By Karen Aney (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: July 4, 2012
Using their third number one draft pick in a row, the Edmonton Oilers signed Nail Yakupov. The 18-year-old Russian came to the OHL in 2010, and amassed 80 goals and 90 assists in two seasons despite missing 27 regular season games due to injuries. Stu MacGregor, the Oiler’s head amateur scout, appreciates Yakupov’s consistency: “one of the things that really impressed me was that whenever I saw him get in all alone on a goaltender is that he didn’t miss. He put it in.” Aside from his seemingly prodigious skill, Yakupov is already a fan favourite due to his presence on Twitter. Since joining less than two weeks ago, he has amassed 25,299 followers (as of press time). Why? Because his tweets have been pure gold. Follow Nail10_1993. Just do it. He flirts with pretty puck bunnies, makes jokes with macho guys, apparently wears “anderurmour” underwear and is still a virgin. Yes, this kid is reason #201,093 to sign up for Twitter and reason #4 to fear the Oilers.
Ryan Murray was picked second overall. Hailing from Regina, the six-foot-tall 18-year-old defenceman was picked up by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was Canada’s team captain at the 2011 Under-18 World Championships, where he was the team’s All-Star of the tournament. He’s spent the last two seasons playing for the Everett Silvertips, and last season, as captain, led the defencemen in scoring—with 31 points—despite missing 24 games. His hero is Scott Niedermayer, and Murray stated in an interview that he tries to model his game after the respected veteran defenceman. Like any good Canadian boy, he likes Neil Young. However, he also likes Charlie Sheen. Good thing he didn’t get drafted by the Kings, he doesn’t need Mike Richards around as an influence.
The struggling Montreal Canadiens picked up Alex Galchenyuk with their third overall draft pick. The 18-year-old centre was born in Milwaukee and is the son of Alexander Galchenyuk, who played for Soviet and Belarussian hockey teams throughout Alex’s childhood. Galchenyuk senior is now the assistant coach of the Sarnia Sting, whom Alex junior played for from 2010-2012. In the 2011-12 season, he played only two regular season games and six playoff games due to a knee injury. However, in that time he managed to rack four points during the playoffs. After a season-long injury, his third-place selection is even more noteworthy. That being said, he did manage to net 83 points in his rookie season of the OHL when he was just 16 years of age. He’s excited to be attending camp with the ‘Abs – he even tweeted the following: “Landed in Montreal !! #commasava #savabein #HABS.” Yes, that’s a pretty flawed attempt at French, but according to the already trilingual athlete, “it doesn’t seem like a hard language. I was fluent when I was nine [living in Switzerland], but I forgot. I’ll probably speak it soon.”
Brendan Gaunce was the Canucks’ first pick, chosen 26th overall. He has an older brother, Cameron Gaunce, who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche franchise. Gaunce, 18, is a six-foot-two centre and weighs in at 215-pounds. He was part of the 2011 gold-winning team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial. He was also part of the bronze-winning team at the World Under-18 Championships. In 2009-10, he was the highest scoring Minor Midget player in Ontario, with 55 goals and 93 assists. He’s touted by coaches as a natural leader and a strong two-way centre. A further point of interest? He had 68 penalty minutes last season as assistant captain for the Belleville Bulls (of the OHL). So, he could be the physicality that the Canucks have been so desperately lacking for the past few seasons. That being said, unless Henrik Sedin is – nope, we aren’t going to say that. Let’s just say that we hopefully won’t be seeing Gaunce in Rogers Arena anytime soon, but he could be a forceful addition if we do. A few non-hockey points of interest: he was a football player for his high school’s team, he’s a big Brendan Shanahan fan, and he was part of his school’s production of Hairspray while he was in the eighth grade. I really want to quote Hairspray right now. Be thankful this isn’t radio, or you’d hear me break into song.
In keeping with habits, the Canucks used their second pick (57th overall) to choose another centre – and another Alexandre. Yes, Vancouver—the organization, media, and fans alike—are seeing if maybe this time they can figure out how to pronounce Alexandre, as Burrows hasn’t managed to drill it into their heads yet. At 20, Alexandre Mallet has remained undrafted in two years of eligibility. His pick-up this year is following a phenomenal season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League – though he had only 19 points in the 2010-11 season, he netted 81 in 2011-12, with 132 penalty minutes to boot. His gritty nature and reported ability to excel at both ends of the rink makes him an attractive choice, but the inconsistency in his point production for the last few years remains a cause for concern. This is the one to watch at the training camp – though he might fade to the background, he could excel. If nothing else, those 132 penalty minutes could come in handy – those of you who have seen the movie Goon know what I’m talking about.
