The Blues have made an outsized impression on the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft, having traded 2009 pick David Rundblad for forward Vladimir Tarasenko, currently of the AHL.
St. Louis Game Time has an immediate response:
Didn’t see this one coming. After the Blues drafted Jaden Schwartz at 14 overall, they traded to the Ottawa Senators David Rundblad, their first round pick last season, for the 16th overall selection. They picked Russian forward Vladimir Tarasenko. We’re as surprised as you are.
Rundblad just signed his first pro contract two weeks ago. He’s a defenseman in Sweden and wasn’t expected to come to North America for at least one more year. Tarasenko, well Bob McKenzie was drooling on the air over the Russian’s skill level.
From SB Nation blog Jackets Cannon:
The 2nd highest ranked European player according to NHL Central Scouting, and fourth ranked prospect overall according to International Scouting Services, Tarasenko was first runner up for the KHL’s 2009 rookie of the year award, playing with HC Sibir. The son of Andrei Tarasenko, former RSL scoring champion and Olympian, he’s an attractive talent, but the question of how difficult it might be to get him out of Russia could make him a bit too much of a gamble for many teams.