Right wing Nail Yakupov became only the third Russian to be selected first overall in the National Hockey League Draft when he was taken by the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.
Yakupov, who played last year for the Sarnia Sting junior team in Canada, became the third of his countrymen to take the top spot after landmark 2001 top pick Ilya Kovakchuk and 2004 selection Alex Ovechkin.
Columbus chose Canadian defenseman Ryan Murray with the second pick and the Montreal Canadiens followed by selecting center Alex Galchenyuk, Yakupov's American teammate at Sarnia.
Yakupov and Galchenyuk became only the fourth set of teammates taken among the top three picks in the NHL Draft. It is the first time it has happened since Swedish brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin of Modo were taken second and third in 1999.
Source: AFP American Edition
