Draft Day 2001 - First Round Breakdown

June 23, 2001

Official 1st round selections in 2001 NHL Entry Draft complete with exclusive Puckjunkie fantasy analysis:

Pos.	Team	Pick	Analysis
1		Ilya Kovalchuk, LW PJ Projection: #1	Not a surprise. Kovalchuk, is the best player in the draft...period. Look for him and 2000 2nd overall pick Dany Heatley to lead the Thrashers over the next few years. Fantasy Value: Will be in the NHL come October
2	from Islanders	Jason Spezza, C PJ Projection: #2	A great player for a re-tooling Sens franchise. He is talented and aggressive. Fantasy Value: Look for Spezza to get a long look at camp. Unless he blows it expect to see him in a Sens uniform in October.
3		Alexander Svitov, C PJ Projection: #3	The Ligntning had no choice but to go for size with this pick, even though they were rumoured to like Chistov a little more. Fantasy Value: Svitov is considering playing at least one more year in Russia.
4		Stephen Weiss, C PJ Projection: #6	Weiss has been compared to Sakic and Yzerman. Well, I think that any team that expected that kind of production in Weiss' first year would be crazy. Fantasy Value:He has a very good chance of making the team. But don't expect too much (30-35 points).
5		Stanislav Chistov, RW PJ Projection: #4	A bookend for Paul Kariya, Chistov will probably need another year in either Junior or back in Russia. But make no mistake, he is very, very talented. He doesn't skate exceptionally well, but he is said to have the best hands in the draft. Fantasy Value: If you can pick this guy up and hide him away for a couple of years, you will be bery happy with what he becomes.
6		Mikko Koivu, C PJ Projection: #5	The Wild to a very talented player in Koivu. He's tougher than his brother but still has soft hands. Fantasy Value: Hard to say if Koivu will play this fall, but he may be a good investment for the future.
7		Mike Komisarek, D PJ Projection: #8	Will be a monster on the Habs blueline for a very long time. Fantasy Value: Not offensively gifted, so don't expect him to pile up the points for you when he lands a full time job with the team a couple of years from now.
8		Pascal Leclaire, G PJ Projection: #16	A huge surprise, Leclaire gives the Blue Jackets exceptional goaltending prospects for the next 15 years. Fantasy Value: With Tugnutt and Denis in net, look for the Jackets to give Leclaire at 2-3 years to develop.
9		Tuomo Ruutu, C PJ Projection: #7	Mike Smith said, that he never intended to take a goalie with this pick and, in fact, if Ruutu had not been available he would have traded the pick. Very interesting. Fantasy Value: Good mix of talent and grit, look for Ruutu in the Hawks lineup in 2002.
10		Dan Blackburn, G PJ Projection: #9	For some reason the Rangers felt they needed goaltending - or maybe they felt that they didn't want Blackburn to go anywhere else. Regardless, the team now has three talented goaltending prospects in the system. Fantasy Value: Blackburn is probably at least a year away from a job, although you never know with the Rangers.
11	from Calgary	Fredrik Sjostrom, RW PJ Projection: #13	Supposedly the fastest skater in the draft, Gretzky and company traded up to get him. He may make the Coyotes out of camp, but don't be surprised if he's back in Sweden for one more year. Fantasy Value: Look for him to develop his strength and size in the off-season. If he does, he could steal a spot at camp.
12		Dan Hamhuis, D PJ Projection: #10	A very talented offensive d-man. Fantasy Value: He's plays a more physical game than his size would imply, but he'll probably spend another year in Junior.
13	from Boston	Ales Hemsky, RW PJ Projection: #15	Very talented player. Fantasy Value: Look for him to spend one more year in Junior where he can work on his strength. Could be an interesting prospect in a couple of years.
14	from Phoenix	Chuck Kobasew, C PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	The Flames traded down because they knew he would be there. Kobasew has been plagued by foot injuries, and some question whether they have affected his foot-speed. We were still surprised he went this high. Fantasy Value: Could develop into a solid, if unspectacular, player.
15		Igor Knyazev PJ Projection: #21	Knyazev continued to move up scouting lists even up until draft day. We thought that we were taking a chance moving him up to #21, but the 'Canes felt that they had to take him at #15. Fantasy Value: He's a very intelligent defenseman, but it's not likely he will ever quarterback the powerplay. He could play this fall.
16		R. J Umberger, C PJ Projection: #11	Many are branding him the next Trevor Linden. Well, we're not going that far. He has a good balance of skill, toughness and leadership and will be a solid NHLer. Fantasy Value: He will never be a 90 point guy, be he could be a solid 2nd liner in 2-3 years.
17		Carlo Colaiacovo, D PJ Projection: #12	This hometown pick, is said to have a good mix of offensive and defensive skills. He's smart with and without the puck. Fantasy Value: In a year or two Colaiacovo will be a Top 4 d-man in Toronto.
18		Jens Karlsson, RW PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	We thought that attitude problems would drop him from the 1st round, but obviously his 'hard as nails' attitude has made him 'project' material Fantasy Value: This guy has the attitude of Darius Kasperitus and Ulf Samuelsson with some very soft hands. He could make the team this year.
19		Shaone Morrisonn PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	Most draft lists ranked Morrisonn as a late 2nd or early 3rd round selection, but Bruins GM Mike O'Connell couldn't wait. Fantasy Value: Solid in both the offensive and defensive ends, Morrisonn is at least 3 years away.
20		Marcel Goc PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	The wildcard of the draft. Our correspondent Geoff Rhine pegged him as a 1st rounder, but we were hesitant. I don't think anyone thought he would go this high though. Fantasy Value: He has good size and has been playing in the German Elite league for 2 years. Look for him to get a long look at camp.
21		Colby Armstrong, RW PJ Projection: #19	While the Pens were in need of defensemen, they couldn't pass up on this winger. He's not going to win any awards, but he does have a respectable two-way game. Fantasy Value: Don't look for too much from Armstrong for the next 2-3 years.
22		Jiri Novotny, C PJ Projection: #20	Coming into this draft the Sabres really only had one priority - scoring forwards. While Novotny won't press the likes of Kovalchuk and Spezza for Calder consideration, he will provide the Sabres with a decent skill-set inside the opponent's blueline. Fantasy Value: It's possible that Novotny could make the team, but we think he's most likely going to spend time on a CHL team come the fall.
23	from Flyers	Tim Gleason, D PJ Projection: #24	Fast. That's the first word that comes to mind when we think of this kid. He will complement the likes of Wade Redden very well. Fantasy Value: He'll probably be back in Junior next season, but look for him in 2002/03.
24	from NJ	Lukas Krajicek, D PJ Projection: #17	We thought Krajicek would go a little higher, but teams always seem to have second thoughts about offensive-minded European d-men. The Panthers have done very well in the first round and Krajicek should be occupying a spot on their blueline very soon. Fantasy Value: He will get a look out of training camp and if he impresses coach Sutter, he may find he has a job.
25		Alexander Perezhogin, LW PJ Projection: #25	If he was a North American skater (at 5-11, 185) he would probably be a 3rd round pick, but because he is a product of Avangard Omsk 2 there is a willingness to take a risk. Montreal is a good place for him to go. They have a knack for recognizing under-valued projects. Fantasy Value: There is a small chance that he will come over to training camp and fit right in. More than likely he will have to spend more time in Russia (or possibly more to a Junior team in Canada).
26		Jason Bacashihua, G PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	There aren't too many people who would argue that the Stars needed to re-stock their farm system with goalies. That said there are still people scratching their heads about this pick. He could very easily have been a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Fantasy Value: It will be at least 3 years before we hear much about this kid.
27	from Senators	Jeff Woywitka, D PJ Projection: #14	We projected Woywitka would go much higher than this. We felt he had a good mix of size and skill to succeed. The Flyers were set on picking a d-man and traded down because they knew the depth in that position. Fantasy Value: As players like Luke Richardson begin to age, Woywitka will get a chance to play an important role with the Flyers. Look for him in 2 years.
28		Adrian Foster PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	Who? it's alwyas funny to watch team personnel and the NHL staff debate the eligibility of a player on national television. That's what happened with Foster. The Devils disregarded Central Scouting and selected a player who has only played a handful of games over the past two seasons. Fantasy Value: If it wasn't bad enough that nobody knew who this kid was, he's an injury risk as well. But if the Devils picked him this high, we may just see him in training camp.
29		Adam Munro, G PJ Projection: Not in 1st rd.	What? No Russian in the first round? GM Mike Smith felt that Munro and Ruutu would better address his team needs than Blackburn and a late round foward. Fantasy Value: Like most young goalies, don't look for anything significant out of Munro for at least 3 years.
30		David Steckel, C PJ Projection: #27	The Sens proved in the playoffs that they need toughness and size. While Steckel isn't going to play a finesse game, at 6-5 and 200 pounds he has the opportunity to grow into a Keith Primeau role. A role the Senators desperately need. Fantasy Value: Much like Primeau, don't expect much from this guy for a couple of years.

Photographs courtesy of BBS

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