Kyle Turris (New Westminster, BC/ Burnaby, BCHL) was the highest Canadian selected in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft on Friday & Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, going third overall to the Phoenix Coyotes.

Turris became just the second Canadian player to be selected in the top five picks of the draft in the same year he played for Canada at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, joining Carey Price, who was selected fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft after helping Canada to a silver medal at the 2005 championship.

In total, 16 of the 30 first round selections were Canadians, including two members of Canada’s gold medal-winning 2007 National Junior Team – Karl Alzner (Burnaby, BC/ Calgary, WHL/ 5th overall to Washington) and Sam Gagner (Oakville, ON/ London, OHL/ 6th overall to Edmonton) and five members of Canada’s 2007 National Men’s Under-18 Team – Turris, Logan Couture (London, ON/ Ottawa, OHL/ 9th overall to San Jose), Brandon Sutter (Red Deer, AB/ Red Deer, WHL/ 11th overall to Carolina), Colton Gillies (Surrey, BC/ Saskatoon, WHL/ 16th overall to Minnesota) and Angelo Esposito (Montreal, QC/ Quebec, QMJHL/ 20th overall to Pittsburgh).

As well, ten players who will represent Canada in this summer’s Canada/Russia Super Series were first-round selections – Turris, Alzner, Gagner, Sutter, Gillies, Esposito, Thomas Hickey (Calgary, AB/ Seattle, WHL/ 4th overall to Los Angeles), Zach Hamill (Port Coquitlam, BC/ Everett, WHL/ 8th overall to Boston), Keaton Ellerby (Calgary, AB/ Kamloops, WHL/ 10th overall to Florida) and David Perron (Sherbrooke, QC/ Lewiston, QMJHL/ 26th overall to St. Louis).

Among the Canadians taken in the opening round, eight came from the Western Hockey League, three from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, two from the Ontario Hockey League, two from the British Columbia Hockey League (Junior A) and one from the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (Junior A).

Overall, 102 of the 211 players selected in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft were Canadian-born, followed by 63 American-born players, 45 European-born players and one Nigerian-born player.