In retrospect: who won the 2003, 2004 and 2005 drafts?

[On Axis]

For the Blues:

2003
#30 Shawn Belle

Belle never got a shot with St. Louis, but he was traded to Dallas for Jason Bacashihua, who has been a good goaltender for us. He has some consistency issues, but when he's on his game, he is pretty good. The 2003 draft has given us Lee Stempniak and David Backes though, who were some of our key offensive players last season.

2004

#17 Marek Schwarz

This guy is a canidate to be our future number one goalie. He has good reflexes and speed. He was alright in one game he played for the Blues last season, agains Chicago. He was strong early, but had a 3 minute melt down in which the Hawks scored three goals. He'll probably play another season in the AHL before getting a shot in the big leagues. Right now, Michal Birner and Roman Polak are the only prospects signed from the draft, along with Schwarz. Polak has been impressive in his callups to St. Louis. Birner has been playing strongly in the AHL as well. This was a good draft for us.

2005

#24 TJ Oshie

Oshie has been a steal so far. He can skate well, shoot hard, dangle around defenders, and he is an agressive checker. He is most likely going to play one more season with the North Dakota Fighting Sioux before he signs with St. Louis. He projects to be a top line winger. We also drafted Ben Bishop, a big goalie currently playing for the University of Maine. He takes up a whole lot of the net with his 6"7' frame. He is quick for a guy of his size, and will challenge Schwarz as the future number one goalie.

2006
#1 Erik Johnson
#25 Patrik Berglund

Johnson will be the future number one defenseman of the team, hopefully. He is sound defensively, and has a big mean streak. He has a nice slapshot from the point in the offensive zone, and is a good passer. He had a good season with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, almost carrying the team to the NCAA Frozen Four, until losing to the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. He has signed a contract with St. Louis, and will most likely have a spot on the team.
Patrik Berglund has been a very good pick for us too. He has good size, and has a good scoring touch, with 21 goals and 48 points with Vasteras of the Allsvenskan. He has signed a contract with St. Louis, but he will probably play another year with Vasteras before coming over to the states.
In this draft, we also got Tomas Kana, who is a solid, two way player. We added another goalie to our collection, Reto Berra.

 

[Blue Dragon]

If we include all rounds. The Avs:
2003: can we just pretend the Avs only drafted Richardson and Jones that year? The early rounds were brutal for the avs.

2004: Wolski, JD Corbin and Parshin (if he comes over) look like our best picks of that draft.

2005:
Already played in the NHL: Stastny, Cumiskey
Signed: Hensick, Macias.
Still in College: Stoa, Fritsche
I'll say that was a fairly good draft for the avs.

 

[montreal]

With all the controversy surrounding this 2007 draft, it becomes clear that it takes at least two to three years to judge the choice of most picks. So how would you judge the 2003, 2004 or 2005 first round picks of your team? Andrei Kostitsyn, 1rst round, 10th overall

Still an AHL player. Did not prove yet that he can play regularly with the Habs. Still a prospect four years after being picked.

Kostitsyn is likely done in the AHL after his last calllup. He was one of their better players at the end of the season, he had a groin injury which effected his play at the very end. In the month of March he had 10 pts in 12 games, not sure when exactly he got injured but during the Calder Cup they said his groin was in bad shap (was out from April-May)

Chipchura could be a Hab next year. I think another year in the AHL would be good as he did struggle with his offensive consistency at one point during the year, which is not uncommon for a rookie. I heard Gainey in an interview say that he was in Hamilton to see Chipchura and that they were considering him for a spot next year. In the playoffs though he really stepped up, one of Hamilton's top players no doubt, he was solid at both ends and his line was the teams most effective line (Baines-Chipchura-Ferland)

Price, Habs caught a lot of flack for the pick mainly from their fan base. He was outstanding in the AHL playoffs and easily won a couple games for them on his own. No Price means no Cup for Hamilton imo as Danis was too streaky.

But if you look at more then just the 1st round, the Habs have Kostitsyn, Lapierre, Halak, Grabovski, Streit and Latendresse all played in the NHL this year. Price, O'Byrne, and Chipchura should see some games with the Habs next year I'd guess, I'd expect them to be full time Habs in 2 years.

2003
Kostitsyn
Lapierre
Halak
(O'Byrne)

2004
Chipchura
Grabovski
Streit

2005
(Price)
Latendresse

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

2003:
Zach Parise
Petr Vrana

2004:
Travis Zajac

2005:
Nothing to rant about yet but Bergfors and Fayne will be NHL'ers. Frazee, Zimmerman and Fraser will play in some capasity.

 

[WashCapsfan4life8]

For the capitals

2003
18 Eric Fehr

2004
1 Alexander Ovechkin
27 Jeff Shultz
29 Mike Green

2005
14 Sasha Pokulok
27 Joe Finley

Eh not the best but ok we got ovy and shultz shultz who has to prove himself a lil more though 2005 we did bad though i thinks

Edit: And if i may in 2002 we did good
2002
12 Steve Eminger
13 Alexander Semin
17 Boyd Gordon

 

[Mandala]

Fans from 17 of the 30 teams of the NHL have answered the call.

Where are the fans of these teams?

New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Atlanta Thrashers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Columbus Blue Jackets
Vancouver Canucks
Minnesota Wild
Edmonton Oilers
Dallas Stars
Phoenix Coyotes

Are these teams first round picks so bad in 2003, 2004 and 2005 that they are not even worth mentioning? Are they all AHL prospects forever? Did some made it to the NHL?

 

[Martyros]

the preds have done VERY well with dmen in drafts.

 

[friction]

OILERS

2003- #22 MARC-ANTOINE POULIOT
Great player, strong leader, third liner with second line upside, nice fit with the team and is just finding his game.


2004- #14 DEVAN DUBNYK
Large goalie with good skills. Has been the victim of a numbers game in the minors but he should shine this year in the AHL. Did quite well in the ECHL last year. Possibility of a legit NHL starter.

2004- #25 ROBBIE SCHREMP
Powerplay specialist and offensive wizard, Schremp has discarded the 'bad attitude' label that chased him to this position in the 2004 draft. He had less than a point per game in the AHL last year but played well with Robert Nilsson. Should be an NHLer but the jury's still out. Top six or bust.


2005- #25 ANDREW COGLIANO
Speedy forward with a great attitude. Will now play in the AHL after posting great stats in college. I have high hopes for him and I think he'll be a legit top line player in the future.

 

[Hasbro]

Colorado

2003: no first because of the Blake trade (no regrets)
2nd rounder Liffington a fringe prospect now, but some nice gems in Brad Richardson 5/163 and David Jones 9/288

2004: Wotek Wolski. Deniis Parshin, Brandon Yip and JD Corbin are still on theradar

2005: Calder runner up Stastny. Stoa, Fristche, Hennsick, Macis, Mercier and Cumiskey still on radar

 

[Jeff Shafer]

2003
Good
Nathan Horton- was a 30/30 guy last season and looks to show why we picked him as high as we did.
Kamil Kreps- decent player with skill and speed should get some more time in the AHL might become a 4th liner this season.

Bad
Anthony Stewart- I dont want to say it was a wasted draft choice but he better start to show some heart and hussle otherwise he will become lost in the numbers. He must also stay healthy for once in his pro career.

2004
Good
Rostislav Olesz
David Booth

2005
Still undecided about that draft

 

[thestonedkoala]

2003 was a mix year for Minnesota:

1- Brent Burns - One of the most underrated young defensemen in the league. Started out as a power forward on the right wing but injuries decimated the Wild on the blueline and he was moved back. Bounced around a bit but finally found a home in 2006-2007 on the blueline and is steadily improving. Beat the crap out of Kunitz too if that is any consolation. But he's a big body defenseman that can move the puck and can play the body. What isn't there to like about the guy? Except his goofy grin and his freaky hair. But yeah, this guy has franchise defensemen written all over him.

2 - Patrick O'Sullivan - Traded for Demitra but problems were vastly overblown and put together a great season for the Aeros. Got us Demitra at least. We'll see how he progresses in LA though.

3 - Danny Irmen - Controversial pick IMO since we gave up two picks in a deep draft but Irmen looks heir apparent to Wes Walz, which says a lot. Should join the big club next year but is gritty and fiesty. Should fight more but doesn't.

Uh, the rest have been a major bust. But Minnesota doesn't do well picking Europeans or in the later round. (Misharin went back to Russian, Kolusz disappeared. Bolduc, Couchraine, and Melanson never turned out). Kopriva at least signed, but the guy has struggled to even be an AHL goaltender. At least he's fan friendly and waves to the crowd whenever they win from ontop the goal. Which is a rarity in Houston, kind of like Houston Texans actually drafting correctly.

2004

Can we PLEASE forget about this draft? AJ Thelen, bust? Voloshenko, is heading toward bustage with a poor sophomore year in the AHL. Definitely needs to rebound in 07 but has shown he needs playmakers to do anything worthwhile. Olvecky? Nothing more than a grinder and had a poor showing in Houston too. Might be stuck in the AHL. Stoner is probably the best pick (and name) for the Wild out of the 2004 draft. Steady defenseman but can't fight worth a lick. Is going to take a while to make it to the big club. Jones hasn't been signed (and doesn't look like he will either). Bordeleau, Sawyer, Boogaard, Rizk, and Wilson were all let go (WHY THE HELL DO WE EVEN DRAFT?). Sawyer had an awesome year in the Q this year. Wilson had an awesome year for the Bears. Boogaard got signed by Pittsburgh. Haven't heard anything about Bordeleau or Rizk. Sprunger, haven't heard anything from him other than he's in Switzerland. Khudobin looked like he could be something but had mental problems and went back to Europe. I don't think we'll see him. This draft produced maybe 1 or 2 NHLers for Minnesota and they both came from the mid-rounds. Not a great draft for Minnesota and it doesn't help that most of them didn't get signed.

2005

Another draft Minnesota should forget about. Pouliot was a questionable pick and it is still a questionable pick. He's lazy and has a poor work ethic. Hasn't really shown up for games and is headed toward bustage, not on AJ Thelen level but on his own level. Just seems like a poor pick for the 4th overall. Hasn't done anything spectaculor to warrant his high selection. Next year is a make or break year for Pouliot. He has the size and skill set but his mental makeup isn't that great and again, it's a very questionable pick since the guy didn't do anything before or after the draft to really warrant a top 5 pick. Kassian? A 2nd round enforcer? Good job Minnesota! We panicked when Johnson retired so quickly (what is with Minnesota and players retiring without giving us any indictation they are? Johnson meet Robert Smith! Kassian meet Michael Bennett). Hopefully they can salvage something out of Kassian, like a 3rd line grinder but I'm not seeing it. At least we'll have Kassian and Boogaard to scare guys. But that doesn't do very much in this No Fighting League. Westblom, we didn't sign. Our goaltending went from Harding to Kopriva to Hovinen...Can anyone say in dire need of prospect goaltenders? Minnesota has to sign at least a goaltender or two this offseason or else they are going to be in trouble. I'm not looking forward to a Harding-Kopriva tandem if Backstrom goes down. Bailey didn't get signed either, another mistake by Minnesota. They go for the typical grinder, big body guy that's tough and doesn't have much of an upside except a third liner and they don't sign them. Yeah, I'm scratching my head on that one. Bailey actually had more points than Gillies, their first rounder from this year. I'm confused as hell on that. Madsen had a surprising good year in the Q too this year, but we'll see how that translates to the AHL. Madsen, for our sake and your sake, MATT FOY IS NOT THE GUY YOU WANT TO HANG AROUND. He'll be one of the first Danes in the league if he makes it. And we need scorers and playmakers on our minor league team. Riley Emmerson? I don't even know what happened to this guy. I think he was with the ECHL for a while but other than that? At least we signed him, but I have no idea why...

 

[Chaos]

Just guys I think might have some sort of future with the Stars.

2003

33-Loui Eriksson- Decent rookie year playing low minutes with spare players. future 60+ point winger

36-Vojtech Polak- All offense, big time boom or bust. Could boom and be a 30 goal guy, or bust and be back in Europe.

99-Matt Nickerson- If he ever learns to comtrol his temper, can become a fantastic #5/6 d-man and enforcer.

2004

28-Mark Fistric- Wont wow anyone, but should be a solid, steady #3/4 d-man for many years.

34-Johan Fransson- Hyped as the best Swedish d-man since Lidstrom, has done nothing but go backwords since the draft. Traded to LA.

56-Niklas Grossman- Idol growing up was Mattias Norstrom, and thats the player he should become. Will get a chance to play with his idol this season.

2005

28-Matt Niskanen- Has developed extremely fast since being picke dout of high school. Heir to Sergei Zubov, could see time with the Stars this season if injuries hit.

33-James Neal- Budding powerforward, could be the next Brendan Morrow. Probably at least a year away from having a shot at making the Stars.

75-Perttu Lindgren- An absolute steal in the 3rd round, put up fantastic numbers in Finland as an 18 year old. Slowed this past season by injury/military service, but did manage to lead the WJC's in scoring. Future #1/2 center.

146 Tom Wandell-Basically didn't play his draft year due to injury, but is another boom-bust offensive guy.

All in all, I'd say the Stars did well. No one that gets overhyped around here, but players that will make an impact within the next few years.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

The OP asked about first rounders in those years, I believe. If not, then, during those years, the Ducks also added Shane O'Brien, who was great in his short tenure as a Duck, netted us our first two picks this year, and is going to be a mainstay in Tampa for quite some time, cup-winner Drew Miller, who was a great stopgap for Kunitz when he went down, Tim Brent, who was a good stopgap for Todd Marchant when he went down, Mem-cup winner Brendan Mikkelsson, and our top goalie prospect in JP Levasseur.

Just first rounders? Well, duh then. Fleury, Malkin, Crosby. Is there really any question? I was making it more interesting by opening it up to all the picks. But can anyone really argue they would not trade their entire drafts from those years for those three? Any fan of any team? I am sure we will hear one, but you all know that the answer is a joke.

 

[Red]

Vancouver Canucks I'll only list the 1st round picks and the ones that have already played games with us.

2003
(23) Ryan Kesler - Received a lot of critique after that huge offer sheet from Philadelphia but missing him in the playoffs showed how important he is to any team. Only twenty three years old and is already the #1 PKer on our team and our best defensive forward. Has hands of stone but the speed and heart make up for it. Excellent 3rd liner who can play 2nd line in a pinch.

(285) Nathan McIver - Called up when we had the injury bug in November and was very slow. Future AHL journeyman/#8 NHL dman

2004
(26) Cory Schneider - Perhaps the steal of the second half of that first round in that he seems to have outperformed even the best expectations when he was drafted. Carried his BC team the past two years. Future #1 goalie.

(91) Alexander Edler - Average season in the AHL to begin but when he was called up to the Canucks, showed absolutely fantastic hockey sense and break out pass. Needs to get stronger. Future #2 dman.

(287) Jannik Hansen - Inconsistent year in the AHL but played for the Canucks in the playoffs and injected some much needed speed and energy. Great vision and passing, subpar finishing. Future 3rd liner.

2005
(10) Luc Bourdon - The fact that the Canucks should have taken Kopitar was only more apparent when he at times struggled after breaking his ankle and now has trouble turning on it. Good performance at the WJC and in the Q playoffs, has an NHL shot and physical presence. Needs to improve decision making. Future #3 dman.

04 was a terrific draft for us and except the ones listed, we've taken a bunch of fringe players that if they ever make it, will be borderline NHLs (Bliznak, Brown, McIver) -- the most promising other pick is Mason Raymond in 05.

 

[Byrral]

Columbus Blue Jackets:

2003
-Nikolai Zherdev 4th pick - 13 goals as a rookie, 27 as a sophomore and a disaster last year. Not ready to give up on him just yet.
-Dan Fritsche 46th pick - solid two way player that really improved last year. 12g, 27p and +3 in 59 games. Should continue to get better.
Other notables: Marc Methot 168th pick played 20 games as a rookie this past season with 4a and a +5.
In the system or rights: Dmitry Kosmachev #71, Philippe Dupuis #104, Arsi Piispanen #138, Trevor Hendrikx #283

2004
- Alexandre Picard 8th pick - Picked after trading down with Carolina from position 4. Has not scored in 40 NHL games played. Blew his knee out in the last week of the season playing in the AHL. May not ever live up to being picked that high but trading down also netted Adam Pineault. I'm not ready to call him a bust but Picard needs much more seasoning.
In the system or rights: Adam Pineault #46, Kyle Wharton #59, Daniel Lacosta #93, Andrey Plekhanov #96, Petr Pohl #133, Lennart Petrell #190, Grant Clitsome #271.

2005
- Gilbert Brule 6th pick - Has 11g and 23p in 85 NHL games. In an awkward situation because of his age he was not eligible for the AHL and in hind site should have been returned to juniors. He progressed late in the year but it's hard to put up numbers playing 8 minutes a game on the 4th line. Has the talent and at 19 needs a couple more years to develop.
Other notables: Adam McQuaid 55th pick did not sign and was traded to Boston for a fifth round draft pick.
In the system or rights: Kris Russell #67, Jared Boll #101, Thomas Popperle #103, Kirill Starkov #189.

Lets face it. The CBJ didn't do very well with their picks but more so they haven't developed them properly. They rushed a lot of players along and put them in over their heads instead of a position to succeed. I do believe the past few drafts have been much better as they have landed, to name a few, Derick Brassard, Steve Mason, Tommy Sestito, Jakub Voracek, Stefan Legein and Maxim Mayorov to go along with those already mentioned. I believe that finally the shelves are starting to fill up with decent prospects and from now they will not rush players as quickly to the NHL. Overall it's not been very good so we take no award for best drafts of 2003-5.

 

[Marshy's]

OTTAWA

2003: Patrick Eaves

2004: Andrej Meszaros

2005: Brian Lee

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Washington Caps:


2003

Hard to not look at this as a bungled draft.

#18 Eric Fehr (ahead of Getzlaf, Burns, Stuart, Kesler, Richards, Perry, Eaves)


2004

I'd say we did pretty solid.

#1 Ovechkin
#27 Schultz
#29 Green

2005

#14 Pokulok - looking highly questionable at this point
#27 Finley - school is still out

 

[Mandala]

Very interesting to read, especially the comments on the players. It is a real pleasure to read an analysis from the point of view of another teams fan.

We are still missing evaluations of first round picks by fans of the following teams:


New York Islanders
Toronto Maple Leafs
Atlanta Thrashers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Carolina Hurricanes
Phoenix Coyotes


Again, for the drafts from 2003, 2004 and 2005.

 

[HuskyFlames]

2003:
Phaneuf (9).. that's pretty much it for that year.

2004:
Dustin Boyd (98) did well in the AHL this year, looks like he should be able to take the next step.
Brandon Prust (70) did alright in his callups last year.. 3rd line potential

2005:
Matt Pelech (26) Who knows, should be a good Dman, but could easily bust.
Dan Ryder (74) good offensive potential..

All in all, very average.

And what about Keetely, Lalande. Both goalies have shown to be very good when compared against the other goalies there age.

 

[Gwyddbwyll]

Phoenix Coyotes had mixed fortunes. 2003 was diabolical but 2004 is still a potentially great year. 2005 only had 5 picks but could see 2 NHLers.

2003 - no picks in the top 2 rounds. Only serious prospect left is defensive dman Sean Sullivan picked 272nd who may be a no.6 guy

2004 - potentially up to 8 guys will play in the NHL. Wheeler (5) Stephenson (35) Lisin (50) Porter (119) look certain to get a good chance. Cormier (168) Kolarik (199) Winnik (265) are still developing and Gagnon (240) was signed by Dallas. They are likely AHLers. Still a surprising number as 2004 was supposed to be a bad year.

2005
Hanzal (17) and Yandle (105) are now signed and could both be in the NHL this year.

 

[Debrincat93]

detroit grade!

2003
64 G Jim Howard
132 D Kyle Quincey
164 C Ryan Oulahen
170 R Andreas Sundin
194 Stefan Blom
226 L Tomas Kollar
258 L Vladimir Kutny
289 C Mikael Johansson

Howard could be a future numebr 1, i belive he is.. quincey showed hes ready for the nhl, solid bottom pairing defensemen. everyone else, crap!

grade: in a deep draft, no first rounded hurts horribly.. C

2004
97 C Johan Franzen
128 C Evan McGrath
151 D Sergei Kolosov
162 C Tyler Haskins
192 L Anton Axelsson
226 R Steve Covington
257 R Gennady Stolyarov
290 D Nils Backstrom

Franzen is a great 3rd liner, Mcgrath hasent found his game yet at all in the AHL, Axelsson could still become a 3rd liner way down the road but its probably unlikely.. overall it all depends on McGrath, but i almost dont see him having a great impact

grade: D+

2005
19 D Jakub Kindl
42 L Justin Abdelkader
80 C Christofer Lofberg
103 C Mattias Ritola
132 C Darren Helm
137 W Johan Ryno
151 D Jeff May
175 D Juho Mielonen
214 D Bretton Stamler

Kindl is going to be a top 3 defensemen for years. Ryno might be NHL ready in afew years and could become a hell of a big bodied forward, hell of a kid. May had great numbers but i dont remember if he opted to sign him or not. Abdelkader was a hell of a warrioer for state, a future 3rd liner in the NHL without a doubt. Ritola is still raw, a dominate unlazy showing in the AHL next year could make him a steal.. Helm could also become a great 3rd liner in the NHL, lets see what he does in the AHL next year before i decide about him, if he does what he did in the WHL then we have another NHLer in the making. Lofberg i believe ran into a lot of family issues, which caused him to drop and show this pick might not have been completely worth it.. B.. potential B+

 

[hototogisu]

Andrei Kostitsyn, 1rst round, 10th overall

Still an AHL player. Did not prove yet that he can play regularly with the Habs. Still a prospect four years after being picked.

Did you miss the last 15 or so games of the season? Kostitsyn proved he's ready for the NHL, and definitely earned a roster spot next year.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

San Jose

2003-
Milan Michalek
Steve Bernier
Josh Hennessy
Matt Carle
Joe Pavelski

Grade A
San Jose picked the right year (2002) to tank. 2003 has proved to be a huge draft all around and San Jose had many picks. None of the players they drafted in the first two rounds have disapointed and Joe Pavelski turned into a late round gem.

2004-
Lukas Kaspar
Thomas Greiss

Grade D
Kaspar is a bust. Greiss will have to beat out Patzold if he wants to back up behind Nabokov in the NHL next season. From what I understand, he has a pretty good chance.

2005-
Devin Setoguchi
Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Grade B
Moving up to draft Setoguchi was a head scratcher, but he has proven that he is still a great talent in spite of injuries setting him back. Vlasic was the steal of the 2nd round.

 

[A Good Flying Bird*]

Wings
2003
64 G Jim Howard -- Developing gradually but nicely
132 D Kyle Quincey -- Has been inconsistent in AHL, but fit in in NHL call ups
164 C Ryan Oulahen -- Rounding gradually into a potential checking line center
170 R Andreas Sundin -- Bust
194 Stefan Blom -- Bust
226 L Tomas Kollar -- Bust
258 L Vladimir Kutny -- Bust
289 C Mikael Johansson -- Developing well in Sweden, but Wings didn't sign him.

Grade B- --- Getting a potential starting goalie and perhaps two depth forwards has got to be good, considering there were no picks in the top 60. But still largely unknown.

2004
97 C Johan Franzen -- Proven NHL checking line guy
128 C Evan McGrath -- OHL scorer struggle in AHL. Next year is critical for him.
151 D Sergei Kolosov -- Time running out on big defenseman
162 C Tyler Haskins -- Wasn't signed
192 L Anton Axelsson -- Might still develop into defensive forward
226 R Steve Covington -- Bust
257 R Gennady Stolyarov -- Finally broke through, sort of, in RSL. 6'4 winger with skills. Still a longshot
290 D Nils Backstrom -- Playing college hockey, Wings have rights until 2010. Who knows?

Grade: C.
One proven checking line forward and a bunch of mysteries. But again, with no picks in the top 90, what are you going to get.

2005
19 D Jakub Kindl -- On a path to the NHL, potential top pairing guy.
42 L Justin Abdelkader -- Developing nicely in college. Looks like a potential checking line guy with some offense
80 C Christofer Lofberg -- Bust, despite all the great tools he reportedly has.
103 C Mattias Ritola -- Strangely, the Wings signed this guy.
132 C Darren Helm -- Great pick. Good speed. Good hustle. Put up solid numbers in the WHL. A potential Maltby replacement.
137 W Johan Ryno -- Expected to develop slowly, perhaps in Sweden. Has potential, but skating is an issue
151 D Jeff May -- Not signed, to the surprise of many.
175 D Juho Mielonen -- Always injured, not signed
214 D Bretton Stamler -- Not signed

Grade B -- Kindl, Helm and Abdelkader are developing at or ahead of schedule.

Something of note, it appears prospects picked out of North American leagues are more likely to pan out than those from the Euro leagues.

Maybe not a big deal to most teams, but for the Red Wings, this is a bit of a departure.

 

[voxel]

OILERS
2003- #22 MARC-ANTOINE POULIOT
2004- #14 DEVAN DUBNYK
2004- #25 ROBBIE SCHREMP
2005- #25 ANDREW COGLIANO

Dubnyk and Schremp are boom/bust players. This is their year to prove themselves. I have high hopes for Dubnyk after his great pre-season last year. Schremp torn up the AHL in the last 20 games, but is he ready for the NHL?

MAP and Cogliano will be third liners at worst, but here's hoping they develop into two-way 2nd liners or better (i.e Stoll).

Unfortunately, the Oiler could have had Parise (they traded with NJ) or Radulov - instead went for safe or off-board.

Grade C+ - no home runs yet, but no busts either