5 things learned from Day 2 of NHL Draft

VANCOUVER --Arthur Kaliyev arrived at Rogers Arena for the second day of the 2019 NHL Draft hoping to know what his NHL future held.

The forward from Hamilton of the Ontario Hockey League, No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, had expected to be selected during the first round Friday, but he didn't need to wait long Saturday to find out where he was headed. He was chosen by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round at No. 33, the second pick of the day.
"This feels unreal," Kaliyev said. "It was a very special moment. I'm really proud to be with the L.A. Kings."
RELATED: [Complete 2019 NHL Draft coverage]
Kaliyev, who was the only draft-eligible Canadian Hockey League player with at least 50 goals and 50 assists, likely will spend at least one more season with Hamilton. He will focus on improving his game and proving teams who passed on him wrong.
"It was hard (Friday), but I think I'm just going to try to prove those teams made a mistake and try to be the best that I can," said Kaliyev, who had 102 points (51 goals, 51 assists) in 67 games.

Here are four other things we learned during Day 2 of the draft:

NTDP makes more history

The USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team continued to have a major presence. A record 17 players were selected from the program over the two days. The previous mark was 13 (in 2006 and 2007), which also had been the record for most players selected from any team in one draft; the NTDP had shared that record with Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League (1974).
"We had a ton of success this past year with our team and that definitely contributes to it," said defenseman Alex Vlasic, who was chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (No. 43). "We had an incredible amount of talented players on our team and we're all so close. I think that's why we did so well this year."

Eight players were chosen in the first round Friday, breaking the previous mark of three, which had been done seven times (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018).
Vlasic was the first of nine selected Saturday, followed by defenseman Drew Helleson to the Colorado Avalanche at No. 47, also in the second round.
Defenseman Domenick Fensore was chosen by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round (No. 90). In the fourth round, defenseman Henry Thrun was selected by the Anaheim Ducks (No. 101), and defenseman Case McCarthy went to the New Jersey Devils (No. 118). In the fifth round, center Owen Lindmark was picked by the Florida Panthers (No. 137), and forward Judd Caulfield was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins (No. 145). In the sixth round, forward Patrick Moynihan was selected by the Devils (No. 158) and defenseman Marshall Warren went to the Minnesota Wild (No. 166).
"From what I saw, the way they really are teammates and friends first and foremost, and they push each other," USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher said. "They push each other in a great competitive way and in a great environment. They genuinely care for each other and want to see each other get better."

Busy day on trade front

After there were no trades involving NHL players in the first round, teams were extremely active Saturday.
The biggest move was defenseman P.K. Subban going to the New Jersey Devils from the Nashville Predators for defenseman Steven Santini, defenseman prospect Jeremy Davies, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft (traded to the Philadelphia Flyers) and a second-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Also moving was forward Patrick Marleau, who was traded to the Hurricanes by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carolina also received a conditional first-round pick and seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft; Toronto received a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
And forward J.T. Miller was sent to the Vancouver Canucks by the Tampa Bay Lightning for goalie Marek Mazanec, a third-round pick that was used to select Swedish goalie Hugo Alnefelt, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2020 draft.

Another chance

Several players took advantage of their second or third chances at the 2019 draft.
Forward Brett Leason from Prince Albert of the Western Hockey League was selected in the second round (No. 56) by the Washington Capitals after being passed over the previous two years in the draft.
"I just persevered, battled through it and never game up the game," Leason said. "Committed every single day, tried to get better and it happened to turn into what it turned into."
Earlier Saturday, he won the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, which is presented by NHL Central Scouting to the candidate who best exemplifies the commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.
Other players selected after being passed over previously included forward Samuel Fagemo from Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League, who went to the Kings in the second round (No. 50); defenseman John Ludvig from Portland of the WHL, picked by the Florida Panthers in the third round (No. 69); and defenseman Ronald Attard from Tri-City of the United States Hockey League, drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round (No. 72).

Hurricanes fill pipeline

Carolina made an NHL-high 12 selections, including 11 on Saturday.
The Hurricanes started entered the draft with 10 picks but ended up with 12 after making two trades. They sent a second-round pick (No. 37) in this year's draft to the Ottawa Senators for a second-round selection (No. 44) and a third-round choice (No. 83), and sent a second-round pick (No. 59) to the Wild for a third-round selection (No. 73) and a fourth-rounder (No. 99).
"We felt like we had a lot of guys on our list we liked, so we wanted to add a few picks as we went along so we traded down," Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said. "That's something we wanted to look at coming in and we were able to do it. ... The more swings you get, the more chances you have at getting some hits."