On this date in Penguins history: Pens deal Jordan Staal during 2012 NHL Draft

The draft was held here in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena.

Twelve years ago today, the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft was held here in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena.

It was the second time the draft was held in Pittsburgh, previously hosting the 1997 Draft at Civic Arena.

Nail Yakupov was taken first overall in the draft.

The Penguins made a splash when they traded Jordan Staal and made two selections during the first-round of the draft.

The weeks and days leading up to the draft were filled with speculation about Staal’s future with the Penguins and that speculation came to roost during the draft when Gary Bettman knew how to stoke the flames of the crowd with the infamous words “We have a trade to announce....”

Staal was set to become an unrestricted free agent and then-GM Ray Shero pulled off some good business in getting a haul of a return in the deal.

The Penguins traded Staal to Carolina, receiving the #8 overall pick, Brandon Sutter, and Brian Dumoulin.

During the draft hosted in Pittsburgh, the Penguins selected the following players:

• Derrick Pouliot
• Olli Maatta
• Teddy Blueger
• Oskar Sundqvist
• Matt Murray
• Matia Marcantuoni
• Sean Maguire
• Clark Seymour
• Anton Zlobin

Between Olli Maatta and Matt Murray, the 2012 Draft was a big one for the Penguins as the two players would play huge roles in the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup runs.