Edmonton Oilers have decided to pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with their first pick in the 2011 NHL draft. Nugent-Hopkins is one of the better centers in the draft and had ended the previous season with 31 goals and 106 points in 69 games. He had played for Red Deer in the Western Hockey League last season.
The Oilers had got the chance to pick up first and were followed by the Colorado Rockies, who got a chance to select left wing Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog is a Swedish national who has featured in Ontario Hockey League last season for Kitchener.
The NHL Drafts also saw Jonathan Huberdeau being selected by Florida in the third choice while New Jersey decided to go with defenseman Adam Larsson, again a Swede.
On the other hand, the Anaheim Ducks picked up right wing Rickard Rakell, theirs was the 30th chance to choose the players in the NHL Draft. Rakell scored 19 goals and 43 points in the Ontario Hockey League last season but a troubled ankle had caused him much problem.
There were a total of 15 Canadians and six Swedish nationals who were selected in the NHL Drafts 2011, to go with five Americans. Denmark, Russia, Finland and Switzerland were the other countries represented.
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