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ZHL GENERAL MANAGER: |
Leo Gillis |
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The Mighty Ducks again turned to Europe with their first-round pick in Saturday's NHL draft, selecting Russian left wing Alexei Smirnov with the 12th overall choice. GM Pierre Gauthier is high on the 6-3, 211-pounder, who was the third-ranked European prospect. "In those early rounds, you try to hit some home runs, get some real key players," Gauthier said. "The rewards can be so big. With a kid like Smirnov, there's a chance he becomes a first-line player, plays 10 years in the league and gets 600 points in his career." Smirnov said he would like to spend another year in Russia, adding, "But maybe there is a chance I will come to training camp in September and after that, everything is to be determined." Each of the Ducks' last four first-rounders have been Europeans (Smirnov, D Vitaly Vishnevsky, C Mikael Holmqvist and D Ruslan Salei). ... Anaheim dealt its second-round pick to Calgary for G Jean-Sebastien Giguere, but obtained a second-rounder from Montreal and used it on the top-rated European goaltending prospect, Ilja Bryzgalov. "There's a reasonable chance Bryzgalov will be a No. 1 goalie down the line," Gauthier said. ... The Ducks lost D Ladislav Benysek and RW Jeff Nielsen in the expansion draft, with both going to the Minnesota Wild. ... RW Teemu Selanne was a finalist but did not win the Lady Byng Trophy. |
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Mighty Ducks of Anaheim