Halifax Mooseheads centreman Nathan MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Colorado Avalanche this afternoon at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in Newark, New Jersey. MacKinnon scored 32 goals and added 43 assists in just 44 regular season games with Halifax this year. The speedy Cole Harbour sniper also racked up 33 points in 17 games en route to a QMJHL championship and Memorial Cup victory. 

MacKinnon is the second Cole Harbour hockey player to be drafted first overall by an NHL team in the past decade. In 2005, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected Rimouski Oceanic centre Sidney Crosby with their first round pick.

Ryan Graves of the Charlottetown Islanders was the second Nova Scotian drafted today. The Yarmouth defenceman was selected 110th overall by the New York Rangers in the fourth round. Graves put up 3 goals, 13 assists and 90 PIMS for the QMJHL PEI franchise in 68 games during the regular season.

The Halifax centre will join former Mooseheads J-S Giguere and Alex Tanguay in Colorado.

MacKinnon wasn’t the only Halifax Moosehead to go in the early rounds today. Teammate Jonathan Drouin was taken 3rd overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Halifax goaltender Zachary Fucale went 36th overall to the Montreal Canadiens.

Hockey Nova Scotia would like to congratulate Nathan on this historic day. He has made the entire Nova Scotia hockey community very proud.