With the 28th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers selected Brady Skjei (pronounced SHAY), a 6-foot-3, 200-pound defensman from Lakeville, Minn. The first-round selection posted a plus-10 rating during Team USA's gold medal run at the Under-18 World Championship. He has spent two years as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program, whose coach had this to say:
“His game has improved greatly, both offensively and defensively. He's a tremendous skater and a good example of a guy who understands the little nuances of playing defense. He's thrived in the [USNTDP] program and is a physical specimen; he's big and strong and has made great strides in learning how to play the game. His angling is good and he has put himself in a really good position moving forward in his career.”
