DRAFT PICKS OF NOTE

Jake Gardiner, 6-1, 175, Minnetonka High School. The 17th player selected in the first round, Gardiner is a speedy defenseman who made the switch from forward only a year ago. Bound for the University of Wisconsin, where he is expected to spend at least the next two seasons, Gardiner ranked third in scoring among all Minnesota blue-liners with 43 points, including 16 goals, and was a finalist for the state's Mr. Hockey award.

Nicolas Deschamps, 6-0, 173, Canada. A lightly regarded center at the outset of the season, Deschamps improved his stock steadily while totaling 24 goals and 67 points in 70 games for Chicoutimi of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. While some had Deschamps ticketed as a first-round selection, the Ducks got him with the fifth pick in the second round.

Eric O'Dell, 6-0, 174, Canada. After playing junior "A" hockey in Cumberland, Ontario until Christmas, O'Dell jumped to the Ontario Hockey League and put up 32 points, including 14 goals, in 28 games for Sudbury. A center with strong playmaking and puck stills, O'Dell was a second-round pick, 39th overall.

Justin Schultz, 6-1, 163, Canada. A defenseman bound for the University of Wisconsin in 2009, Schultz was a second-round pick, 43rd overall. An offensive-oriented blue-liner who played in the junior "A" British Columbia Hockey League last season, Schultz had nine goals and 40 points in 57 games for Westside.

FREE AGENT FOCUS
Still waiting on a decision from unrestricted free-agent right wing Teemu Selanne on whether he would like to return for a 15th NHL season, the Ducks signed former Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Morrison to anchor their second line and added blue-line depth by signing veteran defenseman Steve Montador away from the Florida Panthers. Unrestricted free-agent defenseman Joe DiPenta left the Ducks to play next season with Frolunda of the Swedish elite league.

PLAYER NOTES

--C Brendan Morrison left the Vancouver Canucks to sign a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Ducks, who are counting on him to anchor their second line. Morrison is coming off surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, but anticipates being ready for training camp.

--D Steve Montador, who broke into the NHL with the Calgary Flames in 2001-02, left the Florida Panthers to sign a one-year, free-agent contract worth $800,000. Montador figures to compete for duty on Anaheim's third defense pair.

--C Logan MacMillan, Anaheim's first-round selection in the 2007 NHL entry draft, agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract that includes $262,500 in signing-bonus money and a $787,500 annual salary if he plays at the NHL level. MacMillan, 19, retains junior eligibility and is likely to return to Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League next season.

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