Rank the super-hyped #1 picks

[Team_Spirit]

Kovalchuk - Russian hotdog irked Cdn Juniors, electrified fans with skill & cockiness

We will need someone to remplace Patrick Roy and Jeremy Roenick , any ideas?

 

[Blatny Spears]

Stefan - "For the first pick in Thrasher's history, Atlanta is proud to select" ... think you will ever have this statement repeated by theThrasher braintrust???

Considering we'll never again make another first pick in team history, the answer is no.

Considering the alternatives were Pavel Brendl, Tim Connolly, or one of the Sedins, we made the right pick.

 

[Vincent_TheGreat]

Errr... Those guys haven't been selected yet, it is not yet a sure bet they will be number one... Last year during this time everyone was sure Zherdev was going to be picked first...

Speak for yourself, I was expecting Horton the whole year that he would be first.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Errr... Those guys haven't been selected yet, it is not yet a sure bet they will be number one... Last year during this time everyone was sure Zherdev was going to be picked first...

Errr... reread the initial post. Err... "How would you rank these super-prospects, in terms of perceived potential prior to them being drafted." That is how Errr... I answered the question.

Regarding my Stefan comment, my bad. It would have been more clearer saying Atlanta is proud to select and Stefan in the same breath. Think you will ever have this statement repeated by theThrasher braintrust? But hey, if as an Atlanta fan you are still happy with this, good on ya. Another prospective #1 could have been Martin Havlat.

Hey everyteam makes mistakes at the draft table. I see another post in honour of the classic under achiever Jason Bonsignor, a top four pick by my beloved Oilers. Reminded many of Lemieux however had the (lack of) heart of the tinman.

 

[Blatny Spears]

Regarding my Stefan comment, my bad. It would have been more clearer saying Atlanta is proud to select and Stefan in the same breath. Think you will ever have this statement repeated by theThrasher braintrust? But hey, if as an Atlanta fan you are still happy with this, good on ya. Another prospective #1 could have been Martin Havlat.

Sure, Havlat could have been number one, but then, Ladislav Smid could be number one in this year's draft. Of course, if Washington picks Smid before Ovechkin, everyone will be stunned and Washington will have blown the full value of the pick. That doesn't change the fact that a few years from now Smid could turn out to be the best player in this draft, though.

The fact is no one considered Martin Havlat to be a candidate for the first overall pick in 1999. Only Stefan, Brendl, the Sedins, and Connolly got any consideration for the pick. Taking anyone else would have been foolish at the time. Hindsight is 20/20. You don't get the benefit of looking forward five years and taking the guy who'll be the best then - you have to take the guy that looks like he has the best potential moving forward. That's why I don't get upset that guys like Jackman, Havlat, Comrie and others have turned out better than Stefan. I only judge him against the players that were logical alternatives at the time.

 

[r19]

Spezza's skating has really improved i think he's just as fast as Alfredsson now.He's weak on his skate but i'm sure he'll get alot stronger.He's going to better than Kovy!

 

[in the hall]

Errr... Those guys haven't been selected yet, it is not yet a sure bet they will be number one... Last year during this time everyone was sure Zherdev was going to be picked first...

you can't be that naive

to put things in perspective, did anyone player last year have his own official thread or was a consensus #1 since he was 16

 

[in the hall]

Yeah because it is really hfboards members who decide who goes first....

And just to prove that there are odd hypes... Mikko Koivu was scouted by NHL teams since the age of 10.

and mikko koivu was never ever considered to be a #1 pick so your point is moot

there are 10 year old phenoms that peak at the age of 12, its more important as far as draft goes to see where they are in their later teen years closing in on the draft

besides in this draft it is a given ovechkin will be selected first, we are just 3 months away and there is no one that can compete with his overall package, skill, ability, and readyness where as zherdev last year was not only competing against players closer to his caliber, he was never the clear cut #1 this close to the draft mostly because he did not have as great draft years as players selected before and after

 

[Dupuis>Ilya]

to put things in perspective, did anyone player last year have his own official thread or was a consensus #1 since he was 16

Jason Spezza was a "consensus #1" when he was 16.

 

[in the hall]

Jason Spezza was a "consensus #1" when he was 16.

i did imply that before and as i said before in the thread, i felt he was up until a not far to the draft

difference between now and then is there is no Ilya Kovalchuk here gaining tremendous hype with his incredible size and skills and last year there was no Kovalchuk or Spezza

you both can bet your money that Ovechkin will not go first but don't mind if i bet he does