Jake Gardiner of Minnetonka is likely to be the first Minnesotan picked in the June 20-21 NHL Entry Draft but Aaron Ness of Roseau could be the better pro, according to a scouting authority who spoke to Sports Headliners this week but requested anonymity.
Gardiner and Ness are 17 and 18-year-old defensemen. Gardiner is 6-foot, 170-pounds, while Ness is 5-10, 157, according to www.nhlentrydraft2008.com. “My guess is this kid (Gardiner) will go higher because he’s bigger,” the source said.
He also said Gardiner “just flies” across the ice. “He could be the best skater in the whole draft,” the source said. He also thinks Gardiner will be drafted in the first round while Ness may have to wait until the second to be chosen because he’s small, but that could be a mistake. “Ness is so spectacularly smart and quick,” the source said.
He likes Ness’s ability to score and his “instincts for the game.” He likens Ness to former Gopher Paul Martin, now New Jersey’s best defenseman. “If I was picking (for an NHL team), I would take Ness (over Gardiner) because he has a chance to be a really elite player,” the source said.
Ness is headed for the Gophers where he’s likely to be an impact player as a freshman, including on the power play. He is ranked No. 27 among the draft prospects by the NHL Web site. Gardiner, who is ranked No. 23, is expected to play at Wisconsin next fall.
The source said a third Minnesotan probably will be selected in the first three rounds of the draft, defenseman Cory Fienhage of Eastview High School. He is ranked No. 36 by the NHL Web site.