Kyle Beach
1st round, 11th overall
Position: C. Shoots: Right
Height/weight: 6-3, 203
Born: 1/13/90, Vancouver
2007-08 team: Everett, WHL
Comment: Rated by some as one of the top talents in the draft, Beach slipped to the Hawks after concerns of erratic behavior on and off the ice. Had 27 goals, 33 assists and 222 penalty minutes in the Western Hockey League despite playing with a sports hernia. “For our purposes he was the perfect fit,” Hawks GM Dale Tallon said.
Shawn Lalonde
3rd round, 68th overall
Position: D. Shoots: Right
Height/weight: 6-1, 175
Born: 3/10/90, Orleans, Ontario
2007-08 team: Belleville, OHL
Comment: The Hawks traded up to ensure they would get Lalonde, an offensive defenseman who patterns his game after Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. He had nine goals and 22 assists in 66 games in the Ontario Hockey League. “I like his wheels,” Tallon said. “He can really skate.”
Teigan Zahn
5th round, 132nd overall
Position: D. Shoots: Left
Height/weight: 6-1, 217
Born: 1/4/90, Regina, Saskatchewan
2007-08 team: Saskatoon, WHL
Comment: A blue-liner with good skating skills who also plays physical, Zahn had four goals, 15 assists and 104 penalty minutes in 69 games with Saskatoon. Tallon: “He has some toughness and he can skate.”
Jonathan Carlsson
6th round, 162nd overall
Position: D. Shoots: Right
Height/weight: 6-1, 198
Born: 8/5/88, Uppsala, Sweden
2007-08 team: Bjorkloven, Sweden
Comment: Carlsson is the fourth player the Hawks had ranked among their top 60 players to target in the draft. Tallon: “He’s a good puck-moving defenseman with good size.”
Ben Smith
6th round, 169th overall
Position: RW. Shoots: Right
Height/weight: 5-11, 195
Born: 7/11/88, Winston-Salem, N.C.
2007-08 team: Boston College
Comment: The only other forward of the Hawks’ selections, Smith had 18 goals and 20 assists in 36 games for Boston College. He’s expected to play at BC next season.
Braden Birch
6th round, 179th overall
Position: D. Shoots: Left
Height/weight: 6-3, 185
Born: 9/25/89, Hamilton, Ontario
2007-08 team: Oakville, OPJHL
Comment: Birch had a goal and six assists in 32 games with Oakville of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. “Birch is a big kid who’s going to go to school at Cornell,” Tallon said.
Joe Gleason
7th round, 192nd overall
Position: D. Shoots: Right
Height/weight: 5-9, 178
Born: 3/30/90, Edina, Minn.
2007-08 team: Edina High School
Comment: The recent high school graduate had six goals and 26 assists in 18 games at Edina High School and will go to college at North Dakota. Said Tallon: “He can really skate and carry the puck.”
