Goodfellas
06-27-2009, 07:08 AM
MONTREAL (AP) -- The New York Islanders (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/teams/islanders) kept everyone guessing, including John Tavares himself, right up until they made the high-scoring center the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft.
The Islanders chose Tavares, an 18-year-old junior star with the London Knights, with the first overall pick Friday night ahead of 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, the top-ranked European prospect.
Tavares, a 6-foot, 185-pound native of Oakville, Ont., led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals this season and broke Peter Lee's 33-year-old league record of 213 career goals.
"He's an offensively gifted hockey player," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. "Whether it's shooting the puck or distributing it, he sees the puck at a different level than any other young player that I've seen in this draft."
Snow kept the team's draft intentions a closely guarded secret right until he announced Tavares' name to the Bell Centre crowd. He was the team's fourth No. 1 pick overall, and the first since they made Rick DiPietro (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/players/2414) the first goalie selected first overall in 2000.
"Yeah, I had no idea, just like everybody else," Tavares said. "I didn't know what their decision would be but it was obviously a great moment for me, a special feeling."
Tavares' selection was immediately celebrated by Islanders fans, who were shown on the Bell Centre video scoreboard gathered for a team draft party at Nassau County Coliseum, the team's arena in Uniondale, N.Y.
The Islanders chose Tavares, an 18-year-old junior star with the London Knights, with the first overall pick Friday night ahead of 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, the top-ranked European prospect.
Tavares, a 6-foot, 185-pound native of Oakville, Ont., led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals this season and broke Peter Lee's 33-year-old league record of 213 career goals.
"He's an offensively gifted hockey player," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. "Whether it's shooting the puck or distributing it, he sees the puck at a different level than any other young player that I've seen in this draft."
Snow kept the team's draft intentions a closely guarded secret right until he announced Tavares' name to the Bell Centre crowd. He was the team's fourth No. 1 pick overall, and the first since they made Rick DiPietro (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/players/2414) the first goalie selected first overall in 2000.
"Yeah, I had no idea, just like everybody else," Tavares said. "I didn't know what their decision would be but it was obviously a great moment for me, a special feeling."
Tavares' selection was immediately celebrated by Islanders fans, who were shown on the Bell Centre video scoreboard gathered for a team draft party at Nassau County Coliseum, the team's arena in Uniondale, N.Y.