Posts About "2002 NHL Draft"

Revisiting David Poile's Drafts - 2002

April 22nd, 2019 For the past few weeks, I’ve been diving into David Poile’s draft history as general manager of the Nashville Predators. Since he’s been the franchise’s only GM, he’s been at the helm for every draft since 1998. Beginning with that first draft, I’m working forward to the present, with this installment covering the 2002...

Jesse Niinimaki: A Lesson In Why NOT To Go Off The Board

April 10th, 2014 In 2002 the Oilers went well off the board when they surprised everyone and drafted Jesse Niinimaki 15th overall in one of the more shallower drafts in NHL history. The draft was highlighted by Columbus selecting Rick Nash 1st overall, Atlanta (now Winnipeg) selecting Kari Lehtonen 2nd and Florida selecting Jay Bouwmeester 3rd...

The Future of Ryan Whitney in Edmonton

February 7th, 2013 When he was drafted fifth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2002, big things were expected from defenseman Ryan Whitney. Whitney was billed as a offensive-minded blueliner who could log a ton of minutes and use his size to his advantage against the opposing teams top players.