Philp: Twenty Years Of Lightning First Picks

Since 1992 the Tampa Bay Lightning has drafted 190 players from 13 different countries. The Bolts have had the first overall pick three times in franchise history. When the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004, there were only five players that the Lightning drafted on the roster.

To say that drafting 18 year old kids, especially with your first pick, is a crapshoot is a misnomer. Teams that do their due diligence will most often be successful with their first pick. An infant organization born in 1992, the Lightning struggled to draft first and second round impact players.

That is until 1998 when Tamp Bay drafted Vincent Lecavalier with the 1^st overall pick in the NHL draft. The Bolts got it right and Lecavalier still stands today as the best player from that draft. It’s worth noting that the Bolts picked Brad Richards in the third round of that 1998 draft too. Perhaps the Bolts brass knew what no one else suspected…that they had laid the foundation for a future Stanley Cup.

After the ’98 draft, Tampa Bay reverted back to its previous first pick ineptitude. Some of the biggest first pick busts in NHL history plagued the organization, including the 2003 debacle that would set the organization back for years to come.

Ten years after picking Lecavalier and four years from a Stanley Cup championship, the Lightning struck gold again with a kid from Markham, Ontario who took the league by storm.

Take a look at the Lightning’s history of first picks in the NHL Entry Draft:

1992 – Roman Hamrlik – Defenseman – #44 – Drafted 1^st overall by the fledgling Tampa Bay Lightning, Hamrlik played in six seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 52 goals, 133 assists, 185 points, 474 penalty minutes in 377 games. The 6’2”, 206 lbs. defenseman was traded in 1997 with Paul Comrie to the Edmonton Oilers for Jason Bonsignore, Bryan Marchment and Steve Kelly.

Hamrlik is still playing today, twenty years later and has career numbers of 155 goals, 483 assists, 638 points and 1,408 penalty minutes in 1,395 NHL games. The Zlin, Czechoslovakian native has made three All-Star appearances in 1996, 1999 and 2003. The 39 year old is currently the active NHL leader in games played. He is in the top ten career leaders in penalty minutes and shots for the Lightning.

1993 – Chris Gratton – Forward – #20, #77 – Drafted 3^rd overall by the Lightning, Gratton played in parts of eight seasons in three different stints with the Bolts accumulating 98 goals, 161 assists, 259 points and 828 penalty minutes in 482 games. The 6’4”, 226 lbs. center was signed as a free agent by Philadelphia on August 14, 1997. Gratton was traded back to Tampa Bay by Philadelphia on December 12, 1998 with Mike Sillinger for Mikael Renberg and Daymond Langkow.  He was traded to Buffalo by Tampa Bay with Tampa Bay’s 2^nd round pick (Derek Roy) in the 2001 Entry Draft for Cory Sarich, Wayne Primeau, Brian Holzinger and Buffalo’s 3^rd round pick (Alexander Kharitonov) in the 2000 Entry Draft on March 9, 2000. The Brantford, Ontario native was traded to Tampa Bay by Florida for Tampa Bay’s 2^nd round pick (Jacob Markstrom) in the 2008 Entry Draft on June 13, 2007. Gratton was claimed on waivers by Columbus from Tampa Bay on February 21, 2009.

Gratton retired in 2009 after playing 15 seasons and accumulating 214 goals, 354 assists, 568 points and 1,638 penalty minutes in 1,092 NHL games. Gratton is 6^th in career games played for the Lightning and 1^st in career penalty minutes.

1994 – Jason Wiemer – Forward – #9, #24, #27 – Drafted 8^th overall by the Lightning, Wiemer played four seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 27 goals, 27 assists, 54 points and 391 penalty minutes in 232 games. The 6’1”, 225 lbs. center was traded to Calgary by Tampa Bay for Sandy McCarthy and Calgary’s 3^rd (Brad Richards) and 5^th (Curtis Rich) round picks in the 1998 Entry Draft on March 24, 1998.

Wiemer retired in 2006 after playing 11 NHL seasons and accumulating 90 goals, 112 assists, 202 points and 1,420 penalty minutes in 726 NHL games with six different teams.

1995 – Daymond Langkow – Forward – #18 – Drafted 5^th overall by the Lightning, Langkow played four seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 27 goals, 34 assists, 61 points and 112  penalty minutes in 173 games. The 5’10”, 181 lbs. center was traded to Philadelphia by Tampa Bay with Mikael Renberg for Chris Gratton and Mike Sillinger on December 12, 1998.

Langkow did not play this past season after playing 16 NHL seasons and accumulating 270 goals, 402 assists, 672 points and 547 penalty minutes with four different teams.

1996 – Mario Larocque – Defenseman – #71 – Drafted 16^th overall by the Lightning, Larocque played in only five NHL games, all for Tampa Bay, never earning a point and accumulating 16 penalty minutes in the 1998-99 season. The 6’4”, 218 lbs. defenseman was signed as a free agent by Buffalo on August 7, 2001.

The 1996 draft is considered one of the weakest drafts in NHL history with nine players from the class playing less than 100 NHL games.

1997 – Paul Mara – Defenseman – #22, #2 – Drafted 7^th overall by the Lightning, Mara played three seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 14 goals, 22 assists, 36 points and 113  penalty minutes in 101 games. The 6’4”, 207 lbs. defenseman was traded to Phoenix by Tampa Bay with Mike Johnson, Ruslan Zainullin and the New York Islanders’ 2^nd round pick (previously acquired, Phoenix selected Matthew Spiller) in the 2001 Entry Draft for Nikolai Khabibulin and Stan Neckar on March 5, 2001.

Mara is currently playing for the Houston Aeros of the AHL. He has NHL career numbers of 64 goals, 189 assists, 253 points and 776 penalty minutes in 734 NHL games with six different teams.

Forwards Marian Hossa and Brenden Morrow were selected after the Bolts drafted Mara.

1998 – Vincent Lecavalier – Forward – #8, #4 – Drafted 1^st overall and deemed “The Michael Jordan of hockey” by Lightning owner Art Williams, Lecavalier has played 12 seasons with the Bolts accumulating 383 goals, 491 assists, 874 points and 746  penalty minutes in 1,037 games. The 6’4”, 208 lbs. center is the career Lightning leader in games played (1,037), goals (383), even strength goals (258), power play goals (112), game winning goals (60) and shots (3,166). Vinny is second in career assists (491) and points (874). He is third all-time in penalty minutes (746) and shorthanded goals (13). (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

The Ile Bizard, Quebec native is a four time All-Star (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009), a Maurice Richard Trophy winner (2006-07), a King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner (2007-08) and a Stanley Cup winner (2003-04).  Vinny ranks in the top 100 All-Time NHL leaders in shots (3,166) and even strength goals (258).

1999 – Sheldon Keefe – Forward – #46, #27, #42, #28 – Drafted 47^th (second round) overall by the Lightning, Keefe played three seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points and 78 penalty minutes in 125 games.

The 5’11”, 185 lbs. winger was claimed by the New York Rangers from Tampa Bay in the Waiver Draft on October 3, 2003 and then was claimed on waivers by Tampa Bay from the New York Rangers on October 24, 2003. Keefe was signed as a free agent by Phoenix on July 12, 2004.

Keefe never touched NHL ice after leaving the Lightning. He last played for the Utah Grizzlies of the AHL in 2004-05. He has NHL career numbers of 64 goals, 189 assists, 253 points and 776 penalty minutes in 734 NHL games with six different teams.

2000 – Nikita Alexeev – Forward – #15 – Drafted 8^th overall by the Lightning, Alexeev played three seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 18 goals, 17 assists, 35 points and 28 penalty minutes in 144 games.

The 6’5”, 227 lbs. winger was traded to Chicago by Tampa Bay for Karl Stewart and Florida’s 6^th round pick (previously acquired, Tampa Bay selected Luke Witkowski) in the 2008 Entry Draft on February 27, 2007. The Murmansk, Russia native is currently playing for Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL.

One of the All-Time draft day busts, Alekseev’s NHL career numbers of 20 goals, 17 assists, 37 points and 28 penalty minutes in 159 NHL games couldn’t measure up to the hype. Imagine if the Bolts decided on Henrik Lundqvist, Ilya Bryzgalov or Lubomir Visnovsky instead. All were available when they picked the Russian.

2001 – Alexander Svitov – Forward – #16 – Drafted 3^rd overall by the Lightning, Svitov played two seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points and 62 penalty minutes in 74 games. The Omsk, Russia native is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL.Darryl Sydor,Mike Lundin

The 6’3”, 228 lbs. center was traded to Columbus by Tampa Bay with Tampa Bay’s 3^rd round pick (later traded to Calgary – Calgary selected Dustin Boyd in the 2004 Entry Draft for Darryl Sydor and Columbus’ 4^th round pick (Mike Lundin) in the 2004 Entry Draft on January 27, 2004.

Svitov has NHL career numbers of 13 goals, 24 assists, 37 points and 223 penalty minutes in 179 NHL games.

Stephen Weiss, Mikko Koivu, Michael Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, Patrick Sharp and Christian Ehrhoff were all drafted after Svitov.

2002 – Adam Henrich – Forward – Drafted 60^th overall (second round) by the Lightning, Henrich has not played in the NHL. He has played forBrampton (OHL), Springfield (AHL), Johnstown (ECHL), Wheeling (ECHL), Norfolk (AHL), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), Ontario (ECHL), Cincinnati (ECHL), Hamburg (DEL), Asiago HC (Italy), Alleghe HC (Italy), Coventry (EIHL) and currently, Riessersee SC (Germany).

The Lightning chose Henrich and passed on the likes of Johnny Boychuk and Valtteri Filppula.

2003 – Mike Egener – Defenseman – Drafted 34^th (second round) by the Lightning, Egener has not played in the NHL. He has played for Calgary (WHL), Springfield (AHL), Johnstown (ECHL), Norfolk (AHL), Mississippi (ECHL), Bjorkloven IF (Sweden), Ontario (ECHL), Florida (ECHL), Esbjerg EfB Ishockey (Denmark) and currently, Coventry (EIHL).

The 2003 draft arguably contained the most talent and was the deepest draft in history, with NHL players drafted in all nine rounds. Every player drafted in the 1^st round made it to the NHL within eight years. As of 2012, 22 of the players drafted in round one have played in at least 300 NHL games and nearly one third of them have had their names inscribed on the Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately the Lightning decided to trade away their 1^st round pick (25^th) to the Florida Panthers who selected Anthony Stewart. Three picks later, a young Corey Perry was taken by Anaheim. In addition to the 34^th pick (Egener), Tampa Bay received the 41^st pick, which they used to draft Matt Smaby and the 192^nd pick from Florida, which brought them Doug O’Brien.

The Bolts drafted Egener and passed on defensemen Shea Weber, Tobias Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien.

If Tampa Bay wanted offense, they still had David Backes, Patrice Bergeron, Matt Moulson and Joe Pavelski on the board to pick from.

If the Lightning were in the market for a goalie, Jimmy Howard, Brian Elliott, Corey Crawford and Jaroslav Halak were still available.

Undoubtedly, Egener was the worst pick in the Lightning’s franchise history. With all the high end talent available in this draft, the best NHL player drafted by TampaBay turned out to be Nick Tarnasky.

You can view the 2003 draft here.

2004 – Andy Rogers – Defenseman – Drafted 30^th overall by the Lightning, Rogers has not played in the NHL. He has played for Calgary (WHL), Prince George (WHL), Springfield (AHL), Norfolk (AHL), Mississippi (ECHL), Toronto (AHL) and last played for Victoria (ECHL) in 2009-10.

Rogers is considered a draft bust as Pekka Rinne, Johan Franzen and Alexander Edler all were chosen after him.

2005 – Vladimir Mihalik – Defenseman – #56 – Drafted 30^th overall by the Lightning, Mihalik played in two seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 3 assists, 3 points and 8 penalty minutes in 15 games. The Presov, Czechoslovakia native is currently playing with HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL. Mihalik has played in the Lightning prospects camp and been called up a total of 15 times but has yet to catch on with the NHL club.

In picking Mihalik, the Lightning missed out on cornerstone players Keith Yandle, Paul Stastny and Kris Letang.

2006 – Riku Helenius – Goalie – #35 – Drafted 15^th overall by the Lightning, Helenius has only seen NHL ice once for just seven minutes and stopped both shots he saw.

Helenius has to be considered a draft bust. He lost an important year of development when he had shoulder surfery and has been trying to catch up ever since. He’s played well at times but has yet to develop into the netminder he was projected to be.  He is well down the Lightning’s goalie depth chart and it doesn’t look like he will play in the NHL. Claude Giroux, Semyon Varlamov and Milan Lucic were drafted after the Bolts opted for Helenius.

2007 – Dana Tyrell – Forward – #42 – Drafted 47^th overall (second Round) by the Lightning, Tyrell has played three seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points and 22 penalty minutes in 125 games.

Tyrell is an enigma; he has terrific speed and grit and is a third/fourth line fan favorite. Tampa Bay just hasn’t found a consistent role for him as he went back and forth to Syracuse three times last season. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

Here is Bolt Prospects evaluation of Tyrell:

“Tyrell is an outstanding skater with great top end speed and, more importantly, outstanding acceleration. Tyrell is a hard worker who loves to forecheck and isn’t afraid to go into high traffic areas. Possesses above average playmaking abilities and a good shot.”

2008 – Steven Stamkos – Forward – #91 – Drafted 1^st overall by the Lightning, Stamkos has played five seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating an amazing 208 goals, 178 assists, 386 points and 249 penalty minutes in 373 games. The Bolts had to pick between Stamkos and Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. As it turned out, both players are franchise cornerstones.

Nothing else needs to be said. Stamkos is the real deal and the Bolts will reap the rewards of drafting him for years to come; a true superstar and leader that doesn’t miss a game. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

2009 – Victor Hedman – Defenseman – #77 – Drafted 2^nd  overall by the Lightning, Hedman has played four seasons for Tampa Bay accumulating 16 goals, 73 assists, 89 points and 245 penalty minutes in 258 games. Hedman is a minutes eater, averaging almost 22 minutes per game over his career.

The 6’6”, 229 lbs. blueliner has developed into a true number one defenseman. After the Islanders selected John Tavares at number one, the Bolts had a choice of Hedman or forward Matt Duchene. Duchene has not developed into a top line center and Hedman is fast becoming a franchise defenseman. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

2010 – Brett Connolly – Forward – #14 – Drafted 6^th  overall by the Lightning, Connolly has played 73 games for Tampa Bay accumulating 5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points and 30 penalty minutes. GM Steve Yzerman grabbed his first draft pick as a GM when he took Connolly at number 6 overall.  The 6’2”, 200 lbs. winger was once thought to be a top three pick, but a hip injury limited him to just 16 games in his draft year and his stock fell. Still only 21, Connolly is a pure scorer and is primed to make the big club next season. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

The British Columbia native is currently playing in the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs with the Syracuse Crunch and has netted 31 goals, 63 points and 53 penalty minutes in 71 games. Connolly

Bolt Ptospects says of Connolly:

“If he’s healthy, the Lightning have a first line scoring winger for the next 10 years. Red Line compares Connolly to Sharks star Patrick Marleau in terms of his skills package. But, it’s also a possibility that Connolly’s injury problems never go away and he’s a part time player a la Buffalo’s Tim Connolly. High risk. High reward.”

2011 – Vladislav Namestnikov – Forward – Drafted 27^th overall by theLightning, Namestnikov is well on his way to the NHL as he is already contributing to the AHL Syracuse Crunch’s playoff run this season.

Bolt Prospects says of Namestnikov:

“Namestnikov is a hard working, gritty player who fearlessly takes the puck to the net and also loves to chirp and instigate his opponents. Creative with the puck and is a good playmaker with great ability to make tips and deflections and a dangerous backhand. He’s also honest and responsible defensively.”

The Russian native ranks in the top ten of a very strong and deep group of Lightning prospect forwards.  (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

2012 – Slater  Koekkoek – Defenseman – Drafted 6^th overall by the Lightning, Koekkoek has battled injuries early on in his professional career. The 6’2”, 185 lbs. defenseman was playing well last season with Peterborough when he was shut down with a season-ending shoulder injury after just 26 games. The Ontario native had accumulated 5 goals and 18 points when he went down.

Very highly rated (23^rd among North American skaters) by the NHL Central Scouting Service prior to the Lightning drafting him, Koekkoek remains a top defensive prospect for the Bolts. (Photo/Susan Ferlita)

Bolt Prospects ranks Koekkoek as their highest rated defenseman:

“Good skater with excellent burst. Shows good intelligence and is excellent at reading and jumping into the play. Good snap shot. Can play big minutes.”

Just as with any NHL organization, the NHL draft is an emotional roller coaster ride. While it’s much too early in his tenure to rate GM Steve Yzerman’s draft classes, it does seem that he is doing well and has the Bolts heading in the right direction. Tampa Bay’s minor league system is churning out a long list of NHL ready players.

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Tampa Bay Lightning First Picks