Thrashers stock up on picks

Day Two of the NHL draft can be hectic — with just a minute between most selections.

It was fast paced Saturday as rounds 2 through 7 were completed in less than four hours. Most players selected on the second day are several years away from the NHL, making the dizzying process even more of an inexact science.

Thrashers general manager Don Waddell was pleased with his organization’s efforts after having a chance to catch his breath.

• The Thrashers added eight players to go with Friday’s first-round selection of Evander Kane. Waddell labeled several of those picks “steals.”

• Five of the eight picks were power forwards with size, something Waddell said was a priority.

• In two trades, the Thrashers acquired three draft picks for this year and one for next year.

• Finally, the groundwork was made for trades that will be made in the next few weeks to improve a roster that has missed the playoffs the past two seasons.

“Every time we got to our pick, we took the best player we had available [on our draft board],” Waddell said. “It just so happened that they had size.”

With their two second-round selections the Thrashers took left wings. They picked Carl Klingberg, from Sweden, with the 34th overall pick and Jeremy Morin, of the U.S. Development Program, with the 45th. Waddell said both were ranked as first-rounders on their draft board.

“He’s an energy guy with good size. He’s going to be a really good player,” Waddell said of Klingberg, who will continue playing in Sweden for at least two years. Klingberg (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) had 26 points (13 goals and 13 assists) for the Frolunda Junior team last season. He also played 10 games with Frolunda’s Elite team.

“He’s one of the best pure goal-scorers. He was a steal for us,” Waddell said of Morin, who will rejoin Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League. Morin (6-1, 189) led the Development Team in scoring with 33 goals and 59 points in 55 games and had 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in 14 international games.

The Thrashers also selected goaltender Edward Pasquale (fourth round, 117th overall), defenseman Ben Chiarot (fourth round, 120th overall), defenseman Cody Sol (fifth round, 125th overall), center Jimmy Bubnick (sixth round, 155th overall), left wing Levko Koper (seventh round, 185th overall) and left wing Jordan Samuels-Thomas (seventh round, 203rd overall).

Waddell said the Thrashers had Bubnick and Koper as second-rounders on their draft board.

The Thrashers made two trades Saturday involving draft picks. They sent their fourth-round pick (No. 95 overall) to the Los Angeles Kings for three picks — two fourth-rounders (Nos. 117, 120) and one seventh-rounder (No. 203). They also dealt the second of their sixth-round selections (No. 177) to the Chicago Blackhawks for their fifth-round choice in 2010.

In addition to all of their own picks next year, the Thrashers now have an additional third-round (acquired earlier) and a fifth-round pick. Waddell said those picks could be used in upcoming trades.

“We talked to a lot of teams [about trades],” Waddell said. “It’s an advantage of the draft, everyone is there. We have a lot of different options, and we’ll continue to pursue those in the next three or four days.”

The Thrashers have made several moves this offseason, most notably the re-signing of forward Marty Reasoner and defenseman Anssi Salmela. The selection of Kane, a forward who could make the roster next season, adds another piece.

However, Waddell still needs to improve the roster to convince star Ilya Kovalchuk to re-sign. Kovalchuk told the Journal-Constitution at the end of the season that he needs to see that the Thrashers moving in the right direction before he will re-sign.

The NHL free agency period begins July 1. However, Waddell said the Thrashers are more likely to improve via trade. The Thrashers have depth at goaltender with Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg on the roster and top prospect Ondrej Pavelec being NHL ready. Waddell said it is likely that either Lehtonen or Pavelec will be traded. He fielded several phones call on each at last year’s trade deadline.