Jets' first pick in NHL draft an 'elite hockey player'

Kyle Connor, center, puts on a Winnipeg Jets sweater after being chosen 17th overall during the first round of the NHL hockey draft, Friday, June 26, 2015, in Sunrise, Fla.SUNRISE, Fla. – Full disclosure: when it comes to Kyle Connor – the Winnipeg Jets first pick in the 2015 NHL draft – Anthony Noreen is more than a bit biased.

Yes, not only was Noreen there with Connor when they called out his name 17th overall Friday night at the BB&T Center, he was there watching him develop into a star as the GM and head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.

"He’s an elite hockey player and he’s an elite person," said Noreen in an interview with The Free Press. "I’ve had the luxury of coaching…