Ottawa Again Wins First Pick In Nhl Draft

The Ottawa Senators won the NHL’s annual draft drawing Sunday and will pick first overall at the 1996 Entry Draft in St. Louis on June 22.

The Senators have selected first on two other occasions: in 1993, Ottawa selected center Alexandre Daigle and, last year, the Senators’ overall first selection was defenseman Bryan Berard.

“Obviously, we’re excited about having the number-one pick,” Senators assistant general manager Ray Shero said in a news release issued by the NHL office in New York. “The first overall pick is a great asset, and there are four or five excellent prospects who we will be considering.”

Shero said the Senators were not planning a trade at the moment, but would not entirely rule one out.

“You never say never,” Shero said. “Are we trying to deal it? No. In our position, you never say never to anything, but we are inclined at this time to pick the best player.”

The consensus is there are three top prospects, and then the rest of the pack.

Two Canadian juniors prospects lead the field, according to the NHL scouting office: defenseman Chris Phillips of the Prince Albert Raiders and center Alexandre Volchkov of the Barrie Colts. Some scouts feel Russian defenseman Andrei Zyuzin, the top-rated European, is as good a prospect as Volchkov.

The Senators need immediate help on both defense and offense. The consensus thinking is that Phillips is at least a season away from playing in the NHL and a few more from making any impact.

The 10 teams that missed the NHL playoffs were eligible for the drawing, but Los Angeles and Hartford traded away their picks.