Roll the dice, hope for the best
NHL teams took advantage of quality depth in draft
Posted: Sunday June 28, 1998 06:34 PM
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Top of the class: Lecavalier (center) went No. 1 to the Lightning, followed by Legwand (left) to the Predators and Stuart to San Jose (AP) |
BUFFALO, New York (CNN/SI) -- Another Wayne Gretzky? Mario Lemieux? How about Raymond Bourque or Denis Potvin?
There may not be any future Hall of Famers among the 258 players chosen in the 1998 NHL Entry
Draft on Saturday, but there was plenty of talent to go around.
Leading the talent pool is Vincent Lecavalier -- the No. 1 selections taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning who has been compared to Lemieux.
"There weren't a lot of high-end players," said Buffalo Sabres
general manager Darcy Regier following Saturday's draft at the
Marine Midland Arena, "but there was a lot of depth. Even in the
ninth round, we decided to pick up another ninth-round pick but
couldn't [make a trade].
"It will be an interesting draft to examine in time, because of
the depth."
Jim Devellano, senior vice president of the Detroit Red Wings,
would like to give it about four or five years.
"When you do a draft today, you're not drafting for next
year," said Devellano, a key figure in the recent success of the
two-time Stanley Cup champions, "you're drafting four years down
the road.
"There's not going to be many in the pool that step in next
year. If you get three guys, it will be a miracle. But hopefully,
there'll be a hundred that step in four years from now."
Not even Lecavalier, a player some have compared to Lemieux
because of his position (center), height (6-foot-4) and origins
(French Canadien), was certain of his immediate hockey destination
after being picked No. 1 overall by Tampa Bay.
"We are going to have to see at camp," Lecavalier said. "I
never went against guys in the NHL, so I guess I'm just going to
have to see. I'm going to hope for the best. If I feel I'm not good
enough, then I think I would be better off to play junior and
improve."
While not expected to make an immediate impact, Lecavalier's
selection as No. 1 was a no-brainer for the Lightning. He was the
top-rated prospect by the NHL's Central Scouting Service after a
44-goal, 71-assist season with Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League.
"He's absolutely our future," new team owner Arthur Williams
said. "He's the poster boy. He's the person that we sort of build
around. He has that kind of talent and that kind of ability."
The Nashville Predators felt just as highly about David Legwand.
The NHL's newest team, which filled out its initial roster with 26
players in Friday's expansion draft, traded up one spot with San
Jose to get the No. 2 pick in the Entry Draft.
"In time, David Legwand is going to be the cornerstone of our
franchise," Predators coach Barry Protz said.
New pick, new duds: Center Rico Fata wore the Calgary Flames' new sweater with pride after being selected with the sixth pick (AP) | |
Legwand of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, is another product of Canadian
juniors, which traditionally dominates the draft. The 6-1 center
from Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League was one of 21 junior
players of the 27 selected in the first round, and one of 132 in
the 258-player pool.
There were 139 forwards taken in the draft, along with 83
defensemen and 23 goaltenders. The remaining 13 players' positions
were unidentified.
There were few surprises among the first four picks -- Legwand
was also rated No. 2 by Central Scouting. The next two picks went
pretty much according to form, with San Jose taking defenseman Brad
Stuart from Regina of the Western Hockey League and Vancouver
picking defenseman Bryan Allen from Oshawa of the OHL. Allen was
rated No. 3 by Central Scouting and Stewart No. 4.
After that, there was a wide disparity in thinking between
Central Scouting and the team scouts.
"After the [first few picks], it was very unpredictable,"
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Gauthier said.
Dimitri Kalinin, a Russian defenseman rated No. 1 among
Europeans, wasn't selected until the No. 18 pick by the Buffalo
Sabres. Mathieu Biron, a defenseman from the QMJHL rated seventh by
Central Scouting, lasted until the 21st pick when he was selected
by the Los Angeles Kings.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was Russian center Nikolai
Antropov, the No. 17-rated European. He was the No. 10 pick by the
Toronto Maple Leafs.
"A lot of teams didn't know about Antropov," said Red Wings
general manager Ken Holland. "He was a bit of a surprise."
The draft was generally considered weak for goaltenders and
Patrick Desrochers of the OHL was the first goalie picked when he
went No. 14 to Phoenix. Mathieu Chouinard, who played in the QMJHL,
was the only other goaltender picked in the first round and went
right behind Desrochers to Ottawa.
Some familiar names came up in the draft when Montreal picked
center Eric Chouinard in the first round, Colorado picked Philippe
Sauve in the second and Calgary picked Shaun Sutter in the fourth.
All are sons of former NHL players, Guy Chouinard, Bob Sauve and
Brian Sutter.
Trading activity was at a minimum, except mostly for draft
picks. In one of the few significant deals, Philadelphia sent Paul
Coffey, a 14-time All-Star defenseman, to Chicago for a fifth-round
draft choice.
Skrobat, a Russian defenseman, was the final name called after
nine rounds and 10 hours of activity.
"There was variety," said Pat Quinn, new coach of the Toronto
Maple Leafs, "Central Scouting steered everyone in the right
direction -- and the teams drafted for their own needs."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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