With the No. 10 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning have selected Slater Koekkoek, a defenseman from the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. The 18-year-old Ontario native was ranked No. 23 among North American skaters by Central Scouting, down six spots from his midterm ranking at No. 17.
NHL Draft 2012: Tampa Bay Lightning Select Slater Koekkoek With No. 10 Pick
A torn labrum hurt Koekkoek’s draft stock a bit, as he only played 26 games over the course of the entire season. He scored five goals and 13 assists in those games, picked up 17 penalty minutes and finished with a minus-7 rating. Despite his injury-shortened year and the stunted development that could potentially come from it, Koekkoek was still expected to be a mid-to-late first round pick.
His most valuable skills are his speed and puck-moving ability. Couple that with his big 6’2 frame and strong hockey sense and you have a guy with very high potential. It’s a risky pick due to the injury but it could pay off.
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