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Predators select Kevin Fiala with the 11th overall pick at NHL Draft

REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk

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With the eleventh overall pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the Nashville Predators selected gamebreaking Swiss forward Kevin Fiala.

Fiala spent some of the 2013-14 campaign with HV71 of the SHL, where he was historically productive. Among under-18 players who played in the SHL, Fiala's points-per-game rate ranks second in history behind only Peter Forsberg.

Fiala was also dominant early in the season playing in the SuperElit league, where he was roughly a point-per-game player scoring 10 goals and adding 15 helpers in 27 games. He was promoted to the SHL later in the season and saw his roll gradually expand, until he was playing top-six minutes during HV71's playoff run.

Fiala is a gifted playmaker, with excellent puck-handling abilities and off-the-charts hockey IQ. While he's undersized, he's gritty and extremely difficult to bump off the puck, though his play without the puck will require improvement before he makes an impact at the NHL level.

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