Inside College Hockey | 2012 NHL Draft: First Round

June 22, 2012
2012 NHL Draft: First-Round Recap

The first round of the NHL Draft featured six players with college ties among the first 30 picks. Brief scouting reports and capsules for the first-rounders are below; 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., 2011-12 Team
9.	Winnipeg Jets	Jacob Trouba, D, U.S. National Team Development Program (Michigan recruit)
NHL Central Scouting on Trouba: "He has offense skills and he really does defend well. You can just tell by how he plays in all areas of the ice that he's a big kid who skates really well, he loves to jump into the play and has confidence because he knows his skating can get him back, so he rarely gets caught out of position. He's going to be someone people are going to talk about; we've known about him for a couple years and he hasn't disappointed." Did you know? He was the youngest member of the team representing the United States at the 2012 World Junior Championship. In six games, he notched three assists.
14.	Buffalo Sabres	Zemgus Girgensons, C, Dubuque (USHL) (Vermont recruit)
NHL Central Scouting on Girgensons: "He plays right on the edge, plays an aggressive, physical game. He's played with injuries and has a lot of internal toughness. He's got a great set of hands and is a team guy. I think the higher level he goes, the more he stands out, the more he puts people on the edge of their seats because he can score and finish." Did you know? Girgensons set a record at the NHL Draft: he's the highest-drafted Latvian in the event's 40-year history.
21.	Calgary Flames	Mark Jankowski, C, Stanstead (Quebec) College (Providence recruit)
Flames GM Jay Feaster on Jankowski: "Our assistant general manager went to see Mark play—actually drove through a blizzard to see him play. He had been talking to me saying, 'You know what? Let's trade our first pick.' He called me and said, 'Don't trade our first pick. I've just seen the guy 10 years from now ... he's going to be talked about as the best player in this draft.'" Did you know? Jankowski's great uncle, Leonard "Red" Kelly was a member of eight Stanley Cup-winning teams, the most by any NHL player who never played for the Montreal Canadiens.
23.	Florida Panthers	Mike Matheson, D, Dubuque (USHL) (Boston College recruit)
Panthers GM Dale Tallon on Matheson: We selected a guy we wanted and needed. He can really skate, and I love defensemen that can really skate. He's arguably the best skater in the draft. He can move the puck ... this guy is going to bring that dimension of speed from the back end." Did you know? Matheson is the fourth defenseman with Boston College ties to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. The others? Brian Leetch (NYR, 1986), Brooks Orpik (PIT, 2000), and Nick Petrecki (SJ, 2007).
23.	St. Louis Blues	Jordan Schmaltz, D, Green Bay (USHL) (North Dakota recruit)
NHL Central Scouting on Schmaltz: "This is the type of player everybody wants on their team because he's a puck-moving offensive defenseman who can see opportunities, spring forward and make the great pass from any situation. He loves to join in the rush and has that skating ability to sort of take the risk of taking the puck deep, and being able to get back using his skating ability." Did you know? Schmaltz is the first player to be named to the All-USHL first team in consecutive seasons since former Colorado College defenseman Scott Swanson did it with Omaha in 1994-95.
29.	New York Rangers	Brady Skjei, D, U.S. National Team Development Program (Minnesota recruit)
U.S. NTDP Head Coach Danton Cole on Skjei: "His game has improved greatly, both offensively and defensively. He's a tremendous skater and a good example of a guy who understands the little nuances of playing defense. He's thrived in the [USNTDP] program and is a physical specimen; he's big and strong and has made great strides in learning how to play the game. His angling is good and he has put himself in a really good position moving forward in his career.” Did you know? His grandfather, Stan, was a three-year letterwinner for the Minnesota football team from 1962-64.