Ottawa Selects Defenseman Miles Gendron with the 70th Pick
With the team's second pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ottawa took high school defenseman Miles Gendron 70th overall.
WIth Ottawa's third round pick in the draft, the Senators selected another defenseman, Miles Gendron. Gendron, a high school hockey player at the Rivers School (coached by former Senator Shawn MacEachern), has committed to UConn for the coming season.
A Massachusetts native, he's a converted forward who is known for his excellent skating ability. Here's what McEachern has to say about him:
"His skating ability is just so good. He is difficult to forecheck. He just is a natural back there. He has a good first path when retrieving the puck. He reads the breakout and jumps into the rush," said McEachern.
McEachern, a veteran of 1,008 NHL games, knows a thing or two about what professional organizations are looking for when scouting players. He believes Gendron is a unique prospect.
"Not many teams have guys who can jump so high and skate so fast. He tested very well at the NHL combine," said McEachern, a former assistant at Northeastern and UMass Lowell.
Good with the puck, Gendron still needs to adjust to the physical play expected from most NHL blueliners. Listed at 6'1" and 181 pounds, he's not a big body like many of Ottawa's defensemen, but he's not small either. In 22 games with the Rivers School this season, he had 6 goals and 19 points. The left-shooting defenseman is expected to need a few seasons to develop.
It's also his 18th birthday today. Happy birthday Miles!
