Devs scouting

Who pushed to draft JF Damphousse, the goalie taken in the first round who was an all out bust. Our drafting aside from Parise and Zajac has been brutal the last 6 or 7 seasons.

Our drafting has been admittedly bad aside from Parise, Martin, and Zajac. However, in the time since we drafted JF Damphousse, we've also found UFA gems in Madden, Rafalski, Oduya, Greene, Clarkson, and to a lesser degree, Pelley. So at least the scouts made up for poor drafts.

6 or 7 years takes you back to 1998...For a team that drafts in the Bottom of the first round every year, has over 100 points every year, IS competeing for the conference and the Division every year..........


Mike Van Ryn - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta - Pierre Dagenais - Mike Commodore -
David Hale - Paul Martin - Zach Parise -

Plus the /Undrafted signed players ....Like Madden, Rafalski, Oduya, Greene


And the Unknows like

Petr Vrana - Jason Smith - Tyler Eckford - Nicklas Bergfors - Jeff Frazee -Mark Fraser -Patrick Davis -Mark Fayne - Sean Zimmerman - Matt Corrente - Alexander Vasyunov




I'll take that Track Record ANY DAY of the week......When you consiuder 2 Cups, the regulars season records and the players they have produced during that time.

Looking towards this month's draft

Ellington said he felt a good connection during his interview with the New Jersey Devils. He said the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs also showed significant interest.

Ellington is slated for somewhere around the third round.

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/06/11/100spo_c1tip001.cfm

You really can't properly evaluate a draft until about five years later. Some prospects (Parise, Zajac) might make the jump a lot sooner, but these are prospects and they need time to develop. With that said, let's look at the drafts from five to ten years ago:

2002
We probably all just read Jared's evaluation of this draft year, and it was not a good one. Janssen has made it (though he won't be more than a fourth liner), Ryznar and Tallackson might still have a shot, and I think it's safe to say the rest are busts.

2001
Also an ugly draft. Foster, sadly, did not work out. He was a risk, and I'm sure the Devils knew it when they picked him. Salomonsson played a few games for the Devils, but nothing worth mentioning. Pihlman has also seen a few games. The rest are busts.

2000
Great draft year. Paul Martin was obviously a great pick. David Hale was also drafted this year, and I think he would have been a lot better (especially this year) if he got some consistent ice time. Michael Rupp was also picked this year (after re-entering the draft, I believe) and he obviously was pretty important in '03, as well as looking decent this year. Also of note, Mike Danton was drafted that year.

1999
Meh. Ahonen never worked out (though playing for a God-awful Albany team probably played a role in that). Devils also drafted Mike Commodore that year, and obviously he's turned into a pretty good defenseman. I can't remember what trade he left in, maybe the Friesen trade? Devils didn't have very many picks that year, no one else worth talking about.

1998
AMAZING draft year. When you can get two legit first liners (Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta), that's an awesome year. The Devils also drafted Mike Van Ryn that year, obviously he never ended up playing here, but I don't think you could characterize that as a bad pick. Pierre Dagenais (second time) and Christian Berglund were also drafted that year.

Ellington should go higher. Extremely mobile defender, very smart, excellent decision-making. He's not an elite guy by any means, but he'll be effective. Upside is 40 points as a #3 guy and PP specialist.

Looking towards this month's draft



http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/06/11/100spo_c1tip001.cfm

Not sure he'll last until the third. I would have no problem with the Devs taking him in the second with the 58th pick.

Looking towards this month's draft



http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/06/11/100spo_c1tip001.cfm

Nice find. Thanks for the article.

It's important to remember that 2002 was a brutal draft year in general and we traded our 1st round pick as part of a package for Langenbrunner, so you have to keep that in mind.

The one I'm dissapointed with is that we weren't able to add at least a second really good player from the 2003 draft. Considering how deep that draft was, I really though Conte would land us 3 full timers. Granted, Vrana could still turn out to be pretty good (maybe J Smith too) but keep in mind that Patrice Bergeron, Dan Fritsche and Matt Carle were all taken in the 5 picks after Petr.

the worst was Ahonen. No need for him When Brodeur was like 28.

the worst was Ahonen. No need for him When Brodeur was like 28.

I was thinking the same thing when they drafted him. Even if he was one of the top goalie prospects at the time...

If you think that was bad, how about taking JF Damphouse 1 pick ahead of Brendan Morrow when Brodeur was 26?

If you think that was bad, how about taking JF Damphouse 1 pick ahead of Brendan Morrow when Brodeur was 26?

Hey, I believe Mike Bossy went Fifthteen to the Isles, s**t happens.

It's tough to fault the Devils management for picking goaltenders. With something as unpredictable as the NHL draft - especially at the bottom of the 1st round - it really seems that you've got to pick the best available player. And, if Brodeur had gone down (a la Blackburn), we all would have been thrilled that we had a top goalie in the system.

It's tough to fault the Devils management for picking goaltenders. With something as unpredictable as the NHL draft - especially at the bottom of the 1st round - it really seems that you've got to pick the best available player. And, if Brodeur had gone down (a la Blackburn), we all would have been thrilled that we had a top goalie in the system.

I don't mind them drafting a netminder, but come on, JF Damphousse and Ahonen were awful picks. Wasted #1 picks.

I don't mind them drafting a netminder, but come on, JF Damphousse and Ahonen were awful picks. Wasted #1 picks.

Ari Ahonen--# 27 overall

Who exactly did you want the Devils to take between #27 and their 2nd pick at #42 (Commadore) that made Ari a wasted pick??? Exactly there wasn't anyone!



27 New Jersey Ari Ahonen G JyP HT Jyvaskyla (FNL)
28 NY Islanders Kristian Kudroc D Michalovce (Slovakia) 26 2 2 4 38
Round 2
29 Washington Michal Sivek C Czech Senior League 38 3 3 6 14
30 Atlanta Luke Sellars D Ottawa 67's (OHL) 1 0 0 0 2
31 Washington Charlie Stephens C Guelph Storm (OHL) 8 0 2 2 4
32 Dallas Michael Ryan L Boston College High (Mass.) 19 3 2 5 2
33 Nashville Jonas Andersson L Sweden 5 0 0 0 2
34 Washington Ross Lupaschuk D Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) 3 0 0 0 4
35 Buffalo Milan Bartovic W Slovakia 50 3 14 17 26
36 Edmonton Alexei Semenov D Sudbury Wolves (OHL) 142 5 16 21 156
37 Washington Nolan Yonkman D Kelowna Rockets (WHL) 50 1 7 8 90
38 Calgary Dan Cavanaugh C Boston University (NCAA)
39 Mtl. Canadiens Alexander Buturlin R CSKA Jr. (Russia)
40 Florida Alex Auld G North Bay Centennials (OHL) 108 0 4 4 6
41 Edmonton Tony Salmelainen L HIFK Helsinki (FNL) 70 6 12 18 30
42 New Jersey Mike Commodore D U. of North Dakota (NCAA) 229 11 38 49 339


JF Damphousse # --24 overall

Now sure you can argue that the Devils missed out on Brendan Morrow......But take a look at the names in there wasn't anything great here either! (Besides Morrow)


24 New Jersey Jean-Francois Damphous G Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) 6 0 0 0 0
25 Dallas Brenden Morrow L Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) 491 136 164 300 789
26 Colorado Kevin Grimes D Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Round 2
27 Boston Ben Clymer D U. of Minnesota (NCAA) 438 52 77 129 367
28 Carolina Brad DeFauw L U. of North Dakota (NCAA) 9 3 0 3 2
29 Los Angeles Scott Barney R Peterborough Petes (OHL) 27 5 6 11 4
30 Philadelphia Jean-Marc Pelletier G Cornell University (NCAA) 7 0 0 0 0
31 NY Islanders Jeff Zehr L Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 4 0 0 0 2
32 Calgary Evan Lindsay G Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
33 Tampa Bay Kyle Kos D Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
34 Vancouver Ryan Bonni D Saskatoon Blades (WHL) 3 0 0 0 0
35 Washington J.F. Fortin D Sherbrooke Faucons (QMJHL) 71 1 4 5 42
36 Vancouver Harold Druken C Detroit Whalers (OHL) 146 27 36 63 36
37 Mtl. Canadiens Gregor Baumgartner R Laval Titan College Francais (QMJHL)
38 New Jersey Stanislav Gron L Bratislava (Slovakia) 1 0 0 0 0




You really have to take take these in context to the draft and to the Devils Drafting position.

Ari Ahonen--# 27 overall

Who exactly did you want the Devils to take between #27 and their 2nd pick at #42 (Commadore) that made Ari a wasted pick??? Exactly there wasn't anyone!



27 New Jersey Ari Ahonen G JyP HT Jyvaskyla (FNL)
28 NY Islanders Kristian Kudroc D Michalovce (Slovakia) 26 2 2 4 38
Round 2
29 Washington Michal Sivek C Czech Senior League 38 3 3 6 14
30 Atlanta Luke Sellars D Ottawa 67's (OHL) 1 0 0 0 2
31 Washington Charlie Stephens C Guelph Storm (OHL) 8 0 2 2 4
32 Dallas Michael Ryan L Boston College High (Mass.) 19 3 2 5 2
33 Nashville Jonas Andersson L Sweden 5 0 0 0 2
34 Washington Ross Lupaschuk D Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) 3 0 0 0 4
35 Buffalo Milan Bartovic W Slovakia 50 3 14 17 26
36 Edmonton Alexei Semenov D Sudbury Wolves (OHL) 142 5 16 21 156
37 Washington Nolan Yonkman D Kelowna Rockets (WHL) 50 1 7 8 90
38 Calgary Dan Cavanaugh C Boston University (NCAA)
39 Mtl. Canadiens Alexander Buturlin R CSKA Jr. (Russia)
40 Florida Alex Auld G North Bay Centennials (OHL) 108 0 4 4 6
41 Edmonton Tony Salmelainen L HIFK Helsinki (FNL) 70 6 12 18 30
42 New Jersey Mike Commodore D U. of North Dakota (NCAA) 229 11 38 49 339


JF Damphousse # --24 overall

Now sure you can argue that the Devils missed out on Brendan Morrow......But take a look at the names in there wasn't anything great here either! (Besides Morrow)


24 New Jersey Jean-Francois Damphous G Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) 6 0 0 0 0
25 Dallas Brenden Morrow L Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) 491 136 164 300 789
26 Colorado Kevin Grimes D Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
Round 2
27 Boston Ben Clymer D U. of Minnesota (NCAA) 438 52 77 129 367
28 Carolina Brad DeFauw L U. of North Dakota (NCAA) 9 3 0 3 2
29 Los Angeles Scott Barney R Peterborough Petes (OHL) 27 5 6 11 4
30 Philadelphia Jean-Marc Pelletier G Cornell University (NCAA) 7 0 0 0 0
31 NY Islanders Jeff Zehr L Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 4 0 0 0 2
32 Calgary Evan Lindsay G Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
33 Tampa Bay Kyle Kos D Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
34 Vancouver Ryan Bonni D Saskatoon Blades (WHL) 3 0 0 0 0
35 Washington J.F. Fortin D Sherbrooke Faucons (QMJHL) 71 1 4 5 42
36 Vancouver Harold Druken C Detroit Whalers (OHL) 146 27 36 63 36
37 Mtl. Canadiens Gregor Baumgartner R Laval Titan College Francais (QMJHL)
38 New Jersey Stanislav Gron L Bratislava (Slovakia) 1 0 0 0 0




You really have to take take these in context to the draft and to the Devils Drafting position.

Good points. Gron was another bust I forgot about.
Just as was Christian Berglund a few years later.

Alex Auld would have been a better pick than Ahonen.

Good points. Gron was another bust I forgot about.
Just as was Christian Berglund a few years later.

Alex Auld would have been a better pick than Ahonen.
The problem with Ahonen wasn't the pick but the development.

The problem I have with picking the 2 goalies in the first round has more to do with the position they play than simply missing on the boat on scouting or development. From a public perspective, there never seemed to be a threat of Broduer leaving, even when he hit UFA at 31. IMO, the only way a 1st rd goalie pick is worth it is if the guys becomes your starter (essentially the equavalent of a 1st line positional player). Backup goalies can be had for basically nothing in free agency and goalie prospects have very little trade value, so the pick were only going to be beneficial to the team IF Brodeur left and they panned out.

Even at that time, I felt they should have been picking positional players because even the ones that don't become superstars can still be contributors every night on the 3rd and 4th lines. There was just no reason to take a goalie in the first rd twice in 3 years considering that we had Brodeur and he gave no indication that he would be leaving (based on his not having an agent and taking less money to stay in NJ, it's doubtful he gave any hints of leaving privately either).