LOS ANGELES -- The Edmonton Oilers selected forward Taylor Hall with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft on Friday, finally ending a yearlong debate about the two best 18-year-old prospects in hockey.
The league-worst Oilers chose Hall over fellow OHL forward Tyler Seguin on Friday, making the toughest call at the top of a draft in several years.
"They're such a great franchise with so much history behind them," Hall said. "With the five [Stanley] Cups they won, it will mean a lot to me to join their organization and hopefully bring another one up there."
While Hall will go to a rebuilding club, the playoff-tested Boston Bruins eagerly grabbed Seguin moments later with the No. 2 pick.
Just the first round of the draft was scheduled for Staples Center on Friday. The final six rounds are today.
While the Los Angeles Kings hosted the draft, the Anaheim Ducks made the biggest splashes. Anaheim picked defenseman Cam Fowler with the 12th pick, grabbing a prospect expected to go much higher, and then drew a huge cheer from the crowd when they picked Long Beach native Emerson Etem with the 29th overall pick.
The New York Islanders traded up to take center Brock Nelson, a high-school player from Minnesota, with the 30th and final choice of the first round.
