MONTREAL, QC — The Hockey News ranked Memorial Cup winning defenseman Cam Fowler No. 3 in their pre-draft rankings. Fowler was selected 12th by the Anaheim Ducks.
Some services suggested that Brandon Gormley was the best defenseman in the draft. He was ranked third by International Scouting. Gormley was chosen by the Phoenix Coyotes with the 13th overall pick.
Jonathan Merrill, Tyler Pitlick, John McFarland, and Alex Petrovic were expected to be taken in the first round. They weren’t.
It was that kind of draft, meaning that it was unpredictable. But we predicted that.
While we openly mused about the Canadiens being in a position to select Jarred Tinordi in the All Habs 2010 Draft kit, we couldn’t have predicted that it would come true. ‘Oh ye of little faith,’ included me. Credit GM Pierre Gauthier along with Trevor Timmins for making it happen.
At 6’5″ and 205 lbs. Tinordi is a big, physical defenseman. He is a character player and has shown leadership qualities as the Captain of the U.S. under-18 National team.
“He was the captain the U.S. development team and he comes from a hockey family. We like his leadership, his size, his skating — everything,” said Pierre Gauthier.
Tinordi has committed to playing for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 2010-2011 season. It has been suggested, however, that the Canadiens may want him to play in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The London Knights hold Tinordi’s OHL rights.
Both the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouvers Canucks were interested in acquring Tinordi. Vancouver would have walked away from the five-man trade to obtain Keith Ballard, if Tinordi was still available at No. 25.
The Canadiens jumped ahead of both team making a deal with the Phoenix Coyotes for their 22nd overall pick and add a much coveted defenseman.
“My advisors told me Montreal was really interested in me and that I was way up on their list. I’m just really happy and this is the biggest moment of my life,” said Tinordi.
So top grades for Gauthier and his staff on night one of the NHL draft? Not so fast.
While we are thrilled with the choice of Tinordi, acquiring him came at a high price. Are we starting to see a common theme for any deal Gauthier touches? To move up just five places in the draft, the Canadiens sent their second round pick to Phoenix for the Coyotes fourth round choice.
If the Habs waited until their 27th pick, Tinordi certainly would have been off the board. But the Canadiens would still have had their choice of a very good player such as Tyler Pitlick or Brock Nelson when their turn came around.
Habs fans seem to be welcoming Jarred Tinordi with open arms. Congratulations to Gauthier and Trevor Timmins for making a bold move to get the man they wanted. But it will be many years before we can effectively assess whether the large price they paid today was worth it.
The NHL draft continues on Saturday with the second round. Remaining for the Canadiens are two picks in the fourth round, and one in each of the fifth and seventh rounds.
Get to know Jarred Tinordi (from NHL.com):
• Tinordi was the captain of the U.S National Team Development Program for the 2009-10 season and recorded two points (1-1-2) and was a plus-eight in seven games leading Team USA to a gold medal at the 2010 Under-18 World Championships.
• He is the son of Mark Tinordi, who totalled 1,514 penalty minutes in 12 NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Rangers, North Stars, Stars and Capitals from 1987-99 — Jarred wears 24, the same number as his father.
• Tinordi played in 67 games with the U.S. Under-17 team last season, where he recorded 20 points (6-14–20) and 71 penalty minutes.
FAVORITES
NHL Team: Washington Capitals
NHL Player: Nicklas Backstrom
Shootout move: “Backhand toe drag”
Video Game: Call of Duty
Movie: Blood Diamond
TV Show: The Office
Actress: Megan Fox
Music Artist: Notorious B.I.G.
Website: NHL.com
Book: “Playing With Fire” by Theo Fleury
Home-cooked meal: Casserole
Activities away from the rink: Xbox, Basketball
(photo credit: Getty)