Jake Gardiner fits into Ducks’ plans

Jake Gardiner is a Minnesota boy through and through.

A star at Minnetonka High and the best prep player in the Twin Cities this school year, the 17-year-old also grew up rooting for the hometown Wild and was not a happy camper when the Ducks eliminated them in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs.

He also knows how to switch allegiances.

“That was pretty upsetting, but now it’s a great feeling that they won the Cup,” said Gardiner, whom the Ducks took Friday with the 17th pick of the first round. “It’s such a great organization. They like to win and they do it a lot.”

Gardiner called Friday “the best day of my life” and said he had an inkling the Ducks would pick him after meeting with team officials in the morning.

“Right when that pick came up, I said, ‘Here it is,’ ” he said. “Those guys looked up at me and they smirked at me. I kind of knew from there.”

Having watched Scott Niedermayer lead his team to the top of the NHL the last three years, Ducks General Manager Brian Burke grabbed Gardiner after trading down from the No. 12 spot because of a common attribute the two players share: speed.

The only prep taken in the first round, Gardiner is considered to be one of the best players in the entire draft.

“The No. 1 thing is can he skate well enough at the NHL level?” Burke said. “If he can’t, it doesn’t matter how hard his shot is.”

On Saturday, the Ducks continued to stockpile young players down the line for an organization that’s thin on top prospects.

With two second-round picks they got from Phoenix in a trade for the 28th overall selection, the Ducks selected centers Nicolas Deschamps and Eric O’Dell at Nos. 35 and 39 respectively. Four picks later, they went for defenseman Justin Schultz.

Six other players were taken. The Ducks used their three third-round picks on left wing Josh Brittain, goaltender Marco Cousineau and center Brandon McMillan and went heavy on defense, taking Ryan Hegarty in the fourth, Stefan Warg in the fifth and Nick Pryor in the seventh.

“We’re very happy with the players we drafted today,” said Alain Chainey, the Ducks’ director of amateur scouting. “They’re still young and have things to improve upon, but we feel really strongly about this group.”

The focus will certainly be on Gardiner, who is set to attend Wisconsin in the fall.

Gardiner said he figures to play for the Badgers for at least two years and Burke said it would be a major surprise if he was ready to turn pro any earlier than that.

But Burke also believes he scored on a player he considers in the Niedermayer mold in a draft full of skilled defensemen after trying in vain to put together deals to get up within the top five picks.

“I think a lot of teams missed on this young player,” Burke said. “This kid fit our psychological profile to a T.”

Gardiner was a forward at Minnetonka until his coach, Troy Jutting, asked him to move to defense in order to take full advantage of his puck-moving skills.

“It worked for me and it’s been great ever since,” Gardiner said.

There was more news outside of the draft.

Niedermayer’s decision to either play next season – the last on his contract with the Ducks – or head into retirement could come soon as he and wife, Lisa, welcomed their fourth child, Luke Scott, on Friday.

Burke also brought on board former Vancouver General Manager Dave Nonis as a senior advisor. Nonis, who was at the Ducks’ draft table, succeeded Burke as GM for the last three seasons after working as his right-hand man when Burke ran the team from 1998 to 2004.

Nonis was fired by the Canucks on April 15 and had interviewed for the Toronto vacancy, where there is rampant speculation that Burke will ultimately wind up with the Maple Leafs after his contract with the Ducks ends next season.

“He’s held one of the top jobs in the game,” Burke said. “I know he’s skilled. Plus, we’re good friends. He gets our system.

“There’s no orientation here. He’s sitting at the table and he’s recommending deals. I also think he’ll be back in the saddle. His contract allows him to leave at any time.”

Nonis, 42, is signed for only this season.

“He’s keeping his options open,” Burke said. “This is a guy that I don’t think will be with us more than a year. To me, to add that kind of experience, even for a short time, is a great thing.”

 eric.stephens@latimes.com