NHL Draft: Johnson Chosen First Overall

FalconBlue · Post by **FalconBlue** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 9:45 pm

Johnson Chosen First Overall

CHN Staff Report

VANCOUVER — NHL teams love the Minnesota Golden Gophers, if the league's 2006 draft is any indication.

Three of the top seven picks were Minnesota players or recruits, including Phil Kessel.

Three Minnesota players or recruits were taken in the top seven picks and four in the first round, led by incoming freshman defenseman Erik Johnson of the U.S. National Development Program.

The 6'4", 222-pound Johnson was expected to go first overall to St. Louis and did just that.

Forward Phil Kessel, who just completed his freshman year with the Gophers after scoring 18 goals and adding 33 assists for 51 points, was taken fifth by Boston. Another Minnesota recruit, forward Kyle Okposo (Des Moines, USHL), went seventh to the New York Islanders, and 2007 incoming Gopher David Fischer (Apple Valley HS) was selected with the 20th pick by Montreal.

College players dominated the early picks, as North Dakota forward Jonathan Toews was taken third by Chicago. Toews scored 22 goals as a rookie and 39 points, helping the Fighting Sioux to the WCHA tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA semifinals.

In all, four of the top seven picks were U.S. college players or incoming recruits.

A total of eight college players and recruits were taken in the opening round, with Michigan accounting for the other three in another impressive showing. Defenseman Mark Mitera went 19th to Anaheim, while fall recruits Trevor Lewis (F, 17th, Los Angeles) and Chris Summers (D, 29th, Phoenix) were both also first round selections.

ShaneFalco · Post by **ShaneFalco** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 4:42 am

Why do you care about Johnson, and where he was selected in the draft?

BG was never on his radar unfortunately. I am sure that he would be savy enough to turn down a '84 Taurus that Fogarty would try to sell to him.......

I apologize to those of you who do not understand that joke.

justlike84 · Post by **justlike84** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:56 am

being from wisconsin and hating everything about it, it is good to see this many gophers do well. Hopefully they beat the badgers into a submission when they play them so i dont have to hear all this "On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin" crap.