NHL: NHL Draft: German drawn in first round

Dominik Bokk was selected in the NHL Entry Draft in the first round of the St. Louis Blues at position 25. Bokk is the sixth German to be drawn in the first round. As expected, the top pick was the Swedish defender Rasmus Dahlin, who was chosen by the Buffalo Sabres.

The blues even traded upstairs to get Bokk. St. Louis would have been 29th, but by trading with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also got the third round pick of the Blues, you could secure franchise from Missouri the German in 25th place.

“That’s a great feeling. I’m very happy,” said the German striker, who was born in Schweinfurt and played in Cologne during his youth. The 18-year-old then chose a different path and joined Swedish club Växjö Lakers a year ago.

Bokk was particularly convincing in the U20 with 52 points (19 goals, 33 templates) in 43 games and got a contract with the pros during the season. In the SHL, Sweden’s top league, the German striker was allowed to play 15 times, scoring one goal and submission, and Bokk scored the same amount in the Champions Hockey League in just three games.

“I already had a meeting with the blues yesterday and they told me that they really wanted to say my name and that they wanted to make a trade to choose me for it,” Bokk NHL.com reported on the draft night trial. “Of course, I didn’t know I was really gonna end up in the blues, but I had a good feeling when they picked me.”

However, it is still unclear whether Bokk will make the leap across the pond in the summer. The 18-year-old could play in the SHL for another year or join a junior team in the CHL, the Canadien Hockey League.

Next year Rasmus Dahlin will certainly play in the NHL. The Swedish defender was selected first by the Buffalo Sabres and is already considered NHL-ready by many experts at the age of 18, also because he already has two full years in the SHL on his back.

The Carolina Hurricanes took their turn and chose the Russian winger Andrei Svechnikov. The Montreal Canadiens took third place to the Finnish center Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

The next rounds of the drag will take place on Saturday from 5 pm.