Shane Doan Would Pick Kopitar at NHL All-Star Draft

Anze Kopitar received some recent praise from one of the most respected captains in the league…

Friday afternoon Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes was a guest on The PowerPlay (NHL Radio show) and they were talking about the fact that the Coyotes didn’t have any players selected to attend this year’s NHL All-Star Game.

Which, if you’re looking for a positive, means Doan doesn’t have to worry about potentially being the last player selected in this Friday’s All-Star Draft (note: the NHL is using a new format this year, where two captains actually hand pick their teams in a televised special airing live this coming Friday).

On the other hand, the hosts wanted to know – hypothetically, if Doan was one of the captains picking the teams , who would be some of the players he’d pick earlier than people might expect?

He responded with “I think Kopitar is an incredible player. I think he’d be a guy that would go high. He’s so talented. I like Jonathan Toews and Danny Briere too. Obviously, everybody is going to be picking them high as well. But, Anze Kopitar is as good as there is when it comes to young guys in the league. If his team was doing a little better, he’d be getting the attention he deserves.”

In reality, the All-Star Game captains will be Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) and Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes).

And yes, it will be interesting to see who selects Kopitar…and when.

[UPDATE: Wonder who Kopitar would pick? Click here to see the talented center take on The Mayor in a mock draft]

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