INCREDIBLE WHL NUMBERS
“Unreal.”
That’s how one WHL head scout described to me an article by Kirk Penton in the Winnipeg Sun this weekend regarding the breakdown of how many top-end WHL draft picks go on to NHL careers. Remember, of course, you’re drafting to make your own WHL team better — not to find the next NHL superstar. At least that’s what the goal should be.
Personally, I found the article beyond fascinating. Penton – the reigning CFL Reporter of the Year – put a lot of work into the piece. Here’s a snippet of the column with the full link at the bottom of the page:
BY THE NUMBERS
How often does getting drafted in the first round of the bantam draft result in a long and storied NHL career? Not very often. To gauge the correlation, we took a look at the first rounds of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 bantam drafts. Only 17 of the 60 players taken ended up playing at least one NHL game. Only 10 have suited up for more than 100 games. A look at the first-round selections and how many NHL games they’ve played:
TEAM PLAYER NHL GP
2005
1 Regina Pats D Colten Teubert 24
2 Swift Current Broncos LW Geordie Wudrick 0
3 Prince George Cougars RW Dale Hunt* 0
4 Spokane Chiefs C Mitch Wahl 0
5 Moose Jaw Warriors C Neal Prokop* 0
6 Kamloops Blazers RW Tyler Shattock 0
7 Tri-City Americans D Eric Mestery* 0
8 Prince Albert Raiders LW Jordan Trach 0
9 Vancouver Giants C James Wright 146
10 Everett Silvertips C Kyle Beach 0
11 Portland Winter Hawks C Thomas Frazee 0
12 Red Deer Rebels C Cassidy Mappin 0
13 Calgary Hitmen C Brendon Rowinski* 0
14 Saskatoon Blades D Teigan Zahn 0
15 Lethbridge Hurricanes D Travis Bobbee* 0
16 Seattle Thunderbirds RW Cody Hanson 0
17 Brandon Wheat Kings C Sanfred King* 0
18 Medicine Hat Tigers C Jordan Hickmott 0
19 Kelowna Rockets D Tyler Myers 318
20 Kootenay Ice D Jordan Wilkins 0
2004
1 Prince George Cougars D Ryan Kerr 0
2 Saskatoon Blades C Colton Gillies 154
3 Seattle Thunderbirds D Thomas Hickey 121
4 Lethbridge Hurricanes C Dwight King 157
5 Regina Pats RW Brett Leffler 0
6 Red Deer Rebels RW Brandon Sutter 415
7 Kootenay Ice D John Negrin 3
8 Spokane Chiefs C Drayson Bowman 176
9 Tri-City Americans C Joel Broda 0
10 Portland Winterhawks RW Colton Sceviour 28
11 Brandon Wheat Kings D Keith Aulie 136
12 Swift Current Broncos D Paul Postma 58
13 Calgary Hitmen C Brett Sonne 0
14 Vancouver Giants G Tyson Sexsmith 0
15 Everett Silvertips D Eric Doyle 0
16 Kamloops Blazers LW Travis Dunstall 0
17 Prince Albert Raiders D Justin Palazzo 0
18 Moose Jaw Warriors D Travis Ehrhardt 0
19 Medicine Hat Tigers LW Jordie Deagle 0
20 Kelowna Rockets D Luke Schenn 436
2003
1 Tri-City Americans C Jonathan Toews* 484
2 Kootenay Ice C Ben Maxwell 47
3 Everett Silvertips C Zack Hamill 20
4 Prince Albert Raiders RW Ryan De Pape* 0
5 Portland Winterhawks RW Sasha Golin 0
6 Prince George Cougars C Tyler Swystun 0
7 Vancouver Giants LW Jason Reese 0
8 Spokane Chiefs C Michael Reich 0
9 Calgary Hitmen RW Keegan Dansereau 0
10 Medicine Hat Tigers D Trevor Glass 0
11 Regina Pats D Logan Pyett 0
12 Kootenay Ice D Todd Panchyson 0
13 Kamloops Blazers D Victor Bartley 74
14 Saskatoon Blades C Justin McCrae 0
15 Moose Jaw Warriors C Brennen Wray 0
16 Swift Current Broncos LW Kyle Bortis 0
17 Seattle Thunderbirds C George Holloway 0
18 Brandon Wheat Kings D Mike Cann 0
19 Red Deer Rebels C Matthew Cline 0
20 Kelowna Rockets C Craig Cuthbert 0
* Manitoba players
The full article is here:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2014/05/04/young-winnipeg-sniper-joins-elite-company-as-first-overall-pick
If this doesn't speak to the senselessness of the bantam draft nothing will. If we had the priority midget draft the draft board would look entirely different that what we've seen in the past. That includes this most recent draft. Having an extra time to watch these players would afford teams a chance to see if the players progressed or dropped way back. After one year of midget you would clearly know who is likely to be a player and who isn't. The Bantam draft has hurt more kids than it's helped.
How has it hurt kids? The good still make, others don't.
It's an interesting POV, but I could poke holes in the validity of it throughout. You could do a very similar breakdown of the NHL draft! First rounders every year disappear into nothing.
The main point I see is you are drafting NHL players, your drafting for your team. (I.e. Mitch Wahl was a great junior, but will never play in the show – does that make him a bad pick?)
The Bantam draft works just fine. WHat's interesting is how Saskatchewan continues to lag so far behind in providing talent to the WHL. How many Bantam AA teams in that Saskatchewan loop? A lot, and how many drafted….25. That's overall not getting into specifics of where they went so it is highly probably of those 25 maybe 3 will make the league etc. The point being these over-hyper parents that invest thousands of dollars in hockey basically had their grown up hearts broken. Their intent was to create an opportunity for their kids, but in all liklihood all they ended… Read more »
Toews didn't play a single game in the WHL so this magnifies that somewhat. Great find RP!
You could make this argument in every professional league in the world. How many players play baseball and make the MLB? I would argue that it is far worse ratio than hockey. Many talented athletes get mired in minor league obscurity for a lot of different reasons. We just relate it to hockey more because we have a closer relationship with hockey here than other sports. No big deal, though I do agree with the comment about parents living vicariously through their children going to the NHL!
Actually Obama has a good point there. We have friends involved with the highend Bantam hockey in Regina and to say those families are devastated is putting it mildly.
The one that surprises me is Luke Schenn, how he has played that many games is amusing.
He should be playing senior hockey.
Oh-BAH-MAH!!! OH-BAH-MAH!!!! OH-BAH-MAH!!!
Would be interesting to see similar studies of all sports…
I would like to see how the CFL draft picks have made out? Especially with Draft Day approaching, it would be interesting to put things in perspective.
Kel in Victoria
Would be interesting to see similar studies of all sports…
I would like to see how the CFL draft picks have made out? Especially with Draft Day approaching, it would be interesting to put things in perspective.
Kel in Victoria
This is perspective. People focus on one thing and one thing only and don't realize there is a larger world out there. How many people were denied entry to Vetrinary College or the College of Law at the U of S. It's a competitive process in this case of professional sports 99.9% don't make it. They don't look at it like a pyramid. There are 690 jobs in the NHL give or take. From there how many in the AHL, ECHL etc. Go further down and you get to the WHL and how many spots are open? Then you get… Read more »