The Columbus Blue Jackets added to one of the NHL’s deepest and most talented prospect pools by selecting Boston College freshman Sonny Milano with the 16th overall pick in Friday night’s entry draft.
“He’s so dynamic, very good with the puck in traffic and in open ice and can make defensemen look silly,” Central Scouting’s David Gregory told NHL.com in November.
“He enjoys chirping at other players too. He likes to get under your skin. He’ll allow the play to come to him, take a hit and chirp it up before heading on a 2-on-1 in the opposite direction resulting in a goal … I’ve seen it happen. He certainly has the potential of becoming a complete player.”
Milano tallied 85 points (29 goals, 56 assists) in 58 games for the U.S. National Under-18 Team last season and also recorded 10 points for the gold medal-winning Team USA squad at the 2014 U-18 World Championships.
He will join an Eagles team that won a Beanpot title and a regular-season Hockey East championship in 2013-14.
One of Milano’s best talents is his hand-eye coordination, which he displayed in an amazing stick trick video back in May:
Just two picks after Milano came off the board, the Minnesota Wild used the 18th overall selection to scoop up Alex Tuch, another BC commit.
Tuch, a teammate of Milano’s with the U.S. National Team Development program, is a 6-foot-4, 213-pound power forward who plays — according to the Wild’s official team website — a “meat-and-potatoes” style of hockey. He posted 29 goals and 34 assists in 61 games for the USNTDP last season
“He’s a big strong winger with quality hands and an NHL shot. We feel that he has tremendous upside,” Wild assistant general manager Brent Flahr said, via the team’s site. “We are very excited to add a potential power forward to our group of prospects.”
Photo via Twitter/@shnarps
