Jarred Tinordi, drafted 22th overall by the Montreal Canadiens, poses on stage during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at Staples Center on June 25, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
They traded up five places in the NHL entry draft so the Montreal Canadiens could land one of the biggest names out there.
It was Jarred Tinordi, son of former NHL defenceman Mark Tinordi, who played a dozen years in the league as one of the toughest rearguards of his generation.
Tinordi has some of those qualities in his own personal make-up. The Hockey News described him as a player who excels when playing "a physical, nasty pass-first game," but struggles when he handles the puck.
He draws comparisons to Calgary Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr - and if he ever reaches that level, the Canadiens will have a reliable stay-at-home defender for a decade or more.
Tinordi said he had an inkling that he might go to Montreal, when they traded up, because his advisers had told them he was high on their list.
What did his father tell him it would take to get to the next level?
"It's tough; he told me it's tough to get there and it's tough to stay there," Tinordi said. "You've got to have some guts. Some times, you have to sacrifice a little. It's tough to play [in the NHL]"
"I try to be big and physical and tough to play against. Whether it's fighting, or playing the body, or playing tough in front of the net, I try to play that way.
Tinordi played the past two years for the United States national development team. He is 6 foot 5 and 205 pounds and will either end up at Notre Dame University, where he has made a verbal commitment, or to the London Knights, who own his OHL rights.
To get the No. 22 pick from the Phoenix Coyotes, the Canadiens traded away their own first-rounder (27th overall), plus the 52nd-overall choice. Montreal also landed the 113th-overall pick in the deal.