BEST PICKS IN VHL DRAFT HISTORY
Jul 1, 2023 10:02:04 GMT -5
Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken, and 6 more like this
Post by Nashville Predators on Jul 1, 2023 10:02:04 GMT -5
With the 2023 VHL Draft upon us, I thought it would be a fun exercise to go back through the last decade to determine (argue about) which teams made the best pick in each draft. Note, I said BEST PICK, not best player, so Dustin does not get credit for taking Connor McDavid #1 in 2015. We are looking for which pick provided the best overall value based on where they were taken in the draft.
2013
At the top of the draft Alex Barkov fell to Florida at #4. Given that Seth Jones, and Jonathan Drouin were selected ahead of him, getting the 2nd best player of the draft at #4 represents fantastic value. However, Pittsburgh nabbing Brett Pesce with the 86th pick is the real steal of this draft.
2014
Several good value picks in this draft. Future 60 goal scorer David Pastranak went late in the 1st round (COL - #25) and I’m tempted to give Washington credit for selecting Leon Draistl with the 2nd overall pick. However the true gems come in the 3rd round. Toronto makes a great section early in the round, selecting Brayden Point with pick #65. However, this is edged out by St. Louis selecting future Vezina finalist, Ilya Sorokin, with the 85th pick.
2015
When a draft class has this much talent, it can be difficult to find a diamond in the rough. Thomas Chabot (ARZ - #29), Broach Boeser (CAL - #26), and Jake Debrusk (PHI - #28) all went late in the 1st round. In the 2nd round, Sebastian Aho fell even further in the VHL draft than the NHL draft, and was selected by Winnipeg with the 44th pick. The best value pick however, comes from Montreal, who selected Roope Hintz with the 57th pick.
2016
A historic draft for the VHL as it was the first year we incorporated the waiver draft!
All due respect to Ross Colton, who was selected by Columbus in the waiver draft, there are only two real choices in this draft. As much as I’d like to reward myself for taking Tage Thompson at #31, the winner here is Vancouver for taking future Norris trophy winner Adam Fox with the 56th pick. Bonus points for taking him 10 spots higher than his NHL draft position!
2017
2017 is going to be slightly different than the rest because I am picking multiple players that were all picked by the same team. My goodness Brad, could’ve saved some talent for the rest of us:
#3 - PIT selects Cale Makar
#4 - PIT selects Miro Hiskenen
#24 - PIT selects Robert Thomas
#29 - PIT selects Josh Norris
#30 - PIT selects Jason Robertson
2018
Several good value picks were made in the 2018 draft, especially in the 2nd round. Kril Marchenko (PIT - #35), Alex Romanov (NYR - #46), and Sean Durzi (ARZ - #56) all now play large roles with their respective clubs. However the best pick of the draft occurred in the top-10 with Dallas secting Quinn Hughes with the 8th pick. When you consider his current level of production, there is a real argument he could have been the 1st overall pick. Combined with some of the players taken ahead of him (Zadina, Boqvist, Wahlstrom), this is an easy choice for best value pick of the 2018 draft.
2019
This is the year where the best value picks become a bit murkier as many mid-to-late round selections are just starting to work their way into the pros. There are no obvious gems from 2019 as of yet. Goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov (SJ - #42) and Dustin Wolf (PHI - #93), may both end up being steals if they continue to develop at their current pace, but neither has played a full NHL season. This is where I finally get to pack myself on the back a bit for selecting Mattias Maccelli in the waiver draft. The 22 year old finished 3rd in rookie scoring, with 49 points in 63 games for the dog shit Coyotes this year.
2020
The 2020 draft was simultaneously the toughest and easiest year for this exercise. No mid-round or waiver draft selections have played a full NHL season, and several 1st round picks, including those selected in the top-10, have not made as much impact as expected. For these reason, the best value pick of this draft is Jake Sanderson falling to Dallas at #12. Sanderson is coming off a very strong rookie season, and is looking like he should have been the top-5 selection he was in the NHL
2021
Yet another draft with no obvious great value picks. Matthew Knies (PIT - #41) has an excellent chance of becoming a top line winger, but I think best value so far is JJ Moser (#78 - NYR) who played over 21 minutes a night on Arizona’s blueline, putting up 31 points in the process.
2022
Obviously too soon to determine who the best pick in this draft was, but still a few examples of guys who are already out-performing expectations. I will again pat myself on the back for taking David Jiricek at #3 (6th in the NHL), as his AHL performance this year has many in the pros saying he possibly should have been the 1st overall pick. However, I think Boston takes this one, selecting Lane Hutson with the 39th pick. Hutson put up 48 points in 39 games with BU this season, and is showing that concerns about his size may have been overstated. The kid is a dazzling playmaker from the blueline and will be a tremendous asset to the Bruins in the future
2013
At the top of the draft Alex Barkov fell to Florida at #4. Given that Seth Jones, and Jonathan Drouin were selected ahead of him, getting the 2nd best player of the draft at #4 represents fantastic value. However, Pittsburgh nabbing Brett Pesce with the 86th pick is the real steal of this draft.
2014
Several good value picks in this draft. Future 60 goal scorer David Pastranak went late in the 1st round (COL - #25) and I’m tempted to give Washington credit for selecting Leon Draistl with the 2nd overall pick. However the true gems come in the 3rd round. Toronto makes a great section early in the round, selecting Brayden Point with pick #65. However, this is edged out by St. Louis selecting future Vezina finalist, Ilya Sorokin, with the 85th pick.
2015
When a draft class has this much talent, it can be difficult to find a diamond in the rough. Thomas Chabot (ARZ - #29), Broach Boeser (CAL - #26), and Jake Debrusk (PHI - #28) all went late in the 1st round. In the 2nd round, Sebastian Aho fell even further in the VHL draft than the NHL draft, and was selected by Winnipeg with the 44th pick. The best value pick however, comes from Montreal, who selected Roope Hintz with the 57th pick.
2016
A historic draft for the VHL as it was the first year we incorporated the waiver draft!
All due respect to Ross Colton, who was selected by Columbus in the waiver draft, there are only two real choices in this draft. As much as I’d like to reward myself for taking Tage Thompson at #31, the winner here is Vancouver for taking future Norris trophy winner Adam Fox with the 56th pick. Bonus points for taking him 10 spots higher than his NHL draft position!
2017
2017 is going to be slightly different than the rest because I am picking multiple players that were all picked by the same team. My goodness Brad, could’ve saved some talent for the rest of us:
#3 - PIT selects Cale Makar
#4 - PIT selects Miro Hiskenen
#24 - PIT selects Robert Thomas
#29 - PIT selects Josh Norris
#30 - PIT selects Jason Robertson
2018
Several good value picks were made in the 2018 draft, especially in the 2nd round. Kril Marchenko (PIT - #35), Alex Romanov (NYR - #46), and Sean Durzi (ARZ - #56) all now play large roles with their respective clubs. However the best pick of the draft occurred in the top-10 with Dallas secting Quinn Hughes with the 8th pick. When you consider his current level of production, there is a real argument he could have been the 1st overall pick. Combined with some of the players taken ahead of him (Zadina, Boqvist, Wahlstrom), this is an easy choice for best value pick of the 2018 draft.
2019
This is the year where the best value picks become a bit murkier as many mid-to-late round selections are just starting to work their way into the pros. There are no obvious gems from 2019 as of yet. Goaltenders Pyotr Kochetkov (SJ - #42) and Dustin Wolf (PHI - #93), may both end up being steals if they continue to develop at their current pace, but neither has played a full NHL season. This is where I finally get to pack myself on the back a bit for selecting Mattias Maccelli in the waiver draft. The 22 year old finished 3rd in rookie scoring, with 49 points in 63 games for the dog shit Coyotes this year.
2020
The 2020 draft was simultaneously the toughest and easiest year for this exercise. No mid-round or waiver draft selections have played a full NHL season, and several 1st round picks, including those selected in the top-10, have not made as much impact as expected. For these reason, the best value pick of this draft is Jake Sanderson falling to Dallas at #12. Sanderson is coming off a very strong rookie season, and is looking like he should have been the top-5 selection he was in the NHL
2021
Yet another draft with no obvious great value picks. Matthew Knies (PIT - #41) has an excellent chance of becoming a top line winger, but I think best value so far is JJ Moser (#78 - NYR) who played over 21 minutes a night on Arizona’s blueline, putting up 31 points in the process.
2022
Obviously too soon to determine who the best pick in this draft was, but still a few examples of guys who are already out-performing expectations. I will again pat myself on the back for taking David Jiricek at #3 (6th in the NHL), as his AHL performance this year has many in the pros saying he possibly should have been the 1st overall pick. However, I think Boston takes this one, selecting Lane Hutson with the 39th pick. Hutson put up 48 points in 39 games with BU this season, and is showing that concerns about his size may have been overstated. The kid is a dazzling playmaker from the blueline and will be a tremendous asset to the Bruins in the future
