BY KEITH LACEY
Mike Foligno knows the thrill and excitement
that comes with achieving the dream of being drafted into the
NHL.
The coach and general manager of the Sudbury
Wolves was the third overall selection and first-round pick of
the Detroit Red Wings almost 30 years
ago.
As a former NHL player, Foligno says he
couldn't be happier for the four members of the Wolves who were
selected in the NHL draft this past Saturday in Ottawa.
The Wolves organization should be very proud
of being the only team in Canada to have three of its players
selected in the first 55 picks, said Foligno.
"We're very fortunate to have players of that
ability come from this organization and those four players and
all of the fans who support them should be very proud," said
Foligno.
As expected, forward Benoit Pouliot was one
of the top picks as the Minnesota Wild selected the
smooth-skating and highly skilled sniper with the fourth
overall selection.
Pouliot, 18, whose value skyrocketed during
an impressive rookie season where he was selected the OHL's and
Canadian Hockey League's top first-year player, was the
second-ranked North American player for the draft behind phenom
Sidney Crosby.
Crosby, who was pegged as the first overall
pick for the 2005 NHL draft when he was 14, went first overall
to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pouliot, who hails from Hawkesbury, joins a
Minnesota roster filled with outstanding young talent. Pouliot
is expected to return to the Wolves lineup this season and be
the anchor on a young and talented team.
Foligno said Pouliot came to training camp
last season in outstanding shape knowing he had only his rookie
season to impress scouts.
"He came out of the gates on a mission...and
went on to have just a great season," he said.
Minnesota scout Barry MacKenzie spent much of
his life in Sudbury and made several visits during last season
with most of those trips focused
around keeping close tabs on Pouliot, as
Minnesota knew they would be selecting very high in the draft,
said Foligno.
He said he believes Pouliot's great skating
ability and offensive talents are a "perfect fit" for the
free-skating, young Wild squad.
"I believe Minnesota has drafted themselves a
potential franchise player if he continues to develop as quicky
as he has," he said.
Defenceman Marc Staal was rated as one of the
top blueliners heading into the draft and there was speculation
he could go as high as third or fourth overall.
Staal, who comes from an outstanding hockey
family in Thunder Bay, went a little later than expected when
the New York Rangers traded up to ensure they could grab the
calm, cool and steady blue chip prospect with the 12th overall
pick.
Staal, who will soon turn 18, is also
expected to return to anchor a blueline corps that should be
the premier group of young defencemen in the OHL this
season.
There were projections blueline prospect Adam
McQuaid might sneak in as a late first-round pick. However, the
rock steady and big defender from Cornwall, P.E.I, said he was
thrilled to be selected 55th overall in the second round by the
Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets are coached by Gerard
Gallant and have been put together by general manager Doug
McLean, who, like McQuaid, hail from Prince Edward
Island.
Both Staal and McQuaid are two prospects he
believes will be able to earn a spot on their respective NHL
teams within the next two or three seasons, said Foligno.
The two good friends were paired up against
the opposition's top players all of last season and proved they
could shut down the best OHL players on a regular basis, said
Foligno.
"They both take a lot of pride in being
paired up against the other teams' best players...and showed
all season they were up to the task," he said.
The fact the Rangers made a significant trade
to ensure they could land Staal with the 12th selection shows
how valuable a prospect he is, said Foligno.
Staal follows in the footsteps of brothers
Eric and Jordan. Eric is a top prospect and is a former second
overall pick with Carolina, while Jordan is one of the OHL's
top young players who enjoyed an excellent rookie campaign with
Peterborough last season.
Goaltender Kevin Beech was rated as the 25th
goaltender for the draft and he was worried he might not be
selected, however, the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay
Lightning made the 19-year-old puckstopper their sixth-round
pick, 165th overall.
Beech will be the Wolves number one
goaltender this coming season after having served almost two
full seasons as backup to Patrick Ehelechner.
Beech is an excellent example of a young
player who bided his time waiting for the opportunity to play
and then stepped in and did a terrific job when called upon
last season, said Foligno.
"During the second half of last season I
believe he was one of the better goaltenders in the OHL...in
the playoffs he won us a couple of big games on his own," he
said.
"We have every confidence Kevin will come in
this season as our number one goaltender and show he's more
than capable of handling the job."
Forward Kevin Baker was rated as a possible
late-round selection, but was not picked by any team and will
re-enter the draft next season.
