With their second selection in the 2013 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators went with another defenseman, choosing Jonathan-Ismael Diaby of the Victoriaville Tigers, from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. And just as Seth Jones, their 1st-round selection, boasts an athletic pedigree, so too does Diaby:
Much has been made of Seth Jones’ background as an American who grew up with a basketball-playing father, but Victoriaville’s Jonathan Diaby may have him beat: his father was a pro soccer player in Africa, making Diaby an NHL prospect whose lineage comes from the Ivory Coast nation.
— Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News
The pick to choose Diaby came as part of the Anders Lindback trade to Tampa Bay last year, and it appears to have paid off with another blueliner to help restock the prospect system:
Opinions are all over the map on Diaby as his size and toughness will probably make him coveted in more than a few draft circles… Really tries to play a simple game as he lacks the decision making and polish to involve himself in the offensive game… Skates well for a big player and brings a toughness and physicality that could see him turn out to be a better player than some (including us) expect.
He does have a reputation for physical play and a willingness to fight, as seen here. Watch as he steps up to defend a teammate who was on the receiving end of a leg whip by Samuel Noreau: