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NHL DRAFT

June 25, 2010

Erik Gudbranson

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Q. (No microphone.)
ERIK GUDBRANSON: He's got unbelievable experience. He's, you know, he's really turned me into a pro. That's what he's done. He's shown me every single little tid bit that he could to bring me to this level and help me to be who I am right now.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I talked to him before, actually. He tried to spoil it for me, and I told him to leave it alone.

Q. Do you think you can step into the Panthers lineup next year.
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I do. It's where I want to be, it's where I've set my goal. I've got to work on my hands and put on some weight, but I think I can play at the NHL level next year.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: It's absolutely huge. With what myself and my family have been through with the hardships of my brother and whatnot, this is definitely a high point in our lives. As much for me as my family, my teammates, I can't thank them enough. I consider them part of my family, absolutely.

Q. What did Dennis say to you when your name was called?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: He said -- Geez, what did he say? I think he said I stepped on his toe, to be honest with you. Something crazy like that. But, yeah, he was really happy.

Q. How about your folks?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I've never been squeezed so hard by my dad to be honest with you. My mom was ecstatic. My dad broke down into tears. I could hear him. It was a great feeling and something I'm never going to forget.

Q. Is there an element (Indiscernible)?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I feel that I did my research on their team. I felt that Dmitry Kulikov there, I feel like I could be a good compliment to him on the back end. The real attraction was having Dale Tallon there, seeing what he did with the Chicago Blackhawks and winning the Stanley Cup and building that team from scratch.
I'm really excited to be a Florida panther now, and I feel this is a team that's going in the right direction. So there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be here.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I do. I feel that it starts now. We're going to build up and turn into a force in the NHL in the next few years.

Q. What was that meeting like yesterday?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I think they like to keep the element of surprise. I didn't know, actually, until I actually got selected. It was a very serious interview, but Dale Tallon kept it very loose. I walked in and acted as myself, and I think they appreciated that.

Q. Were you aware that Keith Ballard was traded today and that would create an extra spot on Florida's defense, a potential job to be won?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: Yeah, absolutely. I did hear about that right before I came here. It's not that players are leaving. I'm going to go there and come meet with the guys that are there if I have to go there and compete to beat anybody, I will.
[SPEAKING FRENCH]

Q. I just wondered when you go third overall and the Florida Panthers. You talked about how you did your homework, you seemed to have a defensive pairing in mind. It seems like for you you'll be in the NHL next year?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: I think that I can make it. I really do. It's all based on hard work and what I put in this summer. Certainly there is a big option that I do go back to Kingston, but my goal has been set for a long time that I wanted to be an NHLer at the age of 18.
So whether I went to the Panthers or anywhere else, I was going to make a vie to make it. I did watch as many panther games as I could this year, and I'm a good compliment to Dmitry Kulikov today.

Q. Is there a motivation to say, hey, number three is going to be impactful player in the NHL?
ERIK GUDBRANSON: Yeah, absolutely. It's a Top-5 pick. It's a very high pick, and I'm extremely honored to be here.

End of FastScripts

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