Inside College Hockey | 2011 NHL Draft: First Round

June 24, 2011
2011 NHL Draft: First-Round Recap

The first round of the NHL Draft was pretty slow for prospects with college ties. Only four current or future collegians were among the first 30 picks Friday. Get brief scouting reports and capsules below and check back later this weekend for a recap of all college-bound players selected in this year's draft.

First Round

No.	NHL Team	Player, Pos., 2010-11 Team
14.	Dallas Stars	Jamie Oleksiak, D, Northeastern
NHL Central Scouting on Oleksiak: "Whoever gets him is probably going to hit a home run with this kid. You could be looking at a 15-year player in the league, and to get a kid that size and skates that well is not common. He handles the puck well, has an excellent shot, and his pass percentage completion in two games I saw was 100 percent. He covers a lot of ice in a very short time and it's a long trip around the outside with that wing span of his." Did you know? He was the second-youngest player invited to Team USA’s final camp for the 2011 World Junior Championships. His hometown is Toronto, but he is a dual citizen because his father is from Buffalo.
15.	New York Rangers	J.T. Miller, W, U.S. NTDP (North Dakota recruit)
Miller, on being drafted by the Rangers: "I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit shocked. I had one meeting with (the Rangers) so I wasn't really expecting this. But hearing my name called was the best feeling in the world. I thought (the Rangers) liked me, but other teams had shown more interest it seemed. So it was a bit of a shock, breathtaking really. The best feeling." Did you know? At the 2011 Under-18 World Championships, Miller led the U.S. with 13 points (4-9--13) and was named one of Team USA’s top three players. They rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat Sweden 4-3 for the gold medal – the victory gave the U.S. its third straight gold medal and sixth in tournament history.
20.	Phoenix Coyotes	Connor Murphy, D, U.S. NTDP (Miami recruit)
*Coyotes GM Don Maloney on Murphy, as reported by the Arizona Republic:* "He has excellent hockey IQ. He comes from a hockey family. He's a big right-handed shooting mobile defenseman. We watched him closely at the end of the year. He's got offensive abilities, a good shot from the blue line, but we really like his range." Did you know? His father, Gord, was drafted in 1985 (189th overall) by Philadelphia and went on to play 14 years in the NHL with the Flyers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Atlanta Thrashers. He is currently an assistant coach with Florida.
22.	Toronto Maple Leafs	Tyler Biggs, F, U.S. NTDP (Miami recruit)
*Leafs GM Brian Burke on Biggs, as reported by The National Post:* "He’s a big kid. We’re drafting a skilled player who has truculence and belligerence. He’s a big guy who can play, he’s going to a good program in Miami, but he’s hostile ... and those things we like. He’s got the size to back it up. We worked pretty hard to get him. We’re pretty excited." Did you know? His father, Don Biggs, was drafted in 1983 by Minnesota (156th overall) and in 1987 he played 11 games with the Philadelphia Flyers. After a successful stint with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the International Hockey League, his jersey (No. 22) was retired.