Winner: The USNTDP
What a night for American hockey. Not only did it start off on a terrific note with franchise center Jack Hughes going No.1 overall to the New Jersey Devils, but the program went on to break a record.
The USNTDP finished the night with eight of their players being selected in the first round, smashing the previous record of three players from one team going in the opening round of a draft.
If that wasn’t enough, it was also the second time in four years that a graduate got drafted with the first overall pick, with Hughes following in the footsteps of Auston Matthews who got selected with the No.1 pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.
Here’s the full list of the eight players from the USNTDP that got drafted in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft:
- Jack Hughes, No.1, New Jersey Devils
- Alex Turcotte, No.5, LA Kings
- Trevor Zegras, No.9, Anaheim Ducks
- Matthew Boldy, No.12, Minnesota Wild
- Spencer Knight, No.13, Florida Panthers
- Cam York, No,14, Philadelphia Flyers
- Cole Caufield, No.15, Montreal Canadiens
- John Beecher, No.30, Boston Bruins
It is fair to suggest that this is the golden age for American hockey and long may it continue.
Loser: Edmonton Oilers
This has been a bit of a pattern in this feature but the Oilers were yet another example of a team who went for need over picking the best talent available.
Listen to any expert and they will tell you that you should always go for the best player available in any given draft rather than addressing needs.
But, very much like the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton ignored that advice and selected Philip Broberg with the No.8 pick.
Broberg is an intriguing defensive prospect with a heck of a shot on him but, and yes we know the Oilers have problems in all areas of the ice, Edmonton really did miss a trick here.
Their main problem ever since drafting Connor McDavid has been the inability to surround their franchise center with other offensive weapons.
For all of McDavid’s gigantic efforts over the last three seasons, he needs help and the Oilers could have drafted Cole Caufield instead, who was the best pure sniper in the draft.
There were other elite forwards available by the time Edmonton hit the clock and you can’t help but feel this was a huge mistake by General Manager Ken Holland.