Man, it would be hard to throw this team up against the 1999-00 team and say it is better from a talent perspective. ESPECIALLY after losing the league MVP.
That said, I don't know that I have ever seen a group of players come together the way this team has. I never would have fathomed that they would buy into the system so well, and make it work flawlessly.
Obviously, the comparisons would be to the 98-99 and 99-00 teams.
Looking at the 99-00 team though, it is amazing how little success that group of players had at the NHL level...
Brad Moran: 7th round pick, 8 NHL games
Pavel Brendl: 1st round bomb, 78 NHL games
Kris Beech: 1st round pick, 198 NHL games
Matt Kinch: 5th round pick
Chris Nielson: 2nd round pick, 56 NHL games
Jordan Krestanovich: 5th round pick, 22 NHL games
Jerred Smithson: Free Agent, 296 NHL games
Shaun Norrie: 6th round pick
Matt Pettinger: 2nd round pick, 386 NHL games
Wade Davis: 5th round pick
Anders Lovdahl: 6th round pick
Rod Sarich: 4th round pick
Owen Fussey: 3rd round pick, 4 NHL games
Brandon Segal: 4th round pick
Stephen Peat: 2nd round pick, 130 NHL games
Jeff Feniak: 4th round pick
Curtis Rich: 5th round pick
Rastislav Stana: 7th round pick
Alexander Fomichev: 9th round pick
Shaun Sutter: 4th round pick
Brent Krahn: 1st round pick, 1 NHL game
Johnny Boychuck: 2nd round pick, 5 NHL games
22 players from that team were drafted, and 11 of those went on to play in the NHL. That is a ridiculous total for one team in one year. By comparison, in the Hitmen's 15 year history, Krahn became just the 26th alumnus to play for an NHL team tonight. Pettinger and Smithson are the only two who became NHL regulars, however.
The playoffs will determine how good this team really is, I think. The first round should be a gimme, but after that, this team will likely have to earn its acolades.
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