With the eleventh pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, the Colorado Avalanche select defenseman Duncan Siemens from the Western Hockey League. Siemens is a very physical defender, in the mold of former Devil Scott Stevens. The Avalanche took Siemens over Ryan Murphy, who many thought would be gone many picks ago.
From Hockey Prospectus:
The physically-gifted Duncan Siemens is one of the youngest prospects in the 2011 draft class, just being a few days removed from being a 2012 candidate. He's a pro-level skater who moves at an above-average level for a big defender. His mobility is very notable which lets him jump up into the offensive zone and recover very easily. He measures in at around 6'3", 195 lbs. and uses every inch of that frame regularly when he's on the ice, ravishing in the physical element of the game and making opponents wary of him when the puck gets along the sideboards. The frame is still a little thin and he needs to fill out, and despite how much he engages in the physical element he still loses more battles than he should, but once he bulks up in the gym that problem should sort itself out. Duncan's puck skills are fringe and while he does try to hold onto the puck he looks awkward while doing so. His passing ability is decent and he will be able to execute breakouts fine at the next level. His offense at the WHL came mainly from his hard slapper and what he was able to generate off his skating ability on the rush, however I'm not very confident he's going to put up counting numbers in the NHL because of his lack of ability with the puck.
From here on out we will be recapping the selections in groups.