Trailer Fyzerman steps up to the podium.
"First off, I would like to thank Tilley for putting organising thus event, and I would also like to thank Bingo, as well as the rest of the staff at CalgaryPuck for being such gracious hosts.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are proud to select, from the Barie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL, number 21,
Nicolas Meloche."
"Nicolas plays the type of game I feel this team needs. His size, shot, and physical ability are all components of his game our team embraces. It's true, there is a wart or two to his game but we feel our organisation has the ability and skill to see him through. Nicolas is going to be a mainstay on our back end for years to come, and we are excited for him to come play for us."
When asked about using a first round pick on a guy likely to go in the second or even third round:
"We like his game. We like what he brings to the table. There were guys left on the board who could skate faster, hit harder, and shoot better, but no one combined everything together the way Nicolas does. He can play in any situation, and he competes just as hard in the defensive zone as he does on offence."
When asked about Meloche being picked earlier:
"We tried to move up. We weren't sure where other teams had him ranked, and we attempted to beat them to the punch. The price was too high though. Teams were asking for parts we weren't willing to part with. So we stood pat and prayed to the hockey gods he fell to us. He did."
When asked about what we can expect in the coming rounds:
"Some players are really going to surprise and get taken a lot sooner than we anticipate. We've called around and generally get the sense that a few lower ranked skaters are going to go a lot higher than we expect. I think we have some surprises of our own."
