Silvertips’ Juulsen selected by Canadiens in 1st round of NHL draft

Published 11:12 pm Friday, June 26, 2015

Scouts for the Montreal Canadiens spent a lot of time in Everett last season, monitoring their 2014 first-round NHL draft pick, winger Nikita Scherbak.

It seems that while those scouts were watching Scherbak, they liked what they saw from another Everett player, too. And now Noah Juulsen can call himself both a Canadien and a first-round NHL draft pick.

Juulsen’s ascent through the 2014-15 season reached an apex Friday night as the Silvertips defenseman was selected 26th overall by Montreal in the NHL draft, held in Sunrise, Fla.

“I never had a clue that Montreal was interested in me,” Juulsen said in a story on the Canadiens website. “I had a meeting with them this morning, but I wasn’t sure heading into it. I’m just really excited right now. I can’t really explain it, it’s kind of hitting me all at once. It means a lot. It’s every kid’s dream to get drafted, but to be drafted by Montreal is huge. It’s just crazy right now.”

Juulsen, an 18-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., saw his NHL draft stock rise steadily throughout the 2014-15 season. He began the season projected as a mid-round pick, then ended it on the fringes of the first round. The big question heading into Friday was whether Juulsen would hear his name called during Friday’s first round, or whether he would have to wait until Saturday when rounds two through seven take place.

Montreal made sure Juulsen didn’t have to sweat out another night to learn his NHL destination.

“We were happy to see he was still available at 26,” Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin said in the story on the Canadiens website. “There was no question when we got to our pick; he was our guy.

“Martin Lapointe and Rob Ramage, who are in charge of developing our young players, saw him play in Everett when they went to watch Scherbak,” Bergevin added. “That wasn’t their primary job, but they had good things to say about him. He’s a good skater with character and he competes. That’s the kind of player who will always find a way to have success. He’s a Kevin Bieksa or Jeff Petry type. After we picked him, a few people came over to tell me they thought he was a great choice.”

Juulsen became the seventh Silvertips player ever to be selected in the first round of the NHL draft, joining center Peter Mueller (eighth overall in 2006), goaltender Leland Irving (26th overall in 2006), center Zach Hamill (eighth overall in 2007), winger Kyle Beach (11th overall in 2008), defenseman Ryan Murray (second overall in 2012) and defenseman Mirco Mueller (18th overall in 2013).

Juulsen was also one of five WHLers selected in the first round, along with Brandon defenseman Ivan Provorov (seventh overall by Philadelphia), Swift Current winger Jake DeBrusk (14th overall by Boston), Seattle center Mathew Barzal (16th overall by the New York Islanders) and Kelowna winger Nick Merkley (30th overall by Arizona).

As the first-round draft pick of the NHL’s most storied franchise, Juulsen is certain to be one of the most watched players during Montreal’s training camp in September. He is not expected to make the Canadiens next season and should be back in Everett for his 18-year-old season.

Juulsen, originally selected by Everett in the fourth round of the 2012 bantam draft, is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign with the Tips. In 68 games last season he recorded 52 points (nine goals and 43 assists), a dramatic increase from the 10 points he registered as a 16-year-old rookie in 2013-14. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is a solid skater, plays with a physical edge and possesses a booming shot from the point.

Scherbak, who like Juulsen was also selected 26th overall in his draft, expressed excitement to see his Everett teammate drafted by the Canadiens. Scherbak took to Twitter to say, “So happy for my teammate (Noah Juulsen). Welcome to the best organization in the league.”

The Edmonton Oilers selected highly-touted forward Connor McDavid of the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters with the first-overall pick.

Everett is hoping to see a couple more players selected Saturday in the remainder of the NHL draft. Defensemen Tristen Pfeifer and Kevin Davis are both listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings, but they are in the range that makes it questionable whether they will be selected.

Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.