Anaheim Ducks Draft Jake Gardiner After Busy First Day at The Draft

To begin the draft for Anaheim, they made a trade for the 17^th and 28^th overall picks with Los Angeles after the Kings made a trade with Calgary sending Mike Cammalleri to Calgary for two picks for the Kings.

At 17^th overall, the Ducks drafted Jake Gardiner, a defenseman from Minnesota. He played forward for three of his high school seasons and switched to defense during his senior year. Due to the position change, Gardiner is a very offensively strong blue liner.

He finished fifth in goals (20) and assists (28) in the Classic Lake Division, leading all other Minnetonka players. His 48 points placed him third overall among Minnesota high school defensemen in scoring. Next season Gardiner will be playing for the University of Wisconsin.

“Jake Gardiner can really skate and we are pleased that he will be attending a top collegiate program at Wisconsin,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke.

“Jake is one of the best skaters in the draft, if not the best,” said Anaheim Ducks Director of Amateur Scouting Alain Chainey.  “He is good on the power play and brings an offensive dynamic that you don’t often find in a defenseman.”

Audio Interview with Jake Gardiner: http://ducks.nhl.com/ext//R09_0054.MP3

The Ducks finish the day in a deal with Phoenix. The Ducks give up the 28^th overall pick for the 35^th and 38^th. With this deal, the Coyotes draft a Russian and the Ducks are done for the day.

Anaheim has eight picks remaining in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft: three second-round picks (35, 39, 43), three third-round picks (71, 83, 85), one fourth-round pick (113), and one fifth-round pick (143).

For more Ducks draft news be sure to check out The Puck Drop: Your Source for Everything Anaheim Ducks.