MINNEAPOLIS — Before they became future millionaires, the top picks in the 2011 NHL Draft were hockey fans: Watching games, posters on their bedroom walls and wearing NHL jerseys.
We asked some of the Draft's top picks — including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Larsson and Jonathan Huberdeau — about the first hockey jerseys they ever owned.
Having covered the last few drafts, there's a weird little pattern forming: The top prospect is the schooled, careful, well-coached guy; the presumed No. 2 pick is more personable, a better quote and a little more charismatic.
This was true with Hall/Seguin, Tavares/Hedman (and even Duchene) and now it's true with Nugent-Hopkins and Landeskog, even if The Nuge is a bit better quote than Tavares.