The St. Louis Blues went to a Swedish Elite team to pick defenseman David Rundblad with the 17th overall selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The 18 year old was ranked high on the Blues draft board.
On the NHL Network’s coverage of the draft, Blues president John Davidson said he kept sliding down further and further and when he was available, they picked him. He said the Blues are very happy with this pick.
Rundblad, is a native of Lycksele, Sweden. At 17 he played well picking up 10 assists in 45 games. He spent 10 games with the junior team this season, scoring 15 points including 8 goals. He told the NHL Network that the biggest difference between the NHL and Swedish Elite League will be the speed of the game.