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Other Than Alexander Burmistrov, Who Did The Thrashers Walk Away With From The Draft?

Who were the Thrashers' later-round picks? A comprehensive list of picks, stats, and CSS rankings for the newest members of the Thrashers' organization.

By Laura Astorian
Julian Melchiori, having fun at the photo session for the draftees. The Thrashers' jersey meshes well with the curtains and with Melchiori.
Julian Melchiori, having fun at the photo session for the draftees. The Thrashers' jersey meshes well with the curtains and with Melchiori.

The Falconer of Birdwatchers Anonymous was at the draft this weekend, interviewing Thrashers management, coaches, and draft picks -- he will be having a player by player review of the newest Baby Birds leading up to the Thrashers' prospect camp this July. Of course, his first look is at Alexander Burmistrov, the Thrashers' first-round selection at eighth overall. Further coverage of the player who could eventually become the franchise center that the Thrashers have searched for since the team's inception can, of course, be found at the official Thrashers site and from Ben Wright at the Blueland Blog.

I would like to do here for convenience's sake is to give readers a list of the other later-round picks that the Thrashers made -- four defensemen, four forwards and a surprise Swedish goalie who is set to lead his team in the U-18 World Championships. The Thrashers did not have any second round picks, and Dudley pulled of a few deals, sending out fifth round picks for two sixth-round selections, because, as The Falconer points out in his overall draft evaluation, players from the third through final round tend to have the same chance of making the NHL, so the more players you select the higher the chance is that the law of averages will work out in your favor.

All links point towards prospect profiles on Elite Prospects unless otherwise noted. NHL Central Scouting Rankings can be found on NHL.com.

 

  • 87th overall- Julian Melchiori, D, Newmarket (CCHL), 6′ 3″, 186 lbs; ranked 45th overall in domestic skaters by CSS
  • 101st overall- Ivan Telegin, LW, Saginaw (OHL), 6′ 2″, 194 lbs ; ranked 33rd overall in domestic skaters by CSS
  • 128th overall- Fredrik Pettersson-Wentzel (stats from EuroHockey.net), G, Almtuna (Sweden-2), 6′ 1″, 169 lbs; ranked second overall in international goalies by CSS
  • 150th overall- Yasin Cisse, RW, Des Moines (USHL), 6′ 3″, 210 lbs; ranked 107th overall in domestic skaters by CSS
  • 155th overall- Kendall McFaull, D, Moosejaw (WHL), 6′ 2″, 187 lbs; ranked 71st overall in domestic skaters by CSS  
  • 160th overall- Tanner Lane, F, Detroit Lakes (MN High School), 6′ 2″, 172 lbs; unranked by CSS
  • 169th overall- Sebastian Owuya (stats from EliteProspects.com), 6′ 3″, 194 lbs; unranked by CSS
  • 199th overall- Peter Stoykewych, D, Winnipeg South (MJHL), 6′ 2″, 188 lbs; ranked 98th overall in domestic skaters by CSS
As you can see, as far as CSS rankings are concerned there were some late-round steals. Of course, outside of the first and second rounds, teams cease drafting by best available and begin to focus more on the needs of the franchise's prospect pool. This year drafting based on franchise need seemed to take precedence over drafting the highest ranked players, as several first round surprises should show.

Most of these later round prospects are projected to remain in their respective leagues or play NCAA college hockey next season, but as always you never know what prospect camp can hold -- Zach Redmond was a seventh round selection in the 2008 draft by the Thrashers, and he was one of the top defensive prospects at last season's prospect camp and it would not be shocking if he were able to go pro this season if he chooses to (he'll be in his senior year at Ferris St. University, so that decision is up to him). When prospect camp begins in July, I will try to be able to get out to the Duluth Ice Forum as much as possible to observe these kids in action -- so much emphasis is placed on training camp for the team, but prospect camp is exciting in a different way. Not only do you get a first glimpse at the future of the franchise, but when you talk to the kids you can see just how extremely excited they are to be at a NHL camp, and you can feel how much each of them want to make their presence known, regardless of the chance of cracking the roster.  

 

 

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.