The New York Islanders kept everyone guessing, including John Tavares himself, right up until they made the high-scoring center the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft.

The Islanders chose Tavares, an 18-year-old junior star with the London Knights, with the first overall pick last night ahead of 6-foot-6, 220-pound Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, the top-ranked European prospect.

The Tampa Bay Lightning took Hedman and the Colorado Avalanche followed with forward Matt Duchene, the first three selections going as expected.

The Philadelphia Flyers made the biggest trade of the night by acquiring All-Star defenseman Chris Pronger from Anaheim in a multi-player trade.

Tavares, a 6-foot, 185-pound native of Oakville, Ont., led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals this season.

"He's an offensively gifted hockey player," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. "Whether it's shooting the puck or distributing it, he sees the puck at a different level than any other young player that I've seen in this draft."

VOLLEYBALL

U.S., STANLEY WIN

Clay Stanley, last year's MVP in the U.S. men's volleyball run to the Olympic gold medal, made his debut with the team this year and was outstanding from the serve line as the Americans beat China, 3-0, in a FIVB World League contest last night at San Jose, Calif.

The United States got all-around contributions to improve to 4-1 in Pool A.

Stanley played the final two sets in the 25-20, 25-19, 25-21 victory, getting three aces in the second set and scoring eight points overall.

SHORTS

NFL reviews Burress shooting: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has started his review of the Plaxico Burress shooting incident under the league's personal conduct policy. Goodell is examining the incident in which Burress shot himself in the thigh in late November in a New York City nightclub. The commissioner could suspend him if he finds that the receiver violated the NFL policy on personal conduct.

Sprint Cup qualifying rained out: A midafternoon downpour yesterday washed away NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying for tomorrow's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at Loudon, N.H. The field will be set by owner points, with series leader Tony Stewart starting from the pole despite crashing and having to move to a backup car in yesterday's opening practice.

Franchitti earns IRL pole: Dario Franchitti, a former IndyCar Series champion and 2007 race winner on the smallest oval in the series, won the pole position yesterday for tonight's SunTrust Indy Challenge at the 0.75-mile oval Richmond International Raceway in Virginia. Scott Dixon, Franchitti's Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, earned the outside spot on the front row.