Music: {allcanada} NHL Draft full of family connections

Sunday, June 30, 2013

{allcanada} NHL Draft full of family connections

NEWARK, N.J. -- Max Domi and his father, Tie, are polar opposites as far as NHL skill sets go, but Max is quick to credit his dad for his success on the ice.

"He played 17 years in the NHL so he was doing something right, and he's probably one of the hardest workers I've ever met," Max said. "I kind of take bits and pieces of what he did in his career and implement them into mine, hoping for the best."

He appears to have taken all the right pieces as Max, a high-skill forward with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, was taken by the Phoenix Coyotes with the No. 12 pick of the 2013 NHL Draft.

Domi was one of four players taken in the first round Sunday whose fathers played in the NHL.

None, however, was welcomed to the NHL quite as dramatically as Anthony Brodeur, the son of New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.

The Devils acquired a seventh-round pick (No. 208) from the Los Angeles Kings and used it to select Anthony Brodeur, a goaltender from Shattuck-St. Mary's. Martin Brodeur took the microphone at the Devils' table to make the announcement, which was greeted by thunderous applause from those remaining in the building almost seven hours after the start of the draft.

"This is so surreal, no other way to explain it," said Anthony Brodeur, who will play for Gatineau in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League next season. "I've grown up watching the Devils, cheering on the Devils, cheering on my dad; so being in this jersey right now in this arena and everything is awesome."

Elias Lindholm, taken No. 5 by the Carolina Hurricanes, is the son of Mikael Lindholm, a 1987 draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings who played 18 NHL games with L.A. during the 1989-90 season but spent most of his professional career playing in Europe.

Andre Burakovsky, selected by the Washington Capitals at No. 23, is the son of Robert Burakovsky, a New York Rangers draft pick who played 23 games for the Ottawa Senators during the 1993-94 season.

In addition, Anthony Mantha, Detroit's pick at No. 20, is the grandson of Andre Pronovost, who was part of four straight Stanley Cup championships (1957-60) with the Montreal Canadiens.

"There's no words to describe those moments," Mantha told NHL.com. "It's really the moments that he reminds himself of the most and he tells his sons and grandchildren."

Mantha said occasionally his grandfather would bring his championship rings out, but said he never tried them on.

"Never wore it," he said. "I hope I'll get my own in the next few years."

There were a few family reunions made possible by the draft. Guelph Storm left wing Tyler Bertuzzi, taken by the Red Wings in the second round, has a chance to be part of the same organization that employs his uncle, Todd Bertuzzi.

Like New Jersey, there was a father-and-son affair in Phoenix -- sixth-round pick Brendan Burke, a goalie with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, will join his father, Sean, who is an assistant to the general manager and the goaltending coach for the Coyotes.

The third Subban brother also was drafted into the NHL as Jordan, a defenseman with the Belleville Bulls, was selected in the fourth round by the Vancouver Canucks. He joins oldest brother P.K., the 2013 Norris Trophy winner who was a 2007 second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, and Malcolm, a goaltender taken by the Boston Bruins with the 24th pick of the 2012 draft.

The Canucks drafted another player with a familiar name, selecting Oshawa Generals center Cole Cassels in the third round. His father, Andrew Cassels, was taken by the Montreal Canadiens with the 17th pick of the 1987 draft and played 1,015 games for six teams, including the Canucks.

Other familiar names picked included Winnipeg Jets second-round pick Eric Comrie, whose half-brother, Mike Comrie, played more than 500 NHL games with six teams; New York Rangers third-round pick Adam Tambellini, son of former Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini; Boston Bruins fourth-round pick Ryan Fitzgerald, son of former NHL player and current Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald, and Los Angeles Kings fifth-round pick Patrik Bartosak, nephew of former NHL player Radek Bonk.