NHL Draft 2012 Wraps Up In Record Time: 181 Players Drafted In Under 3 Hours

It’s really hard to determine which team here is dumber.

The deal would have dropped CBJ just two spots in the first round of the draft and it would have given them six extra picks overall in the draft. The Islanders clearly wanted the opportunity to draft defenseman Ryan Murray, but in talking with Matt Wagner of The Cannon in Pittsburgh over the weekend, it seems as though Columbus was all-in on Murray to the point that the Blue Jackets may have taken him over consensus No. 1 pick Nail Yakupov had both been available at No. 2.

The 2012 NHL Draft is nearing its completion as the sixth round has finished up:

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of the 2012 NHL Draft. For team-by-team coverage of the draft, check out our network of hockey blogs.

The second day of the 2012 NHL Draft enters the home stretch with the conclusion of the fourth round:

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of the 2012 NHL Draft. For team-by-team coverage of the draft, check out our network of hockey blogs.

The 2012 NHL Draft finished up the first round on Friday evening with the second round finishing up on Saturday morning. The third round of the draft followed quickly thereafter.

Here are the results of the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired Benoit Pouliot from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Michel Ouellet and a fifth round pick in Saturday’s NHL Draft. Pouliot, 25, is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Ouellet, 30, has played nearly 200 NHL games. He won the Calder Cup in the AHL this past season with the Norfolk Admirals, the (now former) affiliate of the Lightning.

Passed over twice in previous drafts, Los Angeles has finally given Pearson the opportunity to display his abilities at the next level. A serviceable skater, his true talent shines through with his excellent vision and crisp passing that helps him begin rushes with ease.

Realistically, Pearson will need to improve his skating skills in order to be a viable entity at the next level but, if he can grow into his six-foot, 200-pound frame, he may be able to use his wit to make up for any other deficiencies.

In his second season with the development program, Matteau notched 32 points (15 goals and 17 assists) in 46 games. This was a marked improvement from his 2010-11 season, in which he scored just nine points in 28 games. He will play for Blainville-Boisbrand in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2012-13. He was ranked No. 17 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and No. 23 overall by TSN.

Matteau is the son of former NHLer Stephane Matteau, and was born just two months prior to Matteau’s heroics in the 1994 Eastern Conference Final, as well as his father’s Stanley Cup victory. The younger Matteau was born in Chicago and will represent the U.S. in international competition.

Regarded as a versatile forward who can play both sides of the puck, he isn’t afraid to get physical, but there have been concerns about his speed at the higher levels of the game. Scoring seven goals and sixteen assists in twenty three regular season games with the Oil Kings, he also contributed six goals and thirteen assists between the WHL playoffs and Memorial Cup.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of the 2012 NHL Draft. For team-by-team coverage of the draft, check out our network of hockey blogs.

A native of Lakeville, Minn., Skjei notched 22 points (four goals and 18 assists) in 32 games, and helped the United States capture a gold medal at the 2012 Under-18 World Championships. He was a plus-10 during the tournament, leading the United States defensively.

Skjei is ranked No. 19 among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and No. 22 among all prospects by Canada’s TSN, which is assembled by Bob McKenzie, Craig Button and a number of NHL scouts. He has committed to playing for the University of Minnesota in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the fall of 2012.

A native of Riga, Latvia, Girgensons has spent the last two seasons in Dubuque. He led the team in scoring with 55 points (24 goals and 31 assists) in 49 games during the 2011-12 season, after finishing third on the team in scoring with 49 points (21 goals and 28 assists) in 2010-11.

He tied for fourth in the United States Hockey League with six game-winning goals this season. Girgensons will play for the University of Vermont in Hockey East next season. He was ranked No. 18 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, but went unranked by TSN.

A native of Khabarovsk, Russia, Grigorenko was ranked third among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and No. 12 by TSN, though an argument could be made that his lower rank is due to being a native of Russia, which always attracts a stigma that a player might be more inclined to stay in the Kontinental Hockey League. He came to the Remparts to play major junior this season, however, and promptly led all QMJHL rookies with 40 goals and 85 points for Patrick Roy’s team, while scoring five points (two goals, three assists) for Russia’s silver medal-winning World Junior Championship team.

Grigorenko has, as statistics clearly show, a solid offensive game and clutch credentials, finishing third in the QMJHL with eight game-winning goals this season.

The Penguins ultimately used the No. 8 overall selection to take Derrick Pouliot, a defenseman from the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.

When the Penguins made the selection, team general manager Ray Shero made sure to thank Staal for his service.

Trouba, who will play for the University of Michigan this fall, is ranked No. 9 among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and No. 9 overall by TSN. A native of Rochester, Michigan, Trouba had a 31-point season (9 goals and 22 assist) for the U-18 team in 50 games this season, his first full campaign after being called up from the U-17s last year. He logged three assists in six games for Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

Trouba has been part of the U.S. Under-18 World Championships team, which has won consecutive gold medals two years running in the tournament, including a goal in the gold medal game in 2011. He posted three points and was a plus-five at the 2012 tournament.

Ribeiro has been rumored as a possible piece to move dating back to last Feb. prior to the trade deadline. As part of a Stars organization that is looking to develop a young core, the veteran Ribeiro was an attractive piece in talks with other teams.

By acquiring Eakin, the Stars pick up a young piece who is still coming into his own as well as a second round pick that can help the team add more young talent.

Both teams will be hosting the NHL Draft for the first time in their respective franchise histories. The 2013 draft will actually be the first ever held in the New York City metropolitan area, despite the presence of three teams.

For more on the Devils, check out In Lou We Trust. For more on the Flyers, head over to Broad Street Hockey. Stay tuned to SB Nation’s NHL hub for more on this year’s draft and the 2012 offseason.

Draft prospects in every sport are put through rigorous testing, both for their physical abilities and off-ice traits. They can be red-flagged for a variety of reasons.

One of those reasons is a history of injury.

You might think that means the Oilers won’t pick Yakupov first overall in the 2012 NHL Draft Friday night. And you’d be wrong.

Yes, the Oilers need a top-pair defenseman. But passing on Yakupov to draft a potential top-pair defenseman isn’t the best way to go about things. Teams that pass on the best player available to fill a need often end up regretting the decision.