The Notre Dame Hounds were well-represented at this weekend’s NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, with four members of the Hounds’ 2010 TELUS Cup championship team selected, and nine tournament alumni chosen overall.
The Notre Dame contingent was led by a pair of top 10 picks, with Morgan Rielly going fifth overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Slater Koekkoek, Rielly’s Notre Dame roommate, taken five spots later at No. 10 by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Stefan Matteau (first round, 29th overall) and James Melindy (third round, 88th overall) rounded out the Hounds alumni selected, by the New Jersey Devils and Phoenix Coyotes, respectively.
In total, five TELUS Cup alumni were first-round selections, the first time a player with National Midget Championship experience heard his name called on the opening day of the draft since 2008, when three were picked in the top 30: Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn and Jordan Eberle.
The nine drafted alumni also included six players who were on the ice for the 2010 TELUS Cup gold medal game – Malcolm Subban (24th overall, Boston) and Gianluca Curcuruto (182nd overall, Columbus) played for the Mississauga Reps in a 3-2 loss to the Hounds – and a pair of TELUS Cup MVPs; Koekkoek won the award in 2010, while Alex Kerfoot (150th overall, New Jersey) was the 2011 recipient after posting 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in seven games for the Vancouver North West Giants.
1ST ROUND
Morgan Rielly | 5th overall, Toronto | 2010 – Notre Dame
Slater Koekkoek | 10th overall, Tampa Bay | 2010 – Notre Dame
Michael Matheson | 23rd overall, Florida | 2011 – Lac St-Louis
Malcolm Subban | 24th overall, Boston | 2010 – Mississauga
Stefan Matteau | 29th overall, New Jersey | 2010 – Notre Dame
3RD ROUND
James Melindy | 88th overall, Phoenix | 2010 – Notre Dame
5TH ROUND
Alex Kerfoot | 150th overall, New Jersey | 2011 – Vancouver NW
6TH ROUND
François Brassard | 166th overall, Ottawa | 2011 – Lac St-Louis
7TH ROUND
Gianluca Curcuruto | 182nd overall, Columbus | 2010 – Mississauga