Vancouver Giants centre, Evander Kane, became the first WHL player selected in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft when the Atlanta Thrashers used the 4th overall selection to pick the 17-year-old Vancouver, B.C. product this evening in Montreal at the Bell Centre.
Kane just finished his second full season in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants. The Vancouver-native led his hometown team with 48 goals and finished second on the Giants with an impressive 96 points in just 61 games to help lead the team to a franchise record 57 wins and a fourth consecutive B.C. Division title. Kane added another seven goals and 15 points in 17 playoff games as the Giants advanced to the WHL Western Conference Championship series. As a 16-year-old rookie in 2007-08, Kane notched 24 goals and 41 points and was named a finalist for the 2008 WHL Rookie of the Year award.
A prolific and dynamic offensive player, Kane projects as a solid top-line point producer who can also play a gritty, physical game. The 6'1", 176-lb center already boasts an NHL-caliber shot, and can get it off in a hurry, but also scores plenty of goals by going hard to the net, pouncing on rebounds and loose pucks. A strong skater, Kane has worked hard to improve his stride, agility and speed, making him a threat off the rush. Perhaps Kane's best attributes are his confidence, compete level and desire to make a difference. Quite simply, he wants the puck and will do whatever it takes to help his team win. If an NHL team in the market for a hard-nosed, point-producing power forward, Evander Kane is their guy.
A product of the North Shore Winter Club in Vancouver, Kane participated in the 2009 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects game, suiting up for Team Cherry, and was also selected to Team WHL for the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, but could not participate due to injury.
Kane was a member of Canada's Gold medal-winning entry at the 2009 World Junior Championship, where he was the youngest player on the roster. He also played for Team West at the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and suited up for Canada's Under-18 team at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament.
