Even in an NHL entry draft deep in top-end defenseman, Jake Gardiner gave the Anaheim Ducks a good reason to take him.

Impressive speed made Gardiner, an incoming freshman for the University of Wisconsin, an intriguing first-round target on Friday, and the Ducks took a chance on him with the 17th overall pick.

"This kid skates like the wind," Ducks general manager Brian Burke told TSN shortly after announcing the pick at the podium in Ottawa. "We think he's going to fill out. ... This is the guy we were honing in on. We traded down because we thought we could get him here, but we're very happy about this."

Gardiner, 6-foot and 173 pounds, was the eighth defenseman picked in the first round, and he went ahead of five defensemen that were higher in the final NHL Central Scouting Service rankings.

Teams value unteachable skills like speed, and that Gardiner is gifted with it gave teams reason to select him as a project. Gardiner is only a year removed from a switch to defense from forward, and that transition will have to be accelerated at Wisconsin.

Gardiner, a Deephaven, Minn., native who will move to college directly from the high school level, drew a comparison to 19-year NHL veteran and former St. Cloud State player Brett Hedican from Central Scouting's Jack Barzee.

"He's an easy player to like," Barzee said.

Gardiner is the fifth player connected to the Badgers selected in the first round over the last four seasons, joining Jack Skille (Chicago, 2005), Kyle Turris (Phoenix, 2007), Ryan McDonagh (Montreal, 2007) and Brendan Smith (Detroit, 2007).

UW sophomore-to-be Cody Goloubef also was a potential first-round pick, but he wasn't one of the 12 defensemen chosen among the 30 first-round selections.

Besides Gardiner and Goloubef, the Badgers had eight players or recruits listed in the final Central Scouting rankings.

And it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Badgers could have four players selected in the second round when the draft resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Goloubef, who started to emerge as a dependable defenseman late in his freshman season with the Badgers, was ranked 34th by Central Scouting.

Justin Schultz, a defenseman who is projected to join the Badgers in 2009, was 38th in the CSS rankings. Center Derek Stepan, who will start at UW this season, was No. 58. Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, a 2009 recruit, was 77th in the CSS rankings, but McKeen's Hockey had him ranked 41st.

Another handful of players connected to UW are potential lower-round picks Saturday.

Forward Tyler Barnes was 114th in the Central Scouting domestic rankings, with forward Jordy Murray 173rd, forward Brock Montpetit 199th and defenseman Nick Pryor 208th. Murray is joining the Badgers for the 2008-09 season; Barnes, Montpetit and Pryor are projected to arrive in 2009.

Aaron Crandall was ranked 24th among domestic goaltenders by Central Scouting. Incoming freshman forward Matt Thurber was left off the Central Scouting lists but is eligible to be drafted.