With the 24th pick in the NHL Draft, the Minnesota Wild selected Filip Johansson, a defenseman from Sweden.
“He doesn’t do any one thing really well,” said NBC Sports Network analyst Craig Button.
Hockey drafts are generally a crap shoot when picking this late in the first round, but Button also said he talked to 10 scouts about Johannson and none of them thought he was a first-round pick.
“That’s not to say he’s a bad pick,” Button added.
It’s the first stamp applied to the franchise by new general manager Paul Fenton, who was hired by the Wild in May after Chuck Fletcher’s resignation following a second consecutive exit from the playoffs in the first round.
“I’ve always liked smart players, and talking to our staff this year they think it’s the right type of player for Minnesota,” said Fenton. “He’s just off the charts with his smarts.”
Minnesota doesn’t have a second round pick but will make three selections in the third round.
Hopkins native and former Minnetonka standout K’Andre Miller was drafted 22nd overall by the New York Rangers, who traded up to get the big defenseman.
