The Buffalo Sabres took centerstage during the 2018 NHL Draft, where they took 18-year-old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin with the number 1 overall pick. The 6-foot-2 Dahlin was the second Sweden-born player taken number 1 overall in the NHL Draft following Mats Sundin, who was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989.
When it comes to his résumé, Dahlin has a long list of achievements. Dahlin was the highest-scoring under-18 defenseman in the history of the Swedish Hockey League and the best defenseman at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.
However, the Sabres were not the biggest winners in the 2018 NHL Draft, based on a story by Franklin Steele of Bleacher Report. For them, the New York Islanders, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Chicago Blackhawks emerged as the biggest winner.
Islanders Have Remarkable Draft Class
The Islanders, who owned the number 11 and number 12 picks in the 2018 NHL Draft, immediately addressed their needs by taking in scorer Oliver Wahlstrom and defenseman Noah Dobson in the first round. In the second round, the Islanders took defenseman Bode Wilde and center Ruslan Iskhakov as the 41st and 43rd picks, respectively.
In the third round, the Islanders took goalie Jakub Skarek and center Jacob Pivonka in the fourth round (103rd pick). In the fifth, center Blade Jenkins was picked by the Islanders at number 134 and defenseman Christian Krygier in the seventh round.
Chris Peters of ESPN hands the Islanders an "A" for their remarkable draft class of 2018. In his first draft as general manager, Lou Lamoriello says he was pleased at how his selections have turned out. Bleacher Report gave the Islanders an A+ grade.
Red Wings Add High-Scoring Forward
The Red Wings added forward Filip Zadina, who has the potential of becoming the best goal scorer of the 2018 Draft Class with the number 6 overall pick. Zadina was expected to be taken in the top 5, but he became available for the Red Wings when the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens passed on him.
The Red Wings also added key pieces with defenseman Jared McIsaac, whom they taken in the second round (number 36). They also selected defenseman Alec Regula in the third round (number 67) and right wing Ryan O'Reilly in the fourth round (number 98). Bleacher Report gave the Red Wings an "A+" grade.
Blackhawks Boost Defense
Bleacher Report gave the Blackhawks an "A" with their recent draft moves. In the first two rounds, the Blackhawks boosted their defense by adding defensemen Adam Boqvist (number 8) and Nicolas Beaudin (number 27). The two are known as strong skaters with offensive ability. The Blackhawks added center Jake Wise in the third round (number 69) and netminder Alexis Gravel in the sixth round (number 162).
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