| A DECADE OF DRAFTING - 2002 Entry Draft |
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June 22-23 Top 5 1. Rick Nash-Columbus Blue Jackets |
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Notable Trades Blue Jackets traded 2002 first round pick (#3-Jay Bouwmeester) and Panthers option to swap 2003 first round picks (not exercised) to Panthers for 2002 first round pick (#1-Rick Nash) Thrashers agreed not to select Jay Bouwmeester #2 overall in 2002 NHL draft in exchange for the Panthers 2002 third round pick (#82-John Adams) and 2003 fourth round pick (#116-Guillaume Desbiens) Flyers traded Ruslan Fedotenko and two 2002 second round picks (#34-Tobias Stephan) (#52-Dan Spang) to Lightning for 2002 first round pick (#4-Joni Pitkanen) Biggest Busts Jesse Niinimaki(F). Drafted by the Oilers 15th overall from Ilves Tampere(SM-liiga). As per usual, the Oilers went off the board with this pick and ended up with a dud. Niinimaki was ranked as 84th overall but the Oilers scouts thought he could be a “home run”. Clearly he wasn’t, spending one season in the AHL before heading back to Europe, having never played in the NHL. Oh, and the Oilers originally had the 14th pick but swapped places with Montreal, who drafted Chris Higgins. Jakub Koreis(F). Drafted by the Coyotes 19th overall from Plzen HC(Czech). Koreis came over from Europe and played for the Guelph Storm in 2003-04 and put up 38 points in 48 games, which must have gotten the Coyotes excited. However he spent three unproductive years in the AHL and then returned to Europe without appearing in a single NHL game. Martin Vagner(D). Drafted by the Stars 26th overall from the Hull Olympiques(QJMHL). Born in the Czech Republic, Vagner probably came over to the QMJHL to increase his chances of getting drafted. It must have worked, because he was drafted twice. After failing to sign with the Stars, he re-entered the draft in 2004 and was chosen 268th overall by the Hurricanes. But in 2005 he returned back home without playing any games for either club. Mike Morris(F). Drafted by the Sharks 27th overall from St. Sebastian's(Mass. H.S.). A top player on his prep team in high school, he played at Northeastern University for 4 years after he was drafted. He battled through injuries during his college career but still played two years for the Sharks’ farm club after he graduated. But after he was released from his contract, he retired due to post-concussion symptoms. Jonas Johansson(F). Drafted by the Avalanche 28th overall from HV71 Jonkoping(.SEL). Came over to play for the Kamloops Blazers after he was drafted, and put up mediocre numbers in his two years there. After playing for a few years in the minors, he was traded to Washington, where he appeared in 1 game. After spending a few more years in the minors, he returned to Europe. Petr Taticek(F). Drafted by the Panthers 9th overall from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds(OHL). Put up big numbers for the Greyhounds during his draft year, but only managed to play three games for the Panthers. He was traded to Pittsbugh and then eventually signed with Washington before returning to Europe. Late Round Gems Jonathan Ericsson(D). Drafted by the Red Wings 291st overall. Another success story of the Wings ability to find gems in the later rounds, Ericsson was the last player taken in the draft, and has appeared in 277 NHLgames as a reliable defenseman. Adam Burish(F). Drafted by the Blackhawks 282nd overall. A 3rd/4th line role player, Burish has appeared in 343 games and is currently with the Sharks. Dennis Wideman(D). Drafted by the Sabres 241st overall. After eventually winding up in Boston, developed into a decent offensive defensman. Maxime Talbot. Drafted by the Penguins 234th overall. A Cup winner with the Penguins, he currently fills a 3rd line checking role for the Flyers.
The First Round Today 1. Columbus-Rick Nash Notable(And Not So Notable) Players Ivan Tkachenko(F). Drafted by the Blue Jackets 98th overall, he was one of the players killed in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash. Other Notes -The Oilers had 15 picks in the draft, and despite their tendency to strike out in the first round, they did find success with Jarrett Stoll and Matt Greene in the 2nd round. -A total of 4 players played 1 game in the NHL while Jay Bouwmeester leads the way with 764 games played. -For the third draft in a row, a Russian team once again leads the way. Elemash Elektrostal had a total of 7 players picked.
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