Everett used the 11th pick in the CHL import draft to select Swiss defenseman Mirco Muller this morning. Muller, who will be a 17-year-old in the coming season, measures in at 6-foot-3 and 176 pounds. According to Everett’s Twitter feed, general manager Garry Davidson said Muller “comes highly recommended from Swiss National Junior Team Head Coach Manuele Celio.”
Here’s Muller’s stats courtesy of Elite Prospects.
—- UPDATE, 10:30 a.m.
The Tips used their second-round pick on Czech center Stathis Soumelidis. Soumelidis, who will be in his 18-year-old season, is listed at 6-foot-1.5 and 194 pounds.
Here’s Soumelidis’s profile from Elite Prospects.
—- UPDATE, 2 p.m.
OK, I’ve talked to Davidson and here’s a quick rundown on the players Everett drafted.
Muller was described as a defenseman who skates well and moves the puck well. He came with a strong endorsement from Manuele Celio, the head coach of the Swiss junior national team. He’s played a lot for the Swiss U-18 team, but missed the U-18 World Championships this spring because of injury. Davidson said he expected Muller to report, but doesn’t have a 100-percent guarantee. He also said that Muller should be able to step right in and play significant minutes.
Soumelidis is a big forward who plays a physical game. Though he’s from the Czech Republic (and has a Greek background), he played in the Finnish junior league last season. He was eligible for this year’s NHL draft, but went unselected, and as best as I can tell he wasn’t on Central Scouting’s rankings. The Tips were considering both forwards and defensemen with their second pick before settling on Soumelidis. Davidson said Soumelidis is definitely coming over.
Davidson also said he was not set on taking a defenseman at No. 11 overall, but that he was going to take the best player available. It’s not surprising to see the Tips pick a player from Switzerland as Swiss players (Nino Niederreiter, Sven Bartschi, Luca Sbisa) were a regular feature of the Portland Winterhawks while Davidson was the team’s director of player personnel. Although Davidson wasn’t really involved in the import draft with Portland, I’m sure he made contacts with people in Switzerland as a result of Portland’s relationship.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
