Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images(PHILADELPHIA) — With the first pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, the Florida Panthers selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
He is the first defenseman selected number one overall since the Stl Louis Blues drafted Erik Johnson back in 2006.
“I was just sitting there just kind of scared and excited at the same time,” Ekblad said after getting drafted.
The Panthers had a top-three pick in the NHL draft for the fourth time in the past five years. The team hopes that Ekblad can help take the team back to the playoffs.
“You look who they have on their back end, right or left shots, all that kind of stuff,” he said. “I was watching to see if Florida would get a new coach. The last little while, it’s pretty fun to just follow that after the season.”
He was arguably the best defenseman in the OHL. ranking first among defensemen with 23 goals and tying for fifth with 53 points.
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