Manitobans Geekie, Mateychuk, Pickering selected in first round of NHL Entry Draft
The top two Manitoban prospects at this year’s NHL Entry Draft were selected back-to-back midway through the first round, with a third Manitoban picked with the 21st pick.
Connor Geekie of Strathclair, Manitoba, was selected by the Arizona Coyotes with the 11th overall pick, while Denton Mateychuk of Dominion City was selected 12th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Geekie notched 70 points (24g-46a) in 63 games this past season for the Winnipeg Ice. The forward was ranked 5th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final prospect report.
Geekie was selected two spots behind Ice teammate, Matthew Savoie, who went 9th overall to the Buffalo Sabres, joining former Ice captain Peyton Krebs who was acquired in a midseason trade from the Vegas Golden Knights that shipped star forward Jack Eichel out of Buffalo.
Mateychuk was taken one pick later by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 12th overall pick.
The playmaking defenceman had 64 points in 65 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season and added ten points over ten games in the WHL Playoffs.
Owen Pickering, defenceman for the Swift Current Broncos who also happens to be Mateychuk’s cousin, was selected a few picks later by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 21st overall pick.
The six-foot-four St. Adolphe product notched 33 points (9g-24a) for the Broncos last season and jumped from 21 on the NHL Central Scouting midterm report to 15, one behind his cousin Mateychuk, on the final report ahead of the draft.
Three more Manitobans hoping to hear their name called in Montreal this weekend are forward Josh Filmon (ranked 38th) of the Swift Current Broncos and Prince George Cougars, defenceman Hudson Thornton (ranked 109), both from Winnipeg, as well as Flin Flon’s Justin Lies (ranked 210) who currently plays with the Vancouver Giants.
The NHL Draft continues with the second round selections on Friday.
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