ESPN ESPN.com NHL Blog

Posted by Paul Grant

• Here comes the first overall pick, by St. Louis: Erik Johnson, which makes sense because the Blues need a big defenseman who can move the puck. Something they didn't have last season. Whoops!

• Before the No. 1 pick was announced, commissioner Gary Bettman was booed mercilessly, to the point few were able to hear anything the little big guy was saying. He's much beloved in Canada.

• The Tanguay-Leopold deal seems odd; we were discussing how the Sharks didn't want to deal Evgeni Nabokov to the Kings (despite a nice rumored offer including Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov) because the teams were in the same division; the Flames apparently have no similar misgivings.

• Jordan Staal is the next to go, the towering Peterborough Petes center going to the Penguins, second overall. No big skates to fill there, huh, Jordan? Know any other good centers who recently retired from the Penguins?

• Blackhawks take center/winger Jonathan Toews. Poor kid. Never stood a chance.

• In a great move, the Capitals brought superstar winger Alexander Ovechkin to the stage to help announce the selection of Nicklas Backstrom. One American player has been selected in the top four, despite the depth of the field to draw from this year. Hmm.

• The Bruins must have read that comment, as they took highly touted center Phil Kessel, the fifth overall. Kessel was ranked at one point to be the No. 1 pick, but his stock dropped precipitously after the World Juniors.

• Old smoothie Doug MacLean, GM of the Blue Jackets, chose speedy left-shooting center Derick Brassard, who also goes by "Brass." If he shifts to the wing, he might make an interesting linemate for Gilbert Brule and Rick Nash, no? Brassard, I mean, not MacLean.

• The Islanders are getting ready to pick, Neil Smith and Ted Nolan are showing off their fine Fish suits on the public stage for the first time. And they chose Des Moines right winger Kyle Okposo -- who can rest easy, as there is little hope deposed Isles GM Mike Milbury will trade him away before he's reached his prime.

• And a huge ovation for Wayne Gretzky, whom you might have heard of, as he announces the Coyotes' pick: right-shooting center Peter Mueller, who has been characterized as a good positional player.

• The Wild, what the heck, took durable left-shooting center James Sheppard, whose favorite player is Peter Forsberg.

• The Florida Panthers, accompanied by the theme song from Miami Vice, selected Czech center/winger Michael Frolik, the second Euro selected.

• The Kings jumped on the bandwagon and picked the first goaltender in the draft, Jonathan Bernier, who is described as being mobile. One telling stat: He stopped 16 of 27 shootout attempts in the QMJHL. He also answers to "Bern," because, as the NHL draft media guide states, "Bernier" is too long.

• The Thrashers went to the OHL for their pick, 12th overall, choosing right-shooting center Bryan Little. Little has been described as a solid skater who is steady on his feet but receives poor marks for his selection of dress shirts.

• The Leafs were greeted with a massive chorus of boos. This is Canucks' country, hoss. Hesitation led to speculation a trade was in the works, but John Ferguson eventually took the stage and selected Jiri Tlusty, a speedy Czech forward. I think. It was hard to hear him amid all the boos and chants of "Leafs suck!"

• The Canucks were next, to much acclaim by the partisan crowd, and chose Michael Grabner, a left-shooting winger from Austria who played in the WHL. Continuing the theme of witty nicknames, Grabner also goes by "Grabby" or "Grabs."

• The 2004 Stanley Cup champion Lightnings chose Finnish goalie Riku Helenius, realizing a season too late that they need a goaltender.

• The Sharks moved up to the 16th spot so they could select Ty Wishart, a big defenseman with good mobility. So, in other words, not Kyle McLaren.

• The Kings moved up to 17th by dealing Pavol Demitra to the Wild, and chose Des Moines center Trevor Lewis. Does Demitra-Gaborik sound any good?

• The Avs step up and take Chris Stewart, a Kingston power forward. The clock ticks toward two hours for the first round, and we've still got 12 picks and six more rounds to go! Wu-hoo!

• Local favorite Brian Burke steps up and calls out Mark Mitera's name, and the crowd goes mild. Mitera's a solid skater from the University of Michigan.

• Mixed reaction for the Canadiens, the Yankees of hockey. David Fischer gets the call, a defenseman from Minneapolis. Boy, those Habs love their American defensemen, don't they?

• Fingers … getting … tired.

• A nice little story has New Joisy boy Bobby Sanguinetti headed to the Rangers. Makes you weep, doesn't it?

• The Flyers take the stage next, and why not? It's their turn, after all. Bob Clarke says, "Claude Giroux" but not before saying, "Who we picking?"

• OK, the truth is that I stepped out for a bathroom break and missed a couple of picks. Anything happen? Wait a minute, a guy named Semen Varlamov was chosen? Let's move on.

• New Jersey trades its 25th overall pick to St. Louis. Lou's at it again, or at least thinks he is. The Blues took Patrik Berglund. If only the team's incoming GM was involved. Five more picks to go! Are you still with us?

• Calgary took Leland Irving, a schoolteacher from the 1970s.

• Dallas: Ivan Vishnevskiy. Must. Keep. Coverage. Short.

• Senators are next: Nick Foligno, son of Mike, chip off block, player of puck.

• Detroit, so completely bored, trades its first-round pick to Phoenix, just to liven things up. Mike Babcock wanders to the media fence and exchanges barbs with a reporter. Three hours? You're kidding, right? Wings take Donna Summer. Check that; that should be Chris Summers.

•  Last pick. Matthew Corrente. That's it for me. OLN viewers, good night!

Paul Grant is a senior coordinator at ESPN.com.