June 25, 2010
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Campbell Leads Record Number of Americans Taken in NHL Draft First Round
9 NCAA Players Also Selected on Day One
CHN Staff Report
No Americans were picked until No. 11, but with 11 of the last 20 picks in the first round, it broke the NHL Draft record for the United States.
One-time Michigan recruit Jack Campbell, who helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at this year's World Junior Championships, was the first American or NCAA-bound player taken in this year's NHL Draft. He went No. 11 overall to the Dallas Stars. The draft's first round was held Friday, with rounds 2-7 taking place Saturday at Los Angeles' Staples Center.
It's the second straight year that no American or NCAA-bound player has gone in the top 10 of the draft, after a series of years that such players went very highly. Minnesota's Nick Leddy was the first last season, taken No. 16 overall.
Following Campbell, however, the U.S. had a run of players taken. When the first round ended with Minnesota high school product Brock Nelson (headed for North Dakota) selected by the New York Islanders, there were 10 American-born players taken, equaling the mark set in the 2006 draft.
Overall, 59 Americans and 63 NCAA players were selected.
At No. 12 overall was another player who, like Campbell, backed out on an NCAA commitment — defenseman Cam Fowler. Fowler, who at one time was set to attend Notre Dame, saw his stock surprisingly plummet out of the top 10, after most mock drafts had him going in the top five. Fowler, who was born in Windsor, Ontario, but has dual citizenship and came up through the U.S. amateur system, is counted as part of the 11 Americans — although the NHL listed Fowler as Canadian on their official draft board.
At No. 14, Canadian-born Jaden Schwartz, who played last season in the USHL and will attend Colorado College in the fall, was the first NCAA-bound player selected. He was followed at No. 15 by 6-foot-5 defenseman Derek Forbort, who is headed to North Dakota.
American Austin Watson, who plays Major Junior, went No. 18; he was followed by 6-foot-4 Minnesota high schooler Nick Bjugstad, who is going to the University of Minnesota this season.
The next three selections were also NCAA players: No. 20, American Beau Bennett, headed to Denver by way of Penticton of the BCHL; No. 21 Riley Sheahan, who played at Notre Dame last season; and No. 22 Jarred Tinordi, a 6-foot-6 defenseman who played in the national program last season and will attend Notre Dame.
At No. 24, Chicago selected Massahusetts high schooler Kevin Hayes, who is headed to Boston College.
Through the first round, the total was:
10 Americans
9 NCAA or NCAA-bound
7 both
That represents a fairly good bounty, especially considering that none were taken in the Top 10. The nine NCAA players is tied for second most, two behind the record of 11 set in the 2007 draft, when James Van Riemsdyk and Kyle Turris went 2-3.
