The Montreal Canadiens have selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi at third overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The forward who played his draft season with Ässät of the Finnish league was projected to be one of a group of players ranked after the first two selections, and the top projected centre available in the draft. Kotkaniemi had 29 points (10 G, 19 A) in his draft season with the Liiga club. We will have much more on this selection soon.<doc-sep>In a stunning turn of events, the Red Wings select two-way dynamo winger Filip Zadina from the Halifax Moosehead. Before you read any further... All you need to see is this quote: Love Filip Zadina's swagger. Said he's going to make Montreal & Ottawa pay for passing on him. “I was telling my agent, if they will pass on me, I’m going to fill their nets with pucks. I want to prove to Detroit that they make a pretty good decision.” — Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) June 23, 2018 Instant fan favorite, no? The Vitals Age: 18 Hometown: Pardubice, CZE Height: 6’0” Weight: 197 lbs Position: LW/RW What the experts say An all-round elite player with great size, he is a superb skater. Very smooth, he is well balanced and very agile. A solid youngster on his skates. Top speed is above average. So is his acceleration. His feet are always moving. He’s never stationary, so it seems like he’s everywhere. Scouts rave about his explosiveness. An extremely fun player to watch because he’s a threat to score every time he’s on the ice. His puckhandling is elite and he often catches defenders flat- footed. He can evade pressure and protect the puck at high speeds, and he especially loves to attack open spaces. He’s got a nose for the net and likes to set up in that low-slot area. During battles in the corner or while being checked, you don’t see him being pushed away from the puck. His shot is already considered by scouts to be at a pro level – in other words, NHL-ready. Because of his hockey IQ, he can dominate games. He also uses his teammates well. Defensively, he appears to be aware of his responsibilities. He will put his stick in passing lanes and take his man on the backcheck. With Halifax, Zadina produced 82 points, including 44 goals, in 57 appearances. Very high expectations for the Czech on draft day. While he does project as a better winger, he does have the ability to play down the middle allowing him to be a versatile option. -FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS Analyzing the pick Zadina was originally rated as a top-three pick. With the Canadiens, Senators, and Coyotes going off the board with their picks, the Red Wings found Zadina right in their lap. Simply put, Zadina is the kind of player you skip over a defenseman for. The Red Wings simply took the best player available with this pick. Zadina is likely one of the best two-way threats in the entire draft. A dynamic talent with an absolute lethal shot. In his first year in the QMJHL, he turned heads with his massive production in a big role. Poll Do you like this pick? This poll is closed 96% Yes (3573 votes) 3% No (143 votes) 3716 votes total Vote Now<doc-sep>DALLAS — The Ottawa Senators have selected Brady Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick in the NHL draft. The 18-year-old winger from Scottsdale, Ariz., had eight goals and 23 assists in 40 games during his freshman 2017-18 season at Boston University, helping the school to a Hockey East title while being named to the all-rookie team. Tkachuk, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s No. 2-ranked North American skater, added three goals and six assists to finish fifth in tournament scoring at the 2018 world junior hockey championship for the United States, which won bronze on home soil. The six-foot-three, 192-pound forward is the son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk and the brother of current Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk. Brady Tkachuk, who is still growing, has both physical and play-making components to his skill set, much like his father and brother. Keith Tkachuk, the 19th pick in 1990, scored 538 goals and added 527 assists in 1,201 games over 19 NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers. Matthew Tkachuk, 20, is set to enter his third season with Calgary. The sixth pick in 2016 has 37 goals and 60 assists in 144 career games. The Senators also had the 22nd pick which they sent to the New York Rangers for No. 26 and 48. The selected defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker with the 26th overall selection.<doc-sep>
The Montreal Canadiens have selected centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. The team has long been linked to Kotkaniemi, who rose in the rankings this spring thanks to a strong showing during the Under-18 world championship. The 17-year-old Finnish forward has all the makings of an NHL centre despite suiting up on the wing this past season with Assat of Finland’s top-tier professional league. Kotkaniemi is the best centreman on the board and has earned a reputation for being a smart, skilled two-way playmaker who’s tough to knock off the puck. He had a strong rookie year with Assat, registering 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 57 games — good for third on the roster in scoring. He’s under contract with the Finnish club for two more seasons. “I’m mostly a playmaker, I think. I love to find some passing lanes. That’s my thing,” Kotkaniemi said following Friday’s draft, via the team’s website. “I also have a good shot. I need to use it a little bit more, I think. I’m a big guy. I love to go in the corners and battle hard.” The Canadiens had been an intriguing team leading up to Friday’s draft, with many wondering if general manager Marc Bergevin might pull off a trade in his search for a true centreman in a draft heavy on talented wingers and rearguards. The GM made a splash one week ago when he sent centre/winger Alex Galchenyuk to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for winger Max Domi and there’s a sense he’s not done yet, with captain Max Pacioretty’s name appearing in plenty of rumblings. Montreal possesses four second-round draft picks (35, 38, 56, 62) and a total of six selections within the first three rounds. The Buffalo Sabres got things started Friday night with the selection of highly-touted Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin, followed by the Carolina Hurricanes taking forward Andrei Svechnikov at No. 2.