Devils select D Adam Larsson, 5 others at 2011 NHL Entry Draft

The New Jersey Devils got their man on Friday when they selected Swedish Defenseman Adam Larsson with the fourth overall pick at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Considered by many to be the most NHL-ready defenseman available, Larsson will have to decide between signing with the Devils or finishing his contract with Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League.

Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice has more on Larsson and how the Devils came to select the prized prospect:

As expected, the Edmonton Oilers took Red Deer Rebels center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Colorado took Kitchener Rangers left wing Gabriel Landeskog with the second pick and Florida selected Saint John center Jonathan Huberdeau third overall. That left Larsson, who played the last two seasons for Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League, to the Devils. The Devils can use his two-way skill on the blue line.

If indeed Larsson signs with the Devils he'll be given an opportunity to make the NHL squad for the 2011-12 season. There's no question that the Devils would love to add a player like Larsson to their lineup, especially with only four healthy NHL defensemen under contract for next season.

Other Devils picks of the day include center Blake Coleman (3rd round, 75th overall), forward Reid Boucher (4th round, 99th overall), left winger Blake Pietila (5th round, 129), defenseman Reece Scarlett (6th round, 159th overall), and defenseman Patrick Daly (7th round, 189th overall). Tom Gulitti has more on all of the draft picks, with highlights below:



C Blake Coleman (3rd round, 75th overall)

The Devils’ third-round pick, 75th overall, center Blake Coleman, who will turn 20 on Nov. 28, was passed over in last year’s draft and then led the USHL in scoring this past season with 92 points for Indiana.

“He probably didn’t get the type of ice time or have the types of numbers (to draw the attention of scouts),” [Devils Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and Director of Scouting David] Conte said “He led his league in scoring (in 2010-11) and nobody lets you do that. You have to earn that. He was spectacular in that regard.

“We did a little extra work on him. We actually brought him in here to do some physical testing and interview him and we were quite impressed. He’s mature and he’s going to the University of Miami of Ohio, which is a great program. Yeah, we think the upside is considerable. The fact that he’s a little bit older shouldn’t be a deterrent. It should be a positive.”

 F Reid Boucher (4th round, 99th overall)

On the other hand, the Devils drafted left wing/right wing Reid Boucher of the U.S. National Team Development Program in the fourth round, 99th overall, and he’s still 17 and has a year of high school left before he’ll go to Michigan State.

“But he has the same type of profile,” Conte said. “He’s very naturally-gifted offensively, a very good athlete and a great physical talent. He was actually an exceptional baseball player until he committed to hockey exclusively, so we’re happy with that.”

 LW Blake Pietila (5th round, 129)

The Devils drafted another player from the NTDP in left wing Blake Pietila, who is Michigan Tech-bound.

“He’s also similar (to Boucher) in that he’s more of a two-way (player) than a pure goalscorer, but he also has offensive capabilities,” Conte said.

D Reece Scarlett (6th round, 159th overall)

The Devils weren’t looking to draft defensemen after taking Larsson in the first round, but when Swift Current’s Reece Scarlett was still available in the sixth round, 159th overall, they decided to take him.

“Our western (scouts) were extremely aggressive to the point where he was at a different level,”Conte said. “Being some positional considerations and stuff, it was something I think we had to do to support both their opinions, but also recognition of his talent.”

Scarlett played in the CHL prospects game and for Canada at the Under-18 worlds, where he struggled, which might have contributed to him falling from being a potential late second-round pick to a sixth-rounder.

D Patrick Daly (7th round, 189th overall)

With their final pick – seventh-round/189th overall – the Devils took defenseman Patrick Daly from Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in Minnesota. Daly, who turned 19 on June 9, is headed to the University of Wisconsin next year. (Four of the Devils’ five picks today are college-bound)

“We did all of our homework on him and we watched him all year,” Conte said. “He’s a true freshman at Wisconsin and they don’t recruit poorly.”

Out of the prospects selected at the draft, Larsson is by far the most likely to play in New Jersey, or anywhere within the Devils organization next season.

As mentioned above, four of the other five prospects drafted by the Devils on Friday are heading to college (Coleman will attend Miami of Ohio, Pietila will attend Michigan Tech, Daly will go to the University of Wisconsin, and Boucher will attend Michigan State in the fall of 2012).

The only player that is not college bound, besides Larsson of course, is Reece Scarlett, who will probably end up returning to Swift Current of the WHL.

For more on the Devils draft choices, visit the team's official website at devils.nhl.com.

Note: Don Ferlazzo is not an employee of the Albany Devils, nor is this blog sponsored or influenced by the organization in any way.