Devils select Hischier No. 1, Flyers select Patrick No. 2
CHICAGO » With the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers holding the first two picks in the 2017 NHL Draft, the selections each team made would not only shape their heated rivalry, but the direction of their respective franchises for years to come.
As expected, New Jersey selected center Nico Hischier, while Philadelphia took fellow center Nolan Patrick; Hischier became the first Swiss-born player ever taken with the first overall pick.
“It feels unbelievable, I’m speechless,” he said. “I can’t believe it, it’s just great. I can’t describe it . ... There was a lot of emotions, but there’s no words to describe this feeling.”
Hischier, 18, played with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads last season, and tallied 38 goals and 48 assists in 57 regular season games.
“I had a good season in Halifax, and I knew I was playing good,” he said. “I was trying to work hard and keep that up until the end of the season. I’m happy it (ended up) like this.”
Patrick, also 18, was at one point considered to be the projected first pick, but injuries believed to be a misdiagnosed pair of hernias limited him to just 33 games with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, for whom he posted a 2026-46 stat line.
“I didn’t know where I was going to go, but I kind of had a feeling (it would be Philly),” Patrick said. “It’s hard to put into words right now, but it’s a special day for me and my family.”
Ultimately, the first two selections were predictable. Everything after that, however, was a bit harder to read, especially for the lone remaining local team with a first-round pick.
After the next four players off the board were Miro Heiskanen (Dallas), Cale Makar (Avalanche), Elias Petterson (Canucks), Cody Glass (Knights), then the Rangers selected 18-year-old Swedish forward Lias Andersson with both highly touted Casey Mittelstadt and Gabe Vilardi still on the board. It was the capper on a busy day for the Rangers, who acquired that seventh overall pick in a deal with the Arizona Coyotes in which they shipped out both Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta.
Andersson’s uncle, Mikael Andersson, played with fellow Swede Henrik Lundqvist when both were with Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League.
“I think I’m a two-way center, I love to change games and score big goals, I want to be a leader,” he said.