BUFFALO — Forget The Big Three.
With so many American- and European-born prospects filling out the start of the draft board, there was legitimate concern that a Canadian-born player would get shutout of the top five for the first time since 1999.
Then the Columbus Blue Jackets surprised everyone. They selected Pierre-Luc Dubois, of St. Agathe-des-Mont, Que., with the third overall pick.
“Canada is a really huge hockey country. They have a lot of good players in Canada, so representing the country like this means a lot to me,” said Dubois, who at one point thought he might drop all the way to the Montreal Canadiens at No.