Five Years Later: 2006 HFNHL draft reviews

[Dempsey]

Five years after the 2006 HFNHL Draft, it's time to review how things went down.

For the LA Kings:

Round 1, 7th overall: Derick Brassard
Round 2, 37th overall: Alexander Vasyunov
Round 3, 81st overall: Brad Marchand
Round 3, 89th overall: Harrison Reed
Round 4, 109th overall: Adam Perry
Round 4, 110th overall: Jonas Junland

Brassard still has 60-point upside and was a decent pick, considering the players taken after him.

Vasyunov has played some NHL games with the Devils, but was shipped out in a deal with the Flyers a year ago.

Marchand is now a household name after the stanley cup playoffs he had with Boston.

Reed wasn't good enough to overcome his small size. Perry was nowhere close to his brother and went undrafted.

Junland we still have hopes for, he was excellent in the AHL at a young age and when he went back to Sweden a year ago he did say his goal was to come back (but probably with an organization where he'd get a better shot to crack an NHL lineup.)

Click to read more...

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

For the Blues;

Round 1 - 29th overall: Chris Summers
Has made a slow steady ascent to pro hockey after 4 years at Michigan and had a solid rookie season in the AHL. Is a sure-fire NHLer for years to come, although he will never light it up offensively. Solid, but unspectacular pick, as expected.

Round 2 - 31st overall: Ben Maxwell
Has made several appearances in the NHL after proving all he needs to at the AHL level as an allstar. got a fresh start in Atlanta and will get a long-look with Winnipeg this season. Likely a Chris Kelly type if he can find a permanent place in the NHL.

Round 2: 42nd overal: Dennis Persson
Seemed like a total bust out of the gate, but has really come around in the last year to become a very solid AHLer after a few years in NA. Still, will be a depth player if he cracks the NHL, which is no sure thing. Blues traded him as the principal piece in acquiring Marco Sturm this season.

Round 2: 48th overall: Cody Burki
Total bust.

Round 3: 71st overall: Jhonas Enroth
Been in NA for many years and has proven all that he needs to at the AHL level. Buffalo used him as Miller's back-up last year via call-up in place of Lalime, and he should be the full-time back-up this season. Still has NHL starter upside.

Round 3: 79th overall: Derrick LaPoint
His four years just completed at North Dakota, LaPoint remains a suspect more than a blue chipper. Whether he can carve a role in the AHL remains to be seen. Not huge upside, but is big and had has decent puck skills.

Round 4: 111th overall: Timo Seppanen
A rough and tumble defender who has an excellent pro in Europe, just doesn't seem inclined to come over. Just signed with TPS in the SEL, and it is doubtful he will ever come to NA, although possible.

Round 5: 141st overall: Jan Mursak
A substantial steal for the Blues, as Mursak has already earned the Red Wings brass' confidence with several call-up to the 4th line this year in the NHL. Has speed, scoring ability and has learned two-way play through a few years in Grand Rapids. Another Filpulla?

Round 6: 168th overall: Matt Caria
A solid CHLer who couldn't take his offensive game ot the pro level. Bust.

Round 7: 200th overall: Joe Grimaldi
A sentimental pick by the GM, who loved his ferocity with the 67's. But undersized to play that type of game at the pro level.

While no super stars came out of this draft for the Blues, the team does has four players who will most certainly contribute in the years ahead in Summers, Maxwell, Enroth and Mursak. It's unlikely Persson, Seppanen or LaPoint will amount to NHL contributors, but one of them might crack the NHL at some point.

Overall, landing 4-5 NHL players in one draft is all a GM can ask, so quite pleased with this draft class.

LAST YEAR: The Blues landed 5 NHLer's from 2005 draft as well (Latendresse, Cogliano, Bartulis, Mikkelson and Boll).

NEXT YEAR GLIMPSE: A small class of just six players, but another excellent class with what looks like four future NHLers out of those six (Eller, Cole, Brennan & Goncharov) with Lucenius still potentially to come over as well.

 

[MatthewFlames]

Calgary Flames

Round 1: 14th Overall Ondrej Fiala Fresh off a knee surgery I still had high hopes that his flash and dash would be preserved. However another knee injury at the start of the next season doomed his career. NHL GAMES: Zero

Round 1: 20th Overall Patrik Berglund St. Louis Blues He's shown promise and developed slowly on a poor team in St. Louis. Last year he really turned his game around and a few weeks later Stewart arrived and they had instant chemistry. May still develop into a #1 Centre, if not he'll be a top #2 guy for a long time. Ready to break out with some big numbers. NHL GAMES: 228

I also had the 26th overall pick, and traded it for the 40, 50 and 54 picks on draft day.

Round 2: 40th Overall Artem Anisimov New York Rangers The Rangers have really started developing prospects well - and Anisimov very well. He fell in the draft like a lot of Russians because teams feared they wouldn't be able to bring them over. Anisimov however came over a year after the draft and was happy to go the minors. After a 37 goal, 81 point performance in his second AHL season he was NHL ready. He's been brought along slowly, and over his two fulll NHL seasons he has been given more time and responsibility. Really started to come into his own at the end of the last season and is primed for a big breakout offensively. NHL GAMES: 165

Round 2: 50th Overall Bryce Swan A guy who I really thought would be a player. He turned down an ELC from the Ducks and re-entered the draft where he wasn't selected. A tryout at the Wings camp came to nothing and he chose to go to college. Still playing hockey at St. Francis Xavier but who knows if he will pursue a pro career.

Round 2: 54th Overall Andreas Nodl No longer with the Flames, as he was part of the deal that brought Chris Phillips to the Flames. His improved play with the Flyers show that he is ready to step up to the next level. Don't think he'll ever be a big point producer but 45 is within reach. NHL GAMES: 115

Round 3: 67th Overall David Kveton The Rangers prospect is having a nice career in Czech Republic. Still the property of the Rangers - they've tried to bring him over but have so far been unsuccessful. His numbers and playing time has diminished over the last few seasons - which isn't encouraging. Signed for another year as well.

Round 3: 74th Overall: Riley Holzapfel Hasn't panned out. Starting to look like a career AHL'er as he hasn't found the scoring tough at the Pro level. He was traded away from the Flames, in the deal for Langkow I believe.

Round 7: 188th Overall Julian Walker One of the stars of the Swiss squad at the '06 World Juniors. Hasn't panned out or shown any intent to come to NA.

Round 7: 192nd Overall James Reimer Playing on a bad squad it was hard to tell how good he was. I was still living in Calgary then and saw him often. However, even I am surprised at his development. He's never really been a starting goalie who's had to carry the team except for one year of junior (and he was relegated to a back-up/splitting duties the following season.) His performance for the Leafs at the end of last season was pretty darn good. Let's hope its for real. NHL GAMES: 37

ROUND-UP: If Reimer really is a starting goaltender, and with Berglund and Anisimov being 2nd line players with potential for more, this draft is turning out pretty darn good.

The YEAR Before: Devin Setoguchi is the principal piece, as well as Umberger and Wolski who were acquired by trading Luc Bourdon (who I drafted at 14) - Steve Downie, Mark Fayne (NJ Devils) and Alex Stalock were also out of the '05 draft.

Next YEAR Sneek Peak of '07: Michael Backlund and Eric Tangradi, with Michael Repik and Anton Stralman. This draft has the most NHL'ers I've drafted and still has two or three good players coming through - though none have broken through yet to be every day NHL'ers except for Stralman.

 

[Brock]

Panthers

Round 1 - 12th - Bryan Little
Was definitely a solid selection in the mid first as Little has become a quality young forward in the NHL. I traded him for Robyn Regehr a few years ago and don't regret it because Regehr has really helped to round out my D-corps.

Round 1 - 27th - Cal Clutterbuck
I reached on Clutterbuck at the time, but now it's looking pretty good. He's one of the top agitators and hitters in the game and he's very underrated offensively. When he gets better players to play with, I think he'll be a consistent 20 goal guy.

Round 3 - 82nd - Felix Schutz
Looked promising at one time, but has since gone back to Europe and I released him as part of this year's prospect releases.

Round 4 - 102nd - Kiril Tulupov
Just never developed as a physical stay at home guy. BUST

Round 5 - 128th - Michal Neuvirth
Obviously an excellent selection in the 5th as Neuvirth is a legitimate solid young NHL netminder. I traded him as part of the package to get Andrei Markov. With Jon Quick, I don't regret it because Markov is another guy who has made me one of the teams to beat in the East.

Round 5 - 129th - Kaspars Daugavins
Still a pretty decent prospect for Ottawa, and he had an excellent Calder Cup. I'm not convinced he's a long term NHL forward, but he looks like a guy who'll get a chance. I recently traded him for forward depth at the deadline.

Round 5 - 132nd - Nick Dodge
At this one point, he's still a prospect but a fringe one. Probably develops into a 4th line checking center at some point. Just traded him to Washington as part of getting Dan Ellis as my back up.

Round 6 - 159th - Tyson Dowzak
BUST

Round 6 - 162nd - Bjorn Melin
The flavor of the week at the time. I think I traded him to Doug right after the draft. Can't remember what for though. BUST

Round 6 - 165th - Cody Wild
At one point, he was looking like a pretty solid selection. I traded him at the peak of his value (which wasn't high in the first place), but he has since BUSTED (pretty much).

Round 7 - 193rd - Stefan Chaput
Looked like a solid selection as he finished juniors and appeared to be a solid prospect. But has fizzled off and I have released him as part of this year's releases.

OUTCOME
When you draft three quality NHL players, you've got to be happy with a draft. Without this draft, I don't likely have Robyn Regehr or Andrei Markov on my defense, which means I don't have the success I have had the past few seasons.

 

[Hossa]

Quiet draft for the Canucks in 2006:

3rd round, 70th overall - Michael Ratchuk
Status: Bust

Ratchuk went second round in the NHL but has been a bust as a pro, even at the AHL level he struggles. The skating was always NHL calibre, but the rest of the game didn't follow. If there ever was a case against coming out of college early, Ratchuk would make a good exhibit A, because he definitely was not ready for the AHL at 20. On the plus side, I dealt him when his value was highest I think, along with Brett Lebda for Kevin Bieksa, who was a huge contributor to the Cup championship team.

5th round, 130th overall - Brian Gibbons
Status: Prospect

Well, this looks like a good pick, but unfortunately I released the guy before he started scoring in college. Went undrafted in the NHL twice so I figured at his size he wasn't worth keeping. It was probably a mistake, although he is still tiny.

6th round, 160th overall - David McIntyre
Status: Prospect

How many prospects have been traded three times by the time their rookie pro season is over? Drafted by Dallas in 2006, Mac was dealt to Anaheim for Brian Sutherby, then to New Jersey for Sheldon Brookbank, and finally to Minnesota for Maxim Noreau. He is a prospect though. Mac was an outstanding college player, and had a solid first season in the AHL last year. Can skate, plays a gritty game and has enough skills to be a third liner. He's already a journeyman.

7th round, 191st overall - Jeff Zatkoff
Status: Prospect

Zatkoff went much higher in the NHL draft, and had an outstanding college career as well, even appearing at the WJC. His pro career started well but crashed and burned last year. Another prospect who I sold high on though, dealing him last fall for Alexander Urbom, who I think is a real fine prospect.

Overall

I dealt my first and second rounders, I believe, for Markus Naslund, probably an ill-advised move at the time. The 10th overall pick should have been mine, and was used on Jiri Tlusty. Otherwise, only McIntyre remains in the organization, but Ratchuk and Zatkoff returned Bieksa and Urbom, so it wasn't a total loss. Really though, 2006 and 2007 were years where I wasn't focused on prospects or sim hockey in general, so I'm surprised I even got anything out of this draft. It's a hard draft to look at though, after 2005 returned four hits on four picks: Carey Price, David Krejci, Kris Letang and Derek Joslin. Three all-stars and a depth blueliner in 2005. A bust, a midget, a journeyman prospect and an inconsistent goalie in 2006. Brilliant.

 

[Canuck09]

Before my time still, 2006 looks to be a pretty forgettable draft for the Oilers franchise...

#25 Ty Wishart - D
No longer with the team, must have been traded to the Ducks before I took over. Was a 1st rounder in the NHL and played 20 games with the Islanders last year. Still a prospect.

#115 Jesse Dudas - D
No longer with the team, was cut last year I believe. Spent the last 2 years in the CHL after playing in the ECHL and IHL previous. Bust.

#145 James Delory - D
No longer with the team, cut last year as well. Bounced around the ECHL and CHL much like Dudas. Bust.

#175 Brian Lebler - F
Went undrafted in the NHL, being cut this year. Bust.

#206 Jordan Bendfeld - D
Draft re-entry in the NHL, spent 3 years in the ECHL, cut this year. Bust.

5 picks, 4 players toiling in the minors and 1 who was traded to the Ducks...hopefully the return was good!

 

[HFNHLOilers]

Not my team at the time but here is the review of the draft

1st-4th overall Johnathan Toews

Okay well we all know what this kid can and has done in the league he is and will be for many years the corner stone of the franchise he lead the league in points and goals this year.

2nd- 33rd Mark Mitera

Jury is still out on this kid but he could one day be a very solid top 4 defensemen and considering alot that was picked after him it was a solid move even if hes a depth guy.

3rd- 63rd Francois Bouchard

Buried in the caps organization has put up strong numbers at the AHL level may only pan out to be an AHL star.

4th- 93rd Arttu Luttinen

A cut this year he doesnt appear to want to come over and prefers to stay in finland hes a solid player who could be a good nhler if he had come over

Overall a solid draft picked up the franchise face and two guys who could contribute at the nhl level very soon given the chance

 

[HFNHL Commish]

#25 Ty Wishart - D
No longer with the team, must have been traded to the Ducks before I took over. Was a 1st rounder in the NHL and played 20 games with the Islanders last year. Still a prospect.

Wishart was traded to the Ducks, along with Barret Jackman, for Marek Zidlicky and a 2nd in 2007.

 

[Hossa]

4th- 93rd Arttu Luttinen

A cut this year he doesnt appear to want to come over and prefers to stay in finland hes a solid player who could be a good nhler if he had come over

Luttinen came over for a season in Binghamton, and was pretty useless. Skating wasn't even close to NHL calibre. The Sens thought he had some Tomas Holmstrom upside, but that didn't pan out.

 

[Ville Isopaa]

Colorado;

Round 1 - 2nd overall: Niklas Bäckström (NHL 1/4)
So far easily the best player to come out of the draftclass. With Johnson off the board it was an easy pick to make. I also had the chance to trade the COL1 2007 pick along with Brian Lee for the 4th OV+another pick, but turned it down. Toews would have made a very nice 3rd line C..

Round 1 - 18th overall: Riku Helenius (NHL 1/15)
Bust. Played one NHL game, but has since returned to Europe. Luckily I traded him away in April 2007 before he could be considered a bust.
To COL: C Steve Begin, W Nick Foligno, ATL 3rd 2007, CHI 7th 2007
To NYR: G Riku Helenius, C Scott Nichol

Round 1: 21st overal: Nigel Williams (NHL 2/51)
Bust. I was set to pick a defenseman with this pick and Williams seemed to have potential to become the 2nd best defenseman in the draft after EJ. While he had a good career in OHL, same can't be said about the pro's. Claude Giroux would have been the smart pick here..

Round 3: 61st overall: Leland Irving (NHL 1/26)
AHL starter, still has potential to make the big show, but there's only so many games to play for the CGY backup as long as Kipper is there. Irving was also traded away within a year of the draft.
To COL: LW Vyascheslav Kozlov, CBJ 5th 2009
To CBJ: LW Matt Pettinger, Prospect G Leland Irving, TOR 3rd 2007

Round 4: 91st overall: John De Gray (NHL 3/83)
I flipped a coin between him and Corrente. So far is seems De Gray hasn't been able to translate his shut down game to the pro's well enough to make the NHL. However he does still have some potential to make the big league as a defensive depth defensman.

Round 5: 127th overall: Keegan Danserau (undrafted)
Bust. Not much to say. Read a few reports on him that sounded very nice. Not a big loss in the 5th round.

Round 7: 184th overall: Anton Hedman (NHL 8/255 in 2004)
Bust. Boston drafted him out of sweden and I used a late pick on him once he came over to play in OHL. A tough power forward with some potential, but clearly wasn't good enough for the NHL.

Getting Bäckström out of the draft already made it a big win. While the rest of the picks weren't all that successful, I turned the goalies in to pieces that helped me win the cup.

2005: The Avalanche landed 11 NHLer's from 2005 draft (Crosby, Ryan, Lee, Parent, Pavelac, Russell, Raymond, Sobotka, Ritola, Oreshkovic, Gerbe). Of the other 3 picks, Barnes career was cut short by injuries. Marek Kvapil won the World Championship in 2010 and Igor Volkov won the RSL two times (04-05 and 07-08) and was named the MVP of the league in 06-07. A draft can't get much better than that.

2007: Among the players drafted were Logan Couture, Nick Palmieri, Kevin Marshall and Steven Kampfer.

 

[Ohio Jones]

2/47 D Joe Ryan - bust
Looked to be a fierce two-way blueliner in the Q, but started to regress almost the moment I drafted him. *I held on longer than the NHL Kings did, but eventually gave up and accepted that he has settled into a minor pro career out of the HFNHL.

2/55 L/RW Nikolai Kulemin - NHL regular
No secret he's one of my favourite players, and for good reason. He's a legit top six winger with some power who can pass, shoot and plays both ends of the ice. *Makes up for having moved my first stocking up for my finals appearance.

2/56 D Eric Gryba - prospect
Completed his NCAA career with BU and was decent in his first pro season this year in Binghampton. *A big, tough no-nonsense stay-at-homer who displays good leadership and will drop the gloves if required. *In the mix to compete for a spot in Ottawa this fall, but is more likely another year away.

3/66 C Jan-Michael Juutilainen - bust
I think I fell for Woodlief's line on this one, IIRC. *Looked to be a skilled two-way centre with a high ceiling, but that view was not widely held - and turns out the doubters were plenty right. *He actually ended up in the NCAA (rare for a Euro prospect) but couldn't make an impact.

3/77 D Kevin Montgomery - Minor pro
Another two-way blueliner who didn't pan out as hoped. *Good skater with some upside looked lost in limited minutes in college, made the jump to the OHL and still looked lost. *He's a middling AHLer now, but no longer my concern - we packaged him off some time ago.

3/78 C/LW Blake Geoffrion - prospect
The youngest generation of the Geoffrion/Morenz dynasty has lived up to his bloodlines, earning a Hobey Baker in his final season as co-Captain of the Wisconsin Badgers before having a strong first pro season in the A. *Didn't look out of place in limited minutes with Nashville in the last 20 games, and as a native Tennessean, he's got a clear path to a spot in the Preds' roster this season. *Should carve out a solid career as a two-way third-liner with scoring upside and tons of character. *A potential future captain.

4/98 RW Robin Figren - bust
Smallish Swede looked to have good speed and good hands, but couldn't put it together even after coming over for the Isles. *And if you couldn't make re Isles at the time... *shudder*.

4/118 LW Constantin Braun - prospect
Picked up the big German as a power forward prospect, but within a couple of years he'd been switched to D, so he's had a decade of positional development to catch up on. *He's done quite well in the DEl and at Kings prospect camps, and will compete for a spot on LA's blueline this season.

5/146 G Kris Lazaruk - bust
Looked good in his first year at Kootenay, then regressed almost immediately through two more Dub seasons and a brief sojourn in the USHL. *Guess all those NHL teams that steadfastly ignored h knew what they were on about! *Took a year off before joining the U Cal Dinos and putting up pretty good numbers for them this past year. *Long since released.

5/148 D Cameron Cepek - bust
Another feisty two-way blueliner, this Californian and Habs pick*looked like he might resurrect his slender career hopes with a good stint for the then-newly-minted Edmonton Oil Kings, but he promptly disappeared into the minor Minors, never to be head from again.

7/209 G Ryan Daniels - bust
See what I wrote about Lazaruk? *Imagine that I wrote it about Daniels, except for the brief detour to the USHL and the year off. *'Nuff said.

Overall: one quality NHLer and three more legit prospects out of 11 picks with no first rounder is probably average to slightly-above-average performance, nevertheless I feel it was a lackluster performance at the draft table.

2005 (also plundered forFinals run) also had no first, and just three picks. *James Neal in the second was excellent value, but I moved him before I realized that. *Chris Vande Velde and Nate Davis became useable minor leaguers after college, but that's all.

2007 draft features Ryan McDonagh, Max Pacioretty and Brendan Smith... which would be awesome if any of them were still with the franchise (sooo impatient!). *At least I have some actual assets to show for them this time: McDonagh->Vokoun; Pacioretty->Zajac (eventually); Smith->Malhotra.

 

[The old geezer]

It’s always interesting doing these look backs. I’m used to a couple of picks raising eyebrows every year - some years they pan out and sometimes they don’t (see Detroit’s horrendous 2005 draft).

For a mediocre draft having three out of the five day 1 picks be current NHL players and a further two day 2 selections get some NHL time was respectable. It was a European player laden draft for the Wings which was frustrating as quite a number of them never really spent any time in North America to see if they had what it takes to play in the NHL.

1st rnd (23rd OV) Claude Giroux
You might have heard of him. While it’s strange to think of it now he was actually a slight stretch pick which drew a few chat room comments at the time. The average scouting rankings at the time had Giroux going early to mid 2nd round (McKeens was highest at 22nd and the Hockey News had him ranked lowest at 60th).
Status: NHL player

2nd rnd (32nd OV) Tomas Marcinko
Ah one of those moves that will haunt me for years to come (Nick likes to remind me regularly). I was really high on Marcinko and actually considered take him with that 23rd pick. When he was still on the board heading into the 2nd I traded the just emerging Cris Kunitz for that pick believing Marcinko had more upside. Uhh!. Truth is he was pretty good all-round except his one weakness was seriously underreported. You’ve all heard this before “ skating could use improvement”. What they didn’t say is a 3 year old just learning to skate is faster and more fluid than Marcinko was … I’m only exaggerating slightly. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he came to NA to play with the Barrie Colts. In that first live viewing I knew then and there I had made a huge mistake.
Status: Bust

2nd rnd (53rd OV) Mike Weber
Again this selection drew a few comments and given my bust track record with 2nd rounders who could blame them. Truth is I got sucked in a bit as just after the Marcinko pick there had been a run on dmen and I watched a couple I had targeted for later in the draft go already so I wasn’t willing to risk waiting to the 3rd to take Weber as I had originally planned.
Status: NHL player

2nd rnd (60th OV) David Ruzicka
This is the guy I was trying to remember Douglas. Heading into the draft year Ruzicka had been considered a can’t miss prospect but he had a terrible draft year and questions about his attitude emerged. Hoping it was overblown and there was a reasonable shot at him rebounding I figured this was a good spot to take him [shakes head].
Status: Bust

3rd rnd (83rd OV) Nikolai Lemtyugov
Once considered a strong prospect I actually turned down a few solid trade offers for him [kick self]. He actually may have made it as an NHL’er as he had a decent first year in the AHL but went back to Russia mid way through his 2nd year and has had a decent career in the KHL.
Status: Homesick KHL player

3rd rnd (88th OV) Nicklas Backstrom
So little known, especially compared to that ‘other’ Nicklas Backstrom taken 2nd overall in the same draft, it created some confusion in the draft room and I actually had to produce a link to show who he was. It was the last HFNHL year of having to draft Euro’s (regardless of age) and he had just signed with Minny a few days before the HFNHL draft. Again Detroit made a last minute draft day trade to get this pick sending to Curtis Brown to Toronto(?).
Status: NHL player

4th rnd (113th) Ville Koistinen
Similar deal to Backstrom, Koistinen had just signed an NHL contract coming off a year he was voted the best dman in the FNL. Koistinen’s NHL success was mixed and he’s now back playing in the SEL but not before winning a HFNHL cup.
Status: Former NHL player

4th rnd (116th OV) Magnus Kahnberg
His North American experience lasted all of 17 AHL games before he returned to the SEL where he continues to play
Status: SEL player

5th rnd (143rd OV) Jacub Kovar
A weird case where this prospect goalie had come to the OHL to play before the draft and then returned home after one more year in the OHL. Best I can tell he’s had a solid career in the Czech leagues, including being selected to the Czech team at the most recent World Championships, but don’t think he even attended training camps with the Flyers.
Status: CZE Player

5th rnd (149th) Eetu Heikkinen
Originally billed as a good defensive dman, right after the draft Heikkinen had 2 good campaigns in the FNL and was lookinging like a promising 3rd pairing prospect. After that though he went down to the tier 2 league where he has stayed ever since. Whether he regressed, had a career limiting injury, or other I just don’t know.
Status: Bust

6th rnd (155th OV) Janis Sprukts
Traded away rather early on he was excellent in the AHL when used as a top 6 forward (pt/gm) but in his a dozen or so NHL games with the Panthers he was used mainly in a bottom 6 role that didn’t suit his style. Currently playing well in the KHL.
Status: KHL player

 

[Ohio Jones]

2nd rnd (60th OV) David Ruzicka
This is the guy I was trying to remember Douglas. Heading into the draft year Ruzicka had been considered a can’t miss prospect but he had a terrible draft year and questions about his attitude emerged. Hoping it was overblown and there was a reasonable shot at him rebounding I figured this was a good spot to take him [shakes head].
Status: Bust

Nothing wrong with that: a third round pick is a very reasonable price to pay for a prospect with top-line upside but toolbox/attitude questions. (See: Filatov, N.)

 

[Dempsey]

3rd rnd (88th OV) Nicklas Backstrom
So little known, especially compared to that ‘other’ Nicklas Backstrom taken 2nd overall in the same draft, it created some confusion in the draft room and I actually had to produce a link to show who he was. It was the last HFNHL year of having to draft Euro’s (regardless of age) and he had just signed with Minny a few days before the HFNHL draft. Again Detroit made a last minute draft day trade to get this pick sending to Curtis Brown to Toronto(?).
Status: NHL player

It was actually me who did that trade. My roster was so bad at the time that Brown was to play on my top line

 

[HFNHL Commish]

For the Ducks...

1/17 LW Michael Forney - prospect (barely)

Looked like a complete bust after flaming out at UND, but put up a PPG in ECHL last season. If he can progress in the AHL next year, may turn into something. Most likely not.

1/28 D David Fischer - bust

Proving the MN Mr. Hockey Award means nothing, Fischer had an exceedingly mediocre career at U. of MN playing for my favorite coach (heavy on the sarcasm) Don Lucia. Now plying his trade in the ECHL.

1/30 W Michael Grabner - NHL Calder finalist

Traded Tom Poti to get this pick. Amazing story this season - traded to Florida, WAIVED by Florida, then gets nominated for the Calder with the Islanders. Wins fastest skater at the All-Star Game to boot.

4/107 G Pekka Rinne - Vezina nominee

Simply phenomenal for the Preds this season, Peks puts to bed the notion that big goaltenders can't also be some of the most athletic goaltenders in the league.

5/137 C Petri Kontiola - bust

Slick playmaker at one point looked like he might be able to center someone's second line, but lacked the guts to play in the NHL. Now a very good KHL player.

7/198 D David Lidstrom - bust

Took a flyer on a guy who put up some goals for Vasteras' J20 team. Oh yeah, plus there was the last name.

 

[Ohio Jones]

1/30 W Michael Grabner - NHL Calder finalist

Traded Tom Poti to get this pick. Amazing story this season - traded to Florida, WAIVED by Florida, then gets nominated for the Calder with the Islanders. Wins fastest skater at the All-Star Game to boot.

This says everything you need to know about how Florida finds themselves in such a woeful state. Someone needs to lose their job over this one.

 

[Fan.At]

HFNHL Predators 2006 draft Review

2006 was my first HFNHL Entry draft, so this is the first time i am doing this. Will be a lot of work since i had 18 picks because of making a ton of trades in my first season in an attempt to put the Predators in a position to have success. I won the draft lottery that year too, giving me the chance to select first overall. Here's how that draft breaks down for me:

Round 1/Pick 1 - D Erik Johnson
Picking him first was a no-brainer at the time and a lot has happened since. After only one season in the NCAA he turned pro and made the NHL out of camp. The season after he effed up his knee and had to sit out the entire season. After an average season, he was traded to Colorado and hope is the change of scenery helps him to fulfill his certainly extremely high potential. Even now he is a valuable NHLer and HFNHLer, playing a ton of minutes and contributing offensively and defensively.
NHL status: top pair defenseman (not yet a star)

1/19 - F Jesse Joensuu
I acquired that pick by trading Jiri Hudler, having in mind to draft Michael Forney. Fortunately the Comish picked Forney and i had to "settle" with Joensuu. Joensuu later was traded with Lauri Tukonen for Jonathan Cheechoo.
Joensuu broke into the NHL in 09/10 and played over 40 games in 10/11.
NHL status: prospect on the verge of becoming a full-time NHLer

2/34 - F Jamie McGinn
2 years OHL after the draft, then 3 seasons splitting between the AHL and NHL, Mcginn has trouble cracking the deep Sharks roster full-time.
NHL status: prospect on the verge of becoming a full-time NHLer

3/62 - F Luke Lynes
Bad pick. I thought i saw some goalscoring upside in him - but it was not there.
NHL status: bust

3/64 - F John Armstrong
Lots of injuries have slowed down Armstrong's development, but he was close to making the Flames out of camp twice. Still has the size and some potential to become a shutdown center in the NHL.
NHL status: prospect

3/80 - F Matt Beleskey
Ups and downs have drawn a weird picture of Beleskey's career. In 5 years since the draft he has played in the OHL, the AHL scoring almost a point per game, in the NHL on a 4th line and even on the top line with stars like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and did not look out of place. Last season he was sent back down to the NHL after he was unable to play up to the coaches' demands. Still one of my favourite young players and will fight back next season.
NHL status: prospect on the verge of becoming a full-time NHLer

3/80 - G Semyon Varlamov
Probably my best pick of the draft, simply for the reason that he was the keypiece in the trade that landed me Henrik Sedin from Columbus. Varlamov seemed to be on the fast track to the NHL early on but his development seems to have stalled for now and he has been surpassed by Michal Neuvirth and probably also Braden Holtby - and there are rumors that he may sign in the KHL next season.
NHL status: backup goalie

4/94 - D Alex Biega
Smallish defenseman with great skating, solid defensive positioning and offensive upside, Biega played at Harvard for 4 years and turned pro a season ago to play in the AHL. His adjustment to pro hockey has been solid and he remains a potential NHLer.
NHL status: prospect

4/108 - F Rhett Rakhshani
Another collegian who graduated last summer to play in the AHL, Rakhshani also got to play in his first 2 NHL game last season. Playing mostly on the top line in the AHL, Rakhshani could make a serious push for an NHL roster spot in training camp.
NHL status: prospect

5/123 - D Logan Pyett
A late round pick by the Red Wings, Pyett has been toiling in the minors ever since the draft, unable to crack the Wings lineup. Still was valuable to the Predators as he was a piece of the trade that brought Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer to Nashville.
NHL status: bust

5/124 - F Dustin Jeffrey
Jeffrey was not drafted in 2006, but was drafted in 2007 by the Penguins and made his NHL debut the season after. Like McGinn and Beleskey, he has been up and down in the AHL and the NHL, but could finally see full-time duties in the NHL next season. Was traded in a package for Tim Thomas.
NHL status: prospect on the verge of becoming a full-time NHLer

5/131 - F Mitch Fadden
Winger with good scoring upside, Fadden was released last season by Tampa after an "off-ice incident".
NHL status: bust

6/151 - D Chad Greenan
NHL status: bust

6/153 - F Jonathan Matsumoto
Overage pick, made it to the NHL, but doesn't seem to be able to stick.
NHL status: bust

6/154 - F Tony Romano
Since the draft, a lot of crazy things happened to Romano. He played a season at Cornell University then moved on to the OHL where he had an awful season for London after having offseason surgery. The next season he played for Peterborough serving as first line center and scoring at a point per game rate. He was signed to a contract by New Jersey and saw his rights traded to the New York Islanders for Ben Walter. In the Isles organisation he has played in the ECHL and the AHL. If the guy can translate his sick skills to a pro hockey style game, he could still become an NHLer, but the chances are low.
NHL status: bust

6/178 - F Kai Kantola
Failed to get drafted and land an NHL contract, Kantola is playing in Finland these days.
NHL status: bust

7/185 - F Tyler Swystun
Playing in the NCAA at 17, Swystun never developed into the promising NHL prospect lots of scouts thought he could be when he was younger.
NHL status: bust

7/199 - G Parker VanBuskirk
NHL status: bust

Overall it has been a solid draft, with a keypiece in Erik Johnson who will be a Predator for a long time. Jamie Mcginn and Matt Beleskey will be depth players down the road.
From a trade-point of view, Jesse Joensuu, Semyon Varlamov, Logan Pyett and Dustin Jeffrey were parts of some the most significant trades since i took over, bringing in Henrik Sedin, Scott Niedermayer, Tim Thomas and Jonathan Cheechoo - so it can be said for sure that my first draft laid a solid foundation for my Predators in 2011/12. It's time to return to the playoffs finally...

 

[Ohio Jones]

Holy Hannah, that's a lot of picks. I'd forgotten how busy you were that year! If a few more of your prospects turn into pros, it's going to have been a very strong draft indeed.

 

[Hossa]

It's remarkable how many guys on these lists (for example Tony's) are not NHLers yet but are definitely on that track. A guy like Dustin Jeffrey has developed well and probably will be an NHLer, but "five years later" still feels too soon.

That's why I find these winners and losers columns that appear the Monday after the NHL Draft each year kind of ridiculous. If five years later we still don't know if Jeffrey or McGinn or Beleskey is going to carve out an NHL career and get past that 200 NHL game milestone, how can you even pretend to evaluate teams after 24-48 hours?