panoo

Written by Derek Martin
on 07/03/2007

The Minnesota Wild made just five selections in this year's NHL Draft, the fewest ever. The Wild would have had six selections, but a trade with Anaheim which included Minnesota's 19th and 42nd selections for Anaheim's 16th dropped it to five. Despite the low number of picks, the concern over size among Wild prospects is alleviated with the selection of these five players.

Of the five selections, three are power forward type players and two are large defensemen. The Wild made it clear they prefer the Western Hockey League (WHL), taking four from its ranks, while the other pick came from Finland.

Colton Gillies, C
1st round (16th overall), 6'3 189, Saskatoon, WHL

The Wild traded up three spots in the first round to nab Colton Gillies with the 16th selection. The Wild gave up their 19th and 42nd picks to Anaheim to do so. Minnesota passed on highly-touted Alexei Cherepanov and Angelo Esposito and chose Gillies.

Gillies will need a few more years to develop, but he has the potential to become a strong power forward for the Wild. He plays an aggressive, physical style of hockey and uses his size to his advantage. In the WHL last season, Gillies recorded 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 65 games and logged 148 penalty minutes. Minnesota considered him to be one of the best skaters in the draft, which is usually the problem with players of Gillies' size.

Justin Falk, D
4th round (110th overall), 6'5 215, Spokane, WHL

Justin Falk is a huge defenseman who sees the ice well with his elevated view. He knows how to distribute the puck, but as a stay at home defenseman has little offense to his game. He's not flashy, but very steady in his own end. Not looking for a fight, he won't back down when challenged. His skating gets a passing grade, good for his size. Last season with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL, Falk posted 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) in 62 games and 88 penalty minutes. Increasing his physicality and improving his foot speed will be his mandates for the rest of his junior career.

Cody Almond, C
5th round (140th overall), 6'1 199, Kelowna, WHL

FULL STORY