Edge
Kris King's Ghost
So Jamie Lundmark came up in a different thread and it got me thinking about my all-time hits and misses; guys who weren't necessarily pegged as can't-miss prospects who've reached the levels I thought they would, and guys who are now trivia questions.
I'm more or less looking for guys you REALLY liked, not just guys you thought were going to be good.
I'll give you some examples (I'm sure I'll think of more later):
Hits
Jason Arnott, 1993: Probably the first draft I can remember being really into. I really liked Arnott and hoped the Rangers would nab him. Unfortunately, the Oilers beat them to it. While Arnott never quite became the Mark Messier clone people hoped he'd be, he had a very solid NHL career that was cut short by injury.
Ryan Smyth, 1994: I just absolutely loved this kid and thought he was the kind of gritty, under the radar winger that successful teams coveted.
Marc Savard, 1995: Before I was on here, I was telling everyone I knew that this kid was going to be a star player.
Barret Jackman, 1999: An "undersized" defenseman, he was a guy I hoped the Rangers nabbed (along with Jamie Lundmark). He's been a gamer for 13 years in the NHL, though he never quite added the offense I thought he could.
Jarret Stoll, 2000/2002: Was on my list twice for the Rangers. The second time was particularly frustrating as they took Lee Farladeau, of whom I was not a fan. Had a solid NHL career, but didn't make it to the Rangers until he was a shadow of his former self.
Ryan Getzlaf, 2003: Advocated hard for him on these boards, just knew he was going to be a very good player. He exceeded even my expectations. Still a sore spot.
Andrew Ladd, 2004: Knew he wasn't going to be a supertar, but felt he could be a key player like Ryan Smyth. Just found an archived thread where I debated someone about liking him more than Robbie Schremp. Think I won.
Kyle Palmieri, 2009: Was my pick for the Rangers that year. Took him a while to get there, but I'm not surprised by his success.
Vladmir Tarasenko, 2010: My pick for the Rangers, thought he was going to be a stud. Still very hard for me to take.
Misses
Jason Bonsignore, 1994: Bonsignore was a total flop. Had no concept of how to channel his immense skills and was about as tough as a pillow.
Steve Kelly, 1995: Kid reminded me a lot of a young Mark Messier --- size, scoring, speed, physicality. But he never seemed to know what kind of pro player to become. It was like watching a completely different player.
Christian Dube, 1995: Thought he'd be the type of player Derek Stepan's been for us.
Daniel Tkaczuk, 1997: Thought he was going to be the type of player that Toews became.
Jamie Lundmark, 1999: Probably my biggest miss. I thought he was going to be a core player, if not a star, for a long time.
Half Glass Full/Empty
Jason Weimer, 1994: While Weimer never became the higher end power forward I thought he'd be, he was a respectable third/fourth liner before injuries ended his career.
Jordan Staal, 2006: Never quite became the offensive catalyst I thought he'd be, though he's settled into a nice support role.
Underestimated
Jonathan Toews, 2006: Didn't find him terrible impressive his draft year. Not that I disliked him, but there were other guys I liked significantly more.
I'm more or less looking for guys you REALLY liked, not just guys you thought were going to be good.
I'll give you some examples (I'm sure I'll think of more later):
Hits
Jason Arnott, 1993: Probably the first draft I can remember being really into. I really liked Arnott and hoped the Rangers would nab him. Unfortunately, the Oilers beat them to it. While Arnott never quite became the Mark Messier clone people hoped he'd be, he had a very solid NHL career that was cut short by injury.
Ryan Smyth, 1994: I just absolutely loved this kid and thought he was the kind of gritty, under the radar winger that successful teams coveted.
Marc Savard, 1995: Before I was on here, I was telling everyone I knew that this kid was going to be a star player.
Barret Jackman, 1999: An "undersized" defenseman, he was a guy I hoped the Rangers nabbed (along with Jamie Lundmark). He's been a gamer for 13 years in the NHL, though he never quite added the offense I thought he could.
Jarret Stoll, 2000/2002: Was on my list twice for the Rangers. The second time was particularly frustrating as they took Lee Farladeau, of whom I was not a fan. Had a solid NHL career, but didn't make it to the Rangers until he was a shadow of his former self.
Ryan Getzlaf, 2003: Advocated hard for him on these boards, just knew he was going to be a very good player. He exceeded even my expectations. Still a sore spot.
Andrew Ladd, 2004: Knew he wasn't going to be a supertar, but felt he could be a key player like Ryan Smyth. Just found an archived thread where I debated someone about liking him more than Robbie Schremp. Think I won.
Kyle Palmieri, 2009: Was my pick for the Rangers that year. Took him a while to get there, but I'm not surprised by his success.
Vladmir Tarasenko, 2010: My pick for the Rangers, thought he was going to be a stud. Still very hard for me to take.
Misses
Jason Bonsignore, 1994: Bonsignore was a total flop. Had no concept of how to channel his immense skills and was about as tough as a pillow.
Steve Kelly, 1995: Kid reminded me a lot of a young Mark Messier --- size, scoring, speed, physicality. But he never seemed to know what kind of pro player to become. It was like watching a completely different player.
Christian Dube, 1995: Thought he'd be the type of player Derek Stepan's been for us.
Daniel Tkaczuk, 1997: Thought he was going to be the type of player that Toews became.
Jamie Lundmark, 1999: Probably my biggest miss. I thought he was going to be a core player, if not a star, for a long time.
Half Glass Full/Empty
Jason Weimer, 1994: While Weimer never became the higher end power forward I thought he'd be, he was a respectable third/fourth liner before injuries ended his career.
Jordan Staal, 2006: Never quite became the offensive catalyst I thought he'd be, though he's settled into a nice support role.
Underestimated
Jonathan Toews, 2006: Didn't find him terrible impressive his draft year. Not that I disliked him, but there were other guys I liked significantly more.
