Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 24, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B3 SPORTS JETS @ NHL DRAFT 2012 B3 SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2012 P ITTSBURGH - Every good recipe has a key ingredient. Adding a Sutter to the mix has worked for years in hockey, including only a few weeks ago when the L. A. Kings and mid- season coaching addition Darryl Sutter won the Stanley Cup. The Winnipeg Jets are going to give this bloodlines method a try. They added Darryl's nephew Lukas on Saturday with their second- round choice in the NHL entry draft at Consol Energy Center. " We really like the way he plays," Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said. " He provides a lot of sandpaper for us. In the prospect category, he's someone that's very determined to play. He's someone in the interview process and the way he plays, we're real excited that we were able to get him." Sutter, 18, has completed two WHL seasons with the Saskatoon Blades, improving his production to 28 goals and 59 points in 70 games in the past season. He fought less and took on a role that included responsibilities against opposition stars. " You want to continue to grow as a player and I think my role is going to continue to expand," Sutter said. " The physical game will probably tone back a little this year. My third year in the league as a 19- year- old, you're obviously expected to produce a little more, to be a little more dependable, so that's what I'm going to have to do." Sutter, former NHLer Rich's son, compared himself to cousin Brandon, who was traded this weekend to the Pittsburgh Penguins. " I think I play a little bit similar to Brandon, but a little more sandpaper to my game, a little bit tougher," Lukas said. " It's something where you have to play that way to be a successful player nowadays, the way L. A. played down the stretch.. Everyone was physical and paid the price." Sutter came to the draft for Friday's first round and admitted it caused him stress. " It was tough," he said. " I thought there might be an outside chance somebody would take a flyer on me. " It was something we hoped would happen, but it didn't happen. It was a long night. But I'm happy that it happened so quickly today. Last night I prepared to be a spectator, prepared to come and just enjoy it. Today was quick and I hoped it would happen early." Sutter was chosen with the 39th overall pick, Saturday's ninth pick in Round 2. The occasion also brought a rare sight - a Sutter a bit wobbly. Rich Sutter appeared to be near tears talking about his son. " It means a lot," he said. " I think probably for us, that would be a great question for Luke's sisters and mom. To see the excitement on them, it was real exciting." When did Rich know his son might have the right stuff? " The biggest thing is his passion," he said. " He's a very passionate kid. To be around his uncles and his dad, not a lot has to be said. He's been taught a lot along the way. The biggest thing is I really believe in my heart if you want something bad enough and you stay grounded, good things will happen to those kinds of people. He's done a good job at that." Lukas said a few weeks ago at the scouting combine that being a Sutter hockey player obliged him to play no particular style. It's simply ingrained. " I grew up around the game and I don't think there's anything else I'd rather be doing." tim. campbell@ freepress. mb. ca Sooner or later you'll get a Sutter Jets grab Lukas, nephew of Kings' coach Darryl By Tim Campbell PITTSBURGH - A foursome of Manitobans have been selected at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, with goalie Chris Driedger going to the Ottawa Senators, forward Jordan Martinook to the Phoenix Coyotes, forward Brendan Leipsic to the Nashville Predators and defenceman Travis Brown to the Chicago Blackhawks. Martinook was selected 59th overall by the Coyotes. Driedger went 76th overall to the Sens while Leipsic went 89th to the Preds. Winnipeg's Brown, of the Moosejaw Warriors, was selected 149th overall by the Blackhawks. Driedger, born in Winnipeg, plays with the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League while Leipsic skates for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. The Predators traded up to get Leipsic. " We really liked the player and were worried he wouldn't be there when we picked so we moved up," said Predators coach Barry Trotz. Leipsic has been selected to play for Team Canada at the 2012 Canada- Russia Challenge in August and had 28 goals and 30 assists in 68 regular- season games for the Winterhawks. He added seven goals and eight assists in 20 playoff games. " I didn't expect to go this high, but Nashville called a couple of times and I knew there was interest... then they traded up to get me - it's great to know they like you that much," said Leipsic. Preds' GM David Poile considers Leipsic a combination of speed and venom. " He's a little bit ( Jordin) Tootooish, a little bit Brad Marchand. I'm sure that the best description would be that he's not fun to play against. Probably the opposition doesn't like him too much," said Poile. " This is the guy you love, but they hate. Not big in stature, but plays really tough." Leipsic is listed as 5- 9 and 175 pounds. " Any time a team takes a chance on you, it's good. My size has always been an issue for others, but not for me. It's great to know they don't care about that and have your back," he said. Some players travel to the draft but Leipsic stayed home in Winnipeg with his family and said his mom Kathleen was leading the household in excitement. " She's jumping for joy here," he laughed. Brown had seven goals and 31 points in 66 games with the Warriors last season and gained a big opportunity when teammate Morgan Rielly went down with an injury. Brown took up a large portion of Rielly's minutes and his draft stock rose. " I was tuned in all morning since nine. It was fun sitting at home seeing where all your buddies go, and it's been a real great experience," Brown said from his Winnipeg home. " I was just refreshing my computer and when I saw my name - it was so surreal. It's just such an honour to be taken by an Original Six team." Chicago has another well known Winnipegger on its roster. " I don't know Jonathan Toews, but being a teammate of his someday would be very special," said Brown. " I tried not to focus on this and I tried to hang out with friends, but ( Saturday) it got pretty intense. When I saw my name, it was like a weight off my chest." Driedger, Brown and Leipsic all played together with the Winnipeg Monarchs during their bantam years. " It's great to share the experience with those two. We're going to get together and talk about this. I'm so proud of both of them and this is such a great experience," said Brown. Driedger went 24- 12- 3 last season, posting a 2.80 goals- against average with the Hitmen. " I couldn't be happier going to a Canadian team, and I've always liked the Sens. It's a dream come true. I was sitting at home. I was laying in bed. I didn't want to watch it and then my agent called and said, ' Yeah, man, you got drafted.' I didn't expect to go when I did. I thought it would be later," he said. Martinook scored 40 goals with the WHL's Vancouver Giants last season. gary. lawless@ freepress. mb. ca Twitter: @ garylawless Four Manitobans see draft dreams realized By Gary Lawless PITTSBURGH - It looks like the Winnipeg Jets will be moving on from right- winger Eric Fehr. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said after Saturday's final rounds of the NHL entry draft that the team has not extended a qualifying offer to the Winkler native. That will make him an unrestricted free agent next Sunday. Fehr, 26, scored two goals and three points in 35 games for the Jets in the season just completed. He missed the first 20 games of the season recovering from last summer's shoulder surgery. Once in the lineup, Fehr just couldn't seem to click with anyone, eventually working his way out of coach Claude Noel's regular lineup. At $ 2.2 million in the second year of a two- year deal he got from the Washington Capitals, the Jets have decided they won't give Fehr that in a qualifying offer. Fehr was acquired from the Caps last summer for a fourth- round pick in Saturday's draft. tim. campbell@ freepress. mb. ca Jets bid Fehr- well to Winkler winger Hockey clan glad Lukas in Winnipeg DOES it matter to the Sutter family that Lukas was chosen by a Canadian team ( the Jets, 39th overall, on Saturday)? Rich Sutter: " It does to a degree. For sure it does. Really, there's good people in all organizations. That's a good thing our hockey world is blessed with. In this instance, with the Winnipeg people, Mr. Chipman right now down to the management team, there's a lot of very good people there. This is pretty exciting." Jets picks ROUND 2: ( 39th) Lukas Sutter, C, Saskatoon Blades, 18 ROUND 3: ( 70) Scott Kosmachuk, RW, Guelph Storm, 18 ROUND 4: No pick ROUND 5: ( 130) Connor Hellebuyck, G, Odessa ( NAHL), 19 ROUND 6: ( 160) Ryan Olsen, C, Saskatoon Blades, 18 ROUND 7: ( 190) Jamie Phillips, G, Toronto ( OJHL), 19 The Jets are hoping some of that famous Sutter DNA resides in second- round pick Lukas Sutter. MATT ADAMS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS B_ 03_ Jun- 24- 12_ FP_ 01. indd B3 6/ 23/ 12 9: 21: 04 PM ;