Watching Rickard Rakell Brendan Gallagher Authentic Jersey deftly navigate through traffic with his soft hands and creative vision in this his breakthrough NHL season, one wonders how he went just 30th overall in the 2011 draft.The answer is just another chapter in the Anaheim Ducks' draft mythology.Consider the events of that Friday evening in St. Paul, Minnesota, five years ago when Anaheim held the No. 22 overall pick. The Ducks had targeted Stefan Noesen, and when he went No. 21 overall to Ottawa they shifted gears."That's when we moved back,'' Ducks GM Bob Murray recalled this week.Murray traded the pick to Toronto in exchange for the Maple Leafs' No. 30 and No. 39 overall picks. Toronto drafted Tyler Biggs at No. 22, while the Ducks took Rakell at No. 30 and John Gibson at No. 39.http://www.officialpenguinsonlinestore.com/Womens_Youth_Marc-andre_Fleury_Jersey That's how the top franchises in this league stay on top, with days like that."Gibson we definitely thought was somebody we could get at that point in the second round," Murray said. "We targeted him. Rackell was one of a couple of guys we hoped we could get at 30. Anybody who plays as a 17-year-old in the world juniors, and does OK, he's got something. We liked him.''That 2011 draft also netted the Ducks center William Karlsson (now with the Columbus Blue Jackets) in the second round and defenseman Josh Manson in the sixth round. (Ironically the Ducks now have Noesen too, from the Bobby Ryan trade with Ottawa. Noesen, Rakell's teammate in Plymouth in the Ontario Hockey League, suffered some serious injuries the past few years but looks like he's turning the corner now in San Diego of the American Hockey League.)As for Rakell? All he remembers was the relief of finally being taken on that Friday night.http://www.officialavalanchestore.com/Womens_Youth_Paul_Kariya_Jersey "I just remember it being a long day," Rakell said Thursday with a laugh. "It was really long. I was the last pick that night. I was actually kind of surprised that Anaheim picked me. At the end of the day, I'm super happy I ended up with the Ducks and grateful for every opportunity I've had.''His former OHL coach in Plymouth, Mike Vellucci, was just as relieved when Anaheim took Rakell."I was begging teams to take Rickard in the first round,'' Vellucci, now assistant GM and director of hockey operations for the Carolina Hurricanes, said over the phone Thursday. "It was touch-and-go. I remember a lot of people gave the Ducks grief for taking him that high. Not anymore.''Vellucci had Rakell for three years in Plymouth and knew better than anyone the kind of two-way star the native of Sollentuna, Sweden, would have the chance to be in the NHL."First off, he's just a great, quality person," Vellucci said. "That's the biggest thing that stands out, he's just such a solid person and great teammate. Everybody loved playing with him. Hockey-wise, he always had the offensive talent, but he was so good defensively, he was a coach's dream that way. I was trying to get him to think a little more offense, because he's so responsible defensively, that sometimes he sacrificed his offensive skill. It's hard for a coach to say that.''http://www.officiallightningstore.com/Womens_Youth_Ben_Bishop_Jersey Because most times, coaches are trying to get young, gifted forwards to learn how to play in their own end, not the other way around.
↧
