There were a couple of “climbers” in the first round of the
2012 NHL Draft, one of them being the
Pittsburgh Penguins top pick, defenseman
Derrick Pouliot of the
WHL's Portland Winterhawks.
Pouliot is one of a trio of top offensive defensemen that were chosen in the draft's first round, the others being
Morgan Rielly and
Matt Dumba. While most NHL Draft prognostications placed Pouliot further down in the pecking order, the Penguins used the eighth overall pick that they received from the
Carolina Hurricanes in the Jordan Staal deal to snag the talented defender.
The agile Pouliot played for a defensive unit that included the Penguins top pick from 2011,
Joe Morrow, as well as other high NHL draft picks. But, while it is tempting to think that Pouliot may have benefited from playing alongside his talented teammates, he also has a strong showing at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka tournament to point to as evidence of his own burgeoning ability.…
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