Toronto made a deal, moving up two spots in the draft following a trade with the New York Islanders, to select Western Hockey League defenseman Luke Schenn with the No. 5 pick.

“The top four defensemen are all special and we knew we had to act,” Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher said.

In all, 10 of the first 20 players selected were defensemen, and 12 overall.

The run on defense was expected in what was considered one of the deepest group of blue-liners to enter the same draft.

The Kings started it by selecting Drew Doughty (OHL Guelph) with the No. 2 pick. St. Louis, at No. 4, drafted defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (OHL Niagara).

Columbus, with the sixth pick, took a chance and chose top-ranked European prospect Nikita Filatov. NHL teams have shied away from Russians in fear they might not play in North America because of the lack of a transfer agreement.

Filatov, however, has vowed he’ll play in the NHL, and even committed to joining the Canadian Junior Hockey League if he doesn’t make a big league roster.

“I’m prepared to do whatever Columbus asks me to do, and if that means playing juniors for a year, I will do that,” Filatov said.

The most emotional moment occurred when the Vancouver Canucks paid tribute to rookie defenseman Luc Bourdon, who died in a motorcycle crash last month. Then they selected center Cody Hodgson (OHL Brampton) with the No. 10 pick.

MORE FROM NHL

NHL Section Front

Blackhawks slip past Canucks Breaking down the perfect NHL player Red Wings' Kronwall out 4-8 weeks with knee injury Live odds Matchups/Injuries Vote: Who will win the Stanley Cup? Rotoworld: Latest NHL player news, rumors, more Team-by-team transactions Full coverage of every team   Slideshow: Check out Ice Girls from around league NHL Section Front   Add NHL headlines to your news reader: