Four Eagles Selected On Draft Day

Three current Eagles and one future Eagle were selected within the first five rounds of yesterdays NHL Entry Draft held in New York. Ian McCoshen (Florida), Steven Santini (New Jersey) and Zach Sanford (Washington) were all selected in the second round while Ryan Fitzgerald (Boston) was selected in the fourth. First and foremost, congrats to these guys as they have achieved something that have worked for their entire lives. Fitzgerald, McCoshen, and Santini will all be integral parts of this years squad while Sanford will arrive in the fall of 2014.

Here are some comments from Coach York on the guys selected (No Sanford because he is not enrolled at the university).

Ian McCoshen- "Ian has had an excellent three-year run in the USHL, and he’s still just 17. That’s an anomaly in junior hockey today. PK O’Handley has done an excellent job as his coach in Waterloo and we’re excited about what he may bring to our team. He can be a power-play point man, because he shoots and distributes the puck well. His real strength is his defensive ability. He keeps tight gaps and will continue to get stronger. He really has terrific balance to his game on both sides of the puck -

Steven Santini- He and Ian McCoshen are really very similar in size and makeup – they will actually be roommates this fall at BC. Steven is a bit more of a defensive player than Ian. His skating mobility is outstanding and he can make a good first pass out of the zone."

Ryan Fitzgerald- "He’s a player who certainly has the bloodlines you love to see in a hockey player. He makes plays you can’t teach. Beyond that, he has a great grasp of how to play hockey as a team sport. He’ll make everyone else on the ice better. Despite his size, he has a real on-ice strength, and that will keep improving. He’s a good checker as well, especially for someone with his offensive skill."

These quotes are from College Hockey Inc's website.

I expect that all three of these guys will start right away. I would be shocked if we don't see Fitzgerald placed on either of the first two lines and we will certainly see Santini and McCoshen play a lot of minutes next year right off the bat.

Go Eagles.