Im not sure I could be more excited about the Flames first round selection, given the fact that they dropped down to pick at #24. Backlund was a consensus top 5 talent in this year's crop before he suffered a knee injury which knocked him out for a long portion of the season.
I've never seen him play, but the descriptions circulating about this kid are all good. He was chosen as the best player in the Mac's Midget Tournament a couple of yers ago. He led all goal scorers in the recent U-18 world championships with 7 goals. Some have even compared him to the likes of Forsberg and Zetterberg. The TSN top 60 prospect list includes nuggets from Central Scouting and the ISS that describe Backlund as a strong 2-way center with soft hands and good vision.
Im a little suprised Sutter decided to go with a center, given the organizations srength down the middle, but clearly he thought that Backlund was the best player available at the time. I can't say I disagree with him.
PS - It'll be interesting to see if the Flames go after Maxime Tanguay tomorrow with their newly acquired 3rd round choice (70th overall).
