As draft picks were being rattled off in the late rounds of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, there isn’t a lot of activity, other than a few phone calls here and there. Most of the young prospects in the building have already been picked, so a guy like Wild PR man Aaron Sickman doesn’t have a lot to do.
Midway through the sixth round, Sickman was caught off guard when was sitting at the Wild’s draft table, and a young, well-dressed man walked up to his table.
“Hi guys, I’m Johan Gustafsson,” said the Swedish goaltender, who the Wild had just selected with the 159th overall pick.
The whole table was startled, but none moreso than Sickman, who jumped to alert the media and team website that there was another prospect to talk to.
These are the kinds of stories we can tell on Draft Day, because in a few weeks, most of the Wild’s newest members will be names with stats attached to them, as we wait patiently for them to become “NHL-ready.”
Prior to being surprised by Gustafsson, the Wild selected three forwards in the second round on Saturday, giving the Wild four picks in the first two rounds. In the previous three Drafts, the Wild had a grand total of four picks in the first two rounds.