The Minnesota Wild obviously didn't want to miss out on Brett Bulmer.
On Saturday morning, the Wild made Bulmer the 39th overall pick in the National Hockey League entry draft. The Prince George minor hockey graduate wasn't expected to have his name called until late in the second round or early in the third round. Instead, the Wild snapped him up just nine picks into the second.
Bulmer, an 18-year-old right winger who plays for the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets, said he wasn't surprised he went as high as he did.
"I thought I'd go for sure in the second round," said Bulmer, who was born and raised in Prince George.
"I was happy. I'm relieved that it's over with. I know my team now and can move forward with it."
In its final set of pre-draft rankings, NHL Central Scouting had Bulmer sitting at No. 65 among North American skaters. On the mid-season list, he was No. 164.
See Monday's Citizen for more.