| Subject: Harpoons swing deal on draft day, cash in with nine picks |
Author:
Rock Lobster
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Date Posted: 21:03:57 04/18/04 Sun
(WINNIPEG)-It was a great day at the GWHL Entry Draft for the Halifax Harpoons as they came away with nine new faces to add to the prospect wire of the team. D-day started off with a bang for GM Stephen J. Holodinsky when he traded away the 3rd overall pick to the Victoria Totems for the 5th and 19th picks in the selection process.
"We suspected that the Totems were after Kari Lehtonen when they made an earlier overture towards us last month shortly after the lottery took place," explained the GM. "We aproached them again because, as good as Lehtonen is going to be, we already have a good young goalie in Roberto Luongo. We were able to work out a deal in minutes that we were both satisfied with."
Sure enough, the Totems took Lehtonen with the pick, leaving it to the Harpoons to take forward Michael Ryder and Finnish blueliner Joni Pitkanen with picks 4 and 5.
"These two were really no brainers for us," pointed out Holodinsky. "Ryder has the makings to be a complete player at any forward position for us with very good offensive upside. Pitkanen is the kind of blueliner you build your defense around."
With their next pick, 15th overall, they chose diminutive Czech center Jiri Hudler.
"Hudler is a very creative player with great speed, who plays the game with an edge," spoke the GM, we think that in the future he and Igor Grigorenko may for a dynamic duo."
With their next two picks the 19th pick overall, obtained in the Lehtonen deal, and the 21st obtained in the Sopel deal yesterday the team selected left winger Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals in the NHL developmental league and center Tomas Fleischmann also of the Caps.
"We feel these two have a chance to do some great things together in the future," said Holodinsky upon their selection.
The Harpoons didn't select again until pick 29 and then had three of the next four players chosen. Keith Ballard and Kirill Koltsov were selected to help fill out the blueline and Jim Slater, another center was chosen at #32.
"We are really happy with the way our trading and drafting has went as far as the blueline is concerned. With Jillson, Semenov, Hale, Popovic, Pitkanen, Ballard and Koltsov we feel we have a solid stable of defensemen to build around for the future," explained Holodinsky. "As for Slater," he added, "he is a bit grittier a bit bigger than either Hudler or Fleischmann. He's a bit of a different kind of player."
Finally with the 40th pick overall, the team addressed their small goaltending concerns by sleected Alexander Auld of the Vancouver Canucks.
"Auld will probably spend a year or two on our prospect list before we try to sign him," noted the GM. "He'll eventually be given the opportunity to back-up Roberto in goal."
Rock Lobster
HALIFAX HERALD
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