Didn’t see a thread on this and have questions. First, most of the picks were 18 years old. Is that what’s normally done, their drafted right out of high school? If they decide to go to college, does the team retain their rights?
Also, to those who really follow this. What do people think of their draft? It seems they were looking more for size and toughness as opposed to skill but that’s tough to gauge with younger players I would think.
Last, there was something in the paper that a team jumped the Rangers in the 1st round to draft a goalie. Yet, I saw nothing in the run up,to the draft that talked about drafting a goalie. Did the Rangers get jumped the way the Giants were with Conklin and Leonard Floyd?
However, most don't come from high school, most play juniors in Canada. Some (like the Rangers' Chris Kreider in 2009) were drafted from HS before going to college. There are three major junior leagues in Canada that account for a majority of drafted players I believe. Others come from college, some come from Europe.
I don't have a view on the Rangers draft (I don't watch much non-NHL hockey) and not sure on the goalie question. It's possible.
A player who goes to college a team generally retains his eligibility while he is in college although I think there is an exception if you draft a player and he plays a year in another league (like USHL) prior to going to college.
"From 1990 to 1999, about a quarter of the players selected in the second round turned into NHL career players."
"From over 2,000 players selected in the third round and beyond during the 1990s, just 261 made it as NHL career players. That's about 12 percent."
Link - ( New Window )
Best Selection: Shai Buium (36th)
The Red Wings continue to show that they love their big defenders, drafting Simon Edvinsson with the sixth-overall pick and then adding Buium in the second round; both look to be on the path to wear the red and white. They traded up in the first to draft goaltender Sebastian Cossa, which was surprising given that Jesper Wallstedt was still on the board. Some of their swings in the later rounds could pan out as NHL regulars as well, such as Red Savage and Liam Dower Nilsson.