The St. Louis Blues selected David Rundblad with the 17th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. While maybe a bit confusing of a pick at the time, it wasn’t completely outlandish. Rundblad was seen as a smooth, two-way defenseman that could bless the Blues defense in just a few years. His breaking into the SHL (then the SEL) the year before the Draft really solidified this. At only 18-years-old, Rundblad was a lock in Sweden’s top league.
Headed into the ‘09 Draft, he ranked sixth among European skaters on the Central Scouting Services’ Final Rankings.