Avs Select Nathan McKinnon 1st In Draft – NHL Roundup For July 1st

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche opened Sunday's NHL draft by selecting forward Nathan McKinnon from Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

MacKinnon was the consensus top player available after scoring 32 goals and 75 points in 44 games for the Mooseheads.

Florida grabbed Finnish center Aleksander Barkov with the second selection, and Tampa Bay used the third choice to take Halifax left wing Jonathan Drouin (DROO'-an). Defenseman Seth Jones went fourth to the Nashville Predators after being projected as the No. 2 player available. He's the son of former NBA player and assistant coach Popeye Jones.

Carolina used the fifth selection to snare Swedish center Elias Lindholm.

The New Jersey Devils were about to select ninth when they traded the pick to the Canucks for goaltender Cory Schneider.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Goaltender Mike Smith is going to stay with the Phoenix Coyotes. An NHL official familiar with the deal says Smith has accepted a six-year contract worth around $5.7 million a season, pending league approval. Smith was about to become a free agent and had been waiting for clarity on the Coyotes' ownership situation before signing.

Also in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks have acquired pending restricted free agent forward Tyler Kennedy from Pittsburgh for the 50th overall pick in today's NHL draft. Kennedy had six goals and 11 points in 46 games for the Pens last season.

The New York Islanders have picked up forward Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round pick in the draft from Minnesota for forward prospect Nino Neiderreiter (NEE'-dur-eye-tur). Clutterbuck had 10 points and was a minus-5 in 42 games for the Wild last season.