NHL Entry Draft Top Picks, Gabriel Landeskog and Duncan Siemens proud to be in Colorado Avalanche
Two of the greatest prospects on the scouting list of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) central scouts, Gabriel Landeskog and Duncan Siemens, were picked up by Colorado Avalanche in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and have expressed their pride in in being part
of one of the leagues’ most historic teams.
After another terrible season, Colorado has made preparations to change all that and lift the team to its once known high ranking position.
The team expected to go deep into the playoffs and was preparing for late pickings in the draft, but since the season ended in a rough way, it was awarded with top choices.
Colorado chose Gabriel Landeskog and Duncan Siemens as the second and eleventh overall picks during round-one, respectively.
A great attribute of Landeskog is that according to scouts, they believe that he is the most NHL-ready player out of the rest, which would allow Colorado to gain an immediate boost from his performance.
"Just the way he approaches the game, we think he's special", said Rick Pracey, the Avalanche's director of amateur scouting. "Gabriel is an extremely focused individual”.
The 18-year-old was especially excited to join Colorado due to the Swedish heritage in the club.
Former players like Peter Forsberg who put Sweden on the map of the hockey world. Landeskog has his eyes set on becoming the next Avalanche Swedish sensation.
Landeskog put up 66 points with the Kitchener club, an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) franchise, including 36 goals and 30 assists in 53 games during their last season.
Duncan Siemens, the 11th overall pick, was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and played with Saskatoon Blades team in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
He registered 43 points in 75 games during their 2010-2011 season, helping them finish at the top of the WHL Eastern Conference.
"Duncan is very outgoing, very engaging, and he has a clear idea of the type of player that he is", Pracey said about the soon to be 18 year old. "We were joking when we were in the hallway today looking at all the (NHL) awards on our walls that our players
have won. He was looking at the Lady Byng Award (won by Sakic in 2001) and he said, 'That's one I'm never going to get".
Both players will be looking to get enough ice time during the next season to show that they were selected for a reason.
Since Colorado will be looking to use them for an immediate boost in team performance, they are sure to receive proper recognition throughout the time they will play.
Other than performance, being part of Colorado is enough of a experience for them to motivate and encourage their game-play.
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