Your team's recent draft bust

[Chaos]

Richard Jackman- 5th overall, 1996, although there wasnt much else in the 1st round that year.
John Erskine- 38th overall, 1998, just because of who went almost immediately after him(Vaananen, Fisher, even Ribiero).
Martin Vagner- 26th overall, 2002, we all know how that turned out.
Janos Vas- 32nd overall, 2002, Huge reach, cant even score in the Swedish Tier II league, although injuries have really hampered him. Harding, Kaygorodov, Anshakov, Hudler all went after him. Hell, we even picked him 10 spots before Daley.

 

[DW]

Minny: umm Chris Heid??

If I was to choose it would be Barry Brust, only because he wasn't signed. Of the guys still with the organization, Kyle Wanvig (2nd, 2001) has had a poor season and his future with the Wild seems sketchy and Mike Erickson (3rd, 2002) seems like he'll never amount to anything more then a AHLer. Still too early really to say whom is/isn't a bust yet for the Wild.

 

[leafaholix*]

Yeah i think everyone knows that unfortunately.

I was just wondering since Daigle wasnt a leaf prospect if he knew who he was.

You're great.

So funny.

I love you.

 

[Stammer Time*]

T-Bay: For some strange reason I still think Alexeev might have a decent 3rd liner career in front of him

From whats been said on the Lightning board it seems that the Lightning frontoffice has pretty much given up on Alexeev and doesn't have much time left with the Lightning.

 

[Vatican Roulette]

I think Burkie picked Smith because he exploded in production in the Q the year before the draft (90 pts as an 18 year old). Anyways, I'd say RJ Umberger was a bust as well. When it all comes down to it, it's a wasted draft pick.

check your stats.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=45224

Smith was from the dub, and he exploded in his rookie year to a whopping 49 points. His second full year he produced 90 points, his draft year.

in 190 AHL games, he has 20 goals, 53 points. He's an average 4th liner in the AHL.

 

[leafaholix*]

I wonder who Vancouver fans would rather have, Nathan Smith or Nathan Barrett. Burke just let Barrett go, and he's outplayed Smith in the AHL by a good bit. Both are career minor leaguers though.

 

[DevilFisch]

For NJ, it would have to be J-F Damphousse in 1997. He hasn't done much...AT ALL. Though if Ari Ahonen doesn't shape up or Adrian Foster stays hurt to do little, it could be one of them.

 

[McDonald19]

Special note to Kiel McLeod who asked for a laughable amount of money as a 2nd rounder, only to be invisible on Pheonix's system

Yup, I saw McLeod play for Phoenix at the Pacific Division Prospect Tournament in September. Big untalented oaf skating around. Amazing how all it takes to get to play Pro hockey is being 6'5.

 

[McDonald19]

Well I will take a look at the Ducks 1st and 2nd round picks since 1993 to see which ones are busts.

1993

1st (4th overall) Kariya...franchise player for about a decade...

2nd (30) Nikolai Tsulygin...Bust...first Defensement the franchise every drafted and he played all of 22 games in the NHL (in the 96-97 season)

1994

1st (2nd overall) Oleg Tverdovsky...when he was on his game he was a good offensive d-man, Ducks also used him and Chad Kilger to steal Selanne from Winnipeg.

2nd (28) Johan Davidsson...Bust...back in Europe since 2000

1995

1st (4th overall) Chad Kilger...bust for a fourth overall pick...again Ducks were able to get Selanne for Kilger and Tverdovsky...

2nd (29th) Brian Wesenberg...bust...traded to Philadelphia in 96...played 1 NHL game for the Flyers.

1996

1st (9th overall) Ruslan Salei...Solid top 4 D-Man for the Ducks, adds a physical presence...very good pick when you look at the Defensmen picked around him...8th-Aitken, 10th-Lance Ward, 11th-Dan Focht.

2nd (35th) Matt Cullen...ok pick...never quite made it as a 2nd line center like the Ducks hoped...Played 427 games for the Ducks so clearly not a bust...Ducks also got Ozolinsh for their Stanley Cup Finals run in return for Cullen.

1997

1st (18th overall) Michael Holmqvist...TBD...Key leader at 25 years of age for Cincy of the AHL...He is NHL ready...It's unfortunate that it took 7 years after the draft for him to do something in North America but at least he is here now...A lot of busts picked around him...14th-Riesen 15th-Zultek 16th-Ty Jones 17th-Robert Dome 19th-Cherneski 20th-Mike Brown.

2nd (45) Maxim Balmochnykh...bust...lots of potential back in 97...never adjusted to North American game...traded to New Jersey in Sykora-Friesen deal...back in Russia now.

1998

1st (5th overall) Vitaly Vishnevski...ok top 4 defensemen , inconsistent physical play, looks like he may be reaching his offensive potential. Interesting pick at 5th overall when he was rated in the 20s for the draft.

2nd (32) Stephen Peat...Bust based on the fact that he was drafted to be a physical d-man rather than a pure enforcer...never wanted to sign with Anaheim was traded to Washington for a 2000 4th round pick.

1999

1st - 15th overall traded to Phoenix with Travis Green for Oleg Tverdovsky. Good trade considering Phoenix drafted Scott Kelman and Tverdovsky was traded in the Sykora deal.

2nd(44) - Jordan Leopold, bad trade by Anaheim sending his rights to Calgary for Nazarov and 2001 2nd round pick, although the 2nd was turned into Keith Carney.

2000

1st (12th overall) Alexei Smirnov...very very close to being a bust...he was at one pointed rated to go top 5 in the draft...he was a big time prospect...just hasn't shown the desire or even the skill level to make it in the NHL.

2nd (44) Ilya Bryzgalov...good pick...Ducks traded 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks to Montreal to get the 44th pick and get Bryz...will be Giguere's back up next season.

2001

1st (5th overall) Stan Chistov...TBD...has all the talent in the world to make it in the NHL...Wouldn't trade him for any 2001 first rounder not named Kovalchuk, Spezza or Ruutu...like him better than Weiss, Svitov and Koivu...we'll see what happens in the next couple of years.

2nd (35) Mark Popovic...very good leader, number 1 d-man for Cincy of the AHL...should be in Anaheim soon...would like to see him put up more points though...

2002

1st (7th overall) Joffrey Lupul...great pick so far...should be a 25-35 goal scorer for the next ten seasons...best goal scorer of his draft class besides Nash...definetly like him more than Upshall (6th) and Bouchard (8th).

2nd (37th) Tim Brent...well they had to go back and get him in the 2004 draft...does the little things necessary to win, great leader...should be a good second liner or great third liner in the NHL.

2003

1st (19th) Ryan Getzlaf...so far soo good...great WJC's...NHL ready...

1st (28th) Corey Perry...great Junior season...time for him to adjust to the pro game in the AHL next season...

2nd rd picks traded to get the 28th overall pick.

2004

1st (9th) Ladislav Smid...so far so good...like to see him put up some points though.

2nd (39th) Jordan Smith...so far so good...loved the way he played at the Pacific Division Prospect tournament...a real leader, won't back down from anyone...

 

[MS]

Yup, I saw McLeod play for Phoenix at the Pacific Division Prospect Tournament in September. Big untalented oaf skating around. Amazing how all it takes to get to play Pro hockey is being 6'5.

McLeod is many things, but he is definitely not an 'untalented oaf' and has way more than his size going for him. He's not consistent and his first-step quickness is an issue, but he was an absolute force in junior when he was on his game. You don't score 90 points in the WHL by accident. Soft hands, nice vision, great on faceoffs, very hard to contain down low.

I thought his skating improved enough in his last two years in Kelowna that he'd do very well in pro ... obviously that hasn't been the case. In fairness too, though, noone can score on that godawful team in Utah. His 11 goals is as many as Sjostrom and amongst the team leaders, and at 22 with not even two years pro he's far from being an official bust yet.

 

[McDonald19]

McLeod is many things, but he is definitely not an 'untalented oaf' and has way more than his size going for him. He's not consistent and his first-step quickness is an issue, but he was an absolute force in junior when he was on his game. You don't score 90 points in the WHL by accident. Soft hands, nice vision, great on faceoffs, very hard to contain down low.

I saw him play 4 games in a tournament against a lot of 18 and 19 year olds and he didn't show me any talent out there. He was just an oaf skating around when he could have been impressing his coaches/GM by scoring goals against other prospects.

It's only a judgement based on 4 games so take that for what it's worth. If he woke up and had a good AHL season, then good for him.

 

[leafaholix*]

By recent, I'll do the last 6 drafts...

1998

1st (10) - Nikolai Antropov - Good pick. The only guy within the following 5 picks even worthy of a first round pick would be Alex Tanguay at #12. Could have done a lot worse, Nikolai is a talented 3rd line forward in the worst case scenario on a good team. Still has some untapped upside, capable of being a really good 2nd liner.

2nd (35) - Petr Svoboda - BUST. At one time he was a big time prospect in the organization, but then never met expectations and finally had fatigue problems that seem to have led to his retirement at age 22.

1999

1st (24) - Luca Cereda - BUST. It pains me to think the Ottawa Senators stole Martin Havlat at #26. Cereda was hit with a potential fatal heart condition early in his career, he had to sit out over a year. He currently shines in Switzerland at the age of 23, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist in 37 games with Bern.

2nd (60) - Peter Reynolds - BUST. This pick doesn't hurt that much since it was a bit later and there wasn't all that much left in a weak 1999 draft.

2000

1st (24) - Brad Boyes - Big time OHL player, later traded by the Leafs in the Owen Nolan deal. In hindsight, would have prefered either guy picked 28th or 29th. Above average prospect with Boston, good guy, good future as a 3rd line forward. Though, he's creaping up on 23 years old with 1 NHL game played.

2nd (51) - Kris Vernarsky - BUST. Good OHL player, played with Team USA at the WJC's. He's 23 years old and playing in the ECHL. Was traded by the Leafs for Richard Jackman in 2002. Would have prefered Antoine Vermette at #55.

2001

1st (17) - Carlo Colaiacovo - Top prospect. Good pick, no complaints.

2nd (39) - Karel Pilar - Hasn't lived up to expectations, coming off a top defensemen year in the Czech League at age 23. Picked 1 spot ahead of Fedor Tjutin, 4 ahead of Doug Lynch, and 10 ahead of Mike Cammalleri. Would reverse that pick to either Tjutin or Cammalleri, but still a good NHL player with still some upside, I think he can be a good top 3 defenseman on a team with limited depth on the blueline, or a potential #3/4 on a good team. Good season this year in the Czech League.

2002

1st (24) - Alexander Steen - Great pick at #24.

2nd (57) - Matthew Stajan - Great pick at #57.

2003

No 1st

2nd (57) - John Doherty - Too early to tell, but has tremendous upside, but also a likely bust. I'd say right now it's 75/25 in favour of bust, but his upside is probably better than any defenseman in the system.

 

[markov`]

By recent, I'll do the last 6 drafts...

1998

1st (10) - Nikolai Antropov - Good pick. The only guy within the following 5 picks even worthy of a first round pick would be Alex Tanguay at #12. Could have done a lot worse, Nikolai is a talented 3rd line forward in the worst case scenario on a good team. Still has some untapped upside, capable of being a really good 2nd liner.

2nd (35) - Petr Svoboda - BUST. At one time he was a big time prospect in the organization, but then never met expectations and finally had fatigue problems that seem to have led to his retirement at age 22.

1999

1st (24) - Luca Cereda - BUST. It pains me to think the Ottawa Senators stole Martin Havlat at #26. Cereda was hit with a potential fatal heart condition early in his career, he had to sit out over a year. He currently shines in Switzerland at the age of 23, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist in 37 games with Bern.

2nd (60) - Peter Reynolds - BUST. This pick doesn't hurt that much since it was a bit later and there wasn't all that much left in a weak 1999 draft.

2000

1st (24) - Brad Boyes - Big time OHL player, later traded by the Leafs in the Owen Nolan deal. In hindsight, would have prefered either guy picked 28th or 29th. Above average prospect with Boston, good guy, good future as a 3rd line forward. Though, he's creaping up on 23 years old with 1 NHL game played.

2nd (51) - Kris Vernarsky - BUST. Good OHL player, played with Team USA at the WJC's. He's 23 years old and playing in the ECHL. Was traded by the Leafs for Richard Jackman in 2002. Would have prefered Antoine Vermette at #55.

2001

1st (17) - Carlo Colaiacovo - Top prospect. Good pick, no complaints.

2nd (39) - Karel Pilar - Hasn't lived up to expectations, coming off a top defensemen year in the Czech League at age 23. Picked 1 spot ahead of Fedor Tjutin, 4 ahead of Doug Lynch, and 10 ahead of Mike Cammalleri. Would reverse that pick to either Tjutin or Cammalleri, but still a good NHL player with still some upside, I think he can be a good top 3 defenseman on a team with limited depth on the blueline, or a potential #3/4 on a good team. Good season this year in the Czech League.

2002

1st (24) - Alexander Steen - Great pick at #24.

2nd (57) - Matthew Stajan - Great pick at #57.

2003

No 1st

2nd (57) - John Doherty - Too early to tell, but has tremendous upside, but also a likely bust. I'd say right now it's 75/25 in favour of bust, but his upside is probably better than any defenseman in the system.

2002 draft was absolutely great, the rest isn't far from pathetic.

 

[leafaholix*]

2002 draft was absolutely great, the rest isn't far from pathetic.

1998 and 2001 was good too.

1999 was pathetic, 2000 was "meh".

2003 is too early to tell with no 1st, 2004 was a great draft for the Leafs.

 

[MS]

I saw him play 4 games in a tournament against a lot of 18 and 19 year olds and he didn't show me any talent out there. He was just an oaf skating around when he could have been impressing his coaches/GM by scoring goals against other prospects.

It's only a judgement based on 4 games so take that for what it's worth. If he woke up and had a good AHL season, then good for him.

He is inconsistent, and if he's not playing well he will look bad because his skating stride is so clunky.

I saw him a lot in the WHL and he can be very, very good as long as he keeps his feet moving and plays with an edge. One game in particular in 01-02 was the most impressive individual performance I saw from anyone in 40 or so live games that year.

Phoenix gave him that contract for a reason ... he looked like an excellent prospect coming out of junior.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Well I will take a look at the Ducks 1st and 2nd round picks since 1993 to see which ones are busts.

As will I for the Penguins. I'll just start at 93 since that was when I first started to watch hockey...

1993
1st (26) Stefan Berqvist - BUST. Last pick in the first round and we went with one of those boom-or-bust guys that goes so often at this stage. An injury suffered in a car accident halted his NHL career at just 7 games.
2nd (52) Domenic Pittis - BUST. Has had massive amounts of success in every league he's played in...except the NHL. 86 career NHL games, just 1 with the Penguins. 16 career NHL points, 0 with the Penguins. A great AHLer, a horrific NHLer.

1994
1st (24) Chris Wells - BUST. Bust for Florida that is. He was laughably bad when he played for us but he turned into Stu Barnes and Jason Wooley for us. I can't believe Florida accepted that one....
2nd (50) Richard Park - Has put together a solid NHL career, albeit without the Penguins.

1995
1st (24) Alexei Morozov - Hasn't quite lived up to potential, but still a good NHL second liner. With good linemates he becomes great.
No second rounder.

1996
1st (23) Craig Hillier - BUST. I know almost everyone busted in 1996 but this name still makes me cringe regardless. Never came close to playing in the NHL, was horrific in the AHL, and is being scorched by beer leaguers now. Massive attitude and drinking problem.
2nd (28) Pavel Skrbek - BUST. The Penguins were really, really high on this kid and traded up to get him...and then shipped him off 4 years later. Good move, he lost all his value not long after that. Turned him into Bob Boughner, probably the only capable defensive defenseman the Penguins had in the post Ulf Samuelsson era until Orpik came around.

1997
1st (17) Robert Dome - BUST. I won't blame Dome for busting as the Penguins ruined his development more than any prospect in recent memory(for us at least), but the fact remains he was a wasted pick who ended us nothing.
2nd (44) Brian Gaffney - BUST. Here's the definition of a bust. He quit during his first training camp. He retired at ripe age of 22.

1998
1st (23) Milan Kraft - Hasn't lived up to his potential, but is getting better each year. Was one of the Penguins best players last year on a consistant basis finishing 4th on the team in scoring. Not bad for a guy who was a healthy scratch much of the first part of the season.
2nd (54) Alexander Zevakhin - BUST. Sucked in the AHL and fled to the motherland. Supremely talented, just couldn't play worth ****.

1999
1st (18) Konstantin Koltsov - In a year in which almost everyone busted the Penguins came out pretty nicely. Koltsov being the first of 6 NHL-calibur players the Penguins pick in 1999 was impressive as a rookie last year. Good playmaker, decent shot, good defensively, willing to use his body...and the fastest player I have ever seen. If his hands ever catch up with his legs he could really be special.
2nd (51) Matt Murley - Has alot of experience to this point of his career, but only 18 NHL games. Don't know if he'll ever make it with the Penguins because of the glut of youth coming up that will be ready when the lockout returns, but I have no doubt he'll do something in the NHL somewhere. Just probably not with the Penguins.

2000
1st (18) Brooks Orpik - God.
2nd (52) Shane Endicott - Is looking like the first Penguins second rounder to do anything for the Penguins in almost a quarter-century. Greg Malone was the last Penguins second rounder to do anything for the Penguins. A couple second rounders, like Paul Laus and Rick Tabaracci, have gone on to decent NHL careers, but never played for the Penguins. Endicott has turned into one of the AHL Penguins' best players this season. A defensive forward who has a good scoring touch.

2001
1st (21) Colby Armstrong - Pick looks better every year. It was unpopular at the time, but anyone who has seen Armstrong in the AHL this year isn't gonna argue. An absolute pest in every sense of the word, and has a good offensive game to boot. If his frame fills out he could find alot of enemies in the NHL
2nd (54) Noah Welch- There's not going to be a 22 year draught between second rounders. Welch, who just finished his senior season at Harvard, may be better than Ryan Whitney. Alot of scouts feel he could have made the Penguins out of camp as a sophomore, but wanted to get his full education at Harvard(who could blame him?). Now that his playing time is done at Harvard and his diploma is only a couple months away we're not far away from finally seeing what the kid can do. A team leader with a meanstreak, Welch has alot of enemies around the college rinks.

2002
1st (5) Ryan Whitney - This was a tough pick for the Penguins. Everyone knew the top 4 in the 2002 draft and everyone knew that after the fourth pick there was a massive fall off. Whitney may never compare to Bouwmeester or Pitkanen, but still has alot of talent to be a top pairing defenseman in the NHL. Had a slow start to the season in the AHL but has played better since. 36 points is pretty damn good for a rookie defenseman.
2nd (35) Ondrej Nemec- Way too early to say. Hasn't come over to the states yet(with the exception of a tryout contract with the Baby Pens late last year).

2003
1st (1) Marc-Andre Fleury - Fleury had about as trying of a season as one possibly can last year. Stood on his head each and every game last season for the Penguins but still got his neck burned from having no defense in front of him, played for Team Canada in the WJCs and was one of their best players...until he essentially scored on himself to allow the Americans to win, then went back to Cape Breton where his team gave up in the playoffs and left him out to dry, and then back-up Andy Chiodo in the AHL playoffs...this year has been alot simpler. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. No one else. I'm sure he couldn't be happier. Has played better than his stats indicate, but he still has alot to work on. He'll be a demon in the NHL some day though.
2nd (32) Ryan Stone - This pick is looking mighty nice so far. Stone finished 2nd in the WHL in scoring with 99 points to go with a meaty 127 PIMs. Looks like either a second rounder or a really good third liner.

2004
1 (2) Evgeni Malkin - This pick is looking mighty nice so far. To say the least. Malkin, who is still 18, saw his scoring totals jump by 20 points this season in the NHL-laden RSL.
2 (31) Johannes Salmonsson - Way, way, way too early to say anything. The NHL player influx has helped keep Salmonsson's playing time down in Sweden this year. Was considered a top 10 talent but had loads of injury problems. Has been healthy this year though.

As you can see we must not have had any scouts in the early/mid 90s.

 

[Russian_fanatic]

Not me, he is so soft it is unbeliveable. He is litteraly a 6"5 moutain of poo. Nothing good out of him.

:lol

 

[Skrymir]

Well for the sens all time I’ll do the same as macdonald.

1992

1rst (2): Alexei Yashin – **** attitude, but in no way can you call him a bust.
2nd (25): Chad Penny – Who???? BUST

1993

1rst (1): Alexandre Daigle – Could never live up to the hype put had some good success while he was around.
2nd (27): Radim Bicanek – Had a few stints in the NHL, but overall a career minor leager at best. BUST

1994

1rst (3): Radek Bonk – Solid 2-way centre. Lacks consistent effort night in night out, but in no way a bust.
2nd (29): Stanislav Neckar – Showed alot of promise but never recovered after a severe knee injury early in his career. Still wouldn’t call him a bust though.

1995

1rst (1): Bryan Berard – Good offensive Dman. Never forgave him for refusing to play in Ottawa, but definately not a bust.
2nd (27): Marc Moro – Godd press coming never panned out. BUST

1996

1rst (1): Chris Phillips – Can’t complain, number one pick in a really weak draft... turns up every spring for the sens.... now if he could only do it in the regular season.

1997

1rst (12): Marian Hossa – What can I say, a steal at #12. If they redrafted today he’d arguably #2 behind Thornton.

1998

1rst (15): Mathieu Chouinard – Good numbers out of junior never showed anything at any pro level. BUST
2nd (44): Mike Fisher – Awesome pick, fan favourite, all out hockey warrior.

1999

1rst (26): Martin Havlat – Another 1rst round steal. Would probably go #1 if the redrafted today.
2nd (48): Simon Lajeuness – Showed some promise in the minor pros, but was never good enough for a shot in the NHL. BUST
2nd (62): Teemu Sainomaa – Not much expected, not much shown. I guess since he was a 2nd round pick (although a late one) you can call him a BUST.

2000

1rst (21): Anton Volchenkov – gotta love the A-Train, already exceeded what most expected from him.
2nd (45): Mathieu Chouinard – So good we had to draft him a second time. BUST
2nd (55): Antoine Vermette – A steal this late in the draft. Too bad a misdiagnosed injury set him back an entire season.

2001

1rst (2): Jason Spezza – Great in limited action. Hopefully he take a more dominant role with the new coaching staff.
1rst (23): Tim Gleason – One of those prospects I really wish we hadn’t traded away. How nice would it have been to bring this guy up instead of trading for DeVries.

2002

1rst (16): Jakub Klepis – Great vision, not afraid of traffic. I don’t know why it hasn’t translated in to pro success. BUST. but not to late to turn it around.
2nd (47): Alexei Kaigorodov – didn’t like the pick at the time, but is really proving himself in the RSL this season. People are likening him to Larinov. We’ll see what he can do when he comes over.

2003

1rst (29): Patrick Eaves – Another good late 1rst round pick. Finalist for Hobey Baker. Should turn pro next season. It all looks good right now.
2nd (67): Igor Mirnov – Could be another Havlat, or could be a bust. Not sure if he’ll ever come over to NA.

2004

1rst (23): Andrej Mezaros – may end up being the steal of the 1rst round. way to soon to judge right now, but things are looking good from where I stand.
2nd (58): Kirill Lyamin – A lot of hype after the draft. What I’ve seen of him hasn’t impressed me. Too soon to give the bust label though.


All in all pretty good.
26 picks in the first 2 rounds and really only 8 picks that can be considered busts (and 2 were the same guy)

 

[markov`]

1998 and 2001 was good too.

1999 was pathetic, 2000 was "meh".

2003 is too early to tell with no 1st, 2004 was a great draft for the Leafs.

1998: Antropov and Poni are the only NHLers. Both are nothing more than checking line player with maybe some 2nd line potential. Sure, they are NHL caliber player but this draft is average at best.

1999: Best of the crop: Pierre Hedin. Pathetic.

2000: Boyes has some potential and Tellqvist will become a good backup goalie, but again, pathetic.

2001: Good draft, but not because of Colaiocovo. I really think Cola is nothing more than a 2nd pairing, powerplay specialist. Kyle Wellwood and Maxim Kondratiev are two steals, so that's nice scouting, but you traded Kondratiev.

2002: Really good draft.

2003: Early to tell, but I would be very surprised to see any NHLers on this crop.

2004: Same as 2003. You will need to be very lucky to have a NHLer out of this draft. I know you think Dmitry Vorobiev and Robbie Earl are sure bets to become NHLers, but welcome in the real world, where there are a ton of prospects like them.

Not a great overview by any mean

 

[Hedberg]

For the Canucks

1998- This year brought the Canucks major busts such as Paul Cabana, David Jonsson, Graig Mischler, Jason Metcalfe, and Curtis Valentine. Justin Morrison and Regan Darby are also busts, but should get some credit for sticking in the AHL.

1999- Rene Vydareny. Need I say more. This guy was overhyped and projected as a star NHL blue-liner (or is it orange-liner?). He is now playing in the Slovak league and was traded by Vancouver to Montreal. Josh Reed (currently in Lubbock, CHL), Kevin Swanson (played for UBC last year and has now retired), Ryan Thorpe (Now an assistant coach in the WHL), and Darrel Hay do not help this draft at all.

2000- Not one single player with an NHL future in this bunch. Brandon Reid is in Germany and will end up with a Steve Kariya like career. Nathan Smith is a solid 4th line AHL guy. Thatcher Bell once looked promising, but turned out to be a useless pick like Pavel Duma. Nathan Barrett is in the AHL and may play as a replacement player for the Leafs next year. Tim Branham and Tim Smith are both ECHL players and probably nothing more.

2001- A pretty good draft for the Canucks, except for 9th rounder Konstantin Mikhailov, but he was only a 9th rounder. If only Rj Umberger and Fedor Fedorov had any character

2002- Too early to comment on most of these guys except Marc-Andre Roy This guy is a useless goon who can't play hockey and is currently in the UHL. If they really wanted him, they should have signed him as a UFA, not wasted this pick. I don't think Thomas Nussli or Lukas Mensator will ever leave Europe, although I think Mensator could have been a good, Irbe-like backup. Neither Rob McVicar or Matt Violin don't look like they even have AHL potential

2003- Again, too early to comment on most of these guys, although the Canucks no longer have Ty Morris' rights and Sergei Topol looks like Konstantin Mikhailov-like pick.

 

[Roughneck]

To follow suit with the 1st and 2nd Rounders since '93

1993

1st (18th)- Jesper Mattsson: BUST never played a game int he NHL. Had a few mildly successful seasons in the AHL before heading back to Sweden for good.

2nd (44th)- Jamie Allison: was a fringe NHLer. Showed signs of becoming more than a 6th or 7th defenseman but never really did it. Spent alot of time going up and down through the minors, playing witha few different teams, could get work again. Not really a bust.

1994

1st (19th)- Chris Dingman: is having a successful career as a bottom line grinder. Has a couple cup rings. But isn't exactly a player worthy of a first rounder. Unfair to call him a bust though.

2nd (45th)- Dmitri Ryabkin: BUST is have a successful career in Russia. But hasn't played an NHL game, or a game in North America for that matter. At least Allison was servicable in the NHL.

1995

1st (20th)- Denis Gauthier: big hitter, was part of the "young guns" and has been a good defenseman for the Flames for the past several years. Can fit into most top 4s, make game-changing hits and plays defense good, was a good pick that year.

2nd (46th)- Pavel Smirnov: BUST drafted out of Russia, Pavel played for 3 different Q teams in one season and after one game in the AHL, had a year in the ECHL then just dissapeared and retired. A shame really. Didn't look into it, but injuries most likely played a big part.

1996

1st (13th)- Derek Morris: arguably the best player in the draft, and many thought the Flames were reahing when they picked him. Very good two-way d-man, was the Flames best defenseman when they traded him to Colorado. Is tough, offesively skilled, now the Coyote's top d-man, is a top NHL defenseman. Excellent pick by the Flames.

2nd (39th)- Travis Brigley: BUST had a couple small NHL stints, but was a career minor leaguer from the UHL to the British Super League and back to the ECHL and AHL.

2nd (40th)- Steve Begin: was a AHL playoff MVP before showing he could be a very good 4th line player and has had even more success in Montreal. Making a good career despite being an undersized checker.

1997

1st (6th)- Daniel Tkaczuk: BUST ever devout Flames fan will know the story on Dan. One scout said take Samsonov, the other said Tkaczuk, and we all know what happened. Fantastic junior player, excellent minor league player, we traded him to St. Louis when it looked like he was able to salvage an NHL career and he fell off the radar since. Now playing in Italy.

2nd (32nd)- Evan Lindsay: BUST who? re-entered the draft, was picked by the Habs, played one AHL game, then went on for a few seasons in the ECHL and wherever else.

2nd (42nd)- John Tripp: BUST a draft re-entry when we picked him, he's seen a bunch of different minor league teams and had a couple minor NHL stints. Was a pretty good AHL scorer. Played in a handful of games for the Kings last season.

2nd (51st)- Dmitri Kokorev: BUST zero NHL games, zero games in North America. Mediocre at best in Russian league.

1998

1st (6th)- Rico Fata: BUST even though he seems to have salvaged something of an NHL career in Pittsburgh, all the experts said Fata wouldn't have what it takes in the NHL and they were right. Undersized, lacked vision, could skate, but that only helped in junior. Neither one of Calgary's highest ever picks amounted to anything wearing the red jersey.

2nd (33rd)- Blair Betts: BUST injuries have plagued his entire career but when healthy has shown flashes of being a good NHLer. However, he has really lost his ability to be a physical presence being made of glass as he is. Maed us optimistic at the beginning of seasons, then he would get injured again.

1999

1st (11th)- Oleg Saprykin: one of the most frustrating players the organization has ever seen. Flashes of brilliance but also inconsistency and attitude problems. Always fun to watch either making a great move or his skating style that resembles skipping when crossing centre or trying to get past a defender. It seemed Sutter helped keep his head on the ground and was an effective contributor, but he didn't really fitin the plans. Should have more success in Phoenix.

2nd (38th)- Dan Cavanaugh: BUST after leaving college, has had a mediocre AHL career in Houston. Flames didn't even offer a contract.

2000

1st (9th)- Brent Krahn: he looked like a bust, but has re-emerged. When the Hitmen released him it was the turning point of his career. had a excellent (albeit short) stint in Seattle before heading to the minors where he has re-emerged as the Flames top goalie prospect.

2nd (40th)- Kurtis Foster: BUST big frame, big shot, but isn't destined for a big league career. At least the Buzek trade doens't look THAT bad anymore. Career minor-league or at best a 6th/7th utility d-man on a weak unit.

2nd (46th)- Jarret Stoll: he's a good player, which is why he got drafted even higher the second time around. Not a bust, but then again, was kind of a wasted pick anyways. Technically, Stoll=Lombardi, which makes it alright.

2001

1st (14th)- Chuck Kobasew: had a shaky start in Calgary, playing mostly in a checking role, but his goalscoring touch hasn't been lost. He is leading the AHL in goals and +/- this season as well as been captain for many games. He is still looking like the excellent prospect we thought he was. Will be a very good 2nd line RW behind Iggy. Goalscoring is his thing.

2nd (41st)- Andrei Taratukhin: has been underwhelming, but if he is showing a willingness to come to NA next year, i think it would be unfair to label him a bust. Although he is pretty borderline IMO.

2nd (56th)- Andrei Medvedev: BUST what scouts saw in his NHL potential I will never know. A waste of a pick the second he was drafted IMO. His stock has dropped every year that he hasn't made the physical improvements that were the basis of his future as a decent prospect. If he even comes to NA and becomes a servicable AHL goalie I would be suprised.

2002

1st (10th)- Eric Nystrom: it was a weak draft but we still got a player with an NHL future as a good 3rd liner. Was CCHAs Best Defensive Forward and showed a better offensive spark than his previous season. A year or two in the AHL will help his devellopment. I think some would hope for more from him however.

2nd (39th)- Brian McConnell: BUST seems odd to say this so early, but his numbers have fallen, he's been less and less impressive the past couple seasons and doens't have a future with the Flames.

2003

1st (9th)- Dion Phaneuf: should need no explanation. Would more than likely be a top 5 pick if the draft were re-done. The best defense prospect out there, he is a beast. Best prospect the team has had in a LONG time.

2nd (39th)- Tim Ramholt: a defenseman with some good offensive skills as well as a mean streak. Likes the North American game and could be a 3-5 defenseman for the Flames.

2004

1st (24th)- Kris Chucko: extremely early, but I'm liking him more and more.

 

[CRUNK JUICE]

Every time I read or hear the name "Craig Hillier," I feel like pounding my head against my desk. Just like this:

 

[CRUNK JUICE]

1994
1st (24) Chris Wells - BUST. Bust for Florida that is. He was laughably bad when he played for us but he turned into Stu Barnes and Jason Wooley for us. I can't believe Florida accepted that one....
2nd (50) Richard Park - Has put together a solid NHL career, albeit without the Penguins.

I still chuckle about that one every now and then. It was like a miniature version of the Francis/Samuelsson trade. Which I don't chuckle about at all, since I was a Whalers fan before "the trade."

 

[McDonald19]

2nd (40th)- Kurtis Foster: BUST big frame, big shot, but isn't destined for a big league career. At least the Buzek trade doens't look THAT bad anymore. Career minor-league or at best a 6th/7th utility d-man on a weak unit.

Too soon to call him a bust. Anaheim likes him and will give him a look on their third d-man pair as a powerplay specialist when the NHL returns.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

1st (5th overall) Stan Chistov...TBD...has all the talent in the world to make it in the NHL...Wouldn't trade him for any 2001 first rounder not named Kovalchuk, Spezza or Ruutu...

Hamhuis, Gleason, Karlsson , Perezhogin perhaps ??