2017 NHL Draft: First Round Recap

The anticipation for the 2017 NHL draft was high as the league would see its newest team, the Vegas Golden Knights, select a prospect for the first time. With the Expansion Draft just 24 hours ago, the Golden Knights opponents were starting to get a better feel for their new opponent.

The draft was filled with drama. During the draft lottery, the Philadelphia Flyers jumped from 13th to 2nd overall guaranteeing them a fantastic prospect. The New Jersey Devils would select 1st overall followed by the Flyers, then the Stars.

The most hyped-up prospects were Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick. Nolan Patrick was considered to be the #1 for the past few weeks, but Nico Hischier overtook him. Regardless of the choice, the Devils and Flyers walked away very happy with Hischier going to New Jersey and Patrick going to Philadelphia. The Stars would draft defenseman Miro Heiskanen from Finland. Heiskanen is a stay-at-home defenseman who isn't afraid to take a few chances.

Vegas general manager, George McPhee, had extensive talks with Dallas and Vancouver to trade up to either the 3rd or 5th overall pick to get Cody Glass. Ultimately, Vegas picked 6th overall and selected Cody Glass with their first ever draft pick. Glass was extremely happy with being selected by the Golden Knights and is ready for training camp.

The Golden Knights had two more picks in the first round and selected Nick Suzuki and Erik Brannstrom. Both players should turn heads in Vegas for years to come.

The only goalie to go in the first round was Jake Oettinger who went 26th overall to the Stars. The 6-foot-4 goaltender models his play after Martin Jones and hails from Boston College, where he posted a 0.927 save percentage.

The defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins traded their pick away along with prospect Oskar Sundqvist to St. Louis for Ryan Reaves and the 51st overall selection. The Blues chose Klim Kostin as the last player in the first round of the 2017 Draft.

Kostin was the only Russian to go in the first round. Having been injured most of the season, the Russian captain was selected later than expected as the 31st overall pick. He helped lead the 2015 U-18 Russian team to a silver medal.

The draft was filled to the brim with talent. The Golden Knights were very active. Vegas general manager George McPhee's goal was to build through the draft, and he definitely did that tonight.