Marco Scandella may have been the happiest kid at Scotiabank Place on Saturday morning in Ottawa, Ontario. While most second-round picks were still brooding over not going in the first round, the Wild's selection was nearly hyperventilating.
"To go so high in the draft was unexpected but so exciting and amazing," the lanky defenseman said. "I'm so happy."
The Wild said they were looking for defensive prospects, and they used their top two picks in the 2008 entry draft on blue liners known, so far, strictly for their defensive prowess. First-rounder Tyler Cuma described himself as a "shutdown" player, and when asked to describe his own play, Scandella said, "Someone who's really hard to play against."
The Wild used the 55th overall pick on Scandella, the nephew of the former NHL player Sergio Momesso. He had 14 points (4-10--14) in 65 games as a rookie with Val d'Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He's listed at 6 foot 2, 190 pounds but said he weighs closer to 205.
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Canadiens among winners at draft
Strengthened by a resurgent Canadian dollar, and after patiently allowing a talented young core to develop, the Montreal Canadiens caused a stir during the NHL's two-day draft that ended Saturday.
Besides trading their first-round pick to acquire center Alex Tanguay from Calgary, the Canadiens were given permission to negotiate with soon-to-be free agent Mats Sundin, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"We've been a franchise that over a few years out of necessity has been patient," general manager Bob Gainey said. "In the last year, I think we can see that our role needs to change and there's only a place for so many new and young players on a team that needs to be complemented by older players."
This philosophy was what led Gainey to give up the 25th pick to acquire Tanguay.
"It's the time to be more aggressive," Gainey said. "We were aggressive in developing, now we're aggressive in doing different things."
Montreal's Eastern Conference rivals have taken notice.
"I think they proved last year that they were back," Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said. "They're trying to add to their hockey club, and time will tell."
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The Canadiens used their seventh-round pick (206th) on U.S. high school center Patrick Johnson, the grandson of Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup-winning coach and former Wisconsin coach "Badger" Bob Johnson, and son of Mark Johnson, a member of the U.S. "Miracle on Ice" 1980 Olympic team and Wisconsin women's hockey coach.
* The New York Islanders, in the third round, selected North Dakota center David Toews, the brother of last season's NHL Rookie of the Year finalist, Chicago's Jonathan Toews.
