Johnny and the 2011 NHL Draft revisited

[tvp2003]

If you've never seen the ESPN documentary, The Brady 6, it's about the 6 quarterbacks taken in the 2000 NFL Draft before the New England Patriots selected Tom Brady.

Looking back at the 103 picks before Johnny Gaudreau was picked by the Flames in the 4th round, 104th overall, it became instantly clear: if the draft was re-done today, there would be no doubt that Johnny would have gone first overall.

Here's the entire draft: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl2011e.html

After 115 NHL games, Johnny is 0.887 PPG. I don't think anyone else is even close.

Add in the story about the Flames intentionally not talking to his USHL coach to avoid tipping anyone off that they were interested, and this has the makings of being its own documentary someday. It's still early, but it's fast becoming a turning point for the franchise as well.

[Delthefunky]

Yeah. I never heard of him and would be surprised if anyone here did too. There was this 'aura' about the pick though, I remember his USHL coach gushing about him on the fan post draft. Then seeing him at the prospects camp shortly after it became pretty aparent there might be something special about the guy... The rest is history! damn it feels good. Screw you Coilers and your #1 overalls .

[Monahan For Mayor]

Amazing that our two best players are 4th round steals that should have gone high in the 1st round of their drafts.

[Ashasx]

I can't believe how quickly he's made an impact on this team.

From rival fans mocking his size and saying he won't be able to do it against NHL defencemen, to becoming one of the best forwards in the league in a single season.

[The Yen Man]

I remember the pick, and everyone thinking if the kid even hit puberty yet. He was the smallest drafted player I have ever seen. It wasn't just his height, but his frame was so slight, I thought for sure he was going to get killed in the NHL unless he bulked up.

But I also remember all the interviews, and people just gushing on his skill and how he was going to make the Flames scouts look damn smart in a few years when he adjusts his game to the NHL. Man, were they right on the money. Kid is a freaking wizard.

[kirant]

For the interested, the next 5 PPG players after Gaudreau (.868 PPG) with more than 1 point are:
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (.723 PPG)
- Ondrej Palat (.707 PPG)
- Gabriel Landeskog (.702 PPG)
- Nikita Kucherov (.625 PPG)
- Brandon Saad (.613 PPG)

[Trojan97]

I think the most amazing part about the story was the poster on here who signed up when all sorts of shade was being thrown on the pick just to say "yup, I've seen him play in the USHL, he's spent his whole life being smaller than everyone else with other players trying to run him and no one ever gets a clean piece, he's going to be a good one".

Found the post..

I am a fan of Dubuque Fighting saints for the USHL, Top Jr. hockey tier in the USA. John was on our team last year so let me assure you that he makes up for his by scoring what he lacks in size. He is very skilled with puck up close and on wrap arounds. He needs some more muscle on his slap shot but has a decent wrist shot up close.
He is very quick and was dubbed the slippery sniper here in DBQ. Believe it or not he can take a hit, during the playoffs against Green bay, they were chanting hit the midget, meaning John and they did. He is a heads up player (has to be due to his size) and usually just ducks the goons, but he gets right back up when he does get hit. He isn't afraid to check either though he would bounce off most times. He is only 17 ( I believe) and we would love to have him back for another year depending on whether he goes to Northeastern (with their coach leaving), next year. He is one the main reasons we one the National Championship this past year.

DBQ Saints Fan

How good does that guy look now. Unbelievable.

[handgroen]

crazy to think that he and granlund were from the same draftclass, really underlines how young he still is.

Already my all time favourite player, and he'll be representing the flames at all star games for the long foreseeable future.

just to recap he: waltz's into the league and scores in his first game, has a calder (IMO) worthy rookie season, puts a dagger in the heart of the defending cup champions, helps eliminate canucks, kicks the sophomore slump (actually plays at a very high level while the entire team struggled early this year)
very extraordinary career immediately develops for a guy drafted behind granlund and wotherspoon.
what a charmed life, and lucky us.

[Samonadreau]

Good thread tvp, Johnny over the others hands down.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Trojan97

I think the most amazing part about the story was the poster on here who signed up when all sorts of shade was being thrown on the pick just to say "yup, I've seen him play in the USHL, he's spent his whole life being smaller than everyone else with other players trying to run him and no one ever gets a clean piece, he's going to be a good one".

How good does that guy look now. Unbelievable.

I think that poster may have been Brian Burke. He always called Johnny tiny.

[Dion]

Feaster on the drafting of Gaudreau.....

The most excruciating call, it would seem, came in the fourth round when the team started giving some real thought to drafting Gaudreau with the 104th overall pick. The pressure was really on because the Flames did not hold a fifth-round pick, making it a now-or-never situation.

“The guy who was very much in (Gaudreau’s) corner and felt we just had to take him was (director of amateur scouting) Tod Button,” Feaster said. “Tod felt very, very strongly about it. He kept saying, ‘I know he’s not very big, but I’m telling you this kid can play and he’s the most exciting player we’ve seen.’

“I said, ‘If you feel that strongly about him as a player, let’s do it right now.’”

Sealing the deal for Feaster was the fact that, in 2004, he’d witnessed an undersized player named Martin St. Louis play a huge role in leading the Lightning to a championship.

“I didn’t need to be convinced about a small guy, because we had won a Stanley Cup in Tampa,” he said. “Nobody had a bigger heart.”

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/t...hnny-gaudreau/

[The Yen Man]

Thank God it was Feaster by then and not Sutter. I can't imagine Sutter listening to Button's suggestion, and instead just going with his usual safe projected 3rd line plug picks.

[N-E-B]

He goes 1st overall in a redraft ANIEC.

[dying4acup]

I wonder if he wears YODA EARS and turns his stick into a light saber for the the Allstar Skills competition.

[ScorchyScorch]

Redrafting the top 10:

Gaudreau
Nuge
Landeskog
Kucherov
Zibanejad
Larsson
Hamilton
Saad
Brodin
Huberdeau

[jeffman]

Tod button is a stud

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

He goes 1st overall in a redraft ANIEC.

We have the luxury of hindsight, but I agree. There is not a single player on that list of draftees that I would trade for JG right now. Not a single one.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by ScorchyScorch

Redrafting the top 10:

Gaudreau
Nuge
Landeskog
Kucherov
Zibanejad
Larsson
Hamilton
Saad
Brodin
Huberdeau

Is nuge really 2. He's a second line centre on a good team as his ceiling now who is injury prone and small. Of the people on that list Hamilton Brodin, Larson still have a good chance of moving up. In 5 years it's possible that we got the best two players from that draft

[Finger Cookin]

Johnny had a great game last night that is part of his great season so far - but of course there is doubt that he would go #1 overall if the draft was re-done today. Some teams just wouldn't take a player of his size #1 overall or in the first round.

Saying this doesn't diminish what a special player Johnny is.

[Erick Estrada]

Sigh. Oilers with three picks in the top 31.