Incoming men's ice hockey forward Dustin Walsh '13 was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens during the 2009 NHL entry draft, held June 26-27. The 2009-2010 team will also include two other NHL draft picks, Mark Goggin '13, and Joe Stejskal '11, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
Walsh played for the Kingston Voyageurs, an Ontario Junior Hockey League team, while attending high school in Belleville, Ontario.
In 2008, he was on the NHL's Central Scouting Players to Watch list and was chosen to play in the Canadian Junior Hockey League's 2008 Top Prospects game for Team East.
Walsh was the 169th pick in the sixth round of the 2009 draft, according to the NHL website.
Walsh was roommates with future Dartmouth teammate and fellow Canadiens draft pick Stejskal at the Montreal Prospects Camp last week.
Stejskal, a junior defenseman from Grand Rapids, Minn., led his high school team to the state finals in both hockey and tennis two years in a row before being drafted by the Canadiens. Stejskal was chosen in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, the 133rd pick overall, according to the NHL web site.
Stejskal said he looks forward to playing with Walsh before entering the professional scene.
"[Walsh] is a good guy," Stejskal said. "I think that playing up in Montreal and then coming back here, we'll be able to know each other a little better."
Walsh's brother, Nick Walsh '12, is a forward for the Big Green. Goggin will also be joining his older brother, defenseman Connor Goggin '12, on next year's team.
Mark Goggin, who will play forward for the Big Green, was selected to play on the 2009 New England Prep School All-Star Team and in the USA Hockey's Select 15, 16 and 17 Festivals.
The Boston Bruins picked Goggin in the seventh round of the 2008 entry draft, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
Big Green head coach Bob Gaudet said that he is "very excited" for the upcoming season.Although the team lost three players to graduation, the team was relatively young and retained several talented players, he said.
The younger players should be capable of filling in the gaps left by graduating seniors, Stejeskal said.
"Whenever seniors leave the team you're going to miss them," he said. "But at the same time we're getting some pretty good players next year and we still have our core group of guys who have done well in the last couple years."
Associate Head Coach Dave Peters said he expects the incoming drafted players to improve in upcoming seasons.
"Both Walsh and Goggin have a high skill level, a good sense of the game, and an ability to get better," he said.
Peters said that Stejskal has improved since joining the Big Green and that he expects Stejskal to improve more in the future.
Stejskal's progress can be attributed to his commitment to the sport, Peters said.
"He is a very tough, hard-nosed competitor with a tremendous passion for the game," he added.
Gaudet said that he was impressed with the team's commitment to both training and schoolwork in the spring.
"These kids are here for an education, but they also want to excel athletically," he said.
Gaudet said he enjoys watching his players thrive in professional hockey after college, adding that six Dartmouth alumni played for the NHL last season.
Seeing Dartmouth players compete professionally makese him proud to be a part of the Dartmouth hockey program, Peters said.
"The fact that we had three players play for the NHL their first year out of college shows that not only our coaching staff but also our strength program helped develop them," he said.
