| Round | Pick | Player | Amateur Club | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | 24 (from VGK) | LW KRISTIAN VESALAINEN | Frolunda (SHL) | | 2 | 43 | D DYLAN SAMBERG | Hermantown (High-MN) | | 3 | 74 | D JOHNNY KOVACEVIC | Merrimack (NCAA) | | 4 | 105 | C SANTERI VIRTANEN | TPS Jr. (FIN) | | 5 | 136 | D LEON GAWANKE | Cape Breton (QMJHL) | | 6 | 167 | G ARVID HOLM | Karlskrona HK J20 (Sweden) | | 7 | 198 | LW SKYLER MCKENZIE | Portland (WHL) | | 7 | 211 (from MTL) | D CROIX EVINGSON | Shreveport (NAHL) |

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DAY 2 (ROUNDS 2-7)

43RD OVERALL - D DYLAN SAMBERG (HERMANTOWN, HIGH-MN)
DefenceBorn Jan 24 1999 -- Hermantown, MNHeight 6.03 -- Weight 190 -- Shoots L
Tweet from @dsamberg26: Extremely honored and excited to have been selected by @NHLJets! Thankful for everyone who helped me! #gojets ������
Samberg, 18, tallied 28 points (10G, 18A) in 25 games with Hermantown High School, as he helped the Hawks win the Minnesota State A Championship. He started the season by racking up 12 points (5G, 7A) in 18 games for Team North in the Minnesota High School Elite League. He also had two points (1G, 1A) in six games with the Waterloo Black Hawks in the regular season and three points (1G, 2A) in eight playoff games.
Samberg is committed to play next season for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

74TH OVERALL - D JOHNNY KOVACEVIC (MERRIMACK, HOCKEY EAST - NCAA)
DefenceBorn Jul 12 1997 -- Grimsby, ONTHeight 6.04 -- Weight 208 -- Shoots R
Kovacevic, 19, had 19 points (3G, 16A) in 36 games as a freshman with Merrimack College last season. The product of Grimsby, Ont. played three years of junior A in the Central Canada Hockey League with the Ottawa Jr. Senators and Hawkesbury Hawks, tallying 55 points (13G, 42A) in 103 games.

105TH OVERALL - C SANTERI VIRTANEN (TPS Jr. - FIN)

CenterBorn May 11 1999Height 6.02 -- Weight 194 -- Shoots L
Virtanen, 18, missed most of the season due to injury, but had six points (2G, 4A) in five games with TPS in the Jr. A SM-Liiga. Along with Jets first round pick Kristian Vesalainen, Virtanen helped Finland win a silver medal at the 2017 U18 World Championship with six points (2G, 4A) in seven games.

136TH OVERALL - D LEON GAWANKE (CAPE BRETON, OHL)

DefenceBorn May 31 1999Height 6.01 -- Weight 186 -- Shoots R
Gawanke, 18, hails from Berlin, Germany, but suited up in the QMJHL last season for Cape Breton. In 54 games with the Screaming Eagles, he had 32 points (8G, 24A) during the regular season and added four points (1G, 3A) in 11 playoff games. He also had an assist in four games with Germany at the U20 Division 1A World Championship.
167TH OVERALL - G ARVID HOLM (KARLSKRONA HK J20, SWE)
GoaltenderBorn November 11 1998Height 6.04 -- Weight 214 -- Catches L
Holm, 18, played in 26 games with Karlskrona HK of the J20 SuperElit League last season, posting a 2.91 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. He also had a 0.92 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in two games during the relegation round.
198TH OVERALL - LW SKYLER MCKENZIE (PORTLAND, WHL)

211TH OVERALL - D CROIX EVINGSON (SHREVEPORT, NAHL)
DefenceBorn Aug 28 1997 -- Anchorage, AKHeight 6.05 -- Weight 210 -- Shoots L
Evingson, 19, hails from Anchorage, Alaska. He played with the Shreveport Mudbugs last season, tallying 52 points (12G, 40A) in 59 games. His 40 assists and 52 points led all NAHL defenceman. He was named the NAHL's Defenceman of the Year and selected to the NAHL's All-NAHL Team, as well as the All-South Division Team.

DAY 1 (ROUND 1)

24TH OVERALL - LW KRISTIAN VESALAINEN (FROLUNDA, SHL)
CentreBorn Jun 1 1999Height 6.03 -- Weight 207 -- Shoots L

Vesalainen, 18, played last season with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League and J20 SuperElit League. He also suited up for HPK of Liiga in Finland. The product of Helsinki, Finland had six points (1G, 5A) in 26 games with Frolunda in the SHL and four goals in 10 games in the J20 Super Elit League. He helped Frolunda win the 2017 Champions League with three points (1G, 2A) in six games. Vesalainen also had a goal in nine games with HPK in Liiga.
Internationally, Vesalainen won a gold medal with Finland at the 2016 U18 World Championship and a silver medal at the 2017 U18 World Championship, where he had 13 points (6G, 7A) in seven games to lead the tournament in scoring and was selected as the tournament MVP. He also played for Finland at the 2017 World Junior Championship, posting a goal and an assist in six games.
Vesalainen joins Patrik Laine as Finnish players the Jets have selected in the first round of the last two NHL drafts.

SCOUTING REPORT
NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb:
"He's a big, physical power forward who likes to go straight for the net."

CSS PROFILE
- Vesalainen posted 1-5-6 in 26 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League in 2016-17 and helped the club secure their second straight Champions Hockey League title. He also appeared in nine games with HPK, the top professional hockey league in Finland. - Vesalainen added 4-0-4 in the regular season (10 GP) and 2-1-3 in the playoffs (5 GP) with Frolunda's junior team in 2016-17. - Vesalainen made his Swedish Hockey League debut in 2015-16, appearing in 19 regular-season games and five playoff contests, helping Frolunda capture the league championship. He added 15-19-34 in 37 contests with Frolunda's junior. - The 2016-17 season saw Vesalainen represent Finland at the 2017 World Junior Championship (1-1-2 in 6 GP) and the 2017 Under-18 World Championship (6-7-13 in 7 GP), where he was named tournament MVP after leading all skaters in goals and points en route to a silver medal. - As part of Finland's silver medal entry at the 2017 Under-18 World Championship, Vesalainen produced at almost a two-point-per-game pace (6-7-13 in 7 GP) to lead the tournament in goals and points. He was awarded Most Valuable Player, Best Forward and was named to the tournament All-Star Team. - He helped Finland win gold at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship (2-4-6 in 7 GP) and also represented his country at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (3-4-7 in 5 GP) and the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial (5 GP). - Models his style of play after Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin.