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Winterhawks will be eagerly watching NHL entry draft

Johansen, Niederreiter expect their names to be called early

By Paul Danzer, Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter
Published: June 24, 2010, 12:00am

Without a doubt, Friday figures to be a big day for a couple of Portland Winterhawks.

Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter are both poised to be among the first players selected in the National Hockey League Entry Draft.

It is a big step in the careers of both, who turn 18 this year and are likely to play at least one more season in Portland.

In the final NHL Central Scouting draft rankings, Johansen was 10th and Niederreiter 12th among North American skaters. Both are listed amolng the top 10 in multiple mock drafts.

The draft begins at 4 p.m. Friday in Los Angeles. The first round will be televised on the Versus cable network.

Johansen and Niederreiter were two of the top rookies in the WHL last season.

Johansen, from Port Moody, B.C., scored 25 goals and tallied 44 assists for Portland during the 2009-10 Western Hockey League season. He added six goals and 12 assists in 13 playoff games.

Niederreiter, from Chur, Switzerland, had 36 goals and 24 assists in 65 regular-season games and added eight goals and eight assists in the playoffs.

The Winterhawks had six players listed in the final Central Scouting pre-draft rankings. The prospect of having two of their players among the top 10 picks has significant ramifications for Portland’s Western Hockey League franchise.

“I think it’s huge,” Winterhawks coach and general manager Mike Johnston said of the prospect of having two of his players drafted in the top 10. “I’m not sure how many times that’s ever happened. We’re excited for the players, the fans and the organization.”

Johnston said he has talked with representatives of every NHL team about Johansen, Niederreiter and other Hawks in the runup to the draft. The questions often center on personality and coachability, Johnston said.

Niederreiter’s stock has been high for more than a year. The Winterhawks traded up in the 2009 Import Draft to get him. He raised his stock with a starring role for the Swiss team at the World Junior Championships.

Johansen raised his stock with by playing well in the playoffs, Johnston said, adding that NHL scouts like Johansen’s size and vision.

North American players ages 18-20, and players of any age from outside North America, can be drafted.

In addition to Johansen and Niederreiter, Winterhawks listed by NHL Central Scouting are defenseman Troy Rutkowski, forward Brad Ross and defenseman Taylor Aronson. Mac Carruth is ranked by NHL Central Scouting at 16th among North American goaltenders.

Johnston said that getting two Winterhawks selected high in the NHL Draft can help attract top talent to Portland.

“It will really help us in recruiting other players and in signing players who are on out (protected) list,” Johnston said.

The most recent Winterhawk selected in the first round of the NHL draft was Braydon Coburn, who went eighth to Atlanta in 2003. Coburn played a key role this season on defense for Philadelphia, which lost in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The last time the Winterhawks had two players selected in the first round of the NHL draft was 1987. A total of 108 Winterhawks have been drafted, 21 in the first round.

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Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter