonagh and Max Pacioretty, both from the U.S. It was unique to see the Canadiens embrace two players from the U.S. as they have chosen strictly Canadian and European players for the majority of their previous draft picks. It is going to be a challenge for Ryan and Max to make it in primarily French speaking Montréal, but all culture shock aside, these players can offer a lot to the Canadiens when they have sufficiently matured.

Tonight we have seen a lot of talking going on, but no real blockbuster deals were made. The Columbus fans were here in force to support the draft, which is very favorable news to the NHL and to the Blue Jackets franchise. Hockey is alive and well in the Columbus market. In the end, it was a rather odd first day and other than the first three picks, it was a scramble. The most unpredictable occurrence was that some of the highest ranked players were selected further down than expected.

Why do sports writers make such a big deal about this? It happens in almost every draft, and seeing these talented players slip to a lower level than expected must have been nerve wracking. It was a good first day for the draft, though, and definitely a blue ribbon day for the U.S. hockey development program. It will be interesting to see if the U.S. players continue to be as popular with rounds two thru seven.