Avalanche make MacKinnon No 1

The Colorado Avalanche opted for scoring over defense, taking Canadian Nathan MacKinnon ahead of top ranked Seth Jones with the first overall pick at an intriguing National Hockey League draft in Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.

The suspense in the buildup to draft day intensified as trade rumors swirled around the Prudential Center and the surprises came quickly with MacKinnon taking No 1 honor.

But it was left to the Vancouver Canucks to provide the biggest shock of the opening round when they sent starting netminder Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils for the ninth pick.

The deal created shockwaves on both coasts, with Schneider's arrival in New Jersey casting a cloud over the future of Martin Brodeur, the NHL's all-time leader in wins and shutouts and disgruntled Canadian Olympic gold medalist Roberto Luongo's return to No 1 status in Vancouver.

The Avalanche, who ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring last season, could not resist taking the 17-year-old MacKinnon, who hails from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia the same home town as Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

A powerful skater, MacKinnon does not turn 18 until September but possesses the offensive skill that many experts believe will allow him to make the jump to the NHL.

"I have a couple more months of training, get ready for training camp and hopefully I can make the team and stick there," said MacKinnon, the first player taken No 1 overall out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since Crosby went first to the Penguins in 2005. "I feel like I can be a good contributor next year.

Described as creative and a fierce competitor capable of elevating his game at the big moments, MacKinnon saw his stock soar leading his junior team the Halifax Mooseheads to the Memorial Cup and being named most valuable player of the championship tournament.

With defensemen traditionally taking longer to develop, the Avalanche were also looking for a player capable of making an immediate contribution.

"Nathan's lived under the microscope for some time and he's always lived up to that," said Joe Sakic, Colorado's executive vice-president of hockey operations. "He's the most explosive player in this draft.

"He wants to be a difference-maker, he is a difference-maker. We're extremely excited to have him in our organization."

With the No 2 overall pick the Florida Panthers also passed on Jones, a big puck moving defenseman, in favor of offense, taking Finland's Aleksander Barkov.

The trend towards offensive players continued with the Tampa Bay Lightning grabbing Jonathan Drouin, a dynamic playmaker who played alongside MacKinnon with the Mooseheads.

Jones, the son of former-National Basketball Association journeyman Ronald 'Popeye' Jones, finally heard his name called when the Nashville Predators used the fourth overall pick to take the 6-foot-4, 205-pound blueliner.

No 1 in NHL central scouting final rankings, Jones had appeared a perfect fit for the Avalanche.

It was in Denver where Popeye Jones spent one of his 11 NBA seasons (1999-2000) with the Nuggets and started his son down the unlikely path to hockey stardom.

Jones was not the only player selected in the opening round with sporting pedigree.

Darnell Nurse, chosen seventh overall by the Edmonton Oilers, is the nephew of former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb while Max Domi, taken with the 12th pick by the Phoenix Coyotes, is the son of Tie Domi, who was once one the NHL's most feared fighters piling up more than 3,500 minutes in penalties in 1,020 career games.

(China Daily 07/02/2013 page23)