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The 2017 NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas will be remembered for one thing - the day the 31st NHL franchise announced it’s expansion roster. The Vegas Golden Knights officially had a grand total of three players signed to a contract. Reid Duke, former Wild draft pick, was the very first to sign-on with the Golden Knights, followed by Russian veteran Vadim Shipachyov. Finally, Tomas Hyka was plucked from the Czech Republic’s BK Mlada Boleslav franchise.
However, that roster got filled out as the Vegas Golden Knights selected players from all 30 existing teams in the 2017 Expansion Draft. This is the initial list as any trades during side deals that teams may have made to steer Vegas general manager George McPhee’s hand and player flips will be announced Thursday. Picks were announced in reverse finishing order. Meaning, they started with the worst team in the NHL, Colorado Avalanche, and worked their way down to the Washington Capitals, winners of the President’s Cup.
Introducing the Vegas Golden Knights
- Calvin Pickard G, Colorado Avalanche
- Luca Sbisa D, Vancouver Canucks
- Teemu Pulkkinen F, Arizona Coyotes
- Jon Merrill D, New Jersey Devils
- William Carrier F, Buffalo Sabres
- Tomas Nosek, Detroit Red Wings
- Cody Eakin F, Dallas Stars
- Jonathan Marchessault F, Florida Panthers
- Brayden McNabb D, Los Angeles Kings
- Connor Brickley F, Carolina Hurricanes
- Chris Thorburn F, Winnipeg Jets
- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare F, Philadelphia Flyers
- Jason Garrison D, Tampa Bay Lightning
- J.F. Berube G, New York Islanders
- James Neal F, Nashville Predators
- Deryk Engelland D, Calgary Flames
- Brendan Leipsic F, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Colin Miller D, Boston Bruins
- Marc Methot D, Ottawa Senators
- David Schlemko D, San Jose Sharks
- David Perron F, St. Louis Blues
- Oscar Lindberg F, New York Rangers
- Griffin Reinhart D, Edmonton Oilers
- Alexei Emelin D, Montreal Canadiens
- Clayton Stoner D, Anaheim Ducks
- Erik Haula F, Minnesota Wild
- William Karlsson F, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Trevor Van Riemsdyk D, Chicago Blackhawks
- Marc-Andre Fleury G, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Nate Schmidt D, Washington Capitals
There you have it, the 30 selections of the Vegas Golden Knights.
More trade news to come Thursday, as well as the unfreezing of all 31 NHL rosters. This means we should see many more trades take place in front of the NHL Entry Draft held in Chicago on Friday and Saturday.