sentences:  Several regular players who were involved with the 1996 World Cup of Hockey tournament were scheduled to report to camp late.The New Jersey Devils were 10th in order of selection at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, held June 22, 1996, in St. Louis.In a move interpreted to be an affirmation of their commitment to a defense-first philosophy, the Devils chose 6–3, 195-pound Lance Ward of the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels, who had not been ranked anywhere near the tenth seed to observers, with their first pick.