DRAFT: WOLVES STAYING REGIONAL

Canadian National Gardens (Thunder Bay, ON, Canada)- After picking defenseman Alex Pietrangelo with the fourth overall pick in this 2008 CCHL Entry Draft, the Timberwolves have picked their last four from just south of Thunder Bay.

--Literally going the opposite direction from the six-foot-three, two-hundred-six pound Pietrangelo, in the second round (31st overall) the Wolves drafted the five-foot-ten, one-hundred-fifty-seven pound Aaron Ness (pictured) from the high school ranks of northern Minnesota.

--Don't let the size of this defenseman fool you. Ness more than dominated his competition with the puck in high school.

--"We're not worried about his size at all," said GM Blake Wendt. "He'll never be that guy clearing the net for you. But not every defenseman is anyway. He's only eighteen and has room to grow. We expect that he'll bulk up when he gets down to the University of Minnesota this fall. The skill and heart is why we drafted Aaron Ness. I've personally watched him in person a few times, and was absolutely amazed with his skillset. He is one of the best skating and puck handling players I've ever seen. He will be a big time player in the CCHL sometime."

--In the "Bonus Round" of the Draft the Wolves picked forward Danny Kristo (51st overall) from the USA Hockey Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

--According to many scouts around the league, Kristo is a very skilled player with a very high hockey IQ. In high school, the Hastings, Minnesota native led all freshman in the state in points. He took that with him to the USTDP and seen his production flurish. Kristo will be playing for the USHL's Omaha Lancers this fall, before heading to the Univerity of North Dakota in 2009.

--With their first (63rd overall) of four third round selections, the Wolves took their third Minnesota native, and second out of high school by taking Shattuck St. Mary's centre, Derek Stepan. Stepan had ninety-one points in fifty-four games. He will be attending the University of Wisconsin next season.

--With the sixty-sixth overall pick in the third round, the Wolves took Stepan's teammate at Shattuck, David Toews. Toews had one-hundred points in fifty-one games for the Sabres. Like Danny Kristo, Toews will also be attending the University of North Dakota.