Six years ago, the 54th NHL draft took place in Buffalo. In many ways, however, he was not very successful. Whether it is the view of the teams, the greatest talents, or the purely Czech one. The name of the first Czech hockey player was only announced in the second round. A well-known phrase could be said about this infamous selection of talents – no stone was left unturned.
Number one went to number one
The American forward was the first to rise from his chair in the first round Auston Matthews, who is still successfully fighting for the Maple Leafs, who chose him then. Although the Canadian team does not manage to perform as well as in the regular season in the playoffs, it has been a successful season so far from Matthews’ point of view. In 407 games in the regular season, he scored a record of 259+198. In the last season, he even became the best scorer of the entire competition.
Two by three and three by two
The Jets management had the second option, which they decided to bring into their organization Patrika Laineho. The third pick fell to the Blue Jackets, who reached for Pierre-Luc Duboisovi. A lot has been written about both of them in recent years, so their dissatisfaction led to a quite logical solution – an exchange. Both are top-notch NHL players, but with such high-ranked players in the draft, the ideal idea is to stay with their first club as long as possible, but that was not the case for these two.
Gray mean
The Finnish duo followed. He came fourth to meet the podium Jesse Puljujärvi, who is definitely not happy in Edmonton. He doesn’t get as much space as he would have imagined, so he even jumped to the top Finnish league for two seasons. On the other hand, it must be said that his productivity is not just anyone’s. Now his stay with the Oilers is uncertain.
Olli Juolevi he could not capitalize on his potential at all. So far, he has made only 41 starts in the regular season of the NHL, in which he collected only 3 Canadian points and a negative balance of -2. He has already changed his place of work twice.
Successful elections
The following two names could be considered successful choices. He was heading to Calgary as sixth in the order Matthew Tkachuk, who played six very good seasons with the Flames. However, his next tenure with the Flames is unclear, as information has surfaced that he would like to change his place of employment.
Also Clayton Keller he certainly did not disappoint his employer. He has had seven seasons with the Coyotes, in which he mostly belonged to the very best players of the club there. He is under contract in Arizona until 2028.
Gentlemen, overboard!
The eight, nine and ten of the then draft are united by one common denominator. Alexander Nylander, Mikhail Sergachev i Tyson Jost they no longer belong to the clubs where these three hockey players were drafted. The first mentioned will work with the Penguins next season, the second signed a long-term contract with the Lightning a few days ago, and the third left Colorado this season, which subsequently won the Stanley Cup. Of this trio, only the Russian defender in the services of the Lightning has made a significant name in the NHL so far.
2016 Draft Overview
1. Auston Matthews Toronto
2. Patrik Laine Winnipeg -> Columbus
3. Pierre-Luc Dubois Columbus -> Winnipeg
4. Jesse Puljujärvi Edmonton
5. Olli Juolevi Vancouver -> Florida -> Detroit
6. Matthew Tkachuk Calgary
7. Clayton Keller Arizona
8. Alexander Nylander Buffalo -> Chicago -> Pittsburgh
9. Mikhail Sergachev Montreal -> Tampa
10. Tyson Jost Colorado -> Minnesota
…
37. Libor Hájek Tampa -> NY Rangers
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