TRAVERSE CITY -- The Traverse City North Stars are in the enviable position of not having any glaring needs, which makes drafting all that much easier.
Coach and general manager Anthony Palumbo used his three picks in Wednesday's North American Hockey League draft on who he had as his best players available, selecting a forward in the first round and defensemen in the fourth and fifth rounds.
"It protects us on the defensive side from losing some guys to the USHL, which could happen," Palumbo said. "And up front it gives us a skilled scorer."
The North Stars selected Indiana Jr. Ice winger Taylor Burden with their first-round selection.
Burden led his midget-major team with 30 goals and 45 assists in 53 contests. The 6-foot, 170-pounder was a also draft choice of the USHL's Indiana Ice. Palumbo said Burden could make an impact on TC's offense.
Palumbo picked two blueliners later on, selecting Nilan Nagy of the Pittsburgh Predators and Lansing Capitals defender Trevor Campbell.
"Nilan is a big, strong kid who moves the puck well," Palumbo said. "We didn't have a lot of holes to fill, but these three picks can help us."
Palumbo will get an in-depth look at tenders, picks and recently-acquired defender Rodney LaLonde at the club's first summer camp June 6-8 at Centre ICE arena.
The Stars traded their second-round pick to Kenai River for LaLonde, and their third-rounder to St. Louis to complete last year's Travis White deal.
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