Record 22 CHL players selected in First Round of NHL Draft
The Canadian Hockey League proudly announced that the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft held Sunday June 30 in New Jersey was the best in CHL history with a record 22 CHL players selected among the first 30 picks.
The 22 CHL players selected this season surpasses the previous high of 21 CHL players chosen in both the 2011 and 1998 drafts.
Among the 22 CHL players selected were eight from the Ontario Hockey League, eight from the Western Hockey League, and six players selected from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League including first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads.
MacKinnon, the MVP of the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup, became the seventh straight CHL player to be chosen first overall when he was selected by the Colorado Avalanche. He follows the Oilers’ selection of Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting last season, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels in 2011, and Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires in 2010. John Tavares of the London Knights was selected first overall by the New York Islanders in 2009, following the Sting’s Steven Stamkos chosen by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, and the Knights’ Patrick Kane picked first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007.
CHL Player of the Year Jonathan Drouin of the Mooseheads was the third overall pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning and alongside MacKinnon became just the fifth pair of teammates to be selected in the top-three picks and second straight following Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk of the Sarnia Sting selected first and third respectively in the 2012 NHL Draft.
In addition to the Mooseheads’ duo, the first round of the draft also included a pair of Rimouski Oceanic players but was led by three London Knights matching the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs who had three players selected in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
CHL Players Selected in the First Round of the 2013 NHL Draft:
(click on a player’s name to watch a post-draft interview):
1. Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax Mooseheads) – Colorado Avalanche
3. Jonathan Drouin (Halifax Mooseheads) – Tampa Bay Lightning
4. Seth Jones (Portland Winterhawks) – Nashville Predators
6. Sean Monahan (Ottawa 67’s) – Calgary Flames
7. Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) – Edmonton Oilers
9. Bo Horvat (London Knights) – Vancouver Canucks
11. Samuel Morin (Rimouski Oceanic) – Philadelphia Flyers
12. Max Domi (London Knights) – Phoenix Coyotes
13. Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert Raiders) – Winnipeg Jets
15. Ryan Pulock (Brandon Wheat Kings) – New York Islanders
16. Nikita Zadorov (London Knights) – Buffalo Sabres
17. Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings) – Ottawa Senators
18. Mirco Mueller (Everett Silvertips) – San Jose Sharks
19. Kerby Rychel (Windsor Spitfires) – Columbus Blue Jackets
20. Anthony Mantha (Val-d’Or Foreurs) – Detroit Red Wings
21. Frederik Gauthier (Rimouski Oceanic) – Toronto Maple Leafs
22. Emile Poirier (Gatineau Olympiques) – Calgary Flames
24. Hunter Shinkaruk (Medicine Hat Tigers) – Vancouver Canucks
26. Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) – Anaheim Ducks
28. Morgan Klimchuk (Regina Pats) – Calgary Flames
29. Jason Dickinson (Guelph Storm) – Dallas Stars
30. Ryan Hartman (Plymouth Whalers) – Chicago Blackhawks
Click here to see a full list of all CHL players selected in the 2013 NHL Draft