Selecting 10th overall, the Minnesota WIld drafted Swedish defensman Jonas Brodin. Not a lot of people seem to think it was a good pick, but the guys over at Hockey Wilderness like it:
Brodin plays a smart, safe defensive game. His main game is focusing on the transition; making that good first pass and using his mobility to find open areas. While he won’t be an offensive dynamo, he gives the Wild a good solid pick that can fill in a similar role that ex-Wild defenseman filled: Kim Johnsson. Not physical, but smart and mobile.
Hey, if the HW guys like him, I’ll roll with that.
The other stunner was the trading of fan favorite Brent Burns. Burns, one year away from free agency, was rumored to be on the trading block leading up to the draft, and on Friday, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher stunned the XCel Energy Arena crowd when the trade was announced.
Minnesota sent Burns and a second round pick to San Jose for RW Devin Setogucji and prospect Charlie Coyle, a kid with a ton of potential that might be the long term steal of this trade. Once again, Hockey Wilderness:
You think Devon Setoguchi was the main part of the trade? I disagree. Charlie Coyle was. He has everything you want. His major concern coming into the 2010-11 season was, can he transtion from the EJHL to the NCAA properly?
Winning HE Rookie of the Year, being named on the HE All-Star tea, winning gold medal with USA and being top 3 players on the USA team, has certainly made some naysayers quiet. He’s big, mobile, and has offensive ability. While we all will miss Brent Burns, Coyle is a great prospect that immediately jumps as our #2 best prospect.
The WIld also picked 28th overall in the first round, and with that selection they chose C Zack Philips. There was talk that the Wild might look at him with the #10 overall pick, so getting him at 28 seems to be great value.