Mighty Ducks draft goaltender Carey Price 2nd overall
Nobody watching the NHL Draft on Saturday was surprised when the Pittsburgh Penguins made Sidney Crosby the first overall pick — but Mighty Ducks general manager Brian Burke raised eyebrows at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa when he announced Carey Price as the second overall selection.
Price, who plays for the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, was the top-ranked North American goaltender by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, but most analysts had projected he would be taken in the middle of the first round.
In selecting Price, the Mighty Ducks passed up several other prominent prospects like defenseman Jack Johnson, who scored 17 points in 12 games with the US National Team Development Program under-18 team and plays a hard-nosed brand of hockey preferred by Burke.
Burke also passed on drafting top-ranked North American skater Bobby Ryan and center Gilbert Brule, considered by some scouts to be the second-best pivot in the draft behind Crosby. The Carolina Hurricanes took Johnson with the third overall pick, while the Minnesota Wild drafted Ryan with the fourth pick, and the Montreal Canadiens selected Brule one pick later.
“We believe Carey Price will be a cornerstone for the Mighty Ducks franchise sooner than later,” Burke told reporters after introducing Price to the rest of the Anaheim delegation in Ottawa. “Good goaltending is the foundation of winning teams and Carey is the kind of player champions are built on.”
The Mighty Ducks
The remainder of the draft will take place Sunday, and the free agency period will begin at noon ET on Monday.
