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Here is our 2020 NHL mock draft. Team needs and tendencies have loosley been taken into consideration. The draft order is based on points per game as of March 19th, with lottery terms and Conference Finalists taken into consideration - via Tankathon. The 58th NHL Entry Draft will be held in Montreal on June 26th and 27th. With the NHL 2001 entry draft slated to begin within weeks, the Jagr rumors have begun to intensify. The Pittsburgh franchise and specifically GM Craig Patrick will be the spotlight for what may prove to be one of the biggest trades in NHL history. Critics liken the situation to that of Gretzky going to Los.
![Nhl 2001 Draft Nhl 2001 Draft](/uploads/1/2/9/3/129317972/658218175.jpg)
Ice hockey has always revelled in its bad-boy image, with a large majority of the audience only interested in watching opposing players engage in confrontation and inevitable combat. Body checks at combined speeds of over 20mph, 'accidental' hacks and blatant attempts to initiate mass brawls in full view of the hapless referee all provide an interesting and entertaining aside to the rather less enjoyable pursuit of guessing where the puck is.
It's probably for this reason that ice hockey games fare relatively well with the UK gaming public, especially compared to other sports largely defunct in this part of the world, such as American football or baseball. Consequently, EA Sports has always included scrapping in their numerous NHL titles, and they certainly aren't about to stop doing so now.
The gameplay in NHL 2001 is extremely slick, with players gliding over the ice with consummate ease. In fact, you can easily look very good without being very good at all, with players twisting, turning and accelerating at the touch of a few buttons. Scoring is still a rather random affair, with your shots-to-goals ratio dependent on both the skill levels of the player and the efficiency with which you power up your shot. In any case, the more shots you manage to hit, the more you're going to score.
So with all the latest stats, fast and furious hockey action, an excellent physics engine, lots of atmos and tear-ups galore, how can you go wrong? Well, it should be noted that if you already own NHL 2001, $30 is a lot to pay for a glorified update. If there are any gripes with how the game plays, it's that some people may find it a tad repetitive, and it's irritating that goals are due more to chance than your skill in front of the net. But whether you're a die-hard fan of the sport or not, you're likely to be impressed.
. Our best ever late round draft picks article was originally published in 2014.
Time will tell if anyone should be added to the list (feel free to share opinions in the comments below). In the meantime, hard to argue with these guys best the best ever.In the annual NHL Entry Draft, teams select players who they believe have the skill and determination to be both consistent and productive players at the NHL level.During the draft, players who have exhibited these qualities to NHL scouts and management tend to be those chosen early on, with those who display unique, generational skill selected early in the first round.However, in some cases, players with great skill and potential can be overlooked, falling into later rounds in the draft before they are selected.
In most cases, players picked late in the draft do not reach the NHL in a significant capacity.Yet in a few rare cases, players overlooked and drafted late in the NHL Entry Draft have gone on or even Hall of Fame inductees.The following players are amongst the best late round drafts picks in NHL history: Luc RobitailleDrafted: Round 9 (171 overall)Despite an extremely successful junior hockey career with the Hull Olympiques, Hall of Fame left winger Luc Robitaille went undrafted until the ninth round. In 197 career games in the QMJHL, Robitaille scored 424 points, including 55 goals and 148 points in his draft year!Despite his proven ability to produce offensively, Robitaille’s draft stock fell due to concerns over his skating ability, as many scouts felt although he was great around the net, he lacked elusive speed and the physical game necessary to play at the NHL level. Luc RobitailleIn his last year in Hull following his selection in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Luc scored 68 goals and 191 points.Robitaille stepped right into the NHL in the 1986-87 season and was spectacular, netting 45 goals and 84 points, winning the Calder Trophy. In his 19 year NHL career, Robitaille was a 13-time All-Star and enjoyed four 100 point seasons. He scored 40 goals five times, 50 twice and in 1992-93, scored 63 goals. Although Luc played 14 years of his career with the Los Angeles Kings, he won his one and only Stanley Cup as a player in 2001-02 with the Detroit Red Wings.Even though Robitaille was drafted AFTER 2014 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tom Glavine, Luc went on to become an elite NHL player. Theoren FleuryDrafted: Round 8 (166 overall)Like Luc Robitaille, Theo Fleury also had a fantastic junior career.
Fleury starred with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. In Fleury’s draft year, he scored 61 goals and 129 points, yet was still selected late in the draft. The major concern for scouts was his size, as at 5 foot 6, many thought Fleury did not have the size to play at the NHL level. 24 Feb 2002: Theo Fleury #74 (Al Bello/Getty Images)However, what Fleury lacked in size he made up for in skill and determination. Despite a demotion to the Calgary Flames’ IHL affiliate in Salt Lake City, Fleury scored 74 points in 40 games, prompting a call up to the Flames in 1989.After his promotion,. In his first full season, Theo scored 31 goals, a sum he surpassed in his next campaign in which he scored a career-best 51 goals.
A nine-time All-Star, Fleury would score 455 goals and 1088 points in his 16 year NHL career, winning one Stanley Cup.Fleury also represented Canada on the international stage on eight occasions, including two Olympic Games. Henrik ZetterbergDrafted: Round 7 (210 overall)Another late round success story, Henrik Zetterberg was a relative unknown before his arrival in the NHL.Prior to being drafted, Zetterberg had been playing for Timra IK of the Sweden Elitserien hockey league. Henrik had not been a standout on the team, and as a result had not been heavily scouted. Detroit Red Wings’ European scout Hakan Andersson mentioned to management that if Zetterberg was still available late, they should take a chance on him. Henrik Zetterberg – Photo By Andy Martin JrWhat a great suggestion that turned out to be.
Three years after being drafted, Henrik made his debut in the NHL at the age of 22. In his first full season, Zetterberg scored 22 goals and was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy. Thus far in his 12-year career with the Detroit Red Wings, Zetterberg has scored over 700 points and is an eight-time All-Star.In the 2007-08 season, Zetterberg was essential in leading the, so important in fact that Henrik was awarded the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, scoring 27 points in 22 playoff games that post-season.Zetterberg has also enjoyed a long international hockey career with Sweden, having played in the World Junior Championship, World Championship as well as the Olympic games on three occasions. Doug GilmourDrafted: Round 7 (134 overall)Yet again, we have another Hall of Fame NHL player drafted extremely late in the annual selection. Doug Gilmour, like Robitaille and Fleury, had an impressive junior career. In his three seasons with the, Gilmour scored 128 goals and 331 points.
Doug Gilmour of the Calgary Flames on the ice during a game against the New York Islanders, November 1990. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)However, as with other players we have seen before, Doug Gilmour’s size was a significant factor in his drop in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. Scouts claimed that not only was he too small at 5 foot 7, but Doug was also far too light.
In his draft year, he appeared too easy to knock off of the puck, despite his obvious offensive skills. Yet having scored 46 goals and 119 points in his draft year, Gilmour was simply too good to go undrafted, and was chosen by the St. Louis Blues.Although Gilmour’s first three NHL seasons were relatively mediocre, Doug exploded in his fourth season with the Blues, scoring 42 goals and 105 points in 1986-87. It was from this point on that Gilmour would be seen as an elite player in the NHL.In his 19 year NHL career, Gilmour would score 450 goals and 1414 points, including a 127 point season in 1992-93 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A Stanley Cup champion with the Calgary Flames, Gilmour captured the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1992-93 as the league’s top defensive forward.Doug Gilmour was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. Brett HullDrafted: Round 6 (117 overall)Brett Hull, inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, was a late round selection by the Calgary Flames in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.
His low positioning is extremely surprising, especially so given the success he had in the BCJHL in his draft year, in which Hull scored 105 goals and 188 points in 57 games with the Penticton Knights. MONTREAL 1990’s: Brett Hull #16 of the St. Louis Blues skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the 1990’s at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)Although Hull only played two seasons with the Calgary Flames before he was involved in one of the worst trades in NHL history, he went on to become an elite offensive player in the league for years to come. In his nineteen year career, Hull was known as a prolific goal scorer, netting eight 40+ goal seasons, including campaigns of 57, 70, 72 and 86 goals! In NHL history, Hull currently sits third all-time in goals scored with 741. Alongside his mountain of goals, Hull added 650 assists to give him 1391 points for his career.An 11-time All-Star, Hull won the Lady Byng, Ted Lindsay and Hart Memorial Trophies, as well as two Stanley Cups.
A two-time United States Olympian, Brett Hull is one of the greatest late round draft picks in NHL history. Pavel DatsyukDrafted: Round 6 (171 overall)Pavel Datsyuk was an absolute steal for the Red Wings with the 171st overall pick. Similar to Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings’ European scout Hakan Andersson did not have high expectations of Pavel, mentioning to Detroit management that if Datsyuk was available late in the draft, he might be worth drafting.It was a decision, alongside that of Zetterberg, which has made the Detroit player development department look like genius’ to the rest of the league for some time now. Pavel Datsyuk – Photo By Andy Martin JrDatsyuk’s junior career was spent with Yekaterinburg Dynamo, a now extinct team who once played in the Russian Elite League. In Pavel’s time with the Dynamo, he struggled to register near a half a point per game, scoring a mere 31 points in 79 games.
Based on his play to this point, Datsyuk appeared to be a longshot NHL success who would need a long amount of time to develop his game to match his talent and skills.Following a further year of development with Kazan Ak-Barks, Pavel seemed to begin to meet his potential and made the Red Wings out of training camp. In his first season, the Wings won the Stanley Cup, with Datsyuk playing 21 playoff games in which he earned valuable experience. From this point, Datsyuk’s game continued to progress, as following the lock-out season, Pavel won three consecutive Lady Byng Trophies while posting point totals near the century mark.At this point in his career, Datsyuk is an eight-time All-Star. With over 800 NHL games played, Pavel has recorded over 800 points and continues to be an elite offensive and defensive threat in the NHL today (at the time of writing). A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Datsyuk is a modern day inspiration and symbol of hope to all those selected late, or even completely passed over in the annual NHL Entry Draft.For Related Reading, Check Out.
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