Phillips' teammates Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu were both selected earlier in the draft. He also became the second New Brunswicker taken as Drummondville’s Sean Couturier was taken eight overall.
This was where a lot of draft experts had Phillips going roughly. He was ranked ninth by The Hockey News, 15th by Central Scouting, 24th by Puck Prospectus, 28th by TSN, and 34th by International Scouting Services.
Phillips’ rights were acquired by Saint John during the 2009 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from the Lewiston Maineiacs. The Fredericton native would sign with the Sea Dogs later that summer.
In his rookie year, Phillips tallied 16 goals and 28 assists in 65 regular season games. He scored another two goals and four assists 21 playoff games.
Last season, like his teammate Jonathan Huberdeau, Phillips more than doubled his offensive totals by recording 38 goals and 57 assists in 67 games. In the post-season he added nine goals and 15 assists in 17 games. He played well at the Memorial Cup despite battling a shoulder injury and will always be remembered as the player who scored the Cup winning goal.
The Wild finished last season with a record 39-35-8, finishing 12th in the Western Conference.
More on the draft later…
Photo Credit: CBC
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