Has a Team ever had a Perfect Draft?

[FlappyGiraffe]

Has a team ever got an NHL player out of all their picks at a paticular draft? If not, who has been the closet?

 

[1989]

It's never happened, but it could be fixed by doing the following:

1) Obtain first overall somehow in a draft year that has a prodigious, sure-fire talent
2) Draft said talent
3) Trade remaining picks away for prospects or players
4) Watch the hockey gods punish you for your hubris as the prospect pulls a Schultz/Lindros/Yashin

So no. Hasn't happened, highly unlikely to happen. After all, it is literally like winning the Lottery except your chances are actually even WORSE, if you are trying to win the jackpot of having 7 NHL players due to various rules and circumstances of the default Draft order.

 

[DraberlyakMcHallkins*]

McDonagh, Pacioretty, Subban will have to go down as one of the strongest drafts by a team

can you imagine McDonagh-Subban!

 

[CgyFlamesftw]

For the flames they potentially could. 2011 draft had baertschi who could be a regular with vancouver. Granlund currently with flames, Wotherspoon who could make the nhl leap soon. Johnny gaudreau and Brossoit who many oilers think will be at least a backup.

 

[Jacko95]

Tampa's 2011 draft is already as close as it gets. Namestnikov, Kucherov, Palat and Nesterov will all be considered regular NHlers by next summer. Peca (at least for me) has also a safe NHL future as he dominated the AHL right out of college this spring and has dominated every level he has played so far. The only pick left is 6th rounder Adam Wilcox, one of the ebst college goalies over the last 3 years and he could very well develop into an NHLer, but he is a goalie and at least a year and a half away from being a regular.

You could also add in 2011 FA signing Tyler Johnson and this is already the perfect draft for the Lightning

 

[Bank Shot]

McDonagh, Pacioretty, Subban will have to go down as one of the strongest drafts by a team

can you imagine McDonagh-Subban!

I don't think so.

Detroit drafting Lidstrom, Fedorov, Konstantinov, Sillinger, Drake, and Boughner in one draft is way ahead.

Oilers had two great drafts as well:
Lowe,Messier, Anderson
Coffey,Kurri, Moog.

 

[Mats13]

Strictly in terms of producing NHLers (not necessarily great one's) the Leafs came really close in 2006.

Hit all but one pick.

 

[DraberlyakMcHallkins*]

I don't think so.

Detroit drafting Lidstrom, Fedorov, Konstantinov, Sillinger, Drake, and Boughner in one draft is way ahead.

Oilers had two great drafts as well:
Lowe,Messier, Anderson
Coffey,Kurri, Moog.

Doesn't cancel others

It was one of the stronger drafts in recent history. Subban and McDonagh are top #1Ds, Pacioretty's a quality #1LW.

80s, early 90s drafts aside

 

[Kingsfan1]

Tampa 2011

 

[Ainec]

Vancouver 2017 when Benning trades all the picks but the 1st for the playoffs, and instead wins the lottery

 

[Zarzh]

Boston in 1979 was close, depending on criteria. 7 guys who were players, but one guy played 23 games and another who played 83.

 

[kingdok]

Habs 84 was pretty good. They drafted Roy, Richer, Corson and Svoboda.

 

[kingdok]

Habs 84 was pretty good. They drafted Roy, Richer, Corson and Svoboda.

But same year, Calgary drafted Roberts, Hull, Suter, Ranheim and Hrdina (plus Ken Sabourin who played 75 games but who cares).

That draft produced many core players for the 88-89 stanley cup final.

 

[Tim Calhoun]

the leafs in 2006

 

[Acallabeth]

All 5 Washington Capitals draft picks in 1979 played for the Capitals (but I only know one, haha):

1 4 Mike Gartner
2 24 Errol Rausse
4 67 Harvie Pocza
5 88 Tim Tookey
6 109 Greg Theberge

Though it wasn't a regular draft, so I guess it doesn't count.

 

[kingdok]

All 5 Washington Capitals draft picks in 1979 played for the Capitals (but I only know one, haha):

1 4 Mike Gartner
2 24 Errol Rausse
4 67 Harvie Pocza
5 88 Tim Tookey
6 109 Greg Theberge

Though it wasn't a regular draft, so I guess it doesn't count.

Well, same year, all Boston drafties played at least a game, plus they drafted 7 players instead of 5, plus it includes names like Raymond Bourque, Brad McCrimmon, Mike Krushelnyski and Keith Crowder.

 

[Jesus Christ Horburn]

Maple Leafs came close in 2006:

Jiri Tlusty (13th)
Nikolai Kulemin (44th)
James Reimer (99th)
Korbinian Holzer (111th overall)
Viktor Stalberg (161st overall)
*Tyler Ruesegger (166th overall)
Leo Komarov (180th overall)

*Bust, no NHL games played

 

[Michael Farkas]

2009 Stars:
1 (8): Scott Glennie - 1 GP
2 (38): Alex Chiasson - 162 GP
3 (69): Reilly Smith - 203 GP
5 (129): Tomas Vincour - 95 GP
6 (159): Curtis McKenzie - 36 GP

That was all of their picks and they all played in the NHL...whether you consider that haul "perfect" I'm not sure. As we're at six years later and only one player is even still in the organization...

2005 Dallas was close, only 7th round pick Pat McGann (seemed like a throw-away, he didn't even play much in college)...Matt Niskanen (1st), James Neal (2nd), Rich Clune (3rd), Perttu Lindgren (3rd), Tom Wandell (5th), Matt Watkins (5th) all played at least one game in the NHL...

 

[SaintMorose]

2011 Flames
13 Sven Baertschi L 69 10 20 30 26
45 Markus Granlund C 55 10 11 21 16
57 Tyler Wotherspoon D 15 0 4 4
104 John Gaudreau L 81 25 40 65
164 Laurent Brossoit G 1 0 0 0 0

Still only 4 years since the draft but if Baertschi ends up panning out for Vancouver and Brossoit for Edmonton (pretty good chance at both) you end up with 5/5 NHL regulars and a star + couple good players to boot, not bad considering where the picks were. And for a team that had a decade of drafts either terrible or mediocre before this.

 

[Jesus Christ Horburn]

2009 New York Islanders

John Tavares - 432 GP
Calvin de Haan - 117 GP
Mikko Koskinen - 4 GP
Anders Nilsson - 23 GP
Casey Cizikas - 210 GP
Anton Klementyev - 1 GP
Anders Lee - 100 GP

Koskinen and Klementyev are basically busts, but they played in the NHL.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Ottawa had six guys from their 2001 draft play at least 150 NHL games, and a seventh who played 22. Three of those guys will play at least 700 games.

 

[FlappyGiraffe]

Boston in 1979 was close, depending on criteria. 7 guys who were players, but one guy played 23 games and another who played 83.

Criteria is 1 game played!

 

[r0bert8841]

The 89 wings had an amazing first 6 rounds, 5 players with 600+ games (Silinger, Boughner, Lidstrom, Federov, and Dallas Drake) and the 6th player played 9 games. It's a shame the draft was 12 rounds!

 

[Rebels57]

All 7 picks the Flyers made in the 1979 NHL draft made it to the NHL but only Brian Propp and Pelle Lindbergh had significant careers.

They also had 8 players taken in the first 6 rounds of the 1990 draft all make the NHL, highlighted by Mike Ricci, Chris Simon and Mikael Renberg. Ricci and Simon were of course part of the package sent to Quebec for Eric Lindros.

Their top 6 picks in 2003 all made the NHL and played at least 55 games, highlighted by Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.

That 1989 Red Wings class looks tough to beat.

 

[Jyrki Lumme]

Vancouver 2017 when Benning trades all the picks but the 1st for the playoffs, and instead wins the lottery

And drafts a 6'6" grinding winger because of his "character"