It sounds as though this may be Nail Yakupov’s last summer in Edmonton so I thought it might be time to take a look back at that pivotal 2012 draft and track how all the 1st round picks have been doing.
I must stress, this is not a re-draft. Hindsight is 20/20 and you don’t need me to sit here and tell you who the Oilers ought to have selected or anything like that.
Instead, we’re looking at Yakupov’s peers, catching up on how, or even where, they are and doing a little early leg work on next year when we finally reach that five-year mark on a draft that Lowetide (rightly) preaches before passing any judgments.
I’ve got the order in which each player was selected and the team that drafted them, when applicable I’ll include any mention of a trade.
Also, just for a little extra fun, I’ve linked the players to songs that seemed to apply to their situation, either today or on draft day. Think of it as a Draft 2012 playlist, some of the songs have been chosen for enjoyment, others in jest.
1. Nail Yakupov – Edmonton – Concensus 1st overall pick on draft day, rumours that the scouts liked Murray more but ownership stepped in and overruled the pick, his rookie season was abbreviated by the lockout but when he hit the ice everything was rock and roll, sophomore season saw him play for an addled coach in an addled organization that seems to cock the hammer on every pistol pointed at their feet and the moments since then have been a Bittersweet Symphony.
2. Ryan Murray – Columbus – Suspect he was the Blue Jackets’ man whether they selected 1st or 2nd that year (Columbus “lost” the lottery and moved one spot back to Edmonton) and they may have been relieved to be able to pass on the Russian settling for the blueliner instead and that they were Happy To Be Stuck With him, development has been marred by injury but as Lowetide is wont to say, defencemen usually develop by sundial, looks to be on track to be a solid 2nd pairing puck-moving defender who could yet climb to become a 1st pairing guy.
3. Alex Galchenyuk – Montreal – Most consider him one of the better forwards from this draft class, brought into a more stable situation than his Sarnia teammate Yakupov, Galchenyuk graduated to play center full-time this season and looks like a solid 2nd line player who could carve out a strong career, took him a little while to get his feet beneath him in the NHL and many scouts were concerned about lasting effects from a serious knee injury in his draft year but he seems to have the Eye of the Tiger.
4. Griffin Reinhart – Islanders – Made expendable by the Islanders’ defensive depth chart last summer and traded to Edmonton, as above with Murray D develop by sundial and his tools are the kind that never go out of style, projects as a 2nd pairing hybrid shutdown/puck moving defenceman, was a star MVP blueliner with the Oil Kings but because of the cost of acquiring him last June fans seem to want to treat him instead as just Sombody That they Used to Know.
5. Morgan Rielly – Toronto – He, Lindholm and Maatta are arguably the best defencemen of the first round, developing nicely, finds himself in an enviable situation today with a developing roster and shows no ill-effects of knee injury that shortened his draft season as he can still Switch Into Glide, on track to develop into a skating 1st pairing defender, the Leafs must have been pretty happy to see him still there when they were selecting and now he plays in Taranna.
6. Hampus Lindholm – Anaheim – When they made the selection the Ducks appeared to go off the board a bit with this pick but have proven themselves once again to be deft evaluators of talent, developing well, looks like he could become a 1st pairing puck-moving defender, Simply one of The Best players in his draft class.
7. Matthew Dumba – Minnesota – learning to curb the chaos from his game and focus on his strengths, expect his stock to rise as a right-handed D with a good point shot, looks like a 2nd pairing headliner in a few years who could yet graduate into a 1st pairing D, one thing is certain this young man’s calling card should read Have Gun Will Travel.
8. Derrick Pouliot – Pittsburgh – Struggling to make the Penguins regular lineup but a developing D takes time (see above), showing well in two AHL stints, could find himself in a good position next season if he is up against veterans like Trevor Daley and Justin Schultz, Penguins like him and are probably telling him tomorrow and tomorrow but it must seem to him as though Tomorrow Never Comes.
9. Jacob Trouba – Winnipeg – Came out well in his rookie season, has faded since, contract rumours have his name circulating in trade speculation, big defenceman who can hit, skate and shoot and would likely attract attention from a team looking to add youth to their blueline, on paper he looks like an ideal defenceman for Once Upon A Time in the West.
10. Slater Koekkoek – Tampa Bay – Another D progressing slowly, Lightning can afford to be patient with Hedman, Stralman and others on the NHL roster, looks like he may graduate to NHL as a passing/playmaking defensive option, for the blueliners of the 2012 draft class probably best if we Don’t Forget About him.
11. Filip Forsberg – Washington – established scoring winger and a regular NHL threat, argument could be made that he is the best forward taken at this point in the draft, traded for Martin Erat and I have a suspicion that the Caps may want a do-over on that one as he has quickly become the fans’ Wonderwall in Nashville.
12. Mikhail Grigorenko – Buffalo – Sabres were thrilled that Grigorenko fell from a projected top-three pick to them at 12 and there were rumours that Feaster was moving heaven and Earth to move up for him, but he was eventually traded to Colorado as part of the O’Reilly deal, the Avs have made rumblings about moving out Duchene which would blast a massive hole in their center depth and if so then Grigorenko needs to walk in or risk developing a Bad Reputation.
13. Radek Faksa – Dallas – Stars have been patient with Faksa giving him three years in the AHL post-junior, scoring looks like it may not come, his size suggests he could find a career as a depth center/winger as he continues to hone his defensive game into something resembling the Wall.
14. Zemgus Girgensons – Buffalo – Progressing as a depth forward more quickly than his Sabres draft counterpart Grigorenko, scoring is short but he seems to be figuring out some of the moving parts on the defensive side of the game and could find himself in a nice position on a team boasting O’Reilly, Eichel and Sam Reinhart, scouting reports give the impression of a Locomotive Breath.
15. Cody Ceci – Ottawa – Another defenceman fans will need to be patient with, looks nearly ready to try and make the jump from what should be a 3rd pairing role to a 2nd pairing role within a season or two, projects as a career-peak 2nd pairing big-bodied shutdown D, given some of the things coming out of Ottawa at the end of the season though I would have concerns about the direction the organization has in mind lest he find they Hurt Him Too.
16. Tom Wilson – Washington – Making a name for himself with his physical play, likely ideally suited as a 4th line player, but capable of playing on the 3rd line with strong two-way support, when you read scouting reports on NHL prospects They Don’t Write Them Like This Anymore.
17. Tomas Hertl – San Jose – One of the high-octane scoring forwards from this draft class, big bodied forward who plays equally well with and without the puck and engages in the physical game willingly, recently registered a career year and is a hidden gem for the advanced stats crowd, suspect he is today what Oiler fans hoped Yakupov might become a year or two ago, an energizing young forward who is fun to watch on a team that gave him the space to Play That Rock and Roll.
18. Teuvo Teravainen – Chicago – Emerging as an NHL winger with some offense, his possession numbers appear to be strong albeit on a strong team and within a small sample size, Blackhawks found a Crazy Diamond later in the 1st round when other teams were picking for size and need whome this season I expect to see Shine On.
19. Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay – It is rare that a goaltender taken in the first round outpaces the wingers taken in that same round, but Vasilevskiy came to the North American game with little left to work on as a goalie and has shown well behind Ben Bishop, he has averaged just below league-average sv%, trending well and gives Yzerman some options if he chooses to move a goalie for help elsewhere, goalies are a Voodoo Thing but the Lightning hit on one here.
20. Scott Laughton – Philadelphia – Just wrapped up his first full season in the NHL, I’m not sure if the offense will come as he looks to be headed for a journeyman career as a depth forward who brings some edge, seems set to Sail To Philadelphia to start next season.
21. Mark Jankowski – Calgary – One of the most dramatic selections from this draft, was considered a reach pick at the time and year in the TSN interview moments later was sold by his GM as potentially the best player in his draft, has just finished his NCAA career and turned pro, will try for the NHL this fall, projects as a swing 2nd line/3rd line player who should bring some offense, may settle into his pro career as a winger and I believe if the Flames were expecting a franchise center then It Ain’t him Babe.
22. Olli Maatta – Pittsburgh – Good young defender for today’s game, sidelined by injury and illness early in his career, for Oiler fans I’d suggest he is somewhat reminiscent of Klefbom as a strong puck-moving defenceman, good possession numbers insofar as they apply to defenders, if Pittsburgh ever sours on him another team will benefit, one of the few defenders in this draft class who is already paying dividends, it would be wise for them to just Hold On through the tough times.
23. Michael Matheson – Florida – Still developing in the minors, trending as a shutdown defender with some dwindling potential for offense at the pro levels, may see some daylight on the depth chart if the Panthers move on from one of their other defenders like Petrovic or Campbell, but he’ll have to prove he can take it to the Otherside.
24. Malcolm Subban – Boston – slower developing goalie than Vasilevskiy despite being 8 months older, Rask allows Bruins to sit on this prospect for awhile longer to let him develop, had a peak pro year in 2014-2015 in Providence but struggled last season, suspect he spends next year in the AHL as the Bruins’ Voodoo Child.
25. Jordan Schmaltz – St. Louis – Blues took a long-term prospect here and have given him time to grow, turned pro last year and showed well in 71 AHL games, the Blues seem set to send away Kevin Shattenkirk this off-season, they delivered a wunderkind in Colton Parayko this past season and the scouting staff may be blessed by some Angel Eyes two years in a row.
26. Brendan Gaunce – Vancouver – Big winger chosen for his mix of size and scoring, primarily the former, offense appeared to have developed in his second AHL season in 2015-2016, but was unable to translate it to the NHL over 20 games, will be in the mix for the Canucks’ roster this fall, ceiling still likely as a 2nd line big winger though he now faces the tough test of translating minor-league scoring to the NHL, reminds us that size is only one part of the equation and teams need to be patient with the Boy Inside the Man.
27. Henrik Samuelsson – Phoenix – Big right-handed center with an edge that most scouts and many observers (myself included) loved on draft day, put up considerable offense at the junior level and while he had a good-but-not-great rookie AHL season, appeared to go off the rails this past season, Coyotes can be patient with him this coming season, projects as a 3rd line forward with size and enough skill to control the play in the corners, stirs up trouble and big enough to settle it afterwards, needs to bring more consistency to his game, in musical parlance this young man needs to learn to Play Guitar.
28. Brady Skjei – Rangers – Big defensive blueliner, good-but-not-great numbers in his last AHL season, projects as a hard-edged shutdown blueliner, likely at least one more year away from the NHL but probably best if it were two more years before he can get himself into a New York State of Mind.
29. Stefan Matteau – New Jersey – Bounced back and forth from the AHL to NHL over the past four years, some fair-to-middling production numbers in the AHL but almost no offense in his brief NHL stints, an Oilers’ comparable would be Lander as a player who was brought in too quickly and has the appearance of being on a shorter and shorter leash with each passing call-up, may be his last season with the Devils, that New Jersey pushed Matteau so soon is odd and shows that when it comes to prospects, Love Is Pretty When Love Is New.
30. Tanner Pearson – Los Angeles – Had the good fortune of being drafted into a championship team and after two strong AHL seasons has graduated full-time to the NHL with gradually-improving results, fantastic underlying possession numbers playing on a strong team in a clearly defined role as a depth winger who can provide offense, early 20s playing hockey and winning Stanley Cups in Los Angeles…sounds like he is having the Time of His Life.
We are one year away from being able to “call the ball” on many of the decisions made that draft day in Pittsburgh, but at this stage I think it would be fair to say that the 2012 draft was neither strong nor deep, but has provided the NHL with several good young players. This summer some will likely be moving on to other cities and other teams.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the music.
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